INTERVIEWER:
Respectful greetings, Gurudev.
GURUDEV:
Greetings.
INTERVIEWER:
An unbelievable event occurred last night. You must have heard that the flag atop the Jagannath Temple in Puri caught fire and was burnt down. We have seen the flag fall before, and at that time, you said it was a sign of danger. Now that such an incident has happened again, you must be disturbed. We would like to know your reaction.
GURUDEV:
It's not just a reaction. Look, when the Fani cyclone occurred, the Lord's flag flew away. At that time, I said it was a sign of impending danger. These signs are usually given by the Lord. He is the Lord of the Universe—Jagannath. He gives these signs.
GURUDEV:
People haven't read the Jagannath Bhagavat. Everything about Lord Jagannath is written there. It is a rare book; one doesn't easily find a complete version. Whatever is written there is happening now, which surprises me. When the flag fell before, I warned that something terrible was about to happen. Since then, unfortunate events have been occurring one after another. The government is restless.
GURUDEV:
And today, the Coronavirus you are seeing is part of it. The burning of the flag is a symbolic sign of a cataclysm (Pralaya). Maybe not a total annihilation, but as a humble practitioner, it has felt like an ill omen since last night. Last night at 11:00 PM, when the flag was burning, I received successive calls from Bombay. They sent photos showing smoke coming from the top of the temple where the Yantra (Sudarshan Chakra) is placed. Seeing that, I was genuinely scared and lost my sleep.
GURUDEV:
There is no remedy for this. It's written in the Chaitanya Bhagavat that the sea will gradually advance and engulf the Puri temple. When the sea "plays" inside the temple, know that Lord Jagannath will leave the earth. Look at the misdeeds happening today. The Lord was not offered food for three or four days. Those scoundrels... I won't use worse words... those scoundrels didn't feed the Lord for four days and looted His jewelry. Whoever goes there, all they want is money. Just money.
GURUDEV:
So, the Lord has done this. They know what has happened, but they have no remedy to appease Him. This is a sign of a cataclysm. Lord Krishna Himself is there as Vasudeva Jagannath, along with Sankarshan Prabhu, Mother Vimala, and Mother Subhadra. They are all very powerful deities. Mother Vimala's shrine is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. Sankarshan Prabhu, also known as Haladhar, is also there. Both Guru and disciple are there along with the Primal Power.
GURUDEV:
People have started playing with this power. The temple is 700–800 years old. We know that on the spire of the temple, camphor is used for Arati. An oil lamp burns there all the time, regardless of wind or rain. That lamp has been burning for centuries. So how did a fire break out suddenly? It hasn't happened in 800 years.
GURUDEV:
A time of cataclysm has arrived. Based on the planetary positions I've calculated, the alignment is the same as it was before the Kurukshetra war. I can say without a doubt that millions of people will die. No one can stop it. This Coronavirus is just the beginning—it's like a small spiny gourd. You haven't seen the "big jackfruit" yet. I'm telling you, it's just a small sign. Lord Jagannath is repeatedly warning us. Whether it's a great cataclysm or not, a disaster is at the doorstep. Any calamity can happen at any time. There's no cure for this; nothing will satisfy the Lord now. They must suffer the consequences of the unrighteousness they have committed.
GURUDEV:
Lord Krishna said one thing, which I'm reminded of now: "Whenever righteousness declines and unrighteousness prevails, I manifest myself. To protect the virtuous and destroy the wicked, and to re-establish righteousness, I appear age after age."
GURUDEV:
So, is this fire a sign of that? When a king's flag falls, the king is defeated. Lord Jagannath, who sustains this whole world... as Chaitanyadev said, the entire world is within His eyes. When Krishna was a child, Mother Yashoda saw the whole universe in His mouth. That Lord Jagannath is sitting there. People must suffer the consequences of the atrocities committed against Him.
GURUDEV:
It's all written in the Jagannath Bhagavat. Many don't know it. Only the King of Puri might have the solution. That book says the sea will advance and engulf the temple. Know that many deities are residing in subtle forms in the temple. The nine planets are on the dome. They know everything. But look how much harm the greed for money can cause. Lord Jagannath will now show what happens. Famine will strike; fires will break out. There is so much unrighteousness!
GURUDEV:
If you visit the temple, you can see the ten avatars of Narayana on the walls: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Balarama, Buddha, and Kalki. But Shankaracharya is rejecting Buddha, replacing his image with Jagannath. They are excluding one of Narayana's avatars. Won't they face the consequences?
GURUDEV:
Everything is ready. The Lord is ready. If you go to the western gate, towards the sea, there are two horses—one black and one white. They are held by two great demons. Lord Jagannath will ride the black horse, and Lord Shiva (Sankarshan Prabhu) will ride the white horse, accompanied by Subhadra. This is symbolic and has been foretold. I feel a cataclysm is imminent. Maybe not a total one, but a partial one for sure.
GURUDEV:
I am worried, but there's nothing I can do. I've visited Puri 40 times. I know every stone there. Such an incident has never happened before. The lamp has burned for 700 years. How did it catch fire? I repeat, a disaster is coming. It's not just about Corona; something bigger is coming. Religion has hit rock bottom; there's nothing left but money. People ask for money even before the Lord's darshan. How long will the Lord tolerate this? There's a limit. Even His daily rituals are not being performed properly. He wasn't fed for days. Jewelry has been looted. Priests are wearing heavy gold chains. Where did they get that from? Their time has come. This unrighteousness is at its peak.
INTERVIEWER:
Friends, you heard Gurudev. He clearly said that a cataclysm is probably coming to this world, and Lord Jagannath is giving us a sign. Friends, you must pray. Although Gurudev says it's not a matter of prayer, as humble beings, what else can we do? We can only pray to the Father of the Universe for the well-being of all and for good sense to prevail. Respectful greetings, Gurudev.