Disciple:
Gurudev, my respects to you.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Blessings, my son.
Disciple:
Today, I would like to hear from you about a special topic regarding India's freedom struggle, specifically a symbolic phrase that emerged—the phrase is "Astra Vajra" (Thunderbolt Weapon). We want to know who first uttered this phrase or sent it through a letter, and we'd like you to begin the discussion on this.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
His name was Taranath, also known as Tara Khepa. We had a brief discussion about him previously with a gentleman from Berhampore, but now I will elaborate in detail. Taranath was born in Srinagar. His father was a high-ranking official, a principal employee under the King of Srinagar, and he served with great loyalty for many years. However, he had no children. He decided to seek divine intervention and went to Amarnath. There, he prayed to Lord Shiva (Amarnath), saying, "Father, I need a son. Please show mercy." That night, he had a divine vision. Lord Amarnath appeared in his dream and said, "I can grant you a son, but he will become a sanyasi (renunciant) at a very young age and will not stay at home." The father hesitated but eventually agreed. Thus, Taranath was born in Srinagar. As he grew up in the Garhwal Himalayas, surrounded by mountains, he felt a strong urge to learn Yoga. He mastered Yogasana with extreme dedication. One day, after visiting Amarnath, he traveled to Anantnag. There, he began practicing penance in a cave dedicated to a goddess. At that time, Anantnag was covered in snow. When he emerged from the cave, he saw a wonderful sight—he saw the face of his late grandmother. He had lost his mother at a young age and was very fond of his grandmother. As soon as he saw her, she vanished. Then he saw a formidable yet serene man—a tall, radiant figure with a peaceful countenance. This powerful, luminous being told him, "Come to Tarapith. Come to Tarapith." With those words, the figure disappeared. Taranath couldn't see anyone else, but the image remained etched in his mind.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He left his penance and traveled to Delhi. At that time, a grand royal celebration was being held for the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign. Amidst the festivities, he heard a voice whispering in his ear, "What are you looking at here? You will see something much greater. Come to Tarapith." He didn't delay any further and reached Tarapith four days later. Bama Khepa was already sitting there. He announced to everyone, "Look, someone is coming—my elder brother." He referred to Tara Khepa as his elder brother and held him in high regard. His followers didn't quite understand what he meant. When Tara Khepa arrived and saw Bama Khepa, he was startled. He realized, "This is the same person I saw in the vision at the temple! It's the same face, the same eyes, the same powerful build." At that time, Bama Khepa was 50 years old, and Tara Khepa was 41. Bama Khepa welcomed him warmly. He was a master of Hatha Yoga. Bama Khepa initiated him into the Kaula path of Tantra. Now, according to Hatha Yoga rules, one should only eat once a day and cook for oneself. But Bama Khepa said, "You cannot fast today. I have cooked for you, and you must eat." What had he cooked? Meat and kheer (sweet rice pudding). These two are considered incompatible, almost like poison when eaten together. Tara Khepa was compelled to obey. By eating it, he realized that conventional laws and yogic rules did not apply here; things were entirely different.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Bama Khepa initiated him and first guided him through Shava Sadhana (meditation on a corpse). He personally supervised the practice. Then he gave him the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra—the Great Death-Conquering Mantra. It is said that at that time, a widow had brought her dead son to the Juranpur cremation ground for the last rites. Tara Khepa saw her and was deeply moved by her grief. He went to the corpse and, using the power of the mantra, brought the boy back to life. He said, "Mother, take your son and go home." This was his first trial after being initiated by Bama Khepa. Bama Khepa himself was present. Since Tara Khepa had received the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra—a very powerful mantra associated with Markandeya and Shukracharya—he attained great spiritual heights. Bama Khepa himself is often called the living Shiva or Moksheshwar. After mastering various practices at Tarapith, Tara Khepa eventually left, but before that, he spent a long time practicing penance at the Juranpur cremation ground in Berhampore.
Disciple:
I'd like to mention something else—Gangabai, who was the chief advisor to Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, Gangabai! They practiced sadhana together. Gangabai gave him the "Panchanga" (a ritual or sacred text). She became one of his teachers. Even leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak respected Gangabai immensely. She was the one who imparted the "Panchanga Yoga" to him. Indeed! Vivekananda, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sri Aurobindo, Motilal Roy, Bagha Jatin, and many others were connected to her. So, we can say that all these revolutionaries were her disciples. In that sense, Gangabai was also a revolutionary figure. The term "Astra Vajra" she gave him was not just a phrase; it was a code. For instance, in 1937, a meeting was held in Berhampore where Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was present. Tara Khepa asked someone, "Is Subhash alive?" He was told, "Yes, Father, he is in Berhampore." Tara Khepa then sent a secret letter in a sealed envelope to Netaji. Netaji read it but couldn't understand the meaning of "Astra Vajra" at the time. Later, Tara Khepa told him, "I will meet you in Kolkata, and there I will explain 'Astra Vajra' to you."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Many such secret codes were used by revolutionaries back then. For example, he used to call Bama Khepa "Buro Maharaj" (The Old Great King). And he referred to Balasore as "Mahiswar." Many such symbolic terms were used in their letters. Netaji initially wasn't familiar with this secret language, but he eventually mastered it by spending time with the revolutionaries. The Vienna incident was quite remarkable. When Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was in Vienna, his health had severely deteriorated. Netaji served him with great care, but there was no improvement. At that time, Tara Khepa traveled to Vienna using Hatha Yoga (astral travel or swift movement) and blessed him, curing him of his illness. Netaji was in Vienna at that time as well. Later, Netaji himself fell ill in Vienna with a lung ailment. Tara Khepa was there then too. When Netaji returned to India, Tara Khepa asked him, "Do you know about Astra Vajra?" Netaji said no. Tara Khepa replied, "You must drive these 'red-faced monkeys' (the British) out of India and make it free. Your work is not here; your work is in Europe. Go to the European countries; you have much to do there." This meant that the "Astra Vajra" indicated his mission was in the European theater. He then went to Germany and traveled for three months in a submarine to reach Japan. There, along with Rash Behari Bose and others, he formed the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) and established the first provisional government of Free India, acting as its President and Commander-in-Chief. When the Azad Hind Fauj advanced as far as Imphal, the British government realized they could no longer stay because of Subhash Chandra Bose. His army had everything, even their own planes.
Disciple:
So, we can say many spiritual masters were the gurus of these revolutionaries.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, Gangabai was a spiritual woman and a revolutionary. All the revolutionaries eventually came under one umbrella. Bama Khepa had told Tara Khepa, "Go from here. Your job is to do whatever is necessary to free India. I grant you this mantra; you shall be immortal. Ghosts, spirits, demons—none shall be able to touch you. Your work is not here; join the revolutionaries and unite them so that those 'red-faced monkeys' leave India." Tara Khepa did exactly that. He brought everyone under his guidance. People call Bama Khepa a saint, but he was a great revolutionary at heart, and he passed that revolutionary spark to Tara Khepa. Gangabai did the same, but Bama Khepa was his primary guide. Tara Khepa used to call Bama Khepa "Dada" (elder brother). Once, when he visited Tarapith, Bama Khepa said, "Look, my brother has come. Today, we will have a serious discussion." After that, he initiated him further and guided him through several tasks. Bama Khepa had instilled his spiritual power into Tara Khepa. The letter told him his battlefield was in Europe and that he must go there. This prophecy of Tara Khepa's came true within a few years. During World War II, Netaji outmaneuvered the British, went to Germany, built a massive organization, traveled to Japan by submarine, and led the first government of Free India. Due to the impact of the Azad Hind Fauj and the naval mutinies, the British were finally forced to leave India.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
However, there was some political maneuvering. Gandhi played a role that eventually led to his own death by assassination. The man who shot him is known to the world as Nathuram Godse, but he was actually a Bengali named Aghorenath Biswas. This identity has been suppressed and removed from records. Nathuram Godse's true identity was Aghorenath Biswas. He was the one who fired the shot, and in my view, it was his destiny. At that time, many great scholars and sages warned that India should not be partitioned, or it would suffer from poverty and misery. But they didn't listen. Lord Mountbatten, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and Nehru went ahead with the partition. Nathuram Godse or Aghorenath Biswas gave a fitting response to that political climate. The symbolic phrase "Astra Vajra" in the letter to Netaji was a premonition of India's independence. It was a coded language because the British had spies everywhere. Tara Khepa was a disciple of Bama Khepa. He was born in 1846 and lived until 1945—living for 100 years. Unfortunately, he did not live to see the actual day of independence, but he had foreseen it and blessed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, telling him that he would soon rule India. He died in 1945, around the time Japan was defeated. It is a loss for us that such a revolutionary and spiritual giant is not more widely known. My Bama Khepa was an even greater revolutionary who passed that spirit to Tara Khepa. Today, true revolution has vanished from India, replaced by petty politics and financial dealings.
Disciple:
Gurudev, we have heard so much about Tara Khepa from you today. My respects to you.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Blessings, my son. Blessings.
Gurudev:
That phrase was a secret code used by the great saint Taranath, also known as Tara Khepa. Born in Srinagar and a master of Hatha Yoga, he was drawn to Tarapith by a divine vision. When he arrived, the legendary Bama Khepa welcomed him as his "elder brother." Bama Khepa initiated him into the Kaula path of Tantra and tasked him with a holy mission: the liberation of India from the 'red-faced monkeys'—the British.
The Meeting of Giants
In 1937, during a meeting in Berhampore, Tara Khepa sent a sealed envelope to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose containing the words "Astra Vajra." At the time, Netaji did not understand the code. Later, Tara Khepa met him in Kolkata and explained that the "Thunderbolt Weapon" indicated that Netaji's true battlefield was not in India, but in Europe. He prophesied that Netaji must go to Europe and Japan to form the army that would finally break the British hold on India.
The Revolutionary Saints
Gurudev:
Many people see Bama Khepa only as a saint, but he was a revolutionary at heart. He passed his spiritual fire to Tara Khepa, who in turn guided figures like Sri Aurobindo, Bagha Jatin, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. They used a sophisticated code language to communicate under the noses of British spies. For instance, Bama Khepa was called "Buro Maharaj" (The Old King), and Balasore was referred to as "Mahiswar."
The Miracle in Vienna
When Netaji and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel were in Vienna, Tara Khepa reportedly traveled there using Hatha Yoga (astral projection or swift movement) to heal them. It was during these encounters that he reinforced the mission of the Azad Hind Fauj. He granted Netaji a blessing of protection, ensuring that no spirit or demon could touch him while he performed his duty for the motherland.
A Loss of True Revolution
Tara Khepa lived for 100 years (1846–1945), passing away just before the dawn of independence. He had foreseen the partition and the resulting misery, warning that greed and petty politics would eventually replace the true revolutionary spirit. Today, while "Astra Vajra" is forgotten by most, its legacy lives on in the freedom we enjoy—a freedom forged in the fire of both physical battle and deep Tantric sadhana.