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This may be a turning point in your life! Grace
comes to your door step, seize it. Time employed is
time mastered. Never miss this opportunity of
listening to Geeta'
............... Swami Chinmayananda
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Lord
of creations! No one other than thee
pervades all these that have come into
being. May that be ours for which our
prayers rise, may we be masters of many
treasures”
Rig
Veda 10.121.10.
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Lord
Rama |
Lord
Venkatesh
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Ganesh
Statue, Reddi, Nagolewadi
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News
Roundup
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Deity
of the Mahalaxmi Temple in Kolhapur in Maharastra..
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Sai
shrine gets cash, silver & gold
Shirdi
Sai bada temple received Rs 401 crore in cash,
440kg Silver and 36kg Gold in 2011.
Pilgrims
rush melts Amarnath Lingam
The
Amarnath shrine board has confirmed that about
6.15 lakh pilgrims took the annual journey
this year. The highest in the yatra's history.
The premature melting of ice stalagnite is
attributed to the heat produced inside the
cave shrine due to the heavy rush.
Himachal
Temples can melt holy gold
Like
the Naina Devi and Chamunda Devi shrines, many
Himachal Pradesh temples are flush with gold
worth crores of Rupees. The state govt has
come out with a provision that allows temple
trusts to melt tonnes of gold and silver in
their coffers and convert them into coins and
momentos for sale.
Was
the supper eaten a day earlier?
Christians
mark Jesus Christ's final meal on Maundi
Thursday, but British researcher has now
suggested that it probably took place on
Wednesday two days before his crucification.
Soon
a cool darshan of Sai Baba
The
trust plans to install air conditioners inside
the temple to beat the summer heat. Also plans
to
construct convention centres, amphitheatre and
amusement park in the temple town of
Shirdi.
Private
Mumbai-Shirdi train?
A
city businessman has submitted a Rs 50-crore
proposal to operate a private Mumbai-Shirdi
train on the lines of the Palace on Wheels.
The distance, he says, can be covered in 3.5
hours against the current 7 hours.
Produce
ID card for room at Tirupati
Pilgrims
visiting Lord Venkateshwara at Tirupati will
now produce their identity proof to obtain
accomodation in the cottages run by Tirumala
Tirupati Devastanam.
Siddivinayak's
copper dome to get a coat of gold
34
copper domes at the temple will get
gold-plated casings courtesy a Kolkata
businessman. Earlier only the highest dome was
gold-plated.
Pay
a 'flying visit' to Sabarimala
Ayyappa
devotees from Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad
can now look at paying a flying visit to
popular Sabarimala Temple. A chennai-based
builder, KGS Developers, has obtained
clearance for a Rs 2000 crore green fields
private airport at the temple town of
Arannuela, about 80 kilo meters from
sabarimala in Pathauamthitta district in
Kerala.
New
waiting hall for Siddhivinayak devotees
The
hall constructed at the cost of Rs 16 crore,
with the capacity to accomdate over 1000
devotees will be inaugurated soon. Constructed
on an acquired plot, the new building has a
parking lot in the basement.
Siddhivinayak
sends Ganesh idol to Silicon Valley
The
Siddhivinayak Temple Trust, in Mumbai, has
sent a 3-foot high idol of Ganesh to St Jose,
with the help of few devotees to help
establish a Ganesh temple. From September 11
onwards, the day Ganesh Chaturti, the St Jose
Ganesh Temple will be open to hundreds of
devotees settled in Silicon Valley. The idol
has been carved out of one single piece of
marble by the artist of Jaipur
Shirdi
Trust to construct shelters for devotees on
Padyatra
Eight
complexes along the 250 km stretch from Kalyan
will have bathrooms and halls that can
accomodate more than a thousand pilgrims.
Shirdi Trust, which incidentally is the second
richest in the country. The richest being
Tirupati Balaji temple.
Shirdi
bans VIP darshan
The
Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust that manages the
shrine, has decided to ban VIP darshan during
week days. VIP darshan at the popular shrine
has been a contentious issue because devotees
regularly faced inconvenience when their
queues were stopped to enable politicians and
other bigwigs offer prayers first. The trust
has now decided that paid darshan, in which
devotees can pay a fee to jump the regular
queue, will be allowed on Saturdays and
Sundays between 9 am and 12 noon.
Lord
Hanuman travels in mobile temple
A
mobile temple with a seven-foot tall idol of
Lord Hanuman is travelling through Trinidad
and Tobago as part of the religious procession
being taken out by the Hindu community in the
Caribbean isles.
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Religious
Places
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Padmanabha
Swamy Temple
The
Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram
was built in the 18th century during he rein of King
Marthanda Varma. It was the first Hindu shrine in
Kerala to open doors for all castes through the
temple Entry Proclamation in 1936.
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A relic of St Alphonsa
A
relic of St Alphonsa, a first woman saint from
India is being installed at saint Ignatius
Loyola church in Ahmedabad.
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Unveiling of biggest monastry
Tibetian
spiritual leader Dalai Lama will unveil a
monastry, claimed to be biggest in South Asia
at Chandragiri in Orissa's Gajapati on Jan 12.
The monastry with 70-foot high edifice is
constructed over an area of 10 acre.
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Phone lines in Amarnath
The
Amarnath cave shrine in J & K will soon
have mobile connectivity and landline service
ahead of the annual pilgrimage this year. The
facility will be provided by BSNL.
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Prominent
Temples in & around Mangalore in Karnataka
Mahathobhara
Sri Mangaladevi Temple
Bolar,
Mangalore 575001. Tel: 2415476.
Halekote
Sri Mariyamma Mahisha Mardini Temple (Mariguddi)
Bolar,
Mangalore 575001. Tel: 2423766.
Kateel
Shree Durgaparmeshwari Temple
P.O.
Kateel, 574148 (Karnataka). For more info: www.kateeldevi.com
Sri
Gokarnanatha Kshetra Kudroli Temple
Kudroli,
Mangalore 575001. Tel: 2494040/2495740.
(Darshana:
6 am - 2 pm & 4.30 pm - 9 pm. Maha
Pooja: 2 pm - 8 pm)
Sri
Kshetra Kadri Temple
Kadri,
Mangalore 575002. Tel:2214175.
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Gorai
Vipasana Pagoda - stone wonder near Mumbai Near
Mumbai is the Gorai Vipasana Pagoda. The
global Pagoda's spiritual undertone lies the
architectural charisma of 700-kilo stones
interlocked in a megalithic style, have put
the stone wonder on the world map.
Approximately
2.5 million tons of stone was used in the
construction.
At
325 feet height it is almost as tall as a 30
storey building.
3.87
million man-days were required to complete the
monument.
It
has a photo gallery housing 117 paintings and
a 60 tonne statue of Buddha at the entrance.
The
325- feet tall pagoda can accomodate almost
8000 people.
Sripuram
Golden Temple situated in Vellore.
A
Mahalaxmi temple called 'Sripuram' and made of
more than a tonne of pure gold glittered and
gleamed under the sun when it was unveiled for
consecration by the Sri Narayani Peetam headed
by a 31-year-old godman who calls himself
Narayani Amma. Devotees hail the temple as
'one of the wonders of the world' and say that
it is the only temple covered with gold. More
than 400 gold and coppersmiths from the
Thirupath Thirumala Devasthanam are said to
have worked for six years to craft the Rs
600-crore gold temple located on 55,000 sq ft
of land on a 100-acre salubrious stretch in
Malaikodi, about 6 km from Vellore in North
Tamil Nadu. According to official sources, the
gold bars were purchased through RBI in a
transparent manner.
The
Navagraha Temples of South India The
Navagraha temples of South India, a cluster of
9 temples constructed during the reign of the
Chola Empire are devoted to the 9 celestial
bodies (Grahas) of Hindu Astronomy. They are *
Suriyanarkovil * Tingalore *Vaitheeswarankovil*
Thiruvenkadu *Alangudi *Kanchanur *Tirunallar
* Thirunageswaram * Keezhperumpallam
Suriayanar
Koil (The Sun Temple).
A
Suriyanar Koil, a temple dedicated to sun
worship, is located around 270 km from Chennai
and 12.5 km from Kumbakonam, a town in
Thanjavur District. Built by Chola Kings, the
temple has inscription from the period of
Kulottunga Chola I (1075-1120 AD) that depict
the era of Krishnadeva Raya, and his
contributions. Situated on the banks of river
Cauvery, the sanctums sanctorum of the temple
is made of stone and the remainder of the
structure is constructed using bricks. The
presiding deity Suryanarayana is seated on
chariot and the Kol Thirtha Vinayaka shrine is
considered holys by devotees. The Ratha
Sapthami festival celebrated during February
and March is the peak season and the devotees
throng the temple during the festival months.
The Tirumangalagudi Temple located is closed
by is also visited by the people and in early
days both temples were called Argavamam.
Mangalagudi, Magala Vinayanagar, Mangala
Nayahar. Magala Nayaki and Mangala Thirtham
are 5 auspicious idle placed in the temple.
Abhishekam and Homams are done at the temple
and the temple adminstration charges Rs 2,250
per abhishekam and Rs 4,500 for homam. The
temple can be reached from Chennai by
train up to Kumbakonam and there by bus or
local transport.
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Understanding
Gayatri Mantra!
Scientific
meaning of Gayatri Mantra
Gayatri mantra has been bestowed the greatest
importance in Vedic
dharma.This
mantra has also been termed as Savitri
and Ved-Mata, the mother of the Vedas.
Ombhur bhuvah swah
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dheemahi
Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat
The literal meaning of the mantra is:
O God! You are Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Almighty. You are all Light.
You are all Knowledge and Bliss. You are
Destroyer of fear, You are Creator of this
Universe, You are the Greatest of all. We bow
and meditate upon Your light. You guide
our intellect in the right direction.
The mantra, however, has a great scientific importance too, which
somehow got lost in the literary
tradition. The modern astrophysics and
astronomy tell us that our Galaxy called
Milky Way or Akash-Ganga contains
approximately 100,000 million of stars.
Each star is like our sun having its own
planet system. We know that the moon moves
round the earth and the earth moves round the
sun along with the moon. All planets round the
sun. Each of the above bodies revolves
round at its own axis as well. Our sun along
with its family takes one round of the
galactic center in 22.5 crore years. All
galaxies including ours are moving away
at a terrific velocity of 20,000 mile s
per second.
And now the alternative scientific meaning of the
mantra step by step:
(A) OM BHUR BHUVAH SWAH:
Bhur, the earth; bhuvah, the planets (solar
family); swah, the Galaxy. We observe that
when an ordinary fan with a speed of 900 RPM
(rotations Per minute) moves, it makes noise.
Then, one can imagine, what great noise would
be created when the galaxies move with a speed
of 20,000 miles per second. This is what
this portion of the mantra explains that the
sound produced due to the fast-moving
earth, planets and galaxies is
Om.
The sound was heard during meditation by
Rishi Vishvamitra, who mentioned it to other
colleagues. All of them, then unanimously
decided to call this sound
Om
the name of God, because this sound is
available in all the three periods of
time, hence it is set (permanent). Therefore,
it was the first ever revolutionary idea
to identify formless God with a specific title
(form) called upadhi. Until that time,
everybody recognized God as formless and
nobody was prepared to accept this new idea.
In the Gita also, it is said, "Omiti
ekaksharam Brahma", meaning that the name
of the Supreme is
Om
, which contains only one syllable (8/12).
This sound
Om
heard during samadhi was called by all the
seers nada-brahma a very great noise), but not
a noise that is normally heard beyond a
specific amplitude and limits of
decibels suited to human hearing. Hence the
rishis called this sound Udgith musical
sound of the above, i.e., heaven.
They also noticed that the infinite mass
of galaxies moving with a velocity of 20,000
miles/second was generating a kinetic energy =
1/2 MV2 and this was balancing the total
energy consumption of the cosmos. Hence they
named it Pranavah, which means the body
(vapu) or store house of energy (prana).
B. TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM:
Tat, that (God); savitur, the sun (star); varenyam,
worthy of bowing or respect. Once the
form of a person along with the name is known
to us, we may locate the specific person.
Hence the two titles (upadhi) provide the
solid ground to identify the formless
God, Vishvamitra suggested.
He told us that we could know (realize) the unknowable formless
God through the known factors, viz.,
sound
Om
and light of suns (stars). A mathematician can
solve an equation x2+y2=4; if x=2; then
y can be known and so on. An engineer can
measure the width of a river even by standing
at the riverbank just by drawing a
triangle. So was the scientific method suggested
by Vishvamitra in the mantra in the next
portion as under:
C) BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHI:
Bhargo, the light; devasya, of the deity; dheemahi, we should
meditate. The rishi instructs us to meditate
upon the available form (light of suns) to
discover the formless Creator (God). Also
he wants us to do japa of the word
Om
(this is understood in the Mantra).
This is how the sage wants us to proceed, but there is a great
problem to realize it, as the human mind is so
shaky and restless that without the
grace of the Supreme (Brahma) it cannot be
controlled. Hence Vishvamitra
suggests
the way to pray Him as under:
D) DHIYO YO NAH PRACHODAYAT:
Dhiyo (intellect), yo (who), nah (we all), prachodayat (guide to
right Direction). O God! Deploy our intellect
on the right path.
Full scientific interpretation of the Mantra: The earth (bhur),
the planets (bhuvah), and the galaxies (swah)
are moving at a very great velocity, the
sound produced is
Om
, (the name of formless God.) That God
(tat), who manifests Himself in the form of
light of suns (savitur) is worthy of
bowing/respect (varenyam). We all, therefore,
should meditate (dheemahi) upon the
light (bhargo) of that deity (devasya) and
also do chanting of
Om.
May He (yo) guide in right direction (prachodayat)
our(nah) intellect dhiyo. So we notice
that the important points hinted in the
mantra are:-
1)
The total kinetic energy generated by the
movement of galaxies acts as an umbrella and
balances the total energy consumption of the
cosmos. Hence it was named as the Pranavah
(body of energy). This is equal to 1/2
mv2 (Mass of galaxies x velocity2).
2) Realizing the great importance of the
syllable OM, the other religions at later
date adopted this word with a slight
change in accent, viz., amen and Ameen.
Aano bhadra krtavo yantu
vishwatah.(- RIG VEDA)
"Let noble thoughts come to me from all
directions"
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Tallest
statue of Lord Subramaniya unveiled
KUALA
LUMPUR: About 30,000 Hindu devotees and
visitors came to witness the official
unveiling of the country’s tallest Lord
Murugan statue on Jan 29, 2006 (Sunday) and
the garlanding of the golden statue.
Temple
officials were now hoping to get the 42.7m
statue, located at the Sri Subramaniar Temple
at the foot of Batu Caves, into the Guinness
Book of World Records as the tallest Lord
Murugan statue in the world.
Hundreds
of balloons floated into the air and a shower
of flowers fell from a hovering helicopter as
Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu
officially launched the opening ceremony about
6.15 pm on Jan 29, 2006.
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A
crane lifting the giant chrysanthemum garland
to put over the statue
of
Lord Murugan at the Sri Subramaniar Temple in
Batu Caves.
As
darkness fell, a spectacular 20-minute display
of fireworks lit the RM2.5mil statue made of
1,550 cubic metres of concrete, 250 tonnes of
steel bars and 300 litres of gold paint
brought in from Thailand.
Fifteen
Indian sculptors had worked on the project for
three years.
A
cultural performance by local artistes and
singers from India continued till midnight.
Yesterday
morning, just as many people turned up again
at the temple to witness a giant garland being
placed on the statue – two weeks before
Thaipusam.
The
RM15,000 flower garland, which was 43m long
and weighed about a tonne, was made of
chrysanthemums which will last less than a
week under the hot sun.
“A
total of five days without sleep and 18 men
was what it took to prepare this enormous
garland,” said Sri Kertanas Floral manager,
Mahendran Shanti.
“One
hundred and fifty people had to carry the
garland to the temple.
“We
needed another 20 men to help lift it to the
crane so it wouldn’t sway and hit visitors,”
said Mahendran, who was among those who had
carried the hefty garland.
It
was a complex operation and it took about an
hour to hook the garland to the crane and for
the crane to place the garland on the statue.
“But
all the hard work was worth it as we had hoped
to have the statue as well as the garland
ready before Thaipusam,” said Mahendran’s
wife, Shanti.
V.
Malarvanan, who had sponsored the garland,
said the flowers were brought in from Cameron
Highlands.
“Although
I wasn’t involved in the making of the
garland, I was there the whole five days, to
give them a little support so they wouldn’t
get side-tracked,” he joked.
“I
also hope that this giant garland will make it
into the Malaysia Book of Records, following
the successful entry of the statue into the
archives,” he said.
courtesy:
Rita Rao, UAE
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Ashtavinayak
'Jai
Ganesh, Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesh deva ' |
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Lord
Ganesh is revered in Maharashtra and other
parts of India. Ashtavinayak, the eight
pilgrim centres in the state of Maharashtra is
a must for Ganesh devotees on account of the
shrines considered to be the incarnation of
Lord Ganesh. These are Pali and Mahad in
Raigad district, Lenyadri, Ozar,
Ranjangaon,Theur and Moregaon in Pune
district, and Siddhatek in Ahmednagar
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Now
hassle-free package tours are available
through travel agents which cover all the 8
centres in 2 days. They take care of
travelling and food. There are many luxury and
semi-luxury buses starting from Bombay.
Why not go on a quick pilgrimage? Meanwhile we
bring you the pictures of the Ashtavinayak -
Lord Ganesh in 8 avatars.
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Ganesha
is the most revered deity in Maharashtra.
And the most popular being Astavinayak,
the pilgrimage of eight ganapathies.
These are unique because it is
believed the Ganesh deities here
are swayambhu (self generated) and not
man made. Visiting the eight Ganesha
shrine can give you a life time of
blessings.
Moreshwar
is in Morgaon, (Pune District), is 68 km
from Pune on the Pune-Bangalore highway.
You can travel by train and alight at
Nira or Kedgaon station on the
Pune-Bangalore highway. (Regular buses
ply from the station). According to
legend. Moreshwar Ganapati was riding a
peacock, in the form of Mayureshwara and
was believed to have slain the demon
Sindhu at this spot.
Ballaleshwar
is in Pali, (Kulaba District), 40 km
from the Khopoli-Shil Phata road, off
the Mumbai-Pune highway, about 11 km
before Nagothane on the Mumbai –Goa
highway. The temple faces the east the
idol with the trunk to the
right.According to the legend, Ganesh is
believed to have saved his boy-devotee,
Ballala, who was beaten by villagers for
his single-minded devotion to the Lord.
Moroba, the brother of Nana Phandnavis
(the famed Peshva) and Kaka Baburao, who
built the temple. A local citizen named
Krishnaji Narayan Ringe between 1824 and
1830 later renovated it.
Varadavinayak
is in Madh, (Kulaba District), about
three km off the Pune. Mumbai highway
near Khopoli (80 km from Pune). The idol
has its trunk to the left. The Nandadeep
here is kept aflame continuously and has
been since 1892. The idol was found in
the adjoining lake. It is
believed that Ganesha resides here in
the form of Varada Vinayaka, the giver
of bounty and success. This temple was
built between 1690 and 1720 by the
Subhedar of Kalyan,Ramaji Mahadev
Biwalkar and presented to the village.
Chintamani
is in Theur, (Pune District), 22 km from
Pune off the Pune-Solapur highway. The
north facing temple has the idol
with the trunk to the left.
Ganesha
is believed to have got back the
precious Chinatamani jewel from the
greedy Guna for sage Kapila here. Moraya
Gosavi attained his siddhis (spiritual
powers)here. This temple was the
favourite temple of Shrimant Madhayarao
Peshwe. He stayed here during his last
years and breathed his last near the
temple. It is believed Ramabai, his wife
performed sati nearby.
Girijatmaka
is in Lenyadri, (Pune District), 12 km
from Narayangaon, which is about 90 km
from Pune on the Pune-Nashik highway.
The temple is on a hill, which has
283 steps. The hill is full of caves.
The idol faces north and prayers offered
form the temple’s rear. According
to legend, Parvati performed
penance to beget Ganesha here. This
temple is situated amidst a cave complex
of Buddhist origin and not much is known
about its antiquity. Archeologists
believe that the Ganesh idol came up
after the caves were built. The temple
stands at a hilltop and is in a deserted
spot with little or no human habitation
close by. Even the archaka (Priest)
lives some distance away.
Shri
Vighnahar temple is in Ozhar, (Pune
District), on Pune-Nashik Highway, turn
at Narayangaon towards Junnar to proceed
towards Ozhar. The idol has the trunk to
the left. The temple faces east and has
several idols. The courtyard has a
beautiful deepamala.
It
is believed that Chimaji Appa, the
younger brother of Bajirao Peshwa had a
golden kalasha installed on the temple
tower as thanksgiving for his victory
over the Portuguese at Vasai. But
records show that the temple was built
only on 1785. It has since been
reconstructed.
Mahaganpati
temple is in Ranjangaon, (Pune
District), is 50 km from Pune on the
Pune-Ahmednagar highway. One can even
reach by train, from Uruli railway
station on the Pune-Solapur line. The
temple is situated 16 km from the
station.
It
is believed that Lord Shiva worshipped
Ganesha before vanquishing the demon
Tripuraasura here. Sardar Kibe of Indore
Sardar Pawar and Sardar Shinde built the
mandap of the temple, Malharrao Holkar
and Yashwantrao Chandrachud maintained
the temple precincts. Madhavrao peshwe
built the sanctum. About the samadhi of
Shri Limbaraj Maharaj.
Siddhivinayaka
_ Siddhatek temple is in Siddhatek, (Ahmednagar
District), off Pune-Solapur Highway, 48
km from Srigonda; 19 km from Daund. One
can reach it by train, from Boribyal
station on the Pune-Solapur line.The
temple is approximately 11 km from this
station, across the river Bhima. Regular
State Transport buses ply from the
station. One could also alight at Daund
and take a bus. It is believed that Lord
Vishnu vanquished the demons Madhu and
kaitab after propitiating Ganesh here.
Moraya Gosavi of Chinchwad is believed
to have performed penance here.
Ahilyabai Holkar built the sanctum of
the temple. A dharmashala for pilgrims
has been built here.
Most
of the asthavinayaka shrines have
hotels, dharamshalas and state run guest
houses. The surge of tourists is more
during Ganesh festival, summer holidays,
Diwali holidays and winter. It is
advisable not to visit the shrines
between December and January as winters
are extremely harsh here. Food available
here is predominantly Maharashtrian,
however other kinds of food is
available, most of the dharamshalas
serve vegetarian diets.
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What
Ganesha means?
Religious
thinkers have ascribed meanings to each
part of Ganesha’s form
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The
curled trunk: The symbol Om,
intellect and the faculty of
discrimination
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The
elephant’s head: Superior
intellect
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Snake
around waist:
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Cosmic
energy.
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Broken
tusk: Knowledge
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Large
ears: To separate the real (Brahman)
from the unreal (Maya) in life
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Head:
Previous wisdom through sravana and
manana
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Human
body: Supreme wisdom
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Large
belly: One who digests all types of
experiences.
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Leg
on the ground: Dealing with the
world while ever-rooted in
single-pointed concentration upon
the supreme reality.
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The
food: Material wealth, power and
prosperity.
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Mouse:
Desire
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Riding
on his rat: A man of perfection
trying to use his limited body, mind
and intellect
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Ganesha’s
four arms: Four inner equipments of
the subtle body, namely mind (manas),
intellect (buddhi), ego (ahamkar)
and conditioned consciousness (chitta)
-
Axe
in the hand:
-
Destruction
of all desires, attachments and
their consequent sorrows and
agitations
-
Rope:
To pull the seeker out of his wordly
entanglements and bind one to the
everlasting and enduring bliss of
one’s self
-
Modak
: Joyous rewards of spiritual
seeking
-
A
lotus padma: The supreme goal of
human evolution
 |
Mother
Teresa |
The
12 Shivlings located all over India :
- Shree
Somnath in Saurashtra
- Shree
Mallikaurjan in Shail Parwath
- Mahakalleshwar
in Ujjain
- Odhgeshwar
in Maudatta
- Kedarnath
in Himalayas
- Bhimshankar
in Dakini
- Vishweshwar
in Varanasi
- Trimbakeshwar
in Nasik
- Vaidyanath
in Chithabhoomi
- Nageshwar
in Darukavan
- Rameshwar
in Sethubandh
- Dushmeshwar
in Ellora
Bhagavad
Gita (Chapter IV)
All
these sacrifices
of so many kinds are displayed in
the sight of God; know that they all
spring from action, and, comprehending
this, thou shalt obtain an eternal
release. O harasser of thy foes, the
sacrifice through spiritual knowledge is
superior to sacrifice made with material
things; every action without exception
is comprehended in spiritual knowledge,
O son of Pritha. Seek this wisdom by
doing service, by strong search, by
questions, and by humility; the wise who
see the truth will communicate it unto
thee, and knowing which thou shalt never
again fall into error. O son of Bharata,
, By this knowledge thou shalt see all
things and creatures whatsoever in
thyself and then in me. Even if thou
wert the greatest of all
sinners, thou shalt be able to
cross over all sins in the bark of
spiritual knowledge. As the natural
fire, O Arjuna, reduceth fuel to ashes,
so does the fire of knowledge reduce all
actions to ashes. There is no purifier
in this world to be compared to
spiritual knowledge; and he who is
perfected in devotion
findeth spiritual knowledge
springing up spontaneously in himself in
the progress of time. The man who
restraineth the senses and organs and
hath faith obtaineth spiritual
knowledge, and having obtained it he
soon reacheth supreme tranquility; but
the ignorant those full of doubt and
without faith, are lost. The man of
doubtful mind hath no happiness either
in this world or in the next or in any
other. No actions bind that man who
through spiritual discrimination hath
renounced action and cut asunder all
doubt by knowledge, O despiser of
wealth.
Qur’an
103.If
they had kept their Faith and guarded
themselves from evil, far better had
been the reward from their Lord, if they
but knew!!
104.
O ye of Faith! Say not (to the
messenger. Words of ambiguous import,
but words of respect; and hearken (to
him): To those without Faith is a
grievous punishment.
105.
It is never the wish of those without
Faith among the people of the Book, nor
of the Pagans, that anything good should
come down to you from your Lord. But
Allah will choose for His special Mercy
whom He will – for Allah is Lord of
grace abounding.
106.
None of Our revelations do We abrogate
or cause to be forgotten, but We
substitute something better or similar:
Knowest thou not that Allah Hath power
over all things?
107.
Knowest thou not that to Allah belongeth
the
dominion of the heavens and the
earth? And besides Him ye have neither
patron nor helper.
108.
Would ye question your Messenger as
Moses was questioned of old? But whoever
changeth from Faith to Unbelief, Hath
strayed without doubt from the even way.
109.
Quite a number of the People of the Book
wish they could Turn you (people) back
to infidelity after ye have believed
from selfish envy, after
the truth hath become Manifest
unto them: But forgive and overlook,
Till Allah accomplish His purpose; for
Allah Hath power over all things.
110.
And be steadfast in prayer and regular
in charity; And whatever good ye send
forth for your souls before you, ye
shall find it with Allah.
“Prayers
restrains one from shameful and unjust
deeds; and remembrance of God is the
greatest thing in life, without doubt.”
(
Qur’an
)
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The
Baha’I Faith ………..Words of wisdom by Baha’u’llah
-
O
Son Of Man! Ascend unto My heaven, that thou
mayest obtain the joy of reunion, and from the
chalice of imperishable glory quaff the peerless
wine.
-
O
Son of Man! Many a day hath passed over thee
whilst thou hast busied thyself with the fancies
and idle imaginings. How long art thou to
slumber on thy bed? Lift up thy head from
slumber, for the Sun has risen to the Zenith,
haply it may shine upon thee with the light of
beauty.
-
O
Son of Man! The light hath shone on thee from
the horizon of the sacred Mount and the spirit
of enlightenment hath breathed in the Sinai of
thy heart. Where fore, free thyself from the
veils of idle fancies and enter into My court,
that thou mayest be fit for everlasting life and
worthy to meet Me. Thus may death not come upon
thee, neither weariness nor trouble.
-
O
Son of Man! My eternity is My creation, I have
created it for thee. Make it the garment of thy
temple. My unity is My handiwork; I have wrought
it for thee; Clothe thyself therewith, that thou
mayest be to all eternity the revelation of My
everlasting being.
-
O
Son of Man! My majesty is My gift to thee, and
My grandeur the token of My mercy unto thee.
That which beseemeth Me none shall understand,
nor can any one recount. Verily, I have
preserved it in My hidden storehouses and in the
treasuries of My command, as a sign of My
loving-kindness unto My servants and My mercy
unto My people.
Part
II
O
Ye people that have minds to know and ears to hear!
The first all of the Beloved is this: O mystic
nightingale! Abide not but in the rose-garden of the
spirit. O messenger of the Solomon of love! Seek
thou no shelter except in the Sheba of the
well-beloved, and O immortal phoenix! Dwell not save
on the mount of faithfulness. Therein is thy
habitation, if on the wings of
thy soul thou soarest to the realm of the
infinite and seekest to attain thy goal.
O
Son of Spirit! The bird seeketh its nest; the
nightingale the charm of the rose; whilst those
birds, the hearts of men, content with transient
dust, have strayed far from their eternal next, and
with eyes turned towards the slough of heedlessness
are bereft of the glory of the divine presence.
Alas! How strange and pitiful: for a mere cupful,
they have turned away from the billowing seas of the
Most High, and remained far from he most effulgent
horizon.
O
Friend! In the garden of thy heart plant naught
but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of
affection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure
the companionship of the righteous and eschew
all fellowship with the ungodly.
O
Son of Justice! Whither can a lover go but to
the land of his beloved? And what seeker findeth
restaway from his heart’s desire? To the true
lover reunion is life, and separation is death. His
breast is void of patience and his heart hath no
peace. A myriad lives he would forsake to hasten to
the abode of his beloved.
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Khandogya
Upanishad
Part
1: First Prapathaka Second Khanda
-
When
the Devas and Asuras struggled together, both of
the race of Pragapati, the Devas took the
udgitha (Om), thinking they would vanquish the
Asuras with it.
-
They
meditated on the udgitha as the breath (scent)
in the nose, but the Asuras pierced it with
evil. Therefore we smell by the breath in the
nose both what is good smelling and what is bad
smelling. For the breath was pierced by evil.
-
Then
they mediated on the udgitha as speech, but the
Asuras pierced it with evil. Therefore we speak
both truth and falsehood. For speech is pierced
by evil.
-
Then
they meditated on the udgitha as the eye, but
the Asuras pierced it with evil. Therefore we
see both what is sightly and unsightly. For the
eye is pierced by evil.
-
Then
they meditated on the udgitha as the ear, but
the Asuras pierced it with evil. Therefore we
hear both what should be heard and what should
not be heard. For the ear is pierced by evil.
-
Then
they meditated on the udgitha as the mind, but
the Asuras pierced it with evil. Therefore we
conceive both what should be conceived and what
should not be conceived. For the mind is pierced
by evil.
-
Then
comes this breath (of life) in the mouth. They
meditated on the udgitha as that breath. When
the Asuras came to it, they were scattered, as
(a ball of earth) would be scattered when
hitting a solid stone..
-
Thus,
as a ball of earth is scattered when hitting on
a solid stone, will he be scattered who wishes
evil to one who knows this, or who persecutes
him; for he is a solid stone.
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Record
donation at Shirdi Sai Baba shrine
The
Sai Baba shrine at Shirdi received cash donations to
the tune of Rs 60 crore, besides 14 kg gold and 235
kg silver, in 2007, making it the highest collection
in a year. In 2006, devotees had donated Rs 35.25
crore in cash, 9 kg gold and 136 kg silver according
to the Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan Trust.
The
nine days of Navratri are divided and devoted to
the Divine Trinity in the female form – three days
for Godess Durga, three days for Goddess Lakshmi and
three days for Goddess Saraswati.
Puja
is believed to be derived from the Dravidian word
‘pu-cey’ (flower action) or worship with the
offering of flowers. Some trace it to the Dravidian
word ‘pusu’, to anoint or smear with sandalwood
paste or vermilion.
Bible
on a chip smaller than a pinhead
-- A page of
the world's smallest electronic Bible. Israeli
researchers were able to pack the 3,08,428 word
Hebrew Bible - known to most as the old Testament -
on a 0.5 millimeter square
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Guru
Nanak Dev
The
founder guru of the Sikhs
How
can we describe Him? How can we know Him?
O Nanak, everyone speaks of Him, each
one wiser than the rest. Great is the Master,
Great is His Name. Whatever happens is
according to His Will. O Nanak, one who claims
to know everything shall not be decorated in
the world hereafter.
There
are nether worlds beneath nether worlds, and
hundreds of thousands of heavenly worlds
above. The Vedas say that you can search and
search for them all, until you grow weary. The
scriptures say that there is only One
Universe. If you try to write an account of
this, you will surely finish yourself before
you finish writing it. O Nanak, call Him
Great! He Himself knows Himself.
The
praisers praise the Lord, but they do not
obtain intuitive understanding the streams and
rivers flowing into the kings and emperors,
with mountains of property and oceans of
wealth—these are not even equal to an ant,
who does not
forget God.
Endless
are His praises, endless are those who speak
them, Endless are His Actions, endless are His
Gifts. Endless is His Vision, endless is His
hearing. His limits cannot be perceived. What
is the Mystery of His Mind? The limits of the
created universe cannot be perceived. Its
limits here and beyond cannot be perceived.
Many struggle to know His limits, but His
limits cannot be found. No one can know these
limits. The more you say about them, the more
there still remains to be said. Great is the
Master, High is His heavenly Home. Highest of
the High, above all is His Name. Only one as
Great and as High as God can know His Lofty
and Exalted State.
(
Guru Granth Sahib
)
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Thus
spoke Jesus Christ
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Old
Testament: Genesis I
In
the beginning when God created the heavens and
the earth.
The
earth was a formless void and darkness covered
the face of the deep, while a wind from God
swept over the face of the waters.
Then
God said, “Let there be light;” and there
was light.
And
God saw that the light was good; and God
separated the light from the darkness.
God
called the light Day, and the darkness he
called Night. And there was evening
and there was morning, the first day.
And
God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst
of the waters, and let it separate the waters
from the waters,”
So
God made the dome and separated the waters
that were under the dome from the waters that
were above the dome. And it was so.
God
called the dome Sky. And there was evening
and there was morning, the second day.
And
God said, “Let the waters under the sky be
gathered together into one place, and let the
dry land appear,” And it was so.
God
called the dry land Earth, and the waters that
were gathered together he called Seas. And God
saw that it was good.
Then
God said, “Let the earth put forth
vegetation; plants yielding seed, and fruit
trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit
with the seed in it.” And it was so.
The
earth brought forth vegetation; plants
yielding seed of every kind, and trees of
every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it.
And God saw that it was good.
Genesis
2
The
man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds
of the air, and to every animal of the field;
but for the man there was not found a helper
as his partner.
So
the LORD God caused
a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and
he slept; then he took one of his ribs and
closed up its place with flesh.
And
the rib that the LORD God had taken from the
man he made into a woman and brought her to
the man.
Then
the man said, “This at last is bone
of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this
one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this
one was taken”.
Therefore
a man leaves his father and his mother and
clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
And
the man and his wife were both naked, and were
not ashamed.
Genesis
3
Now
the serpent was more crafty than any other
wild animal that the LORD God had made. He
said to the woman, “Did God say, “You
shall not eat from any tree in the garden?
The
woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of
the fruit of the trees in the garden;
But
God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of
the tree that is in the middle of the garden,
nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.”
But
the serpent said to the woman, “You will not
die;
For
God knows that
when you eat of it your eyes will be
opened, and you will be like God, knowing good
and evil”.
(Bible)
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Raga
Asa
One
universal creator god. Truth is the name. Creative
being personified. No fear. No hatred. Image of the
undying, beyond birth. Self-existent. By guru’s
grace:
Ragg
Aasaa, First Mehl, First House, So Dar – That
Gate:
What
is that Gate, and what is that Home, in which You
sit and take care of all? Countless musical
instruments of so many various kinds vibrate there
for you; so many are the musicians there for you.
There are so many ragas there for You, along with
their accompanying harmonies; so many minstrels sing
to You. The winds sing to You, as do water and fire;
the Righteous Judge of Dharma sings at Your Door.
Chitar and Gupat, the recording angels of the
conscious and the subconscious, sing to You; they
know, and they write, and on the basis of what they
write, the Lord of Dharma passes judgement. Shiva
and Brahma and the Goddess Parvaati, so
beautiful and ever adorned by You, sing to You. The
Indras, seated upon their celestial thrones, with
the deities at your Gate, sing to You. The Siddhas
in Samaadhi sing to You, and the Holy Saints, in
their contemplative meditation, sing to You. The
celibates, the truthful and the patient.
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Guru
Nanak Dev
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The
founder guru of the Sikhs |
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Aayolal
Jhulelal
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Revered
by Sindhis |
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Shirdi
Saibaba (Original
photographs clicked in the year 1916)
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(Mailed
by a reader) |
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Maya
of Vedanta
The
Vedantins say that Maya is the Sakti of illusion
premised in Siva. Maya has no independent existence.
Having brought out the illusion of the world as
real, she continues to play upon the ignorance of
the victims. When the reality of her not being is
found. She disappears. “Recognition” says that
Sakti (Power) is coeval with Siva. The one does not
exist without the other. Siva is unmanifested
whereas Sakti is manifest on account of ‘Her’
independent will ‘Swantantra’.Her manifestation
is display of the cosmos on pure conciousness like
images in the mirror. The images cannot remain in
the absence of the mirror. So also the world cannot
have an independent existence. Swantantra becomes
eventually an attribute of the Supreme.
Sri
Sankara says that Absolute is without attributes and
that Maya is not and has no real being. What is the
difference between the two? Both agree that the
display is not real. The images of the mirror cannot
in anyway be real. The world does not exist in
reality. Both schools mean the same thing.
Their
ultimate aim is to realise the Absolute
Consciousness. The unreality of the Cosmos is
implied in Recognition (Pratibhijna), Whereas it is
explicit in Vedanta. If the world be taken as ‘Chit’
(consciousness), it is always real. Vedanta says
there is no ‘Nama’ (diversity) meaning that it
is all the same Reality. There is agreement on all
points except in words and the method of expression.
Courtesy:
Milchar,Bombay
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From: Lalitha and Ragu <lalitharagu@gmail.com>
Subject: On rituals and ringtones..
Hello,
On a recent visit to Chennai, I
performed the “Hiranya Shrrardam” for my
mother. Two local priests were organized for
this function. The priests came in a little late
as there was a heavy downpour in Chennai that
day.
The priests started preparing for the
function. The first things both the priests laid
on the floor were their cell phones – kept in
such a fashion that they were really close and
visible at all times. One of the priests was
really fidgety, receiving calls during the
rituals and always distracted. The main priest
did pay attention to his cell phone as well, but
not as much as his assistant. The “mantras”
were recited at several Mbps and the function
was completed in about 12 minutes.
During the actual ritual, the
assistant priest was more interested in getting
a bag for the ‘dhanams” received than the
actual reciting of mantras. His cell phone must
have rung at least three times during these
twelve minutes. The priests were paid ` 500 and
` 250 respectively. That is a nice piece of
change for such a short duration work. I wonder
how much a qualified Engineer makes for a
similar effort.
Contrast this to the similar function
performed in the US. The priest performs the
ritual with a lot of ‘shradda” and the same
ritual would take about 40 to 50 minutes. There
are no ring tones to be heard as the cell phones
are shut off. The remuneration may be slightly
higher in keeping with the cost of living in the
US, but for the effort put in by the priest in
the US, they richly deserve the remuneration!
While the bigger question of the
benefits of performing such rituals is
debatable, why should anyone put up with the
rituals interspersed with ring tones in Chennai?
Is there a movement to have all the rituals
properly recorded on CDs so that the performer
of the ritual feels a sense of satisfaction
after the rituals?
Any takers?
Best Regards,
Ragu Raghupathi
Farmington Hills, MI 48335
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SACRED
WORDS
“I
do not want my house to be walled in on all sides
and my windows to be stuffed.
I want the cultures of all lands to be blown
about my house as freely as possible.
But I refuse to live in other people’s
houses as an interloper, a beggar or a slave’.
-
Mahatma Gandhi
‘When
we have learnt about the times we are passing
through, known him who is teaching us, learnt which
kind of gain we make by which kind of action and
have faith in the truth of all these processes and
facts of knowledge, there shall be no scope for
musing over the pros and cons.
Excessive pondering is usually a sign of
insufficient faith and superficial understanding.
-
Raja Yogi B K Jagdish Chander.
‘My
opinion is a view I hold until – well –until I
find out something that changes it.
-
Luigi Pirandello
“It
is a great degradation to be conceited.
Look at the crow – how wise it thinks
itself to be. It never falls into a snore. It flies off at the slightest approach of danger and steals
food with the greatest dexterity.
But the poor creature cannot help eating
filth. This
is the result of being overwise or having the wisdom
of a pettifogger.”
-
Sri RamaKrishna.
“Love
and humility are more dignified and divine ways of
dealing with people. Our life should, therefore be so modeled that out of love for
us, and not because of fear of us, people work heart
and soul while we, on our parts, should become
worthy, and be able to teach others to work, by
ourselves turning out good amounts of work.”
-
Raja Yogi B K Jagdish Chander
“The
moment you think you have seen everything or know it
all, the universe senses arrogance and gives you a
great big dose of humility.
You must give upon the idea that you can ever
become so enlightened that you have nothing left to
learn.
-
Cherie Carter Scott.
“What
is the first business of philosophy? To part with
self conceit. For
it is impossible for any one to learn to begin to
learn what he thinks that he already knows.”
- Epictetus
“While
you are still beautiful and life still woos, it is
such a fine gesture of disdainful pride to jilt it.
-
Eugene O’neill
“When
I speak of discipline, I’m reforming to
self-discipline not discipline that’s externally
imposed on you by someone else.
Also, I’m referring to discipline that’s
applied in order to overcome your negative
qualities. A
criminal gang may need discipline to perform a
successful robbery, but that discipline is useless.”
- Dalai
Lama.
“Freedom
is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is
desired, but by controlling the desire”.
- Epictetus.
“There
is a raging tiger inside every man whom god put on
this earth. Every
man worthy of the respect of his children spends his
life building inside himself a cage to pen that
tiger in.”
-
Murray Kempton
“Abandon
all supports and look to me for protection.
I shall purify you from the sins of the past,
do not grieve.”
-
Bhagavad Gita 18.66
“To
fear god and commune with him is the whole secret of
faith for those who serve the cause of the true god.”
-
Michi-no-Shiori.
“For
most of us, fear is a part of our mental make-up.
Fear is a poison that quickly circulates the
entire system, paralysing the will, producing a
queer sensation in some part or the other of the
human body. Yes,
fear is the cause of many diseases.
Fearlessness ensures health.
Do not fear.
For god is near”!
-
Dada J P Vaswani.
“Anger,
conceit, greed, jealousy, fear, hatred and passion
– all these are our emotions.
The mind would reflect the pattern of our
emotion. The
fundamental thing is not mind but the emotion, which
is the powerful factor that reflects our existence
our consciousness, our inner being.
The purity of the emotion is the secret
formula of health.”
-
Acharya Mahaprajna
“Behind
everything we feel there is always a sense of fear.”
-
Ugo Betti
“The
terror of society, which is the basis of morals, the
terror of god, which is the secret of religion –
these are two things that govern us”.
-
Oscar Wilde
“While
men are ruled by fear they strive to prevent the
very changes that will abate.”
-
Alan Paton
“To
whatever extent the five senses, the four taints of
emotions, and the four instinctive appetites are
suppressed by a person who is well established in
the path of righteousness, to such extent the
doorway for the entrance of evil is closed for that
person.”
-
Acarangasutra 4.15 |
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