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		<title>How I came to the Maharshi: By Papa-ji (H.W.L Poonja)</title>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:34:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Harsha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[It was the first time that I had heard of the Maharshi or of Tiruvannamalai, so I wrote down both names. But how was I to get there? It was right down in the South, and my funds were almost exhausted. However, the next day I saw an advertisement in the paper for an ex-army man to run a canteen in Madras. I applied and was at once given the post and my fare paid.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Papajis-Heart.jpg"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-8650" title="Papaji's Heart" src="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Papajis-Heart.jpg" alt="" width="616" height="691" /></a></p>
<p>I have been a visionary from childhood. When I was only five years old I already had visions of Sri Krishna. At first I thought every one could see them. I once said to my mother: &#8220;Look! He&#8217;s standing there!&#8221; but she explained to me that only I saw him.</p>
<p>When I grew up I joined the army. However my desire for God-experience grew so strong that after some years I resigned and decided to devote my life to sadhana. I wanted to become a sannyasin but could not because I had a wife and children to look after.</p>
<p>I started visiting Swamis and asked each one point blank: &#8220;Have you seen God and can you show me God?&#8221; I would allow no hedging. If they began to talk around it I said: &#8220;Please give me a straight yes or no.&#8221; I found no one who could answer `yes&#8217; and returned to my home in the Punjab feeling very depressed.</p>
<p>One day my wife was just serving my midday meal when a sadhu came and stood in the doorway. I invited him in and told her to serve him food too and then asked him whether he could direct me to a Swami who could show me God. He told me that I could find what I was looking for from Ramana Maharshi of Tiruvannamalai.</p>
<p>It was the first time that I had heard of the Maharshi or of Tiruvannamalai, so I wrote down both names. But how was I to get there? It was right down in the South, and my funds were almost exhausted. However, the next day I saw an advertisement in the paper for an ex-army man to run a canteen in Madras. I applied and was at once given the post and my fare paid.</p>
<p>When I got to Madras I said that I must first pay a visit to Tiruvannamalai before taking up my duties. Arriving there, I dumped my bedding in the Ashram dormitory and went into the meditation hall; and who should I see there on the couch but the sadhu who had visited me at my home in the Punjab!</p>
<p>I decided that he was a fraud. He had been travelling about India boosting himself and had then taken a train back and arrived before me. So I got up and left the hall. I got my bedding and was just putting it back on the horse-cart that had brought me from the station when a devotee asked me why I was leaving so soon. I told him and he said: &#8220;It must be a mistake, because the Maharshi has never left this place since he first came nearly fifty years ago. Either it was someone else you saw or he appeared to you by supernatural power.&#8221; So I was back to the hall.</p>
<p>As soon as I had an opportunity to see Bhagavan alone I asked him my usual question. I added: &#8220;It&#8217;s a bargain. I am willing to pay any price, even my life, but your part of the bargain is to enable me to see God.&#8221;</p>
<p>At first he sat silent, but I said &#8220;That&#8217;s no good; I don&#8217;t understand silence. Please give me a straight answer.&#8221;</p>
<p>Then he said: &#8220;I can enable you rather to be God than to see God.&#8221;</p>
<p>That puzzled me. I had very little understanding then.</p>
<p>A few days later I went for a walk in the rough country at the foot of the north slope of Arunachala and fell into a state of ecstasy during which I again had a vision of Sri Krishna. When I got back I told Bhagavan. He asked me: &#8220;can you see Krishna now?&#8221;</p>
<p>I said, &#8220;No; only when I have a vision.&#8221;</p>
<p>So he said: &#8220;What is the use of a God who comes and goes? If he is a real God he should be with you always.&#8221;</p>
<p>That shocked me. Again I almost lost faith in him, but some of the devotees explained to me. Before I left for Madras I asked Bhagavan for a mantra but he did not give me one. I asked him for permission to take sannyas, but he refused.</p>
<p>However, shortly after my return to Madras he appeared to me in a dream and gave me a mantra. Soon after this I had a vision of God in human form. This was followed by a great change in me. I lost interest in all the ritual and incantations and breathing exercises that I had been doing up to then. For instance, I used to get up at three o&#8217;clock in the morning to attend to my statue of Sri Krishna. All such things ceased to interest me. I was very worried about this. I thought it meant I had become an atheist.</p>
<p>At the first opportunity I went to Tiruvannamalai. I told Bhagavan about the change that had come over me and how I had lost interest in all the ritual that I had been practising regularly for so many years past.</p>
<p>Bhagavan looked steadily at me for some time and then said something to me in Tamil which I was told, on enquiry, meant &#8220;You, that is me, that is Bhagavan.&#8221; These words sank into my heart and I experienced the most wonderful feeling of bliss I had ever known.</p>
<p>It was from this time that I began to understand Bhagavan and his teaching.</p>
<p>Source:</p>
<p>The Mountain Path<br />
Vol. 2 &#8211; JULY 1965 &#8211; No. 3</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/papaji-h-w-l-poonja/" title="Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal">Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-perfect-meeting_ramana-and-ramdas/" title="The Perfect Meeting_Ramana and Ramdas">The Perfect Meeting_Ramana and Ramdas</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/nome-a-leading-american-teacher-of-ramana-maharshis-self-inquiry/" title="Nome &#8211; a leading American teacher of Ramana Maharshi&#8217;s Self-Inquiry: By Richard Clarke">Nome &#8211; a leading American teacher of Ramana Maharshi&#8217;s Self-Inquiry: By Richard Clarke</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/mahasivaratri-with-arunachala/" title="Mahasivaratri with Arunachala: By Richard Clarke">Mahasivaratri with Arunachala: By Richard Clarke</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-maharshis-advice-to-poonja-ji/" title="The Maharshi&#8217;s Advice to Poonja-Ji">The Maharshi&#8217;s Advice to Poonja-Ji</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>The Maharshi&#8217;s Advice to Poonja-Ji</title>
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		<comments>http://luthar.com/the-maharshis-advice-to-poonja-ji/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:36:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Harsha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[Bhagavan said to me, "If you call it a dream, why are you afraid of a dream? It is better if you go into the dream and look after your wife and relations. Why be afraid of the dream?]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Papajis-Heart.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8650" title="Papaji's Heart" src="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Papajis-Heart.jpg" alt="" width="616" height="691" /></a>Editor&#8217;s note:</p>
<p>As you read this personal account by Poonja-ji, keep in mind the background and the context of the times of the year 1947 as India was getting ready to be split into two countries.</p>
<p>1. Poonja-ji was from a Hindu family and his family was living in the area of India that became Pakistan after the partition.</p>
<p>2. In the summer of 1947 there was much tension in India due to the partition which resulted in violence between Hindus and Muslims.</p>
<p>3. During those times, Poonja-ji was far removed from his family and living on the holy mountain of Arunachala in the company of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p>Now the story in the words of  Sri H.W.L. Poonja (AKA Papa-ji by his students).</p>
<p>I was staying in Ramanashram before the partition of India in 1947.</p>
<p>One day in the middle of July 1947 someone asked me on which side of the river Ravi I was from. I told him it was much beyond this river. Then he told me about the partition crisis of the country which I didn&#8217;t know too much about since I neither had time for reading newspapers, nor for politics.</p>
<p>This man told me that in the middle of the next month (August 15) India would be partitioned and so my family, who was living in Lahore and Peshawar (areas to go to Pakistan), would be massacred if I did not save them. I told him that I had forgotten everybody and that it had all been a dream: parents, family, children, and country. All of it was a dream that was over now. This was how strong my detachment was and how strong it had to be.</p>
<p>This man told Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi what I had said and as we went out on his morning walk together the Maharshi asked me, &#8220;Why don&#8217;t you go and look after your family?&#8221;</p>
<p>I said to Bhagavan Ramana, &#8220;When I came here I had my wife and parents and children, but when you looked at me everything was finished and now You are my only relation and no one else in the world.&#8221;</p>
<p>Bhagavan said to me, &#8220;If you call it a dream, why are you afraid of the dream? It is better if you go into the dream and look after your wife and relations. Why be afraid of the dream? Your dream hand is quite safe in the mouth of the dream tiger. Like this, live in the world, and call it a dream. Don&#8217;t be afraid and work as you work in the dream. The dream is a dream and nothing in it is real, but you, as their son, are also in the dream. So let the dream son go to the dream country and save the dream parents in the dream.&#8221;</p>
<p>So in this way He defined the dream for me. Then the Maharshi said: &#8220;I AM with you wherever you are.&#8221;</p>
<p>With this sentence Bhagavan gave me the Teaching: He is the &#8220;I AM&#8221; which is with me wherever I am.</p>
<p>What could I say to Him? Bhagavan was telling me to leave. So I prostrated to Him and collected the dust from under His feet, went thrice around Him and left.</p>
<p>I went to the Punjab and through several miraculous events rescued my family from all the butchering.</p>
<p><a href="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/soh_23.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9269" title="Bhagavan Ramana sitting with the walking stick" src="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/soh_23.jpg" alt="" width="347" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-perfect-meeting_ramana-and-ramdas/" title="The Perfect Meeting_Ramana and Ramdas">The Perfect Meeting_Ramana and Ramdas</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/papaji-h-w-l-poonja/" title="Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal">Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/how-i-came-to-the-maharshi-by-papa-ji-h-w-l-poonja/" title="How I came to the Maharshi: By Papa-ji (H.W.L Poonja)">How I came to the Maharshi: By Papa-ji (H.W.L Poonja)</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/self-inquiry-and-surrender/" title="Self-inquiry and Surrender: By Dr. Suryanarayana Raju">Self-inquiry and Surrender: By Dr. Suryanarayana Raju</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/understanding-bhagavan-ramanas-teachings/" title="Understanding Bhagavan Ramana&#8217;s Teachings: By Alan Jacobs">Understanding Bhagavan Ramana&#8217;s Teachings: By Alan Jacobs</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>The Perfect Meeting_Ramana and Ramdas</title>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:55:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Harsha</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Swami Ramdas describes how he attained the Divine Vision through the Grace of the Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. Swami Ramdas was called "Papa" by his devotees.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Swami Ramdas describes how he attained the Divine Vision through the Grace of the Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. Swami Ramdas was called &#8220;Papa&#8221; by his devotees.</p>
<p>&#8220;Papa,&#8221; I asked Swami Ramadas ,&#8221;Would you mind telling us about your final Realization which they call &#8216;Vishvarupa Darshan&#8217;?&#8221;</p>
<p>He readily acquiesced and gave a long description of his burning aspiration and yearning which had led him to Arunachala Hill, hallowed by the tapas of the peerless saint Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. I can give here only the gist of his long narration &#8230;.</p>
<p>Papa (Swami Ramadas) then started speaking. Please note that Swami Ramdas refers to himself in third person as was his habit.</p>
<p>&#8220;One day the kind Sadhuram (a disciple of Swami Ramdas) took Ramdas for the darshan of a famous saint of the place named Sri Ramana Maharshi. His Ashram was at the foot of  Arunachala. It was a thatched shed. Both the visitors entered the ashram and, meeting the saint, fell prostrate at his holy feet.</p>
<p>It was really a blessed place where the great Bhagavan Ramana lived. He was young then but there was on the face of  calmness and in his large eyes a passionless look of tenderness which cast a spell of peace and joy on all those who came to him.</p>
<p>Ramdas was informed that the saint knew English, so he addressed Ramana thus:</p>
<p>&#8220;Maharaj, here stands before thee a humble slave. Have pity on him. His only prayer to thee is to give him thy blessing.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Maharshi turned his beautiful eyes towards Ramdas and looked intently for a few minutes into his eyes as though he was pouring into Ramdas his blessing through those orbs, then shook his head to say he had blessed.</p>
<p>A thrill of inexpressible joy coursed through the frame of Ramdas, his whole body  quivering, like a leaf in the breeze &#8230;.</p>
<p>Now at the prompting of Lord Rama (Ram), Ramdas desired to remain in solitude for some time &#8230; The sadhuram was ever ready to fulfil his wishes. Losing no time, he took Ramdas up the mountain behind the great temple. Climbing high up he showed him many caves. Of these, one small cave was selected for Ramdas, which he occupied next day. In this cave he lived for nearly a month in deep meditation of Ram. This was the first time he was taken by Ram into solitude for his bhajan. Now he felt most blissful sensations since he could hold undisturbed communion with Ram. He was actually rolling in a sea of indescribable happiness. To fix the mind on that fountain of bliss, Ram, means, to experience pure joy &#8230; He went on taking the Name (Ram) in an ecstasy of longing when, lo, suddenly his Lord Rama &#8230; appeared before him and danced and danced &#8230;</p>
<p>&#8220;Did you see Lord Rama with closed eyes or open?&#8221; I interjected.</p>
<p>&#8220;With open eyes, as Ramdas is seeing you,&#8221; Papa answered. &#8220;But it was not this momentary vision that Ramdas&#8217;s heart craved. For he knew that a vision like this, was unlikely to last and so, when the Lord would vanish, Ramdas would revert to his darkness. Therefore he prayed for the great darshan, the Vision of visions, which comes to stay for ever so there is no more parting, namely the Vishvarupa Darshan, longing to see Rama always in everything; that is nothing less would satisfy Ramdas.&#8221;</p>
<p>Papa paused and then resumed with a beatific smile: &#8220;And it came one morning and the entire landscape changed: All was Rama, nothing but Rama &#8211; wherever Ramdas looked! Everything was permeated by Rama -vivid, marvellous, rapturous &#8211; the trees, the shrubs, the ants, the cows, the cats, the dogs &#8211; even inanimate things pulsated with the marvelous presence of the one Rama. And Ramdas danced in joy, like a boy who, when given a lovely present, can&#8217;t help breaking out into a dance.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8216;And so it was with Ramdas: he danced with joy and rushed at a tree in front, which he embraced because it was not a tree but Rama Himself! A man was passing by, Ramdas ran towards him and embraced him, calling out: &#8216;Rama, O Rama!&#8217; The man got scared and bolted. But Ramdas gave him chase and dragged him back to his cave. The man noted that Ramdas had not a tooth in his head and so felt a little reassured: at least the loony would not be able to bite him!&#8221;</p>
<p>Papa laughed out and we swelled the chorus.</p>
<p>&#8220;And then?&#8221; I asked, after the laughter had subsided.</p>
<p>Papa said,&#8221;The bliss and joy came to be permanent, like a torrent rushing downhill till it finds a placid level of limpid purling stream. This experience is called sahaja samadhi, in which you can never be cut off from the consciousness of being at one with the One who has become all, in which you feel you are one with all because you have perceived that all is He, the One-without-a-second.&#8221;</p>
<p>Finally we end with a comment made by Swami Ramdas &#8211; about forty years later.</p>
<p>&#8220;Ramdas went to Ramana Maharshi in a state of complete obliviousness of the world. He felt thrills of ecstasy in his presence. The Maharshi made the awakening permanent in Ramdas.</p>
<p>Some people told Ramdas: &#8220;You went to Maharshi and you got illumination. Give us illumination like that.&#8221;</p>
<p>Ramdas said, &#8220;You must come to Ramdas in the same spirit and in the same state as he went to Maharshi. Then you will also get it. Where was his heart? How intense was his longing? What was the world to him at that time ? If you come in that state it is all right.&#8221;</p>
<div id="attachment_7845" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 232px"><a href="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/soh_021.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-7845" title="Bhagavan Sri Ramana in relative youth -2" src="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/soh_021.jpg" alt="Bhagavan Sri Ramana in relative youth -2" width="222" height="360" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Bhagavan Sri Ramana in relative youth -2</p></div>
<p>Source for this article: The Mountain Path</p>
<p>Vol. 2 &#8211; JANUARY 1965 &#8211; No. 1</p>
<p>Editor&#8217;s note: Minor edits were made to the original. Harsh K. Luthar</p>
<p>&#8211;</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/papaji-h-w-l-poonja/" title="Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal">Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/how-i-came-to-the-maharshi-by-papa-ji-h-w-l-poonja/" title="How I came to the Maharshi: By Papa-ji (H.W.L Poonja)">How I came to the Maharshi: By Papa-ji (H.W.L Poonja)</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/self-inquiry-and-surrender/" title="Self-inquiry and Surrender: By Dr. Suryanarayana Raju">Self-inquiry and Surrender: By Dr. Suryanarayana Raju</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-journey-of-the-soul-ii/" title="The  Journey of the Soul &#8211; II">The  Journey of the Soul &#8211; II</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/i-am-not-this-i-am-not-that-who-am-i-gururaj-ananda-yogi-satsang/" title="I am not this, I am not that; who am I? &#8211; Gururaj Ananda Yogi Satsang">I am not this, I am not that; who am I? &#8211; Gururaj Ananda Yogi Satsang</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Beloved Arunachala! By Helene Averous</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/beloved-arunachala/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:54:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Helene Averous</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ART & POETRY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LIFESTYLE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PERSONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Art & Poetry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arunachala]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Helene Averous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mountain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[There is a secret
In that mountain
Words cannot capture
The magnificence
Of Arunachala
Something mysterious
Flowing from there.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/boa_38.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8785" title="Bhagavan Ramana standing near Arunachala with his walking stick" src="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/boa_38.jpg" alt="" width="288" height="360" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">There is a secret<br />
In this mountain<br />
Words cannot capture<br />
The magnificence<br />
Of Arunachala<br />
Something mysterious<br />
Flowing from there.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Still and silent<br />
Always present<br />
In every flower<br />
Every stone<br />
Every bird<br />
Every being.<br />
In sky and earth<br />
And in between</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">What is the secret of Arunachala?</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I cannot say for sure<br />
It embraces all life<br />
And shows<br />
Everything is<br />
Holy<br />
All is pure<br />
Grace<br />
Flowing endlessly.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">AUM!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Editor&#8217;s note: The poem was edited from the original submission made by Helene-ji.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Harsh K. Luthar</p>
<p><a href="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/03041121.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-10744" src="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/03041121-300x265.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="265" /></a></p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/in-praise-of-shri-bhagavan/" title="In Praise of Shri Bhagavan: By Alan Adams Jacobs">In Praise of Shri Bhagavan: By Alan Adams Jacobs</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-perfect-meeting_ramana-and-ramdas/" title="The Perfect Meeting_Ramana and Ramdas">The Perfect Meeting_Ramana and Ramdas</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/papaji-h-w-l-poonja/" title="Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal">Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/auspicious-shades/" title="Auspicious Shades by Trina Kavanagh">Auspicious Shades by Trina Kavanagh</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/lovers-love-completely-the-goddess-mystery/" title="Lovers Love Completely: The Goddess Mystery. By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar">Lovers Love Completely: The Goddess Mystery. By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Bhagavan&#8217;s Walk With Devotees: By Viswanatha Swami</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/bhagavans-walk-with-devotees/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/bhagavans-walk-with-devotees/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Sep 2011 14:39:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Harsha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PERSONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arunachala]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bhagavan Ramana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganapati Muni]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Muruganar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vishwanatha Swami]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=10713</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ganapati Muni once told Bhagavan Ramana that he had seen many other forests, but not the one at Arunachala. Bhagavan, who knew very well every inch of Arunachala, offered to take the Muni one day into the interior of the forest.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/boa_04.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8722" title="Bhagavan Ramana on His Walk" src="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/boa_04.jpg" alt="" width="346" height="360" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s Note about the three characters in the story</strong>:</p>
<p>1. Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni was a great yogi and a mystic poet and one of the early devotees of Bhagavan Ramana. Bhagavan and the devotees affectionately referred to him as Nayana.</p>
<p>2. Sri Murunagar is well known to Bhagavan devotees. He was the great poet who came to Bhagavan for the first time bringing a poem he had written to read to Bhagavan. However, upon seeing Bhagavan for the first time, Muruganar could not utter a single word. Bhagavan then took the piece of paper from Muruganar and read his poem.  From that point, everything fell away from Muruganar and he became known as Bhagavan&#8217;s shadow.</p>
<p>3. Vishwanath Swami who narrates this wonderful story, was the son of Bhagavan&#8217;s elder cousin. Now the story as told by Viswanatha Swami. I have made some minor edits for clarity.</p>
<p>Harsh K. Luthar</p>
<p>_____________</p>
<p>Ganapati Muni once told Bhagavan Ramana that he had seen many other forests, but not the one at Arunachala. Bhagavan, who knew very well every inch of Arunachala, offered to take the Muni one day into the interior of the forest.</p>
<p>Ganapati Muni could not bear even the slightest heat of the sun on account of a yogic experience he had, known as Kapalabheda (breaking of the skull), and so Bhagavan waited for a cloudy day. Such a day came soon and Bhagavan asked me if it would suit Nayana (Bhagavan referred to Ganapati Muni affectionately as Nayana) to go into the forest then. I replied that he would gladly jump at the opportunity and went ahead to his room to inform him of Bhagavan’s intention. In a few minutes Bhagavan came to our room in Palakothu and we three set out. Bhagavan took us through the third forest path.</p>
<p>After going for more than a mile, Bhagavan chose a cool and shady spot adjoining a huge rock to rest a bit. As we were sitting there a rustling sound was heard indicating someone was approaching, and in a minute, Muruganar stood before us. Bhagavan put his finger on his nose and asked him with surprise: “How did you come here? Even a forest guard could not have found us here”.</p>
<p>Muruganar replied, “I knew that Bhagavan had promised Nayana (Ganapati Muni) to take him into the forest on some suitable day. I also wanted to join the party and was coming to the Ashram earlier than usual. But today, not finding Bhagavan at the Ashram, I proceeded to Palakothu where I found Nayana’s room locked. I learnt from the watchman Sabhapati that Bhagavan had gone towards the forest with Nayana and Viswanathan. I made my way straight to the forest. Going along the second forest path, I found a footpath going further into the interior. I took the path and straight I arrived here.”</p>
<p>Bhagavan replied: “Is there a short cut like that? We shall return by it.”</p>
<p>Nayana (Ganapati Muni) patted Muruganar and said: “It is an indication of how you are attuned to Bhagavan by his Grace.” And we returned to the Ashram before 4 p.m.</p>
<p>I am thrilled when I recollect my intimate contact with Bhagavan and these two great poet-disciples of his.</p>
<p>Source: SURPASSING LOVE AND GRACE</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/professor-and-the-sage-part-2/" title="Professor and the Sage &#8211; Part 2">Professor and the Sage &#8211; Part 2</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-maharshis-advice-to-poonja-ji/" title="The Maharshi&#8217;s Advice to Poonja-Ji">The Maharshi&#8217;s Advice to Poonja-Ji</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-perfect-meeting_ramana-and-ramdas/" title="The Perfect Meeting_Ramana and Ramdas">The Perfect Meeting_Ramana and Ramdas</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/beloved-arunachala/" title="Beloved Arunachala! By Helene Averous">Beloved Arunachala! By Helene Averous</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/understanding-bhagavan-ramanas-teachings/" title="Understanding Bhagavan Ramana&#8217;s Teachings: By Alan Jacobs">Understanding Bhagavan Ramana&#8217;s Teachings: By Alan Jacobs</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>What Is Yoga Truly? By Latha Ramanan</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/what-is-yoga-truly/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/what-is-yoga-truly/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Sep 2011 23:52:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>sivashakti</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LIFESTYLE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meditation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Realization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spirituality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yoga]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[What is actually Yoga? Yoga is a system that was developed 5,000 years ago to reach the ultimate state of perfection or silence.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Ekapadagalavasana.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10667" src="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Ekapadagalavasana.jpg" alt="" width="226" height="127" /></a></p>
<p>(My Teacher, Stephan Shiva Trefzer performing Ekapada Galavasana)</p>
<p>“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” – Romeo &amp; Julliet (II ii 1-2)</p>
<p>Now-a-days there are different styles, names and trademarks for Yoga. It has become like another commodity which you need to peruse and buy according to your need and what fits your pocket. These varieties of yoga styles can leave you confused about what will suit you. This write-up is not intended to criticise what yoga teachers are doing in the name of yoga. What I wish to is to highlight is the meaning of real yoga and what human souls intend to gain through yoga.</p>
<p>What is actually Yoga? Yoga is a system that was developed 5,000 years ago to reach the ultimate state of perfection or silence. What is seen at present is the old wine in new bottles and labels. All the new names given to Yoga are similar to patenting a drop from the ocean and calling it as an individual property. Real Yoga is considered as a systematic process that unites the individual self (Jivatma) to the Self (Paramatma). Swami Vivekananda says, “It is a means of compressing one’s evolution into a single life or a few months or even a few hours of one’s bodily existence.” So yoga as a system has the capacity to reduce the time-span required to realise one’s self.</p>
<p>Apart from the Hatha Yoga (physical postures and breathing exercises), there are different stages/limbs of yoga. Patanjali, the Father of yoga, mentioned in his ‘Yoga Sutras’ that yoga has eight parts or limbs so it can be called Ashtanga Yoga (not to be confused with the popular style of Hatha yoga by this name). The eight parts are the yama(the personal observances), niyama(the social observances), asana(the hatha yoga postures), pranayama(control of breath), pratyahara(restraint of senses from their objects of enjoyment), dharana(focussing of mind), dhayana (deconcentration) and Samadhi (super consciousness or the merging of the self with the Self).</p>
<p>Depending on an individual’s nature one gets drawn into one of the four streams/branches of Yoga, namely Karma Yoga (path of selfless work), Bhakti Yoga (path of devotion), Jnana Yoga (path of knowledge) or Raja Yoga (path of culturing the mind). Sometimes one might engage in all the four paths of Yoga and eventually settles in one’s predominant path.</p>
<p>People initially take up Hatha Yoga or any other branch of Yoga for some peripheral reasons such as losing weight, curing some illness or a strong inclination etc. We have to understand there is always a deeper goal we are trying to fulfill. Every human soul takes birth with an ultimate goal of realising oneself. If we miss the goal, several births may be needed to achieve it.</p>
<p>So enjoy any style of Yoga you are attracted to, the name is irrelevant as long as it aids you to achieve this ultimate goal of realising oneself.</p>
<p>Once you realise yourself, it is said that you have to leave that practice; just like a ladder needs to be abandoned once it&#8217;s use is over. Then there is no need for a practice; you remain in that state of silence or the indescribable merger with God!</p>
<p>Namaste!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Messages of God: By Latha Ramanan</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/messages-of-god/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/messages-of-god/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 May 2011 03:05:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>sivashakti</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[control of senses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meditation 玄想]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Messages]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pratyahara]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rumi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seeker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Silence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spiritualism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yoga]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=10400</guid>
		<description><![CDATA["Be quiet and tear the thorn from your heart.
Uncover your soul's own rose garden." - Rumi]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_10416" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/aamavilakku.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-10416" src="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/aamavilakku-300x141.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="141" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The tortoise base of the tall lamp stand found in temples.</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>&#8220;The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.</em></p>
<p><em>Don&#8217;t go back to sleep.</em></p>
<p><em>You must ask for what you really want.</em></p>
<p><em>Don&#8217;t go back to sleep.</em></p>
<p><em>People are going back and forth across the doorsill</em></p>
<p><em>where the two worlds touch.</em></p>
<p><em>The door is round and open.</em></p>
<p><em>Don&#8217;t go back to sleep.&#8221; - <strong>Rumi</strong></em></p>
<div>Spiritualism is a way of life for a true seeker. He/she seeks to unravel the mystery of life or decode the messages of God, every moment. Many times these messages go unnoticed as they are mere, simple things in daily life. This is why perhaps, all the teachings instruct to &#8216;be&#8217; in the present; in the &#8216;here&#8217; and the &#8216;now&#8217;. It is a subtle process of preventing the mind from slipping into the past and the future thoughts.</div>
<p>Every moment is a treasure and an opportunity to receive a message from God. It can be in the form of prana (the vital life force) in the air that you breathe in, the wind that brushes past your face, the chirping of the garden sparrow or in the pause of a scuttling squirrel. The message just for you can also be from the scorching sun or in an overheard conversation.</p>
<p>The whole universe is conspiring to enlighten you, to answer a question in you that is an answer to all questions in you: to unlearn your so-called knowledge, to undo all your spiritual practices, to realise heaven and hell are your mind&#8217;s creation.These messages beckon you to become a child whose world is undifferentiated and whole. It is later that the adults around the child teach him/her the concepts of &#8216;mine&#8217; and &#8216;others&#8217;. This differentiation in adults is what breaks down with spiritual teachings, hence you re-discover the child in you through the spiritualism.</p>
<p>All teachings have the underlying message of unlearning and undoing all the concepts that creates division, conflict and disharmony. Acquiring concepts or knowledge is an activity of the mind, like any other mental process. The more aware you are of this aspect, the less greedy you will be to acquire knowledge. For example, we label a thing &#8216;apple&#8217; first then picture it as apple when you hear the name , apple. What if you can comprehend the apple, and the hand or the basket that holds it are one and the same energy in different forms. This is what unlearning the concepts does to you.</p>
<p>The tortoise, by withdrawing the body parts into its shell gives a message – the core message of Raja Yoga to practice <em>pratyahara</em> (withdrawal of senses) in order to remember our real Self. In South Indian temples you can see this message in the form of a tall, lamp stand emerging from the top of a tortoise&#8217;s statue. The light from within shines through when  you control your senses as symbolized by the above mentioned lamp stand.</p>
<p>&#8220;<em>You can see the Sun with different colours</em><br />
<em> (depending on) which glass you are looking.</em><br />
<em> You should break the glass,</em><br />
<em> for seeing the light</em>.&#8221; &#8211; <strong>Rumi</strong></p>
<p><em>Pratyahara</em> can be either the practice for realising one&#8217;s Self or it can be the result of realisation. You may practise <em>pratyahara</em> and receive messages directly from God, without relying on your five senses. It can also be the other way round, you may realise &#8216;You Are That (Tatvamasi)&#8217;. Consequently you withdraw your senses. As seen in the the enlightened persons, then your silence or inactivity become your teachings or activity correspondingly. Your sensory perceptions no longer bothers you.</p>
<p>Let all beings learn to decode the sacred messages that is available freely from the universe! Namaste!</p>
<p>&#8220;<em>Be quiet and tear the thorn from your heart.</em><br />
<em> Uncover your soul&#8217;s own rose garden</em>.&#8221; &#8211; <strong>Rumi</strong></p>
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		<title>The Grace of This Moment: By Cathy Ginter</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/the-grace-of-this-moment/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/the-grace-of-this-moment/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 May 2011 21:38:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Cathy Ginter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ART & POETRY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=10384</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Each moment contains a hundred messages from God: To every cry of &#8220;Oh Lord,&#8221; He answers a hundred times, &#8220;I am here.&#8221; ~ Rumi While the sun slips over the western woods, the evening colors turn the sky to the softest shades of heather. The slanting light leaves long shadows across the back of my [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/BHeart.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-10385" src="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/BHeart-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a>Each moment contains a hundred messages from God: To every cry of &#8220;Oh Lord,&#8221; He answers a hundred times, &#8220;I am here.&#8221; ~ Rumi</p>
<p>While the sun slips over the western woods, the evening colors turn the sky to the softest shades of heather. The slanting light leaves long shadows across the back of my hand. I gently rotate the lens and play with blush and silhouette as they intermingle, come and go. When the hum of a bumblebee soars into sight, I watch it dive deeply into a hanging heart to grab its last fill of nectar before the day is complete.</p>
<p>I am quite pleased when a mere whisper of the calmest breeze lifts a flawless flower to my eye. In truth, I am merely a spectator to this single instant in time in which the real treasure is the bliss of capturing this one shot. Smiling, I invite a fine line of luminosity to linger between leaf and petal, halting the midair dance of movement. Holding my breath, I frame a perfectly focused bead in the crosshairs, slowly press the shutter and catch the Grace of this moment.</p>
<p>The Grace of This Moment © May 2011 ~ Cathy Ginter</p>
<p>I shot this photograph of the Bleeding Hearts in the Safe Harbor Garden.</p>
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		<title>In Clear Sight: By Cathy Ginter</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/in-clear-sight/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:47:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Cathy Ginter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ART & POETRY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[clarity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Consciousness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[light]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mind]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=10323</guid>
		<description><![CDATA["The lamps are different, but the Light is the same. One matter, one energy, one Light, one Light-mind, endlessly emanating all things." ~ Rumi]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/One-Light-mind.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-10324" src="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/One-Light-mind-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>&#8220;The lamps are different, but the Light is the same. One matter, one energy, one Light, one Light-mind, endlessly emanating all things.&#8221; ~ Rumi</p>
<p>Each moment is extraordinarily beautiful when we simply open our eyes and see. As Rumi shares with such poetic grace, we are one, undivided and interconnected. Regardless of appearances, there is no separation between us and all that there is. In this timeless, spaceless state, there is no disconnect between being and becoming. Perhaps this understanding reveals the true reason we feel such physical and emotional agitation when there is a persistent struggle going on in our minds.</p>
<p>Truly, we are blessed when we can pause and inquire: Can we acknowledge that we create the gap of separation between ourselves and the world? Can we recognize that when we become identified with the object of our attention, we kindle patterns of resistance? Can we watch ourselves become trapped in our own misperception as the illusion catches us? Do we realize that when we no longer have the ability to distinguish it as a misperception, we close our eyes to our true nature and drift into a state of forgetfulness?</p>
<p>All of these questions arise from Consciousness that is cognizant even during our slumber. This part of our psyche must either weep or laugh at what we are missing in our bouts of blindness. Yet with eyes wide open, in clear sight, we see ourselves with the majesty of a single drop of light, floating on the surface of the sea, following the stream of the current and merging into the one Light-mind. In an instant, the lamp is no longer important for it vanishes in the brilliance of the Love&#8217;s light, shining forth.</p>
<p>In Clear Sight © April 2011 ~ Cathy Ginter</p>
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		<title>A Blessed Realization: By Cathy Ginter</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/a-blessed-realization-by-cathy-ginter/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:20:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Cathy Ginter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heart Chakra]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Peace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reiki]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shakti]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=10252</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are times when a consistent, long-term exposure to any spiritual teaching can feel overwhelming. Keep in mind that whether we are practicing meditation, yoga or receiving intensive Reiki healing energy, we are literally raising the vibration of our auric field to a higher frequency.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Yellow-Rose.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-10253" src="http://luthar.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Yellow-Rose-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>&#8220;Knock at the door of reality, shake your thought-wings, loosen your shoulders, and open.&#8221; ~ Rumi</p>
<p>There are times when a consistent, long-term exposure to any spiritual teaching can feel overwhelming. Keep in mind that whether we are practicing meditation, yoga or receiving intensive Reiki healing energy, we are literally raising the vibration of our auric field to a higher frequency. In so doing, we are opening our inner body to a new way of living and being in the world. In the beginning, our practice is often accompanied by a period of joy and peace. However when that first wave of bliss recedes, it is possible to be left with a feeling of uncertainty.</p>
<p>As many of us know, this lull can easily lead to a chase to repeat the initial feeling of ecstasy. Many of us have caught the egoic mind asking, &#8220;What&#8217;s next?&#8221; Yes, we all long to get to the place of true inner peace that never wavers. However, it is important to acknowledge that we might have to play catch up with the freshness of the awakening experience. In fact, it takes patience and confidence to allow our emotional and physical bodies to integrate and merge more fully into the groove of the shift.</p>
<p>It is also perfectly normal for a burst of energy, rising through the chakras, to feel unsettling. We might even experience a period of confusion, anxiety or agitation, which all seems like a huge step backwards. In actuality, it is indicative of an expansive movement in consciousness. When this occurs, it is helpful to remember to relax our shoulders and breathe deeply, which will allow the energy to rise to our Heart chakra where it can be transformed to love. If we remain present and free of resistance, this very powerful, creative energy will bring great insight.</p>
<p>It is such a blessed realization to understand that we can move with the course of the current even when the river feels cold and uncomfortable. In accepting that it is all part of our journey, we can smile, go for the ride and trust that it is all unfolding in complete perfection.</p>
<p>A Blessed Realization © March 2011 ~ Cathy Ginter</p>
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