Daily Archives: March 8, 2021

by Damaghosa dasa

Dont call Sri Caitanya as Krsna-its offensive and rasa bhasa

March 8, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Rasa bhasa-overlaping of mellows in the attempt to serve Radha Krsna-Lord Caitanya did not want to be called Krsna or be known as Krsna and to do so was and is an offense or rasa bhasa—overlaping mellows.
 
SB 1.2.16 purport…
The servants of God are to be respected as God by the devotees who actually want to go back to Godhead. Such servants of God are called mahātmās, or tīrthas, and they preach according to particular time and place. The servants of God urge people to become devotees of the Lord. They never tolerate being called God. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was God Himself according to the indication of the revealed scriptures, but He played the part of a devotee. People who knew Him to be God addressed Him as God, but He used to block His ears with His hands and chant the name of Lord Viṣṇu. He strongly protested against being called God, although undoubtedly He was God Himself. The Lord behaves so to warn us against unscrupulous men who take pleasure in being addressed as God.
 
SB 3.29.33—purport….
The word akartuḥ means “without any sense of proprietorship.” Everyone wants to act as the proprietor of his actions so that he can enjoy the result. A devotee, however, has no such desire; he acts because the Personality of Godhead wants him to act in a particular way. He has no personal motive. When Lord Caitanya preached Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it was not with the purpose that people would call Him Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rather, He preached that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and should be worshiped as such. A devotee who is a most confidential servant of the Lord never does anything for his personal account, but does everything for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. It is clearly stated, therefore, mayi sannyasta-karmaṇaḥ: the devotee works, but he works for the Supreme. It is also stated, mayy arpitātmanaḥ: “He gives his mind unto Me.” These are the qualifications of a devotee, who, according to this verse, is accepted as the highest of all human beings.
 
Adi 8.32 Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the independent Supreme Personality of Godhead, is greatly magnanimous. Unless one worships Him, one can
never be liberated.
Purport- Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura here remarks that one should
not give up the worship of Radha-Krsna to worship Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. By worshiping either Radha-Krsna or Lord Caitanya alone,
one cannot become advanced. One should not try to supersede the
instructions of the six Gosvamis, for they are acaryas and very dear
to Lord Caitanya. Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura sings:
rupa-raghunatha-pade haibe akuti kabe hama bujhaba se yugala-piriti
One must be a submissive student of the six Gosvamis, from Srila
Rupa Gosvami to Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. Not following their instructions but imagining how to worship Gaurasundara and Radha-Krsna
is a great offense, as a result of which one clears a path to hell. If
one neglects the instructions of the six Gosvamis and yet becomes a
so-called devotee of Radha-Krsna, he merely criticizes the real
devotees of Radha-Krsna. As a result of speculation, he considers
Gaurasundara to be an ordinary devotee and therefore cannot make
progress in serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Radha-Krsna.

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by Damaghosa dasa

Karma— is not just a 5 letter word

March 8, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

KARMA IS NOT JUST A 5 LETTER WORD
Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Recently a devotee commented to me that he thought why should we have to worry ourselves over fruitive work or anything else for that matter since  , and he quoted Krsna where He says,” I maintain what they have and provide what they lack”  ?? His conclusion being was that we really didn’t have to concern ourselves with
anything else but following the 4 reg’s, chant 16 rounds a day, worship the Deity, and basically try to think as much as possible of Krsna throughout the day. I think this was his understanding of our “basic spiritual obligations”.
This behavior is very good, but this is not  the end of it, and this article will attempt to show why. If I am wrong, then I hope some devotees will correct this misunderstanding for me.
So the main point is this- If we want to go back to Godhead then we must be 100% pure and on the transcendental platform. If we are actually on the transcendental platform, this means every action we perform is for the satisfaction of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna, and then this work is A-karma, or without reaction.
Now consider just this one conversation with Srila Prabhupada where he explains how any devotee who is NOT giving 50% of his income to the Krsna Consciousness Movement , then all that work he does is unauthorized work, or generating karma of some sort. Here it is…
750203mw.haw                Conversations                371406/530501
Devotee (1): No, I know, but for his actions other than just following
the four regulative principles and chanting sixteen rounds. He does so
many other things during the day. Where does he derive his authority
if he’s not, let’s say, living in the temple?
Prabhupada: I do not follow. The authority is guru. You have accepted.
Bali Mardana: For everything.
Jayatirtha: Say I have some outside job, I’m living outside, but I’m
not giving 50% of my income. So then that work that I’m doing, is it
actually under the authority of the guru?
Prabhupada: Then you are not following the instruction of guru. That
is plain fact.
Jayatirtha: So that means that whole activity during the day, working,
that means I am not following the instruction of the guru. It’s
unauthorized activity.
Prabhupada: Yes. If you don’t follow the instruction of guru, then you
are fallen down immediately. That is the way. Otherwise why you sing,
yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado. It is my duty to satisfy guru.
Otherwise I am nowhere. So if you prefer to be nowhere, then you
disobey as you like. But if you want to be steady in your position,
then you have to follow strictly the instruction of guru.
Devotee (1): We can understand all of your instructions simply by
reading your books.
Prabhupada: Yes. Anyway, follow the instruction. That is required.
Jayatirtha: So the purpose of having the Society is to show the
devotees how they can always be twenty-four hours engaged according to
your instruction.
Prabhupada: Yes, that is helping one another. If I am deficient, by
seeing your example I shall correct myself. This is the idea, not that
a fool’s paradise: all fools and join together. Not like that.
So from this above example, we can easily see that according to Srila Prabhupada
that we must donate  at least 50% of our income to  some Krsna Conscious activity.
Now that may be well and good for some devotees , like the ones living in the Bangalore
temple, who live there, and do some sort of service all day long, give all the money they collect to the temple, and the temple provides for them, but what about the rest of us who live in this rotten material world and have to “work” for our bread??
I am not crying over spilt milk because of what happened to iskcon, but am only asking the question to all, that how do WE live in this world– transcendentally?
 It is practically impossible for me and I would suspect most if not all others, to give 50% of their income up.
OK some might say, well I have several Deities of Krsna here in our home/ashram and “everything “
we do here is for Their pleasure.
 Being a grhastha, I know this is just not the case. We may say we are doing everything for Krsna, but how many of us engages a “lot of time” in Krsna Seva and maybe a “little time” here and there in some sense gratification which  has nothing at all do with the Service of our Deities or Srila Prabhupada?
So if that is true, then what is the result of those activities? Are they not karma producing?
One time Sruti Kirti told a story when Prabhupada was in the LA Temple.
Prabhupada had his japa beads on his hand, then took the bead bag
and tossed it on his table and said: “there my 16 rounds are finished,
now I can do any damn thing I want.”
First of all in BG, Krsna says-
Bg 7.28 T   Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life,
whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from
the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with
determination.
                               PURPORT
   Those eligible for elevation to the transcendental position are
mentioned in this verse. For those who are sinful, atheistic, foolish
and deceitful, it is very difficult to transcend the duality of desire
and hate. Only those who have passed their lives in practicing the
regulative principles of religion, who have acted piously and who have
conquered sinful reactions can accept devotional service and gradually
rise to the pure knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Then, gradually, they can meditate in trance on the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. That is the process of being situated on the
spiritual platform.
The very next verse in BG states-

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by Damaghosa dasa

So you think you are devotee?

March 8, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Bg 8.5 purport–in this verse the importance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is stressed. Anyone who quits his body in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is at once transferred to the transcendental abode of the Supreme Lord. The word smaran (remembering) is important. Remembrance of Kṛṣṇa is not possible for the impure soul who has not practiced Kṛṣṇa consciousness in devotional service. To remember Kṛṣṇa one should chant the mahāmantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, incessantly, following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, being more tolerant than the tree, humbler than the grass and offering all respect to others without requiring respect in return. In such a way one will be able to depart from the body successfully remembering Kṛṣṇa and so attain the supreme goal.

BG 9.3-Those who are not faithful on the path of devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of foes, but return to birth and death in this material world.

PURPORT

The faithless cannot accomplish this process of devotional service; that is the purport of this verse. Faith is created by association with devotees. Unfortunate people, even after hearing all the evidence of Vedic literature from great personalities, still have no faith in God. They are hesitant and cannot stay fixed in the devotional service of the Lord. Thus faith is a most important factor for progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that one should have complete conviction that simply by serving the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa he can achieve all perfection. That is called real faith. ….

After reading Bhagavad-gītā one should promptly come to the conclusion of Bhagavad-gītā: one should give up all other engagements and adopt the service of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. If one is convinced of this philosophy of life, that is faith. Now the development of that faith is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

There are three divisions of Kṛṣṇa conscious men. In the third class are those who have no faith. If they are engaged in devotional service officially, for some ulterior purpose, they cannot achieve the highest perfectional stage. Most probably they will slip, after some time. They may become engaged, but because they haven’t complete conviction and faith, it is very difficult for them to continue in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have practical experience in discharging our missionary activity that some people come and apply themselves to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness with some hidden motive, and as soon as they are economically a little well-situated, they give up this process and take to their old ways again. It is only by faith that one can advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As far as the development of faith is concerned, one who is well versed in the literatures of devotional service and has attained the stage of firm faith is called a first-class person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And in the second class are those who are not very advanced in understanding the devotional scriptures but who automatically have firm faith that Kṛṣṇa bhakti or service to Kṛṣṇa is the best course and so in good faith have taken it up. Thus they are superior to the third class who have neither perfect knowledge of the scriptures nor good faith but by association and simplicity are trying to follow. The third-class person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness may fall down, but when one is in the second class or first class, he does not fall down. One in the first class will surely make progress and achieve the result at the end. As far as the third-class person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is concerned, although he has faith in the conviction that devotional service to Kṛṣṇa is very good, he has no knowledge of Kṛṣṇa through the scriptures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. Sometimes these third-class persons in Kṛṣṇa consciousness have some tendency toward karma-yoga and jñāna-yoga, and sometimes they are disturbed, but as soon as the infection of karma-yoga or jñāna-yoga is vanquished, they become second-class or first-class persons in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

BG 9.12-Those who are thus bewildered are attracted by demonic and atheistic views. In that deluded condition, their hopes for liberation, their fruitive activities, and their culture of knowledge are all defeated.

PURPORT–There are many devotees who assume themselves to be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service but at heart do not accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, as the Absolute Truth. For them, the fruit of devotional service-going back to Godhead-will never be tasted.

BG 10.2-Neither the hosts of demigods nor the great sages know My origin, for, in every respect, I am the source of the demigods and the sages.

PURPORT

As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. No one is greater than Him; He is the cause of all causes. Here it is also stated by the Lord personally that He is the cause of all the demigods and sages. Even the demigods and great sages cannot understand Kṛṣṇa; they can understand neither His name nor His personality, so what is the position of the so-called scholars of this tiny planet?

 

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by Damaghosa dasa

STealing from Bhagavan

March 8, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

 
Stealing from Bhagavan
Elevation to Krsna Consciousness Ch 2
“From the highest executive in his skyscraper office down to the coolie in the street—all are working with the thought of accumulating wealth, legally or illegally. Actually it is all illegal, for to work for one’s self-interest is both unlawful and destructive. Even the cultivation of spiritual realization for one’s own self-interest is unlawful and destructive. The point is that all activities must be directed to the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa and His service.


May 10 1969 Ohio conversation
Prabhupada: Suppose you have stolen something from somebody’s house or some friends. You will not be happy, even possessing that thing, stolen property. But if someday you come to return that thing to that friend, you will be happy. What do you think, Hayagrīva?
Hayagrīva: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Then you will feel relieved. So therefore the real thing is that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. We are artificially enjoying the stolen property. Therefore if you go on enjoying like that, then this frustration will come. But before coming to that frustration, if we return this property to Kṛṣṇa, then we become happy. So best thing is to return everything to Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And you will not be a loser. You will be gainer, just like Bali Mahārāja. Actually, if you think, everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Nothing belongs to you. This is māyā.Kṛṣṇa’s property you are thinking, “mine.” Is this land of American belongs to you actually? It is stolen property. You have stolen from the Red Indians or from Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is, not you, everyone. Somebody is claiming, “This much my property,” somebody is claiming, “This much my property,” but this much or that much, everything belongs toKṛṣṇa. It is stolen property. There is another example in Indian words, that hira cauri kiya abhicaurya, khira caurī kiyā abhicaura. Hira means diamond, and khīra means… What is that called? Cucumber, a small? So if somebody has stolen a cucumber from other’s tree, so he is captured. And another man has stolen some diamond. He is also arrested. So from the police, both are thieves. If the man says, “Oh, what I have stolen? I have stolen a little cucumber. It is nothing, worth not even two cent or one cent. Why you are arresting me? He is thief. He has stolen a big diamond,” no, in the eyes of law, he is also thief; he is also thief. Everyone is thief. Anyone who is not in Kṛṣṇaconsciousness, he is thief. He’ll not be happy. The best thing is to return whatever he has possessed: “Kṛṣṇa, it is Yours. Take.” Finish business. Mānasa deha geha, yo kichu mora. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s song… Now, everything we possess in mind. Actually we don’t possess. Suppose I am possessing all this. As soon as I go from this body, all possession will remain here. I’ll not take anything. So I don’t possess. But in mind I am thinking, “Oh, this is mine. This is mine. Where is another box? Why it is not coming?” And possessing in mind. If I leave this body, either the box here or in the Chicago or anywhere else, what is the difference? There is no difference. But because I am possessing in the mind, “Oh, that box is mine,” so I am asking, “Whether it is Chicago or it is here, it is there? Why it is not coming?” So possession in the mind. Actually you don’t possess. Mānasa deha geha. So by that supposingly possessing, we have got our mind, we have got our body, then expansion of body, wife, children, family, society, country. In this way we possess so many things. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, mānasa deha geha, yo kichu mora: “Now whatever I possess, either in the mind or in the family or in the society or in the body—whatever I have got, I surrender unto You, my dear Kṛṣṇa.” Mānasa deha geha, yo kichu…, arpilun tuā pade nanda kiśora: “Nanda-kiśora, O the son ofNanda, I give unto You.” Marobi rakhobi, yo icchā tohāra: “Now whatever You like, You can do, either you kill me or You protect me, as You like. You are the proprietor. You have right to do everything.” This is surrender. This is fullKṛṣṇa consciousness. That is not possible immediately. Therefore we have to practice. 

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by Damaghosa dasa

Sahajiya cults of Sri Caitanya–up to the present day

March 8, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

The tendency to become a Sahajiya- July 8, 2016
Which means one who takes things cheaply or changes or concocts items of devotional service and thereby does not obey the instructions laid down by the authorized acaryas in disciplic sucession.
Hare Krsna–
Below, for those interested, we have compiled several quotes of warnings by Srila Prabhupada, for those who still consider him their spiritual mater. And as he has stated, if we do not accept verbatim whatever he says, then we should not have accepted him as our guru and thereby become a hypocrite by disobedience.
These warnings are not complicated, but they still are warnings that need to be followed, now and into the future as the tendency for taking things cheaply seems to be a common trait of this kali yuga.
Damaghosa das
Adi 7.48 : PURPORT :
In the paramparā system, the instructions taken from the bona fide spiritual master must also be based on revealed Vedic scriptures.One who is in the line of disciplic succession cannot manufacture his own way of behavior. There are many so-called followers of the Vaiṣṇava cult in the line of Caitanya Mahāprabhu who do not scrupulously follow the conclusions of the śāstras, and therefore they are considered to be apa-sampradāya, which means “outside of the sampradāya.” Some of these groups are known as āula, bāula, kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāṅi sahajiyā, sakhībhekī, smārta, jata-gosāñi, ativāḍī, cūḍādhārī and gaurāṅga-nāgarī.In order to follow strictly the disciplic succession of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, one should not associate with these apasampradāya communities.
Madhya 1.271 : PURPORT :
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu warned all His followers not to become independent or impudent. Unfortunately, after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, many apa-sampradāyas (so-called followers) invented many ways not approved by the ācāryas.Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has described them as the āula, bāula, kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāni sahajiyā, sakhībhekī, smārta, jāta-gosāñi, ativāḍī, cūḍādhārī and gaurāṅga-nāgarī.
Madhya 8.83 : PURPORT: sruti-smrti-puranadi- pancaratra-vidhim vina aikantiki harer bhaktir utpatayaiva kalpate :
He clearly mentions in this verse that one must refer to the Vedic literature and other, supplementary literatures and follow the conclusion of the Vedas.An invented devotional attitude simply creates disturbances in the transcendental realm.If a person overly addicted to family life takes to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Kṛṣṇa consciousness to earn a livelihood, his activity is certainly offensive.One should not become a caste guru and sell mantras for the benefit of mundane customers, nor should one make disciples for a livelihood. All these activities are offensive. One should not make a livelihood by forming a professional band to carry out congregational chanting, nor should one perform devotional service when one is attached to mundane society, friendship and love. Nor should one be dependent on so-called social etiquette. All of this is mental speculation. None of these things can be compared to unalloyed devotional service.No one can compare unalloyed devotional service, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to mundane activities.There are many unauthorized parties pretending to belong to the Śrī Caitanya cult, and some are known as āula, bāula, kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāṅi, sakhībhekī, smārta, jāta-gosāñi, ativāḍi, cūḍādhārī and gaurāṅga-nāgari.
Adi-lila 1.3 — Mayapur, March 27, 1975 : 750327CC.MAY :
Utpātā, simply disturbance. Yata mat tata patha: “I can manufacture my own way.” This rascaldom has been condemned by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.He says that harer bhaktiḥ…You will find many so-called bhaktas crying, falling down on the ground. But immediately after, he is smoking bidi. So why this is going on? Because they do not follow the injunction of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.Chanting, dancing very loudly, and after the performance is finished—I have seen it—”Can you give me a bidi?” You see? “My throat is now dried up.”So this is utpātā. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has described this kind of so-called devotional attitude is simply disturbance. They imitate. Imitate. Therefore Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has condemned.There are so many apa-sampradāya going on in the name of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s devotee. Who are they?Āula, bāula, kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāṅi, sahajiyā, sakhībhekī, smārta, jata-gosāñi. Then ativāḍī, cūḍādhārī, gaurāṅga-nāgarī, tota kahe ei tāra saṅga nāhi kori: Tota Bābājī, he says, “I do not associate with these classes of men.”So after disappearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so many apa-sampradāya sprang up. So we should be very much careful that… Sampradāya means who are carefully following the Vedic principle.Therefore Kavirāja Gosvāmī, although asserting the truth, he is prepared to give Vedic evidences. Now he has begun. (More…)
Los Angeles, February 7, 1969 :690207BA.LA:
In this way there was, Caitanya’s Mahāprabhu’s time, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement was going nicely, very. And after Him, there was six Gosvāmīs. They also managed. Then, as it is the rule of this material world that you start something very good but in due course of time the things deteriorate, so this Vaiṣṇava, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, also deteriorated in due course of time.Say, after the disappearance of the Gosvāmīns, about 250 years after, the things became most ridiculous.The so-called devotees… Their representatives still are continuing. They are called prākṛta-sahajiyā. Prākṛta-sahajiyā means taking things very easily.They thought that Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is just like a boy and girl’s lusty affairs. And in this way they took it that sex life as religion.Even Vivekananda, he also criticized, “Vaiṣṇavism is sex religion.”So the things deteriorated in such a way that… And similarly, as Advaita Prabhu was afflicted, similarly, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura… He was at that time a householder, government officer and magistrate. He felt very much: “Oh, Lord Caitanya’s movement is so… People… As soon as one will see that he belongs to the Caitanya sampradāya, he’ll deride,‘Oh, these are all rascals, simply taking sex pleasures. That’s all.’ ” There were thirteen pseudo Vaiṣṇavas, thirteen sects:Āula, Bāula, Karttābhajā, Neḍā, Daraveṣa, Sāṅi, Sahajiyā, Sakhībhekī. Sāṅi community…You have heard that in London there is a Sāṅi community. Sāṅi Hindu center you have heard from Mukunda? The Sāṅi is there still.So there are thirteen pseudo pretenders belonging to the Caitanya-sampradāya. They are called first Āula, Bāula, Karttābhajā, Neḍā, Daraveṣa, Sāṅi, Sakhībhekī, Gaurāṅga-nagarī, Cūḍādhārī, Ativāḍī, and Smārta, Jāta-gosāñi. Like that, thirteen. (More…)
January 24, 1977, Bhuvanesvara : 770124r2.bhu :
Prabhupāda: Sakhībekhī. There are so many apasampradāyas, thirteen at least in the counting by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura: āula, bāula kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāṅi sahajiyā, sakhībekhī. This sakhībekhī. Smārta, jāta-gosāñi, ativāḍī, cūḍādhārī, gaurāṅga-nāgarī. These thirteen, fourteen apasampradāyas.They are passing as Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s sampradāya. But they’re the worst, rejected.The sakhībekhī, dressing like…. To cheat Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is after the gopīs, so they have dressed like gopī, and Kṛṣṇa does not know that he’s a rascal man. (laughter) Just see. This is their intelligence, to…. “I have become a sakhī. Kṛṣṇa will embrace me and kiss me.” So Kṛṣṇa is so fool. (laughs) These rascals are doing that. Sakhībhekhī. There was a Lalitā-sakhi in Navadvīpa. All women surrounding him. Somebody is dressing him with red, what is called?

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