Narrator:
Salutations to Shri Shri Gupta Sadhak Shyamakhapa. Greetings. We begin our program from Shantikunj by paying our respects to the hidden practitioner, Gurudev Shri Shri Shyamakhapa. Let us all listen to Gurudevâs invaluable words together.
Interviewer:
Friends, today in our episodeâwe go to many places with our problems. We want to know from Gurudev what kind of Tantra is used in such situations. Greetings, Gurudev!
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Greetings, son.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, we often see many people gathering here. You donât give them much in their hands to carry away. I want to ask you, what kind of Tantra do you use here? Or what kind of Tantric work do you perform?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
This is something that canât really be explained to everyone. Think about those who practiced Tantraâwhat did Ramakrishna do? What did Bamdev Baba do? Try to understand this. They never openly spoke about these things. However, to help people understand, I can say that there is nothing to be afraid of when it comes to Tantra. It is very difficult to explain exactly which Tantra I practice.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
You see, there are two types of Tantra: Agam and Nigam. Our Tantra practice revolves around these two. The founders of Tantra, those who wrote the Agam and Nigam textsâI am forgetting the name of the gentleman from NabadwipâKrishnananda Agambagish. He is essentially the pioneer or the crown jewel of Tantra here. This was about 300 years ago, during the time of Ramprasad. He initiated Ramprasad and guided him through Tantra practice.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Agambagish lived in Nabadwip. He even went to Tibet to learn or refine Tantra. Many people say Tantra originated in India, but based on what we've researched and read in books, Krishnananda Agambagish went to Tibet. He stayed there for a long time and took notes on the deities worshipped there. Eventually, as far as I know, he escaped from there with a very powerful deity and established her in a landlord's (Zamindar) house. Later, when the family lineage was nearing its end, the house was sold, and the deity was handed over to someone else.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
So, he is the pioneer of Tantra. As I said, there is Agam and Nigam. In our language, Agam Tantra consists of the many questions Goddess Durga asked Lord Shiva about the future of the world. Shiva provided the answers. On the other hand, the ten instructions or words spoken by Durga to Shiva are known as Nigam Tantra.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Nowadays, we go about our daily livesâeating, sleeping, workingâand we have no real acquaintance with Tantra. Often, people get scared when they see a Tantric in red clothes. But it is such a beautiful thing; I donât think anything like it exists elsewhere in India. If anyone thinks Tantrics are bad people, they are completely mistaken. There is nothing to fear.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
A real Tantric will never advertise themselves as one. Wearing specific clothes or Rudraksha beads just to show off isn't what Tantra is about. There is a popular belief that Tantra requires alcohol or meat, but if you read Krishnananda Agambagish's Agam and Nigam, you will understand that Tantra is for the welfare of humanity and the liberation of the soul. It is for one's own soul and the liberation of others' souls. There are many departed souls that donât find peace; Tantrics help them achieve liberation.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
What you usually seeâpeople wearing red clothes, many garlands, and tiger clawsâthat is mostly for publicity. Without publicity, people won't come to them. But a true Tantric sits quietly within. If they reveal their identity too much, it interferes with their practice.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
In my case, unfortunately, people found out that I practice Tantra. People have a firm belief that I am a good and honest person who can handle any difficult task. I tell them that whatever happens is Mother's will, but they insist that I must do it. People have eyes; they can recognize a person. Of course, some people also criticize, but that's different.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The essence of Tantra is Agam and Nigam. When Mother Durga asked Shiva how to relieve the world's suffering because people don't understand anything, we provide people with one or two small things. I might give them a "bead of dream-instruction" (Swapnadesh-er Kori) which keeps them well, or a root, or something wrapped in a red cloth. These items protect people from dangers. Other than that, I just pray.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
You might think a lot of people come here, but I feel like a snake is coming to bite me. Some people come just out of curiosity without any real work, complaining about their children or family. Tantra isn't for those trivial things. Tantra is about two worlds: this worldly life and the cosmic universe. A true Tantric is one who can maintain a balance between both.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
People like Bamdev Baba could stop great storms or even cause lightning without clouds; that is the power of Tantra. But we have taken Tantra to a different place now. Many of the herbs and materials mentioned in the ancient texts are no longer available in the market; many plants are extinct. If you find them now, they are sold at high prices but often don't help anyone.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
A real practitioner stays away from the crowd. If you are a true Tantric, you can sit anywhere and people will find you. And most importantly, one should not take money for this. We do not accept money because you cannot sell the Divine or Tantric rituals. These are sacred actions. Taking money for Tantric work is a grave sin for both the giver and the receiver; both will eventually fall.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
When people come with illnesses, I help them immediately. But I don't help everyone with everything. Out of 100 people, I might work for five because I can tell just by talking to them if their need is genuine. Many people come and complain about their neighbors throwing vermillion or bael leaves near their house. I have to know why that's happening. Sometimes the person complaining is the one at fault.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Let me tell you a story about this. Two brothers had a huge fight over land. One brother went to a Tantric, paid 5,000 rupees, and asked him to "teach his brother a lesson." The Tantric agreed. Later, the other brother, not knowing this, went to the same Tantric and also paid 5,000 rupees to be protected from his brother. Someone who was sitting nearby asked the Tantric, "You took money from both?" The Tantric replied, "Both are my goats. I took money from both and I won't do anything for either." This is the reality of many so-called Tantrics today.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
True Tantra is practiced in silence. I thought that by staying in a cremation ground, people wouldn't come out of fear and I could practice my rituals in peace. But people found out and they started coming in droves.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
We work by praying to the Mother. We give people things that will help them, but without the intention of exchange. As long as I live, I cannot take money. We are helping people all over the world, and people come to us from everywhere.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, is it necessary to judge which Tantra to useâAgam or Nigam?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, that is what needs to be understood. I have to listen to the person carefully to decide which one to apply. Everything works through Shiva and Durga, the deities of Tantra. Durga asked the questions, and Shiva answered. For example, if someone comes for knowledge, we look to Goddess Saraswati or Tara. If someone is in poverty or hunger, we look to Goddess Annapurna. Everything is hidden within the "Ten Mahavidyas." One who hasn't practiced the Ten Mahavidyas is not a Tantric. It takes years of practice for the Mother to become kind to you. Once she is with you, there are no more obstacles.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
But many people have become corrupt. They wear red clothes, take money, and give long lists of expensive requirements. A real practitioner will do it for free.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, we often hear people say, "A fox head is buried in your house," or "A cat head is buried."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Those are just tricks. If they don't say such things, you won't give them money. They immediately say there's a bone of a black cat or a human head buried to scare you. High-profile people like Ratan Tata or Dalmia don't come to me; it's usually poor or middle-class people who can barely afford anything. I can see who is poor and who is rich. And I have to judge if the person is lying to me about someone else. If I do something against an innocent person, the bad effects will fall on me. That's why I turn many people away. I only help those with genuine illnesses or real suffering.
Interviewer:
Friends, we heard in detail about Tantra from Gurudev. Please subscribe to the Gupta Sadhak Shyamakhapa YouTube channel, like the video, and leave a comment. Watch more of Gurudevâs videos. Greetings, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Blessings, son.
Narrator:
You were listening to the words of Gurudev Gupta Sadhak Shri Shri Shyamakhapa. Let us know how you liked it. To hear Gurudevâs invaluable words regularly, subscribe to the Shyamakhapa channel, like, share, and comment. To contact Gurudev, please send your name, location, and phone number via WhatsApp only between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Gurudev will call you back as soon as possible. The WhatsApp number is 8080539595. Paying our respects to Gurudev and sharing his blessings and well-wishes, we conclude todayâs program. Stay well, everyone. Namaskar.