Interviewer:
Gurudev, my respects to you.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
My blessings to you. Yes, tell me.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, you have been here at this Rajpur Mahashashan (cremation ground) for a very long time. We have seen you here for many years. In that context, you must have a lot of experience regarding this cremation ground and the temple. If you could share some of those untold stories with us, we would learn a lot.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It's not that they are untold, but let me share one. Once, while I was sitting here in the cremation ground, a man came and said, "Babu (the boss) is calling for you." I asked, "Who is this Babu?" He said, "He is a factory owner." I replied, "How can I go like this? I am in the cremation ground, and I don't even have shoes on my feet." He said, "Don't worry, you will go by car and come back by car." I asked again, "Should I really go to a big owner in this state?" He said, "Please come, your clothes don't matter."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
This was many years ago. They took me by car to a place called Kolabagan. I went to the owner's room. He was very wealthy—air conditioning, a big office, people buzzing around. When I arrived, he asked me to sit and offered me tea. I asked, "Why have you called for me?" He said, "I want you to look at my palm."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He reached out his hand. I looked at him and said, "If you survive, then I will read your palm." He was shocked and asked, "Why do you say that?" I said, "There is a great danger right in front of you. If you can overcome this danger, only then will I read your palm." He became quite displeased with me. He told his man, "Take him back to where he came from."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
A few days later, while I was sitting at the cremation ground as usual, a white Ambassador car drove in. They were looking for "Khepa Baba." Some local boys pointed to the room where I was meditating. An elderly lady and a gentleman got out of the car. They asked, "Are you Khepa Baba?" I said, "Yes, why?" They asked if I had visited an office a few days ago. I said, "Yes, I did." They told me, "That owner is extremely ill. He has been admitted to the hospital and is in a coma."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
They asked if I had said something to him. I told them exactly what happened—that I told him to survive first. They begged me to go to PG Hospital with them. I asked what I could do there, but they insisted. I went and brought some herbal roots with me. I placed the roots under his head. I told them, "You must get a gold talisman (tabiz) from Tarapith."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
They agreed immediately. They took me to Tarapith the next morning. I brought the sacred items from the Goddess and gave them to him. The doctors had said there was no hope, but one senior doctor said there was one last chance: bypass surgery. Back then, a bypass was a very scary and expensive thing. They asked for my opinion, and I said, "Go ahead." I told the doctor, "Please ensure this talisman stays with him during the surgery." The doctor was kind-hearted; when he heard it was a Tarapith talisman, he agreed to keep it near him.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
After the surgery, he recovered. He is still alive today, 20 or 22 years later. He still visits me occasionally.
Interviewer:
But Gurudev, did you ever end up reading his palm?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
No, there was no need. What was meant to happen, happened. He is healthy, manages his office, and travels for work. He is doing very well.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Let me tell you another story. One day, a man came to the cremation ground. Back then, we used wood for cremations, not electric furnaces. We used five mounds of wood, some hay, and two old tires to catch the fire. A gentleman sat next to me while I was meditating in the office. He seemed restless.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I asked, "Do you have something to say?" He said, "Yes. This hay you are using... is this really hay? You people haven't seen real paddy plants." He was from Chittagong (Bangladesh). He said, "In our village, when we plant paddy in our field, the stalks grow so tall and lean over so much that the grain ends up in the neighbor's field!"
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I laughed and asked, "Are the plants really that big?" He kept criticizing the size of our hay bundles. Later that day, it was Sheetala Puja. He had come for a funeral of a relative, but he went to see the local Puja. He came back unsatisfied. He told one of the boys, "The Sheetala Puja in our country... you have no idea. So many people come!" The boy asked, "How many?" He replied, "I can't even tell you, they just keep coming and going." The boy pressed him for a number, "A thousand? Two thousand?"
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The man got angry and said, "Listen, boy! For that feast, we used eighteen sacks of salt! Now you calculate for yourself how many people ate!"
Interviewer:
(Laughs) That's quite a riddle!
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, he was a character. There are many small stories like that.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Let me tell you about Sagar Baba. He was a very famous Tantric. Once, Tarapith was flooded, and he couldn't perform his rituals there. He came here to Rajpur and asked the manager, Gopal Biswas, for permission to perform a ritual at our cremation ground. Gopal told him he had to ask me.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Sagar Baba came to me and said, "Tarapith is underwater. I have an urgent ritual to perform. Can we do it here tonight?" I told him, "I can give you permission on one condition: there shall be no animal sacrifice. No living being can be harmed here. You can do your prayers and fire rituals, but nothing can be killed."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He agreed and left. He was very famous back then; his name was always in the newspapers. In the evening, a van arrived with five or six men. They brought a large pot. I suspected something was wrong. I told one of the workers, "Go and see what is in that pot." He came back and said, "Baba, they have brought a massive Shoal fish."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I got angry. I had told him no killing. I sat in my room and used my spiritual power to "bind the fire." They tried for two hours to light the ritual fire—using camphor, oil, everything—but it wouldn't catch. Around 8:00 PM, his disciple came to me and said, "Gurudev, the master is calling for you."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I went over and asked, "What is the matter?" Sagar Baba said, "You have bound the fire. It's true, isn't it?" I said, "Yes, I have. You promised me you wouldn't kill anything, yet you brought that fish to sacrifice." He pleaded with me, "I have to do this. This ritual is for a sick child who won't survive otherwise."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He touched my feet and said, "I don't have a Guru for the cremation grounds; from today, I accept you as my Shashan Guru." I saw the child—he was just a little boy—and I felt pity. I told him, "Fine, go ahead." I went and lit the fire myself. They performed the ritual all night. Sagar Baba passed away not long after that, but that child survived and grew up to be a healthy man.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, we have seen you helping so many poor people and patients. You use your powers and the Goddess's grace to treat them.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The Goddess once gave me a "dream oracle." She showed me something that could heal people. I use a specific root and a seashell from the pond. If I tie it on someone, even serious illnesses can be cured. Just yesterday, a man came crying. His son was in the hospital with a fever of 105 degrees that wouldn't break. I gave him the medicine and told him, "Your son will return home tomorrow." Today, that boy—who is now an engineer—came to visit me and pay his respects.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Many people come here. 80% come with family problems—wives leaving, husbands leaving, divorce cases. Only about 20% come for health issues. I tell everyone, if you are sick, don't wait for a specific day like Saturday or Tuesday. Just come to me. I will try my best to help.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, one more thing. A boy called me. He met you once before. Recently, he lost a leg in an accident. He is very desperate to see you, but he lives in Bongaon and cannot afford the travel costs.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Tell him to come. I always tell people, if someone is in a bad state and cannot afford to come, I will pay for their travel. I have helped many people from Bongaon and Barasat who come in wheelchairs.
Interviewer:
He mentioned he needed about 3,000 rupees for something, which is a lot for us or him to arrange suddenly.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I don't keep money for myself. I am not a wealthy landlord. But when people donate five or ten rupees here, I save it. When someone is in dire need or sick, I use that money to help them. I ask others to help too.
Interviewer:
It was wonderful hearing your experiences and your kindness toward people. My respects to you, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
My blessings be with you always. During this last Durga Puja, I saw a celebration unlike any I've seen in my life. I gave clothes and money to everyone who stays here at the temple and those nearby. Whatever money people give me for the Puja, I give it all back to the people. I don't take it home. If someone tells me they can't afford to travel for treatment, I tell them to borrow the money to get here, and I will pay them back as soon as they arrive. That is how I live.
Interviewer:
Thank you, Gurudev. Respects.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Blessings.