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What Is Gurmat?

avsingh

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Mar 30, 2006
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What is Gurmat?
  • Gurmat means Guru’s wisdom or a proposed way to realize truth.
  • Gurmat does not mean Guru’s order, declaration, or commandment.
  • Gurmat is a way (Panth) for the seeker (Sikh) to realize the truth, and not a pre-paved concrete pathway to adhere. Just as a seeker has to search, a sikh has to search for the truth that is unknown (Nirankar).
  • Gurmat is revelation of the universal laws (Hukum) of the cosmos and life, and not a sectarian religion. Gurmat is not the so-called Sikhism containing many sects and traditions.
  • Gurmat is the one wholesome wisdom of One supreme Guru (Granth Sahib), and not multiple Gurus.
“Pure Guru ki puri sikhya, jis man base so saach parikhia”

Ek Onkar Sat Naam

- Avtar Singh
 

Astroboy

ਨਾਮ ਤੇਰੇ ਕੀ ਜੋਤਿ ਲਗਾਈ (Previously namjap)
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Spiritual Awakening: Spirals of Time
By Kiara Windrider





by Kiara Windrider


Cycles have always fascinated me. There is something comforting to me in how our understanding of them brings seemingly random events into coherence by providing a larger context. It is as if we decided in Creator Consciousness to write out the script for a cycle of creation, including our own eventual homecoming, programmed the sequence into astrological and cosmic cycles, then slipped down through the dimensions into human bodies, knowing deep inside ourselves that the program would run itself to completion and that we would assuredly some day return to Creator Consciousness.

A good metaphor for this is the ?holodeck? in the tele-vision series Star Trek. Members of the starship could program the ?computer? with a sequence of their choice, step into the holodeck, and run the program, always knowing this was their own creation and that when the program ended they would return to the ?real world? aboard the ?USS Enterprise!? They knew they could change or end the program from within the holodeck anytime they wanted, that they always had total choice.
I remember an episode where something goes wrong with the computer, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard with his ?away team? are stuck in the holodeck with the odds heavily against their very survival. This seems to be an apt metaphor for what we are experiencing as collective humanity. Something unforeseen happened with our programming. We were not supposed to fall into separated third dimensional consciousness, yet here we are. How do we find our way back?


The cycles and calendars held in the memories of Gaia, and the ancient civilizations of Earth, hold a key. We must also recognize, as the ?away team,? that there is a ?home team? working with us from the other side of the dimensional doorways to clear the circuitries for our return home. Thus, we are simultaneously engaged in 3-D as well as 4-D cycles of time and history.


What I attempt to do in this and the following chapters is to bring together and unify various understandings of some of these time cycles, and look for clues as to how we might -return to a 4-D timeline, in preparation for the even greater homecoming back to 5-D, and eventually, Creator Consciousness.
Some of the material here may be somewhat technical, but my intention is to offer a solid foundation for future hope in these extremely turbulent times, and it helps to have a cosmic ?reality check? once in a while! The question I keep asking myself is, are we birthing a Golden Age, or are we spiraling into extinction? It would be no exaggeration to state that we are in extreme global crisis. If we are to pull ourselves out of this, I do not think we can do so using either 3-D or 4-D bootstraps alone.


Where does hope lie for our planet? I invite both discernment and an open mind as we journey on together.
There are many calendar systems from ancient -civilizations scattered around the world that are all synchronistically winding to a close at this time. The Hopis say we are now ending the Fourth World, and that the Fifth World will begin shortly. Many are also becoming increasingly familiar with the Mayan calendar. The Maya had a dual understanding of time, which is reflected in their systems of timekeeping. They used a sacred calendar known as the Tzolkin, comprised of a 260-day cycle, which could be described as ?a periodic table of galac-tic frequencies.? They also had a secular calendar, based on a 360-day cycle, known as the Long Count. The Long Count -consisted of 13 cycles of 144,000 days each, totaling approximately 5125 solar years, known as a Great Cycle. Our current Great Cycle began on August 11, 3113, and ends on December 21, 2012.

It must be noted that neither of these calendars measured solar years. This was left to a third calendar known as the Haab, which added 5 days to the 360-day cycle to create the solar year. When the Haab is meshed with the Tzolkin, a deepened galactic consciousness can be brought into ordinary 3-D time, and is the basis for the 13:20 time system being promoted by Jos頁rg? as a means to shift our consciousness out of linear time into cyclical time. The Maya also had various prophetic calendars, such as the Thirteen Heavens and Nine Hells. The last Nine Hells cycle began, to the day, with Cortez? invasion, and ended at the Harmonic Convergence in August 1987. The current Thirteen Heavens cycle, according to Mayan Timekeeper Gerardo Barrios Kaanek, was birthed in 2001, after an intervening period of gestation.


It is interesting to note that the Aztec and Cherokee calendars are almost identical to the Mayan Long Count. What makes these calendars so important for these times? What makes 2012 different from the ending of ordinary timekeeping systems? John Major Jenkins, in his book, Mayan Cosmogenesis 2012, speculates that the current Long Count calendar was established precisely with this End Date in mind.
In order to understand what this means, I will briefly define some terms. The Precession of the Equinoxes is a 25,920-year cycle that establishes the zodiacal ages relative to the Earth. The celestial ecliptic refers to the path traveled by the Sun and the various planets of our solar system. The galactic equator refers to the central plane of our Milky Way galaxy, visible in the night sky as a ribbon of brightly-lit stars known as the Milky Way. The Galactic Center refers to the exact center of our entire galaxy, a massive black hole located at 27 degrees of Sagittarius relative to Earth. The Central Sun refers to a higher dimensional center of extremely luminous radiance ?behind? this black hole.

Jenkins claims that the Maya, when setting up their -calendar, were not concerned so much with the beginning point as the end point. This is because a very unique event happens here, an event that takes place only once every 25,920 years. At the End Date of the Long Count, on the winter solstice of 2012, the noonday Sun exactly conjuncts the crossing point of the Celestial Ecliptic with the Galactic Equator, while also closely conjuncting the Galactic Center!
Arguelles, author of The Mayan Factor, further claims that this conjunction would bring?us into alignment with the evolutionary energies emanating from the Galactic Center, catapulting us into 4-D and 5-D planetary consciousness. Indeed, he says, the last time this happened, at the end of the last Long Count 5125 years ago, there was an active seeding of human form and consciousness by the Galactic Federation of Light, who will presumably return once again to assist us in stepping out of 3-D separation and achieving galactic synchronization.

Although the Mayans themselves do not refer directly to the Precessional cycle, Jenkins makes the point that approximately five Great Cycles of 5125 years each comprise one Cycle of Precession. If we study this cycle, and the evolutionary potential that exists as we periodically conjunct the Galactic Center, we encounter radiations and emanations from the Central Sun at the Galactic Center, designed to shift our collective frequencies into a more unified state.
From a third dimensional perspective, the center of our Milky Way galaxy, like most galaxies, is a black hole. However, from a fifth dimensional perspective, according to esoteric lore, a Central Sun of luminous radiance exists ?behind? this black hole. As stellar matter is sucked into this black hole, radically pro-evolutionary energies are radiated out. As we journey through the ecliptic, we come into conjunction with the Central Sun, this zone of celestial radiance, once every 25,920 years.


Although we come into conjunction with the galactic center only once during a Precessional Year, we actually cross the galactic equator (visible in the skies as the ?Milky Way?) twice during this cycle, or once every 13,000 years. I consider this crossing to be a Zero Point. Each time we cross the galactic equator, the influence of the Central Sun permeates our solar system, and all aspects of our life and evolution receive a boost. Hidden aspects of our being are brought to the surface for transmutation and awakening. DNA shifts take place in response to the new energies. Great advancement takes place on spiritual and cultural levels, and we enter a Golden Age. There are two such Golden Ages in each Precessional Year. In terms of the Astrological World Ages, these correspond to the Age of Leo and the Age of Aquarius. Each entry into a Golden Age is accompanied by Earth changes as Gaia recalibrates herself to the new frequencies.
There is another calendar system I would like to refer to in context of this discussion, the Hindu cycle of the yugas. This refers to an Age of Light known as the Satya Yuga, gradually declining through the Treta and Dwapara yugas into an Age of Darkness known as the Kali Yuga. The traditional Hindu model of the yugas runs into the billions of years, yet Sri Yukteswar, in The Holy Science, puts forth a different model based on a 24,000-year cycle. Like the Maya, he claims that this cycle has to do with the journey of our solar system around another Sun, or ?moolam?. He also speaks of a much longer revolution of our Sun around some kind of ?grand center,? similar perhaps to what the Mayans called ?Hunab Ku.? According to him,


The Sun, with its planets and their moons, takes some star for its dual and revolves around it in about 24,000 years of our Earth?a celestial phenomenon which causes the backward movement of the equinoctial points around the zodiac. The Sun also has another motion by which it revolves around a grand center called ?Vishnunabhi,? which is the seat of the creative power, Brahma.
We now know that it is not our solar system that revolves around some ?star,? but the precession of the equinoxes that creates this seeming cycle of revolution. Since Sri Yukteswar himself equates the 24,000-year cycle with the precessional cycle I feel it would be permissible to modify his model of the yugas to a 26,000 year cycle, or 25,920 to be exact. In the diagram that follows, I correlate this modified version of Sri Yukteswar?s cycle of the yugas with the astrological ages and with the galactic equator.


Each time we cross the galactic equator, we enter a Satya Yuga. The further we move away from this zone of light, the deeper we sink into a Kali Yuga. If it is true that the advent of the Satya Yuga has to do with these crossing points in the precessional cycle, then the transition is very sudden, and this in my mind has to do with the nature of the quantum leap available to us in this moment of entry.
Half of the precessional cycle is 13,000 years. Something very special happens every 13,000 years, associated with major shifts in human consciousness as well as shifts within the Earth. This is also associated with a movement from a Kali Yuga back to a Satya Yuga, an Age of Light.
Paul LaViolette, author of Earth Under Fire, refers to a pulse of light emanating from the galactic center approximately every 13,000 years, and cascading throughout our galaxy. He calls it a ?galactic superwave.? Is this pulse related to the ?zero point? inherent in each galactic crossing, and to the advent of a new Satya Yuga, as Sri Yukteswar understood it? Barry Martin sees this zero point as a ?reset button.? It is built into creation and provides an opportunity for all disharmonic wave patterns to be brought back into coherence, sort of like clearing the deck and starting again.


The three days of darkness mentioned in ancient writings and prophecies could be an indication of these dropping magnetic fields. As the Earth comes into alignment with the Central Sun of our galaxy, while simultaneously crossing the galactic equator, tremendous transformational radiations from its luminous core are reaching us at this time, mediated (according to the Maya) through the Sun, which is currently ejecting the largest solar flares ever known. This could cause an electro-magnetic shift throughout our solar system, in effect resetting our soul memories, which are based on magnetic fields, into alignment with Source.
LaViolette says that as the galactic superwave expands simultaneously out through the galaxy, it creates a null point in which magnetic and gravitational fields collapse. As our Sun experiences this collapse, it would release gas shells around the Sun, resulting in a massive ejection of its corona throughout our solar system. This sudden expansion followed by a contraction, according to LaViolette, could cause some rather major cataclysmic activity on Earth.


According to computer simulations of Earth?s dimensions and electrical conductivity, 13,000 years is the calculated -decay time of its magnetic fields. This would make sense in light of the galactic superwave theory.? In their book, Reality Revealed, Douglas Vogt and Gary Sultan present evidence that the Earth?s magnetic poles have reversed themselves every 13,000 years or so. Similar to LaViolette?s assertion, they too suggest that these reversals might be connected with a nova effect of the Sun, in which a blaze of super-ionized plasma would be pulsed out throughout the solar system. The flip in magnetic polarity may also relate to a shift from masculine to feminine polarity in the consciousness fields of the planet every 13,000 years. After having held a strongly polarized masculine worldview in the last cycle, we are now returning to a more balanced feminine polarity.


Later geological studies, based on 60 years of ice and core samplings, indicate that for other reasons not yet studied, the magnetic field is more stable than previously thought, and only actually reverses every several hundred thousands of years. In either case, according to Vogt and Sultan, the last reversal was 12,400 years ago. There are others who date this event at either 12,800 or 13,200 years ago. Although the exact date of the polar reversal is disputed, it seems to correlate with the cycle of the yugas, the galactic superwave pulse emanating from the galactic core, and with crossing the galactic equator.
One way we can understand this polar reversal is to see what happens to the spin of water when we cross the terrestrial equator. It is a well known fact that when water is allowed to flow down into a drain it will spin clockwise if you happen to live in the northern hemisphere. Go down to Australia, however, and you notice it spinning counter-clockwise. It is the same with our magnetic fields when we cross the galactic equator. In the moment of crossing, the spin slows down and stops, followed by a polar reversal. Each time this has happened in the past, there was a tremendous shifting of energies on the planet. Barry equates?this to a great jolt of cosmic kundalini that shakes us awake as we approach Zero Point, if we are ready. I believe that the impact of these magnetic shifts and polar reversals has to do with the dimensional frequencies that Earth happens to be holding at the time. The lower her vibrational frequency the more likely Earth would be to experience cataclysmic intensity.


Since our Fall into 3-D sometime during the Atlantean period, these polar reversals and alterations of Earth?s electromagnetic fields have unfortunately resulted in tremendous upheavals in the Earth?s crust, including the sinking and rising of land masses, great earthquakes, volcanoes, and flooding. My own intuition is that the reason that the 13,000 year cycle of magnetic decay did not result in cataclysmic polar reversals in earlier cycles may have to do with the Earth having been in a higher dimensional frequency in the distant past. If? we remain in third dimensional frequency when the next galactic superwave reaches us, we will be quickly obliterated. -However, I believe that the potential exists now, as Windrider states, that we could either ascend to fourth dimensional frequency as a single planetary consciousness or split into several different timelines as we respond to this galactic pulse and the accompanying magnetic collapse. These timelines would each operate on different dimensional frequencies with differing effects. I speak of this further in Chapter 19.


Most indigenous cultures around the world have -memories of a Great Flood. Atlantis is believed to have sunk about 12 or 13 thousand years ago in a cataclysm that was likely connected with the last polar reversal. Many, including Vogt, Sultan, and LaViolette, feel that we are due for another magnetic polar reversal any moment now. Edgar Cayce, interestingly, predicted that the poles would shift in the early part of this new -century.
I believe that our experience of life and reality has to do with the nature of time itself. When the Maya, Hindu, and Hopi prophecies spoke of the ending of this present age, they were referring not to the end of the world, but to the end of a system of time. There is something different about this 26,000-year cycle than anything that has come before us. We are now, for the first time in this cycle of creation, returning on the in-breath of God back to Creator Consciousness. The dimensional realities created as an expression of our cosmic play are now folding back up. Since time is experienced very differently in each of these dimensional realities, this means that our experience of time is also about to shift.
In the Book of Revelation, Chapter 10, the seventh angel declares that ?time shall be no more,? or more accurately, ?there shall be no more reckoning of time.? How could time simply disappear? And if it could, how would it happen, and what would it mean? Could this refer to a dimensional shift from 3-D to 4-D reality? Is this why the Mayan calendar and other timelines fall silent after 2012?
Barry Martin has been carefully researching a phenomenon he calls the ?time spiral,? which may shed further light on this dimensional shift. With some of the renewed understandings of sacred geometry put forward by Drunvalo Melchizedek and others, we are beginning to become aware of how everything is organized around certain basic principles of geometry. The ?fibonacci spiral? is one such geometry used by the devic realms to create forms and proportions for all life in the universe, from tiny crystals, to the human form, to an entire planet. The nautilus shell is a good illustration of this. Beginning at zero point, which could be any point in space, it is a numeric sequence that spirals out to infinity.
What if this same sequence that applies to space were also applied to time? Barry goes through a series of calculations going back through the Egyptian and Mayan calendars to illustrate that in our journey of evolution through the ages, our experience of consciousness through time has been speeding up. This can be plotted as a time spiral. Eventually this time spiral winds down through third dimensional time and approaches a zero point, an end of time as we know it. According to his research, the time spiral that governed most of our recent third dimensional history ended on July 26, 2000, at which point a new fourth dimensional spiral began, and is slowly gathering force. Thus, in some respects the fourth dimensional shift has already taken place, although the full flowering of this new planetary consciousness is still to come.
What does 4th dimensional time look like?? If 3-D time relates to a linear progression from a point in the past to a point in the future, 4-D time is synchronistic.? The now-moment is all important, multiple timelines come into co-existence, and history is interpreted through cycles and spirals of consciousness rather than through a disconnected series of linear events.


I was recently introduced to a new version of the Mayan calendar that more accurately reflects this shift from 3-D to 4-D time. Carl Johan Calleman, author of Solving the Greatest Mystery of our Time: The Mayan Calendar (www.calleman.com), and Ian Xel Lungold (www.mayanmajix.com) are Mayan researchers.? Their conversations with Mayan daykeepers, and decoding of a stele discovered in the ancient site of Coba in the Yucatan reveal a system of interlocking creation cycles which are quite different from the currently popular versions of the Mayan calendar. They also feel there is a discrepancy in the translation of the Classical Mayan calendar to the Gregorian system of time-keeping, and that the Mayan calendar actually ends on October 28, 2011.
I mentioned earlier that according to John Major Jenkins the Long Count of the Mayan calendar was devised with the end date of Winter Solstice 2012 in mind. Calleman and Lungold disagree. ?Based on interpretations of the stele in Coba they have come to the conclusion that the current Long Count is simply one of a series of nine creation cycles going all the way back to the Big Bang 16.4 billion years ago (see accompanying diagram). Like the? odometer of a car poised at 999999999, these creation cycles synchronize and end together, after which we move out of linear time and into the ?zero point? of universal consciousness.


Each of these nine creation cycles, or ?underworlds?, as the Mayans called them, are composed of thirteen ?heavens?, the seven days and six nights of that particular creation cycle.? Each successive creation cycle is 20 times shorter than the previous cycle, and is nested within the last day of the previous cycle.? As we approach the end of any one of these nine creation cycles, we are simultaneously approaching the end of all the previous and successive cycles as well.? The Long Count, also known as the National Underworld, was the sixth of these creation cycles.


There are three other creation cycles since the beginning of the Long Count that are important for us to consider.? The Planetary Underworld began in 1755 AD, with each heaven corresponding to approximately 20 solar years.? The Galactic Underworld began January 5, 1999, with each heaven now corresponding to 360 days.? And the Universal Underworld will begin February 10, 2011, with heavens of 18 days each.? All of these nine creation cycles end together on October 28, 2011, following which we move out of linear reckoning of time altogether, and into universal consciousness.
Each Underworld has its own overall intent. The Cellular cycle was about the establishment of the physical laws of the universe. The Mammalian cycle outlined the biological evolution of life from cell to herd. In the Familial cycle, the focus was on developing relationships. We then went on to develop the mind in the Tribal cycle, and establish art and culture in the Cultural cycle. The National cycle was about Law, and the Planetary cycle about Power. As we enter the Galactic cycle the evolutionary focus is on Ethics. It is about creating a level playing field, moving into a one-world consciousness, and preparing for galactic membership. Finally, in the Universal Cycle, we enter the realms of God in conscious co-creation!


What is fascinating about these cycles within cycles is that each successive cycle carries the same energy imprints as previous cycles, except that it goes through them much faster. A lot more creation takes place in the same amount of time. The Planetary cycle, beginning with the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1700?s, initiated the beginnings of a planetary worldview. Our awareness of ourselves as a single planetary culture continues to deepen, but with the beginning of the Galactic Cycle on January 5, 1999, a new acceleration of consciousness has begun on Earth whose purpose is to
 

spnadmin

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Avsingh ji,

Curious about the source of this statement: Gurmat is revelation of the universal laws (Hukum) of the cosmos and life, and not a sectarian religion. Gurmat is not the so-called Sikhism containing many sects and traditions. Since Gurmat is revealed in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Hukam is found in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the author of the statement must have never been or at some point renounced Sikhism.

Begum ji,

You have a lot of interesting ideas in your essay -- could almost be a platform for a discussion of the khands - worlds and universes circling above the head of the true Sikh of the ShabdGuru. Reading Japj(u)i Sahib covers the Cosmos and our soul's journey through realms of wisdom rather thoroughly. I am wondering about the reconciliation of Mayan thought and other theories mentioned in your essay with the thought of our Gurus. Would be good if you would create these connections in your further commentary. For example, Sikhism -- a highly evolved religion -- has no need for angels, or other entities associated with polytheistic/pantheistic world views. Guru ji -- protector that he is- 'will carry us' through the galaxies in his 'knapsack' if the need arises.

Cheers.
 

Astroboy

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I will be glad if you could start on it right away by expanding on any point from your reply. I am wondering - who found whom ?
 

spnadmin

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Begum,

Fair enough. If you are propagating a message that crosses devotional boundaries, the InterFaith Dialogies is the appropriate location for this discussion. Thank you for clarifying.

Cheers
 

Astroboy

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FIVE KHANDS or Panj Khand literally means as follows: Panj = five and khands = regions or realms. These signify in the Sikh tradition the five stages of spiritual progress leading man to the Ultimate Truth. The supporting text is a fragment from Guru Nanak’s Japji Sahib, Pauris (Stanzas) 35 to 37 inclusive.
The Five Realms described in the Bani are:
The concept of the spiritual journey running into several stages is found in other religious traditions as well. The number of stages and the nomenclature may vary, but the broad features of the journey remain the same. The seven muqamat of the Sufis, the eight angas of Patanjal yoga, the five kosas of Vedanta and dash bhumis of Buddhism run on parallel lines though they are embedded each in a different cultural milieu.

The Panj Khands in the Japji Sahib delineate the different stages of spiritual ascent tracing the evolution of human consciousness on different planes involving man’s thought, emotions and action. Though Guru Nanak does not explicitly deal with these transformations and only touches upon the core characteristics of each stage (khand), yet the emphasis on one aspect does not exclude the others. In each stage, the status or position of the individual is set forth in a social setting. The seeker is not conceived of as a recluse or ascetic: social obligations and moral qualities form an essential core of the spiritual path. The empirical mind is first emancipated from the grip of desire and purified by a rigorous moral discipline. When it learns to stand still, it is brought to the Divine Portal which it can enter only with the divine grace. There it finds itself face to face with the Truth Eternal, i.e. God.

The delineation of the Panj Khands is preceded by two introductory remarks in the two preceding stanzas. First, there is the term pavarian, i.e. rungs of a ladder, denoting stages of the mystical ascent. Guru Nanak relates this ascent to the constant remembrance of God's Name. Then occurs another insight which implies that all the endeavours that the spiritual aspirant makes and all the means that he employs during these endeavours have their ultimate source in divine grace without which he may not even feel the initial impulse towards spiritual life.

The first stage is the dharam khand. “The earth exists for dharma to be practised.” The word dharam has been employed in the sense of duty. Duty is usually performed either out of a sense of social responsibility or through moral awareness. Guru Nanak links this sense of duty to man’s consciousness of divine justice. This is the stage in which a sense of inquisitiveness is aroused in the mind of the devotee who is now no longer a casual onlooker of the world around but can perceive the divine purpose behind the creation of this planet of ours, the earth, which is set in the cosmic cradle of time and space and is sustained by the vital elements. Man has been placed in this world to respond to the Creator’s purpose. In His court, he will be judged according to his moral response.

The next is gian khand. “In the realm of knowledge, knowledge is ignited, i.e. illumination dawns.” The seeker here becomes aware of the universe and the mystery of existence. Through the creation, he gains knowledge of the Creator from whom it emanates. Knowledge here is not merely intellectual or sensual; it is intuitive awareness, a spiritual consciousness which expands the vision of the seeker. His sense of wonder is born not merely of his awareness of the many forms of life or the ordered movement of numerous celestial spheres, but of his perception of God who is the sole force behind all. In front of this limitless variety of cosmic life, he feels humble. This simultaneous experience of expansion of vision and of the sense of humility leads to vismaya or vismad (wonder).
Saram Khand is the sphere of spiritual endeavour. Here man strives against the last remnants of his ego which still afflict him in spite of his experiencing strong emotions of humility in the gian khand. If the sense of awe and wonder is not accompanied or followed by discipline, the experience might become a mere emotion, something remembered with nostalgia but having no permanent worth. To become worthy of receiving the divine grace, one must chisel one’s surati (consciousness) which is a unifying thread for all human faculties. This chiselling of intellect and wisdom would erase even the subtlest layers of ego from one’s mind.

Karam Khand (the realm of grace) is the sphere where reigns the Divine grace. The process of liberation with grace initiated is now brought to completion. All sense of dualism ends. The devotee is one with the Lord and with those who have attained this state of bliss. One reaches here only after achieving a heroic victory over the evils. Yet he is not a passive devotee, but a man of awakened courage and great deeds.

The final stage of spiritual ascent, i.e. sach khand (the realm of the Truth), defies description. “Hard as steel is the story of this state to narrate.” Described as the abode of the Nirankar, the Formless One, sach khand is not a geographical spot, but the final state of the evolution of human consciousness. One can only experience it, but not describe it, for here words cease to have any meaning and no analogies can help in describing the Unique. Here in the Divine Court, the perfect ones rejoice in His presence. It is from here that His Will (hukam) goes out to the universe, and the liberated, grace-filled souls perform it joyously and effortlessly. The devotee becomes one with Him and realizes Him as a unifying force working through all objects of His creation. This way he attains to the non-spatial sach khand and to the Dweller therein, the Nirankar, who is nowhere outside his own heart.

The following extracts are sourced from Sikhnet Discussion Forums:

As much as has been discovered about the universe, still more eludes our science. It has been shown that the universe is not comprised of visible matter alone. The existence of dark matter, invisible to the eye, has been known to exist in the universe since the early thirties. Not only has its existence been proven, but it has also been shown that 90% of the universe is in fact comprised of dark matter. Since dark matter is not visible, its existence is measured by its gravitational effect upon other celestial bodies. If we measure the velocities of visible matter in a particular galaxy cluster, sufficient mass and therefore gravitational force, must exist to prevent the matter from escaping. Evidence shows that in fact, there exists more mass than is explicable by the visible matter alone. It is thus inferred that invisible or dark matter must exist in the galaxy and therefore in the universe, to account for this anomaly. As we learn more about dark matter, the further are the established scientific theories thrown into question.

But how does this all tie in with a general religious philosophy or with Sikh philosophy in particular? We know that the World created by God, constitutes a transitory phase of our existence.[1] We enter the World as a soul bearing the human form for an allotted time. In this physical existence, as humans we occupy space and time and thus by definition, we are subject to the theory of relativity. However, the paradox exists as to whether the soul is in fact a form of energy and therefore comprised of matter and if so, whether God can be conceived to exist also in this state. Also, is time, whether absolute or not, also applicable in the Kingdom of God? If not, then how does relativity impact our notion of God and the Cosmic regions? If the convergence of space and time implies existence, according to relativity, the absence of any one of these coordinates or even both, must imply non-existence. Is dark matter or dark energy, a crucial key to the puzzle? Is the soul comprised of dark matter or dark energy that remains unseen yet has attributes that are capable of influencing visible matter? By making such an assumption, we must also therefore assume that God exists also as dark matter or dark energy and thus, he had to be created by some means at some point in time. This directly contradicts the basic Sikh teaching that God existed before time, sitting alone in the primal void that he himself had created.[2] The Sikh standpoint is in fact that God is, whatever he wishes to be, at any time. It is therefore unfeasible to describe him in terms of any single known composition.

ਆਪੇ ਕੁਦਰਤਿ ਕਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਦੇਖੈ ਸੁੰਨਹੁ ਸੁੰਨੁ ਉਪਾਇਦਾ ॥੧॥
aapay kudrat kar kar daykhai sunnahu sunn upaa-idaa. ||1||
He Himself exercised His Creative Power, and He gazes upon His creation; from the Primal Void, He formed the Void. ||1||[1037:11]

ਸੁੰਨ ਕਲਾ ਅਪਰੰਪਰਿ ਧਾਰੀ ॥
sunn kalaa aprampar Dhaaree.
In the Primal Void, the Infinite Lord assumed His Power. [1037:10]

ਦੀਪਕ ਤੇ ਦੀਪਕੁ ਪਰਗਾਸਿਆ ਤ੍ਰਿਭਵਣ ਜੋਤਿ ਦਿਖਾਈ ॥੭॥
deepak tay deepak pargaasi-aa taribhavan jot dikhaa-ee. ||7||
From the lamp of God, the lamp within is lit; the Divine Light illuminates the three worlds. ||7|| [907:7]

ਸਹਸ ਅਠਾਰਹ ਕਹਨਿ ਕਤੇਬਾ ਅਸੁਲੂ ਇਕੁ ਧਾਤੁ ॥
sehas athaarah kahan kataybaa asuloo ik Dhaat.
The scriptures say that there are 18,000 worlds, but in reality, there is only One Universe. [5:3]

ਖੰਡ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੰਡ ਪਾਤਾਲ ਅਰੰਭੇ ਗੁਪਤਹੁ ਪਰਗਟੀ ਆਇਦਾ ॥੧੫॥
khand barahmand paataal arambhay guptahu pargatee aa-idaa. ||15||
He formed the planets, solar systems and nether regions, and brought what was hidden to manifestation. ||15|| [1036;8]

The mystery of the black hole ranks amongst the greatest unknowns, known to man. Perhaps it is this mystery that holds the clue. Satguru Nanak Sahib Ji, described God to exist in the realm of Shunya or in a state of nothingness.[3] The physical description of such a place is a vacuum bereft of all matter. Is the phenomenon of the black hole a passage to this realm? Satguru Ji also described the journey that the soul takes on its ascension, as a formidable, lonely passage doomed by darkness lit only by the lamp of previous Naam.[4] Does this in fact allude to a black hole in which light or matter ceases to exist, according to relativity? Also, is the act of meditation a preparation to empty the mind in readiness for this journey for the fortunate few? [5] Is the passage to the center of the black hole and beyond, the revelation of a new, unknown dimension? Is it there that lies the Kingdom of God? [6] Does the journey to the center of a black hole lead to the Dhasam Dwar through which lies this Celestial Kingdom?
Since historical records began, the evidence shows that we have continued to be fascinated by the mystery of the universe. It is believed that other galaxies exist that support life. However, despite the continual visitations of alien craft to the planet, actual contact with alien life forms continues to elude us. No doubt, such contact could provide valuable clues to the make up of the universe if it were ever to be made. Sikh philosophy knows these alien craft to be tasked by God to take away souls after death. Given the extraordinary flight capabilities of these vehicles, which wantonly defy the established laws of motion; could they be conceived as delivering souls through the space-time continuum into a new universe or dimension? Why is it that God did not grant man the ability to reach the nether regions when Satguru Nanak Sahib clearly referred to their existence? [7,8] Is the universe in which we exist, just a fractional part of a much larger system, just as at the molecular level, electrons revolve around atoms as the planets revolve around the Sun? Is our universe also revolving around a much larger source of energy that could point to God? Satguru Nanak has stated that there is only one, single universe in which exists the whole of creation.[9] However, before creation, God sat alone in the primal void[10] and now his presence pervades the entire universe.[11] We must therefore assume that the primal void is not in fact a specific place, but a direct reference to God himself. It is to the “primal void” that we must ultimately return. In life, the entry point to the “primal void” is the Dhasam Dwar. By entering it, we merge with God in the final union.
 

Astroboy

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I request others to contribute as well. Thank you for your appreciation. Your comments are well noted.
 

Astroboy

ਨਾਮ ਤੇਰੇ ਕੀ ਜੋਤਿ ਲਗਾਈ (Previously namjap)
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A Spiral Galaxy. The sun keeps out of the way of the galaxies spiral arms which contain disruptive gravitational forces and radiation. According to Gonzalez, over 95 percent of stars in the galaxy wouldn't be able to support habitable planets simply because their rotation is not synchronized with the rotation of the galaxy's spiral arms. Credit: NASA
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Staying away from the galactic center has an additional advantage. The center of the Galaxy is awash in harmful radiation. Solar systems near the center would experience increased exposure to gamma rays, X-rays, and cosmic rays, which would destroy any life trying to evolve on a planet.

The density of gases and interstellar matter in the spiral arms leads to the formation of new stars. Although these spiral arms are the birthplaces of stars, it would be dangerous for our solar system to cross through one of them. The intense radiation and gravitation of a spiral arm would cause disruptions in our Solar System just as surely as if we were closer to the center of the Galaxy.


Luckily, our Sun revolves at the same rate as the Galaxy's spiral-arm rotation. This synchronization prevents our Solar System from crossing a spiral arm too often.
"At our location, our orbital period is very similar to that of the pattern speed of the spiral arms," says Gonzalez. "This means that the time interval between spiral arm crossings will be a maximum, which is a good thing, since spiral arms are dangerous places. Massive star supernovae are concentrated there, and giant molecular clouds can perturb the Oort Cloud comets leading to more comets showers in the inner solar system."

"If the Sun's orbit about the galactic center were less circular," says Gonzalez, "the Sun would be more likely to cross spiral arms."

Hindu Beliefs:

Many miles above the earth is the world of the sun. Then come the several worlds of the moon, the Stars, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the saptarshis (the Great Bear constellation) and Dhruva respectively. Dhruva is the centre of all the stars. Above it is Janaloka, where Brahma’s sons live. Gods live in Tapoloka, above Janaloka. Satyaloka is still higher up. It is divided into Brahmaloka and Vaikunthaloka, abodes of Brahma and Vishnu respectively.

The inhabitants of Dhruvaloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka and Satyaloka are not destroyed at the end of each cycle of creation. But the inhabitants of the other three lokas are destroyed. The first of these lokas is of course the earth or bhurloka. The second is bhuvarloka, where live the sages, the region between the earth and the sun. And the third is svaroka, the region from the sun to Dhruva. There are thus seven lokas in all.

Actually, the universe consists of fourteen regions, the seven lokas and seven patalas. A loka or a patala is called a bhuvana and there are fourteen such buvanas in the universe. The first of these lokas is of course the earth or bhurloka. The second is bhuvarloka, where live the sages, the region between the earth and the sun. And the third is svarloka, the region from the sun to Dhruva. There are thus seven lokas in all. Actually, the universe consists of fourteen regions, the seven lokas and seven patalas. A loka or a patala is called a bhuvana and there are fourteen such burvanas in the universe. The bhuvanas are surrounded by darkness on all sides. Around the darkness is water. And around the water is fire. Beyond the fire is the wind and beyond the wind there is the sky.

Hindu belief about dissolution of the universe known as Parlao comes in the following fashion:

In total, there are 4 types of Pralayas:

1. NITYA PRALAYA : This takes place every moment, when the atoms that compose the various forms in the universe unite and disperse. e.g Birth and Death of animals, humans etc.

2. NAIMITTIKA PRALAYA : This takes place during Brahma's night in which the three worlds (Bhuh, Bhuvah and Suvah) continue to exist but are made uninhabitable. The souls of individuals also continue to exist to be reincarnated in the next daytime of Brahma. During that period Brahma holds within himself all the beings of the material and the celestial worlds in a suspended state and sleeps.

3. PRAKRITA PRALAYA : It takes place when Brahma completes his 100 years of life span. It is the change of the universe from its present to a latent condition and its dissolution in unmanifested nature, in which no evolution can take place until the dawn of a new manvantara. In this condition of dissolution, the Jivas remaining unliberated lie in a dormant state and get manifested again in the next creation.

4. ATYANTIK PRALAYA : All forms, space, Maya, and time are absorbed into God and God alone remains. All 5 elements merged as follows: Earth->Water->Fire->Air->Sky->Maya->GOD. Anyone who actually merges with GOD can be said to be blessed with ATYANTIK kalyan because there is NO coming back to anything once merged with GOD.

More Later.
 
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Astroboy

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Creation is divided into three main Grand Divisions.

The first is the 'Region of Truth and Pure Spirit' unmixed with matter --Ramkali M.5

Here the spirit reigns supreme and there is total absence of matter. This is the region where the Lord Himself dwells and may be defined as the purely Spiritual Region. This is free from the haunt of death and destruction. Whoever reaches its domain, obtains true Salvation.

Guru Nanak says:
  • Once you reach the region of the Formless, you obtain the abode of everlasting Joy and Peace. --Sorath M.1
  • The Formless dwells in the Pure Spiritual Region. -- Jap Ji Stanza XXXVII
The Second Grand Division consists of Pure Spirit and a subtle form of matter combined in varying degrees. The upper part of it is called Par Brahmand, wherein the spirit is more to be compared with the subtle forms of matter. In the lower parts called Dasam Dwar, both are in equal part. This is the region of the universal mind. Here the Spirit is mixed with matter in its subtlest form, the latter being totally subordinate to the former. Spirit in this region predominates and is pre-eminently the ruling force.
The third region is the Grand Division of spirit and matter in its grossest form and is called "And." It is the sphere of Maya or matter. In this region matter has the upper hand and spirit is subordinate to it, so much so, that the latter feels dependent on the former for its manifestation. In this region the spirit, on account of its association with matter, undergoes untold miseries and is subjected to the law of transmigration. Both these divisions are referred to as Kaal. In going upward, after rising above the body-consciousness, we first find ourselves hemmed in by matter all around in the And (the Third Grand Division). Then we have to rise into the Brahmand, the region of the Universal Mind. There we feel much better, but still we are not immune from danger or destruction. The region or haven of safety is the Sach Khand, or the Realm of Truth, which is above the reach of Kaal or the Grand Dissolution. This, in brief, is a sketch of the macrocosm--the Great World Universe. These three divisions also exist in man on a miniature scale. If you want to know about macrocosm, you must first know about the microcosm.

Guru Nanak says:
In the body itself there is everything: the spiritual region,
the heavenly plateaux and the material planes.
In the body dwells the Lord Supreme who nourishes all.
In the body lives the formless, the inconceivable, beyond the human ken.
Those who have material eyes only, seek Him in vain, in outward things.
In the body there are the priceless jewels of Divinity.
In the body there are all the material realms and planes.
In the body is the treasure of the Holy Naam, reached only through meditation
on the Word of the Master.
In the body are all the gods: the Brahma, the Vishnu and the Shiva,
and the whole creation itself. --Rag Suhi M.3

Guru Arjan Dev Ji says:
Whosoever keeps under control his ten senses,
He shall see the Light of God dawn within him.
--Gauri Sukhmani M.5

Remember the True Master within yourself, and with the tongue repeat the Word: Satnam Waheguru.
With the eyes visualise the Form of the True Master, and with the ears hear the Holy Naam--the Eternal Song.
He who is saturated within and without in the True Master,
the Word Personified, gains a seat of honour in His presence.
Nanak saith, on whomsoever the Lord showers His grace,
He bestows this state.
But few be the chosen ones, who obtain this gift. --Gujri War M.5

The third restraint relates to the faculty of audition. This is to be attuned to the Eternal Song reverberating in and through all. The Sound is the real essence of the Lord. The Master says:
O my ears, hie on, hie on; hear the Truth for which
you were attached to the body;
And listen to the Eternal Music -- the True Bani. --Ramkali M.3

The first process, Simran, forms the basis of spiritual pursuit. It has to be continued till the goal is reached. The second and the third, Dhyan and Kirtan, follow of themselves one after the other.


From here begins the final part of Jap Ji. In it, Guru Nanak gives a rapid survey af the various spiritual realms that the soul has to traverse in its Homeward journey. They are five in number:
  • (1) Dharm Khand or the Realm of Action.
    (2) Gian Khand or the Realm of Knowledge.
    (3) Sarm Khand or the Realm of Ecstasy.
    (4) Karm Khand or the Realm of Grace.
    (5) Sach Khand or the realm of Truth.
The first is the Realm of Dharm, which the soul must fully realise before it can rise to the next higher spiritual plane above it. This is the stage where the embodied souls must work fully cognisant that it is He who made the world phenomena with all the immutable laws which bind one and all. The law of cause and effect nobody can escape. What a man sows, he must reap. There is none outside His domain. Men's actions go with them after their death and are weighed in the scales of God's Justice. Those found wanting are sent for judgment according to their actions. The only thing acceptable at his Court is "communion with and practice of the Divine Word." Those who adhere to it, are honoured.

Creating the day and the night, the months and the seasons,
The fire, the wind, the water and the nether regions,
Amidst all these, He set up the earth as Dharm Khand
or the arena of action.
And He peopled it with creatures of many colours and many forms,
Creatures of whom there is no count.
All are judged according to their deeds,
For true is the Lord and immaculate His Law.
Those acceptable to Him are honoured in His Court,
And it is only through His Grace that one may gain that distinction.
The imperfect are perfected there,
O Nanak! It is there that this mystery is revealed.
Guru Nanak, in this stanza describes the immense expansion of the soul's horizon when it enters "Gian Khand" or the Realm of Knowledge. Here the devotee sees the manifold nature with all created things. Here he begins to hear the rapturous strains of Melodious Song resounding through the whole creation. Here he feels excessive joy at the conception of Nature with her immutable laws, her infinity of forms and phenomena, multifarious creations and manifold blessings that he finds.

Thus much of the Realm of Dharma;
And now Gian Khand, the Realm of Knowledge;
Countless its elements, air, water and fire,
And countless Krishnas and Sivas,
And countless the Brahmas fashioning various creations
of countless forms and countless hues.
Countless the Fields of Action,(1) countless the golden mountains,(2)
And countless the Dhrus(3) meditating therein.
Countless the Indras, countless the suns and moons,
and countless the earthly and stellar regions;
Countless the Siddhas, the Buddhas, the Naths, and countless
the gods and goddesses.
Countless the Danus(4) and the Sages, and countless
the bejewelled oceans.
Countless the sources of creation, countless the harmonies,
countless those that listen unto them,
And countless the devotees of the Word,
Endless and unending, O Nanak! this Realm.
(1) Karm Bhumi: A place where one is endowed with a free will, and reaps the fruits of his own actions. This world is termed as Karm Bhumi for here reigns the principle of action and reaction or cause and effect. (2) Sumer: The golden mountain seen in this spiritual plane by the devotees. (3) Dhru: A saint proverbial for his steadfast meditation. (4) Danu: Demigods.

From the description of Gian Khand or the Realm of Knowledge, Nanak proceeds to describe, "Sarm Khand," or the Seal of ecstasy. Here everything is enchantingly beautiful and marvelously strange, and words are of no consequence. It is here that the soul becomes etherealised by the power of the Word and one gets an insight into the real nature of things.

Divine Knowledge illumines all in the Realm of Knowledge,
While Divine symphonies play unending music,
and Joy and Bliss reign supreme,
Next, the Realm of Ecstasy, where the Word is enrapturing.
Everything created here is marvelously strange,
and beyond description,
Whoever tries to describe the same, must repent his folly.
Herein the mind, reason and understanding are etherealised,
the self comes to its own, and develops the penetration of the
gods and the sages.
In the Realm of Grace, man rises above the evanescent charms of the phenomenal world. He sees all nature standing submissively to serve at God's Feet. His Word purifies the soul of its sins and awakens the latent energies in it. Matter no longer blinds the inner vision. For him, the Lord pervades everywhere and he is now fully conscious of Him. Here one comes face to face with the Word in Its pure substance. And he now knows himself and his true origin, for he sees himself as of the same substance as God. Finally, the pilgrim soul reaches Sach Khand or the Abode of Truth. Here complete Oneness is realized and it sees all universes functioning according to His Will in devout awe and adoration. Even remembrance of such a vision is blissful, but the vision itself is such that no eye has ever seen, the heart cannot conceive and the tongue cannot describe.

Higher still stands Karm Khand, the Realm of Grace,
Here the Word is all in all, and nothing else prevails.
Here dwell the bravest of the brave, the conquerors of the mind,
filled with the love Divine,
Here dwell devotees with devotion, incomparable as Sita's.(1)
Illumined with beauty ineffable,
All hearts filled with God, they live beyond the reach of death
and of delusion.
Here dwell the Bhagats or Sages drawn from all regions,
Who rejoice in the True One and live in perpetual bliss.

Sach Khand or the Realm of Truth is the seat of the Formless One.
Here He creates all creations, rejoicing in creating.
Here are many regions, heavenly systems and universes,
To count which were to count the countless,
Here, out of the Formless,
The heavenly plateaux and all else come into form,
All destined to move according to His Will.
He who is blessed with this vision, rejoices in its contemplation.
But, O Nanak, such is its beauty that to try to describe it
is to attempt the impossible.

Additional Notes: At the Gian Khand level of consciousness, soul witnesses countless Brahma, and all the 'Hindu' deities. None go beyond this level. They are all in the region of Mahaparlaya meaning Grand Dissolution.
Neither can they take any devotee to a higher level. For them, Brahmanda region is the highest attainment.
Soul comes to be filled to the brim with the flow of life from the Fountain-Head of all, which makes her increasingly subtle from day to day. This enables her to rise into the higher spiritual planes until she reaches her Divine Goal in Sach Khand. Here, above the bounds of annihilation in Pralaya (dissolution), and Maha-Pralaya (grand dissolution), she attains complete union with the Formless One.
  • The Home you have to get to after death, reach there by withdrawing
    your spirit from the body, in your lifetime. --Siri Rag M.1
  • Nanak, die (withdraw your spirit) while you are alive, such a Yoga
    you should practise. --Suhi M.1

    (While Guru Nanak lived amongst the Hindus of this time, he spoke to them in a language which they could relate to. Therefore, when one reads Mahaparlaya and Devas and Devis(Demi-Gods), Golden Mountains, they cannot be taken literally to have an objective existence. Many yogis who have mentioned deities and places in the ancient scriptures did so through their imaginary visions and subjective experiences.)

    Guru Nanak also addressed the Sach Kand consciousness to Muslims during his Udasis to Middle East. Many pirs and fakirs are said to have been influenced by Guru Nanak's teachings. Factions of the Sh'ia and Sufis are classical examples.

    Kabir Sahib says:
    Without the Word, Sound or Eternal Song, the soul sees not. Where could she go? As she cannot fathom the mystery of the 'Word,' she is wandering from place to place. --Kabir

    The all-pervading Word has attracted all my mind. What else have I to think of? Communion of the soul with the Word creates everlasting Bliss. At-one-ment with the Lord procures the Essence of Joy and Peace. --Shri Rag M.1

    The five Sounds become audible through the instructions of the Gurmukh--the Personified Word. Great is the luck of him who hears Them. The source of Joy and Peace (Word), I see as pervading everywhere. Through the Word, the Lord made His appearance and became manifest. --Kanra M. 4


    Guru Nanak speaketh:
    He is the true Preceptor who shows the real Home within the temple of the body wherein five different Sound Currents are resounding and gives a clue of the Holy Naam. --Malar War M.1
    Word is the Guru. Soul is the disciple of the Word -- the melidous song. --Ramkali M. 1


  • In Christianity, the mention in the Bible about the Word as the creator of the Universe. But modern christianity has forgotten how to link to this sound to go back to Godhead.

    Christianity: Saint John has stated in his Gospel:
    • In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. --St. John I: 1-3
    Again:
    • He spoke and it was done. --Psalm 33: 6, 9
      Upholding all things by the Word of His Power.--Hebrews 1:3
      The grass withereth, the flower fadeth but the Word of God shall stand forever.--Isaiah 40:8
      Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven.--Psalm 119:89 St. Paul said: For the Word of God is quick (living) and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and interests of heart. --Hebrews 4:12

      For those new to Sikhism, my humble request for you to open discussions in this forums so that your insight about the unseen can become visible and understandable. - begum



 
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TGill

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Jul 31, 2007
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Thanks Begum ji for sharing ...

This is just mind blowing .. can't even explain the beauty .. just overwhelmed.. !!
 

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