Second and Third Day of Babaji Celebration - Guru Gita and Guided Meditation

During the last two days of the Babaji Celebrations 2014, the updated schedule has included:

1- participation in the daily evening prayers;

2- chanting of an excerpt of the Guru Gita by Sri Swami Vishwananda;

3- guided meditation led Sri Swami Vishwananda;

4- practice of Atma Kriya Yoga Level 1 by Kriya Sadhaks (people initiated in Atma Kriya Yoga Level 1);

5- practice of Atma Kriya Yoga Level 2 by Kriya Sadhaks (people initiated in Atma Kriya Yoga Level 2);


On the second and third days of Babaji celebrations, Sri Swami Vishwananda joined us during the evening prayers in the Temple and after Arati everybody went to the Babaji Cave.

Arati being offered to Sri Swami Vishwananda at the end of evening prayers

Babaji Cave

There, Sri Swami Vishwananda blessed us by chanting a special selection of verses from the Guru Gita.

Sri Swami Vishwananda chanting verses of Guru Gita

On the second day, the chanting of the Guru Gita was followed by a powerful guided meditation on Lord Narayana led Sri Swami Vishwananda.

And on the third day the theme of Sri Swami Vishwananda guided meditation was very touching and comforting - the Lotus Feet of the Guru inside our hearts.

During this Babaji Celebrations 2014, it's been an unique experience to have the opportunity to practice Atma Kriya Yoga in the presence of Sri Swami Vishwananda, in particular after listening to his voice chanting the Guru Gita and guiding us into a deep meditation.

Kriya Sadhaks bowing down to the murti of Mahavatar Babaji at the end of Atma Kriya Yoga practice

First Bhakti Marga Thanksgiving with Sri Swami Vishwananda

During the third day of Babaji Celebrations, at Shree Peetha Nilaya (SPN) we celebrated Thanksgiving Day with Sri Swami Vishwananda for the first time. The initiative came from a group of nine American devotees who decided to come on a pilgrimage to SPN for the Babaji Day Celebrations.

Sri Swami Vishwananda arrives at the dinning hall and greets the nine American pilgrims

The American pilgrims were supported by the Kitchen team and the SPN residents born in USA and the following invitation was sent by the responsible of SPN Kitchen: “Tomorrow our guests visiting from America, would like to invite you all for a 'traditional' (vegetarian) Thanksgiving meal in the dining room at 14:00. Together we will share a meal together and give thanks for the past year that God has granted us. On behalf of the American guests, Bhagyshri”

Karan, a SPN resident born in USA helps the American guests to prepare the Thanksgiving meal

The dinning hall and tables were beautifully decorated with Thanksgiving motifs: fruits, small pumpkins, colourful fall leaves, berry stems. At the beginning of the feast, Sri Swami Vishwananda talked about gratitude, and how highly we should hold the people around us – not just during the holidays, but every day.

In the morning he had sent us a Tweet message setting up this kind of mood for the day, “Love and serve the Guru and the people as they are the direct image of Narayana Himself, as He is everywhere and in everything. There is only Him.” During Gurupurnima 2014, Sri Swami Vishwananda explained us the concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, which means “the whole world as one family. It's true! The whole world is one family, because we all come from one place – that's Narayana. And each one is Narayana. That's why it is said, ‘Service to humanity is service to the Lord. Whoever serves the needy is serving Me.’ You see this in the Veda! You see this in the Bible! You see this in the Koran! You see this everywhere! The same teaching is present everywhere, emphasising that God dwells in His creation.”

Sri Swami Vishwananda blessing the Thanksgiving meal

The nine American pilgrims were invited to sit next to Sri Swami Vishwananda during the Thanksgiving meal

 

Sharing inspiring Experiences

Some devotees shared their wonderful experiences with Sri Swami Vishwananda, Mahavatar Babaji and Atma Kriya Yoga, while some of us were still enjoying the delicious pumpkin pie with whipped cream topped with caramel&roasted almonds sauce. It was a special time when we were literally delighting ourselves being fed both physically and spiritually.

 

The best highlights of the Thanksgiving feast was the overwhelming gratitude and appreciation for experiencing the beauty of how each person is divinely drawn to the presence of Sri Swami Vishwananda, to do Atma Kriya Yoga or to join the Bhakti Marga family (see testimony below). As Sri Swami Vishwananda said, “To get to know the Lord, He traces the way. He makes it happen. Because there are no coincidences. So, like that, the Satguru also appears in the life of someone when the person is ready. There can be any excuses that the Lord Himself or the Satguru Himself makes up to call the devotee. It can be through dreams. It can be through some illnesses. It can be through anything from anywhere around the world. From any corner of this world the devotee will be drawn to where one has to be. This is a complete trust that one must have - that in one's life when one is on the spiritual path and when one has found the Satguru – that God Himself is taking care of oneself.” (Speech, Gurupurnima 2014)

Testimony – The Magical Call of Mahavatar Babaji
“I met Deva (a devotee of Sri Swami Vishwananda from California) in a restaurant in Berkeley, California. And I saw that he had a pendant of Mahavatar Babaji. When I recognised Babaji on the pendant, I asked him about it. He turned the pendant around and showed me Sri Swami Vishwananda. Then I said, ‘Wow! I want to learn Kriya Yoga.’ And he said, ‘Wow! You need to go to bhaktimarga.org.’ He told me about Sri Swami Vishwananda and I just said, ‘Wow! I am so excited! This is amazing!’ So I actually went to the website and looked at Atma Kriya Yoga (AKY) teachings. It looked like somebody was coming to California to teach in a couple of weeks after I met Deva. This was in July. I called that AKY teacher in USA, Varahi, and she told me, ‘Well, the information in the website is not updated but two women that I taught last year are coming to Bellingham and they are bringing a friend to learn AKY. So you can come in a  couple of weeks.’ Then, it was just – literally after that, I got a letter in the mail from SRF saying, ‘Okay, you are ready to learn Kriya.’
This story has a perfect Divine timing. I have been a great devotee of Paramahansa Yogananda and really wanted to know more about Mahavatar Babaji: if he is still alive; who he is in contact with; I just wanted to find out if he is still active. I really wanted to learn Kriya so I got the SRF lessons for one and a half year and was just about to get Kriya, when I went to a restaurant and saw Deva. I talked over with my partner, ‘What is this? Shall I learn AKY or Kriya? I am so confused.’ He said, ‘You have to follow this magic.’ I felt that I was following the magical bread crumbs and I am still doing it. I learned AKY in Bellingham and that's when I knew that they were planning a pilgrimage to Swami Vishwananda's ashram in Germany, in November for the Babaji Celebrations. So I tought, ‘If I want to learn more about Babaji better that I go to the ashram.’ Then, later on, out of a sudden Swamiji decided to come to Bellingham. They called me saying, ‘You are not going to believe this! Swamiji is coming to Bellingham right before our trip to Germany.’ This happened just a couple of weeks ago. It has been a great blessing of opening my mind and heart. I feel like all the doors were opened and it was like ‘Bing! Bang! Boom! Here I am in Germany!’” - Jewelz, Oakland, California)

Bhakti Marga – A Growing Spiritual Family

Sri Swami Vishwananda also emphasised the importance of the spiritual family which God led us to. During his commentary on the Guru Gita he said, “In the Guru's family everybody becomes dear, which means that the Guru unites you all, from wherever you all are. This also means that all of you have been coming together for many lives.

"You may come from Russia, from France, from Italy, from Spain, from America, Latin America, Brazil. It is only through the Grace of the Master that people come together. The Guru brings everybody into one family. The Guru becomes the magnet who attracts all and holds all tightly, making one big family. This happens only through the Love of the Guru. Without the Love of the Guru where would you be? Elsewhere, no? The Guru is like the parent who unites the family together and brings all under one roof.”

After the Thanksgiving feast, Sri Swami Vishwananda sent a Tweet saying, “I was doing Thanksgiving with the devotees, reminding one of the greatest gift from God which is life. Be grateful for life and Love!”

First Day of Babaji Celebration – Atma Kriya Yoga and the Love Relationship with God

For the first time at Shree Peetha Nilaya, Sri Swami Vishwananda decided on a short notice to extend the Celebrations of Babaji's Day by an extra 5 days.

Throughout this first celebration day dedicated to Mahavatar Babaji, Sri Swami Vishwananda, through his exemplary unmatched devotion, kept reminding us about the connection between Mahavatar Babaji, Atma Kriya Yoga and the Love Relationship with God. Thus, since the morning he started leading us into the mood of Meerabai's love for Krishna by sending a Tweet to his followers saying, “Like Meerabai let all sing and dance in the Love of Krishna ‘Mane Chakar Rakho Ji Giridhari Lala’. Later on he sent the following Tweet, “May the fragrance of His Love enchant your life and His name echo deep in your heart. Giridhari Lala, how I miss You.”
(check out Swamiji's Twitter feed)

Flower petals are offered at the Feet of Sri Swami Vishwananda while we chanted the ‘Guru Stotram’ during evening prayers

Then, Sri Swami Vishwananda changed the original celebration schedule and blessed us with his physical presence during the evening prayers in the Temple. Furthermore, he surprised us by performing a public Abishekam on Giridhari Gopal, one of his private murtis (see explanation below).

Sri Swami Vishwananda performs Abishekam on Giridhari Gopal and Giriraj shila

We were looking forward to listen to Sri Swami Vishwananda singing, “Mane Chakar Rakho Ji Giridhari Lala” since he sent his morning Tweet (see message mentioned above), so everybody rejoiced together with him while singing it for the first time.

Sri Swami Vishwananda sat on the floor singing with us many Krishna and Narayana bhajans and also one Meerabai song entitled “Mane Chakar Rakho Ji Giridhari Lala”

At the Babaji Cave there is a life size deity of Mahavatar Babaji

After Arati, all Kriya Sadhaks (people initiated in Atma Kriya Yoga) had the extraordinary opportunity to do their evening practice in the Babaji Cave together with Sri Swami Vishwananda.

Later during the night, Sri Swami Vishwananda sent a Tweet with a photo of Giridhariji and Giriraj shila saying, “May His blessing be with all. Jai Sri Radhe.”

About Giridhari Gopal murti

Giridhari Gopal murti after Abishekam (the smallest tiny murti in the centre of the photo)

The Giridhari Gopal murti it is actually the original deity which belonged to Meerabai. Last October, during a Satsang which took place in Viseu, Portugal, Sri Swami Vishwananda said, “This Giridhari Gopal belonged to a 16th century saint by the name of Meerabai and she was in love ecstasy all the time. When she was five years old, there was a wedding and she saw the bride passing by, on a horse. At that time she asked the mother, ‘Where is my husband?’ The mother pointed to this deity and said, ‘He is your husband.’ And that's how she used to loved Him, as a husband. She was a princess. She had everything, but she was so madly in love with Krishna. The only thing that she would think about was to serve Him, to sing for Him. She got married. The husband could not understand anything. Every day he would hear his wife talking to somebody and there was a man's voice in the room. So, he started to doubt his wife. One day he got furious and broke open the door, but there was only Meera and Giridhari. Giridhari Gopal was talking to her. For her, this deity was not just a statue. It was Krishna Himself and she was talking to Him. Due to her devotion, she would danced in the streets of Vrindavan like crazy. Everybody used to say, ‘Look at this woman. She is a princess. Look how mad she is.’ But no one would dare to stop her, because she was so much in love, that her love would radiate through her body; and whoever was in touch with that love, they would also be infused with that love. So, one day her in-laws accused her of many things and said, ‘As a punishment, you have to drink poison.’ Everybody was gathered there. She was holding this deity in her hand. In her mind she said, ‘It's not poison. It's Amrit, it's Divine nectar.’ And she offered it to Giridhari first. That poison became amrit, Divine nectar. And she was so much full of love for Giridhari that at the end of her life, when she was 83 years old she disappeared into a deity, a statue of Krishna. Not this one, but another one. This one was her lifetime companion. This year, He (Krishna in the form of Giridhari Gopal murti) chose to come to me; and today, He chose to come to see you. Like that, you see, devotion creates that bhav, this connection to God which is beyond the mind, beyond the body, beyond the spirit itself. That's why it's called Maha Bhav, where the Ultimate Himself come.”

Atma Kriya Yoga and the Love Relationship with God

Sri Swami Vishwananda has always made it very clear that Atma Kriya Yoga is intrinsically connected to devotion and Love for God. He said, “At the beginning of the year 2007, through His Grace, Mahavatar Babaji instructed me to give Atma Kriya Yoga. Atma Kriya Yoga is similar to Kriya Yoga, which is considered one of the easiest ways to reach Realisation, but still there is a difference, because Atma Kriya Yoga deals with devotion; it deals with the Love that you are.” (JL2, p. 207)

“Atma Kriya awakens this Love for God. It awakens these nine forms of bhakti (JL Q&A Vol.2, p. 125), which brings oneself nearer to one's Goal. Firstly, by practising it, one burns the karmic things from the past, and also the karmic things that one is creating in this life itself. When one is free from all these karmic things, then it makes it easy for one to attain the Divine, God-Realisation, or Self-Realisation. That's why I think, for myself, this is one of the most important techniques. It is not because I brought it here. Not because Babaji gives it. But because it is meant for this time, and if one sincerely practices it, one receives the Grace and the blessing of all the Kriya masters – the whole lineage's blessing. And the blessing of the Master always helps one to advance." (JL Q&A Vol.2, p. 113)

Sri Swami Vishwananda has also often emphasised the importance of Krishna avatar in helping human beings to experience Divine Love by engaging into a Love relationship with Him.

He said, “Krishna came to reveal the relationship which we all have with Him. Like He said in the Gita, it's Him who gives the power, the energy for the soul to act. He is the Supersoul inside everyone. But He wants you to realise this, He wants you to achieve this relationship with Him. He wants you to build up this Love inside of you so that He can show you, how accessible He is! How close He is! But without this Love it's very difficult! It is only through that Love that He can reveal Himself. And this Love is not just  human love, this is sublime Love. This is the True Love which you carry deep inside of you. And this Love is beyond time and space. Throughout the life of Krishna you see that continuously He revealed a Love that was unknown to the people. Before, people were just praying to God but they were not in a relationship with Him. To have a relationship with God seems absurd. Some people will hear about that and will say, ‘Are you crazy? How can we love God like that?’ People will say, ‘It's impossible! That's a big blasphemy!’ But in reality He is the only One that has True Love. He is the only One, which allows you to perceive that Love. And then you can say, ‘Yes. I truly Love!’ Bhagavan Krishna incarnated to show that Love. He came to remind one that there is a greatest Love inside and this Love can be awaken when we built a relationship with the Supreme; when we forget that this that we call love, that we call the world it's not permanent; and when we really want to achieve the Ultimate. It's not a fantasy, something that is just written in a book. No. Even if Lord Krishna had enacted this Leela 5300 ago, yet He is still very active inside your heart. He has never left your heart. He has disappeared physically from this world but spiritually He is revealing Himself inside of each one's heart as devotion, as bhakti. How much you express that Love towards Him, how much Love He expresses towards you, even 10,000 times more than that. Aim for His Grace! Aim for His Love! That's how one will be free and liberated!” (excerpt of speech from the Karthik Night)

In the spirit of St Nicolas

Each year for St Nicholas weekend (this year 5th -7th December) we aspire to give of ourselves in the same spirit in which Saint Nicholas gave himself to the poor, hungry and those in need. 

Saint Nicholas was born in modern-day Turkey around 280 AD and was such an example of charity and love that from his life example came the legend of Father Christmas. Saint Nicholas was a devout Christian and was appointed as the Bishop of Myra in Turkey. During his life, many miraculous events took place through his faith in Christ - he raised people from the dead, calmed the seas, and gave without thought for himself to the poor and needy. He died on the 6th of December 343. 

​​Each year we ask people to collect items for this weekend so that we can go to local places or organisations and help them by sharing our spirit of love and to gift them with needed items. 

This year we would like to ask for support in providing 

• towels, 
• children's clothes, 
• cooking pots / pans​, glasses​ and cutlery (knives, forks and spoons) 

as these are all VERY much needed and should be in good condition. 

The items will be given to two place​s​ in Wiesbaden - one is a women's house, the other is an organisation called ​'Die ​Tafel​'​ - they have requested the need for such items for the people that they are actively supporting who are in difficult circumstances. 

• We would also gift warm adult clothes which will be given to an asylum centre near Frankfurt. 

We would ask that those that are coming for the Darshan on the 29th of November or Babaji Day on the 30th of November to please bring these items with you so that we can collect these items prior to the weekend where we will distribute them.

Many thanks for your much valued support and spirit of giving. 

 S​ri​​ Swami Vishwananda:

“Only if we make others happy and forget ourselves, we can be truly happy.”

(letter written by Swami Vishwaanashuyananda)

Atma Kriya Yoga growing in Central and South America

In the last few months the devotees in Mexico, Argentina, and Brasil have been busy!

In cities all over Mexico people have been connecting to make OM Healing groups, organising new Atma Kriya Yoga courses, Puja workshops, yagnas, and more. Let's check out in a bit more detail what's been happening there, and also in South America:

Yagna, Atma Kriya Yoga course, Puja workshop, and Satsang with Swamini Janani in Guadalajara - 8th of September 

One weekend in Guadalajara, Mexico, many events were combined into one great workshop. Many people gathered together with Swamini Janani and the USA Atma Kriya Yoga coordinator Varahi to do a Yagna, learn Atma Kriya Yoga, and also to learn how to do a Puja to a deity.

Someone in contact with the organizers in Mexico wrote:

I've just been talking to our OM Healing Organiser Sonia about Swamini's visit this weekend. She lives in Mexico, and she travels a lot to give courses...so she is doing OMH in many places. In Guadalajara there have already been three OM Healings with 74, 100 and 82 people!

So, Swamini Janani is in Guadalajara this weekend to offer a Puja course (110 people registered!!), Yagna (160!!) and AKY Course (Varahi is the one in charge of that) with 45 people registered. Is that not great!?

Thought you may like to hear about this!

One organiser of the event, who has been doing much of the work in introducing OM Healing and Swamiji to new people in Mexico, wrote about how the event was for her:

The arrival of Swami Vishwananda’s Love and OM Healing to Mexico was welcomed by hundreds with their open hearts as if they were waiting since times immemorial with open arms to receive His blessings. We got more and more new people who came to us with each OM Healing. The people are filled with hope.

In Guadalajara at our first OM Healing there were 74 participants. They came from everywhere, even from far away places, following their hearts’ call. It’s magical how they arrived and dedicated themselves. People never cease to amaze us. Before our second OM Healing, one day after our announcement, we received 73 emails to reserve the seats.

Mexico calls for Love, and it’s a call from the heart.

In Morella we decided to do our second OM Healing outdoors. Just before starting, we received a lovely heavenly gift that spoke to all the hearts saying, "I AM here with you." A lovely rainbow without rain appeared to bless us.

Later two women arrived that did not know the place. They were lost and told us that they were following a sweet aroma that guided them. They were the last ones to join the circle.

A nice grandmother who saw Swami Vishwananda hugging her during the OM Healing and took her back pain away. She even had to stand because she could not bear her pain. Her willpower to stay in the circle was huge. In the end of the session she was well.

Bells, mantras, drums and prayers in unknown languages, colors and symbols... That’s the way that Mexico lives OM Healing. This nation can feel so much and needs the power of LOVE so much!

Thank you, Swami Vishwananda, for giving us this experience!
Mexico opens its arms to you in an eternal embrace.
With Love, Sonia, Mexico

OM Healing at Ihuatzio

OM Healing at Ihuatzio - an ancient site that was once the capital of the P'urhépecha kingdom

If you live in Mexico and want to stay updated on what groups are forming and what events are happening in the country, check out the Facebook page for OM Healing Mexico here:

OM Healing México

Since doing much of this summer's organising activities in Mexico, one devotee went down to Argentina to help in getting OM Healing started there as well.

Here are some pictures from different parts of Argentina that have gotten started with OM Healing. Each picture is from a different city. How quickly OM Healing is taking off in Argentina!

However, Argentina isn't the only country in South America that has been deepening their Atma Kriya Yoga practices. Brazil also has been sharing pictures from all over the country that show many different locations where OM Healing has been organised.

Again, each photo is from a different city in Brazil!

It's so great to see how Atma Kriya Yoga and Sri Swami Vishwananda's message of Love is being spread around the world through people who have connected to them in a joyful and passionate way.

6 Day Babaji Celebration with Sri Swami Vishwananda in Springen, Germany

November 30th marks the day when Mahavatar Babaji committed to staying embodied on the Earth to help humanity awaken into the state of enlightenment. In honor of this day, Sri Swami Vishwananda and Bhakti Marga are planning a special five day celebration at Shree Peetha Nilaya, Springen, Germany.

The celebrations will take place from the 25th to the 30th, of November 2014. Below you can find the schedule for the 6 days:

Tuesday, 25th – Friday, 28th, 2014:

17:00 – 18:00 OM Healing
18:00 – 19:00 Babaji Prayers (Babaji Cave) *
19:00 – 20:00 Guided Meditation with Sri Swami Vishwananda (Babaji Cave) **

* Babaji Prayers will consist of abhishekam puja to Babaji, chanting the 108 names of Babaji, talks from guest speakers about Sri Swami Vishwananda and Babaji, and kirtan (singing & dancing). 

** The guided meditation will take place in the Babaji Cave with Sri Swami Vishwananda. During this time we will practice Atma Kriya Yoga as well as go through special meditation techniques guided by Swamiji. 

Saturday, 29th, 2014:

16:00 – 0:00 Darshan with Sri Swami Vishwananda

Sunday, 30th, 2014:

18:00 – 0:00 Celebrations to mark the day Babaji committed to staying embodied on the Earth.

To register for the event please click on the link below: http://bookings.bhaktievent.de

Sri Swami Vishwananda gives Darshan in Prague, Bratislava, and Warsaw

This last week, Guruji was very busy, traveling to three different countries to do events. We wanted to share some of the photos of his trips here.

Prague, Czech Republic

As was mentioned in a previous blog post, Swamiji got inspired during the Darshan in Prague to give Darshan in a new "dynamic" style.

One of the organizers of the event explains:

Darshan in Prague, Sunday, Nov. 9, was in many ways surprising and extraordinary. The sports hall at Chodov had already experienced Sri Swami Vishwananda's presence, but this time an unusually large number of people came who wanted to see for their own eyes, to experience, and to enjoy his presence in the Czech Republic.

We expected a large turnout (at first, we had 1,000 people registered, then about 1,600), but by the time of the darshan we had about 2,000 people!

Only maybe Guruji knew, that this was not the last surprise of the afternoon…

After the usual start - some bhajans and an introductory speech - people started coming to Him for darshan.

After about an hour Swamiji stopped darshan and said, that from now will come down from the chair and will give darshan in a new way ... by going out among the people! We all stayed for a few seconds, literally with open mouths.

And indeed he did - with people organized in the middle of the hall to create two rows, Swami proceeded from one line to the other, to the end of the hall and back, followed by several assistants, who had served the necessary things to Him

The system then still changed ... He sat back in his chair, and times ordered to create one row of people waiting.

It was really entitled for the organizers, but all the people were happy. They could see Swami very closely - even several times - as He walked through the rows again and again to give the darshan…it seems to be a new dynamic dimension.

Accompanied by great music of many musicians, from different countries, and interspersed with speeches and experiences of devotees, the darshan was very nice.

Thanks to Guruji, that he visited us, and that, through his grace, everything was without big difficulties. Also, thanks from the heart to all those who helped to make this a truly historic moment!

Music practice before the darshan

Learning how to make flower malas :)

Bratislava, Slovakia

After Prague, came the trip to Bratislava. About 1,000 people were in attendance, so, again, there was a lot of people for Swamiji to connect with.

One devotee at the event was sharing how grateful they were for the work of the BM Slovakia team in organizing the event so well:

I wanted to thank you again for the beautiful evening. Also I have to tell that from friends from different countries, and many others we have talked with after the Darshan, how beautifully all the organizers managed that everything was in flow - there were no feeling of stress, no pressure - everything went very kind, lovingly and we all had the feeling of being supported and warmly welcomed in the Slovakian BM family. This is really a message from many people. The event really showed how it can be if we "only" mirror and follow HIS plan and let HIM take care of everything. Thank you!

Warsaw, Poland

Swamiji went next to the Bhakti Marga temple in Warsaw, Poland, which is the proud home of Vara Lakshmi Narasimha.

After devotees performed a Guru puja and Pada abishekam to Swamiji's feet, the deities Vara Lakshmi Narasimha received an abishekam from Guruji. You've never seen happier murtis! ;)

 

Happy deities and happy devotees!

Afterwards, Guruji gave satsang with the devotees, and then gave darshan to each person there.

Sri Swami Vishwananda gave darshan the next day to about 1000 people in a large hall, giving again the new dynamic darshan.

We'll post soon about how the first dynamic darshan at Shree Peetha Nilaya was.