No 11640, Thursday 03 Mar 2016, Sunnet

ACROSS
1   From pillar, I attached a rope (6) LARIAT [T]
4   Represent South's top Pro (5,3) SPEAK FOR {S}{PEAK} {FOR}
10 Decay of French pen (9) DECOMPOSE {DE}{COMPOSE}
11 Finally no hesitation to swallow good drug (5) OPIUM {nO}{PI}{UM}
12 Number's not odd (5) SEVEN {S}{EVEN}
13 Above article is taken in a philosophical text (9) UPANISHAD {UP}{AN}{IS}{HAD}
14 Shot a bishop on full moon day (7) ARROWED {A}{RR}{O}{WED}
16 Goya's convoluted philosophy (4) YOGA*
19 Cipher, a philosopher king left for knight (4) ZERO ZE(-n+r)RO
21 An important person from a state institution (7) ANYBODY {A}{NY}{BODY}
24 Life out of excise net (9) EXISTENCE*
25 Negative person's empty act to stop the woman (5) HATER {H{AcT}ER}
26 Riddle missing right bit (5) PIECE PIErCE
27 One in Arms Act (9) ORDINANCE {ORD{1}NANCE}
28 Chorus costume (8) ENSEMBLE [DD]
29 Nearly abandon number one grain (6) QUINOA {QUIt}{NO}{A}

DOWN
1   Guide left celebrity holding poem (8) LODESTAR {L}{ODE}{STAR}
2   Rallies on screens (8) RECOVERS {RE}{COVERS}
3   Through human soul (5) ATMAN {AT}{MAN}
5   Mostly request's not complete (7) PLENARY {PLEa}{NARY}
6   Fondly waggled lady around two rings (9) ADORINGLY {LADY}* around {O}{RING}
7   Escape fluorine's electromagnetic radiation (6) FLIGHT {F}{LIGHT}
8   Correct medicine (6) REMEDY [DD]
9   Cheerful sweetheart takes copper to North Dakota (6) JOCUND {JO}{CU}{ND}
15 He grew half-Tamsik ingredients for health food (5,4) WHEAT GERM {HE+GREW+TAMisk}*
17 Fibre in contact with twig (6,2) COTTON ON {COTTON} {ON}
18 You always pushed ahead and raved about health science (8) AYURVEDA {AY}{U}{RAVED*}
20 Individual ambition leads to a costly lapse in the field (3,4) OWN GOAL [DD]
21 Knowledge buried in Countess Lovelace's program (6) AGENDA {A{GEN}DA}
22 A cross missing from pattern in a place of worship (6) TEMPLE TEMPLatE
23 Perhaps Krishna & Son split upper house (6) RIVERS {RIVE}{RS} What's '& son' for? See comments
25 Back superior paper (5) HINDU {HIND}{U}

GRID