Interviewer:
Pranam, Gurudev!
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam, Baba. Pranam.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, today, on this auspicious occasion of Ekadashi, a beautiful Homa (fire ritual) is being performed here at your Shantikunja for the welfare of world peace and mankind. You always emphasize that Homa should be conducted here constantly, and that is exactly what is happening today.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, Homa takes place here twelve months a year. It is performed continuously for world peace and human welfare. This Kunda (sacrificial fire pit) where the Homa is being performed is not allowed to be used for any other purpose; it is dedicated solely to rituals for the welfare of humanity and world peace. No other types of rituals or personal Homas are allowed here. This Kunda is strictly reserved for the Maha Mrityunjaya ritual, conducted for world peace, human welfare, and specifically to pray that the COVID-19 pandemic leaves this world and becomes extinct.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
We are in a more peaceful state now as the virus is slowly beginning to decrease. I said before that it would take some time—it could be fast or slow—but as of the 22nd, the numbers have dropped to 7,000 [cases]. It won't take much longer to decrease further. The days of COVID are ending.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Now, we must focus on one thing: we must not do anything that causes the virus to spread again. The government has implemented the lockdown, which is good. But when the lockdown is lifted, our responsibility will increase significantly. Once the lockdown is removed, we must be even more diligent—avoiding large gatherings, sanitizing hands, and wearing masks. Without this awareness, the virus will rise again.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
While the infection rate is dropping, the death rate is not yet decreasing; it has become quite high, around 150 to 160. We must find a way to reduce this death rate. It seems those affected in the second wave are suffering higher mortality rates compared to the first wave. Therefore, we must remain aware. The second wave is finally breaking. In West Bengal, it is around 7,000 cases now. It won't completely vanish, but it will diminish.
Interviewer:
It should decrease significantly in the next five to seven days.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It will decrease a lot, but it won't hit zero. I am praying to the Mother [Goddess] repeatedly—as I have before—to remove this disease from the world. However, what is destined to happen will happen, regardless of what I say. It is a matter of time and nature.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Alright, let's head toward the Homa Kunda. Many scholars and notable figures are participating in the ritual today.
Interviewer (Narrating):
Participating in today's Ekadashi Homa are Sujit-da, a dedicated environmentalist, and our respected Didi, known to many as Gargi-ji or Adya-ma. Also present is Rajat Chatterjee, a professor. They are all participating in this ritual solely for the sake of world peace and human welfare. To bring peace to this unstable world, this Homa is being conducted under the full guidance and instruction of Gurudev.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, I have come back to you. We just saw many distinguished individuals participating in the Homa.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, they come from time to time to perform Homa. Sujit is often very busy, but he joins whenever he can for the sake of world peace and human welfare. I specifically instructed him to perform the ritual in his regular trousers and shirt. There is no need for him to change. As I have mentioned, this Shantikunja is free from superstitions.
Interviewer:
Indeed, you've said it is very much free from traditional superstitions.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Completely free from superstitions, brother! Wearing trousers or this or that garment means nothing to us. To call upon God, no specific clothing is required. What does your clothing or what you eat have to do with the chanting of mantras? Some people criticize performing a ritual in regular clothes, but I don't believe in those restrictions.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
We believe in one principle: "Yah smaret pundarikaksham sa bahyabhyantarah shuchih" (He who remembers the Lotus-Eyed Lord becomes pure both internally and externally). If you remember God even once, you are pure inside and out. That purity remains. You must always remember that clothes are not everything. Whether you wear traditional robes or regular clothes, God will accept the prayer.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The goal is to steady the mind. You must elevate your mind to the heavens. You don't need to worry about what is happening in the mundane, earthly world. You must raise your mind to the sky. It is said in the scriptures that one must align the twenty-four elements of existence—the chakras, the mind, the ego, and the intellect—to reach a higher state.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
While the sky is clear, the ground we walk on and this physical space are often cluttered. We must reach for the sky to achieve spiritual success. Performing a ritual with a cluttered or distracted mind is useless. This is why I say clothing doesn't matter. God says that whoever remembers Him is pure. We perform these rituals and worship the Mother in these clothes. What is the problem? Will God not accept it?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Those who make negative comments are like frogs in a well. If you take a frog out of its well and show it the world, it is overwhelmed. When someone is performing a ritual, they shouldn't be focused on their clothes; their focus should be entirely on the Mother. Whether they are clothed in fine fabric or rags doesn't matter. The mind must be elevated. Without elevating the mind, one cannot reach God. He exists in the Khechara (the void or the sky).
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
People don't understand this and criticize someone for wearing trousers. What else should they wear? I will continue to perform rituals in trousers. It is just human superstition. To say a Homa is "greater" if I wear specific cloth and "smaller" if I wear these clothes is pure foolishness. It is extreme ignorance. They are living in a world of delusions.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
God has explained everything, yet people refuse to follow it. One must be free from such superstitions. Call upon God in whatever state you are in. Don't you go to the temple in trousers? Are you "impure" then? Do you feel the need to change every time? It's just a delusion.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
As long as this delusion remains, you cannot truly know the Divine. As the saint Ramprasad said: "Mind, your delusion did not leave. You didn't know who Kali is; your delusion never left." If you don't understand the essence of the Goddess, what is the point of just shouting her name?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The Mother feeds the entire world with delicious foods—with what shame do you offer her simple parboiled rice and soaked pulses? The Mother decorates the entire world with gems and gold—with what shame do you try to decorate her with clay ornaments and paper jewelry?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
We are often trapped in these delusions. People say you must wear certain clothes for Homa, or stay on an empty stomach, or fast. There is no need for all that. I will call God exactly as I am, right now, and God will respond. That is the truth. People don't understand that.
Interviewer:
Pranam, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, yes.