Disciple:
Gurudev, in our previous episode, we were listening to you talk about the portion where the Ganges got trapped in Shiva's matted locks. In this, our second episode, we would like to hear the remaining part concerning Ganga Sagar from you.
Gurudev:
Mother Ganges said, "I will grant liberation on one condition. Bhagirath is standing right there to take you. If you go with him, then I can grant you liberation."
Gurudev:
She replied, "Lord, I cannot carry so much sin. There is so much sin on Earth. I am pure; I have no sin within me. I am a holy soul."
Gurudev:
He said, "Yes, I know. You are a holy soul. I know that if people bathe in your waters, they become purified. But you must go to the mortal world."
Gurudev:
Then she said, "Lord, I will go to the mortal world, but you must bless me."
Gurudev:
Then Mahadev (Lord Shiva) chanted a mantra:
Gurudev:
"Sadyah pataka santhantri, sadyah duhkha vinashini, Sukhadam mokshadam gangam, gangoiba paramagatim."
Gurudev:
Mahadev said, "I bless you. 'Sadyah pataka santhantri'—one who has committed a sin just now, one who has even killed their parents (which is considered a grave sin), even such a 'recent sinner' or 'recent killer' will be purified. 'Sadyah duhkha vinashini'—those who have recently suffered a great sorrow, such as a death in the family; if they bathe in the Ganges after performing the cremation rites, they will attain immediate liberation. Those who have received such fresh sorrow, if they bathe in the Ganges, they will forget that grief. 'Sukhadam mokshadam'—Ganga provides happiness and liberation. There is no path other than the Ganges; the Ganges provides the ultimate destination."
Gurudev:
Ganga was reassured. She said, "Let's go, Bhagirath."
Gurudev:
Bhagirath led the way, blowing his conch shell. He had excavated a path, but because it was by Mahadev's command, the Ganges did not take a terrifying form. She flowed like a gentle stream. Bhagirath led her forward, and the Ganges followed behind him until she merged into the ocean. It was then that the sixty thousand ancestors of King Sagar were liberated.
Gurudev:
To this day, if there is any truly holy land, it is Sagar (Ganga Sagar). We may not find many traces of King Sagar today, but the ocean has advanced significantly. At least five or six temples have been swallowed by the sea. The current temple is perhaps the seventh.
Disciple:
Gurudev, I want to ask two more things about Ganga Sagar. Firstly, with the improvement of communication and transportation, many people now visit Sagar throughout the year, and many go as tourists during the Ganga Sagar Mela. Does this interfere with the spiritual significance or the sanctity of the place?
Gurudev:
Yes, it can. The sanctity can be affected. You see, in the old days, it was a place for sages and saints. Common people went too, but it was an incredibly difficult journey, so fewer people could make it. Now, with roads and transport, you can reach there in five or six hours. It is becoming a tourist spot. Just as Tarapith has become a tourist spot, everywhere you go now, you see pomp and show.
Disciple:
Does that diminish the glory (Mahatmya) of the pilgrimage?
Gurudev:
It diminishes it somewhat, definitely. But it doesn't matter to the pilgrimage site itself, because both sinners and holy souls will go there.
Disciple:
Another thing, Gurudev—I have heard that you yourself have performed Kali Puja at Ganga Sagar for 22 years?
Gurudev:
Yes, look. If you go to Ganga Sagar, look at the dome of Lord Kapil Muni's temple. Look up at the dome against the sky; you will see an image of Mother Kali painted there. There, Mother Kali is worshipped as Bhadrakali.
Gurudev:
For 22 consecutive years, I went to Ganga Sagar. I would have an image of Mother Kali custom-made by order. Twenty-two times, I worshipped the Mother, immersed her in the waters of the ocean, and returned home on the first day of the month of Magh after taking a holy dip.
Disciple:
That is quite extraordinary and unheard of. If you could tell us more for those who don't know that Kali Puja can happen at Ganga Sagar...
Gurudev:
Who says it doesn't happen? Her image is right there on the temple! I performed the puja for 22 years.
Gurudev:
The first time I went to perform Kali Puja at Ganga Sagar, a gentleman took me there. He said, "Come, I have already commissioned the Kali idol, you must perform the puja." My wife said, "No, no, you cannot go to Ganga Sagar." There was a lot of fear regarding the place back then. But the gentleman insisted, so I took my wife and went for the first time.
Gurudev:
There was a bit of trouble regarding the Kali idol. A local holy man named Satyada intervened. He was a saintly person. He said, "Since Shyamal-da (referring to Gurudev) has come, he will perform the Kali Puja all night. Leave the idol to him." His disciples were hesitant, but he stood his ground and handed the deity over to me. We performed the puja all through the night. Truly, the Mother felt alive there.
Gurudev:
However, after the puja, we faced a problem. We couldn't find a place to take the Mother for immersion. Everything was blocked off with fences. It was morning, and we had to perform the immersion. I was very worried. Suddenly, it was as if someone said, "Arrangements will be made." Perhaps the Mother herself reassured me.
Gurudev:
I told a young boy, "Go get some tea, and then stand outside. A van will come. Catch it and tell them the Kali idol needs to go to the ocean." He didn't believe me; he said vans weren't allowed in. I told him, "Just go." Sure enough, half an hour later, a van arrived. The driver said, "I'll take her, I don't want any money for the Mother's work."
Gurudev:
But then, how to get the idol out? There was no opening in the fence. Suddenly, an old woman appeared. She said, "Hey, you did all this puja, where is my prasad (blessed food)?" I told her we had distributed it all. She said, "Then you must give me the garland from the Mother's neck." I agreed. Then she asked, "How will you get her out?" She walked over to a fence and simply pulled it open. "Go on, take the Mother through here." It was amazing.
Gurudev:
There was another incident. Once, we had finished the puja around 1:00 AM and were preparing for the Homa (fire sacrifice). We had the wood but had forgotten the bundle of Bel (wood apple) leaves. Kalu Maharaj had accidentally left them behind. There were about 15-20 of us. Someone said, "Wait, I'll go get some."
Gurudev:
It was 1:00 AM; the fair was asleep and silent. He went from shop to shop, but no one had them. Finally, he went to the Kapil Muni Ashram. He asked the head monk for Bel leaves. The monk replied, "Who is doing a Homa? This is a Vaishnav place; we use Tulsi leaves here, not Bel leaves. You won't find them here."
Gurudev:
As our man was returning, a little girl started following him. He tried to shoo her away, but she wouldn't leave. She was a dark-complexioned little girl. She followed him right into our room where the Mother's image was. She started demanding, "Why didn't you give me a cloth? Why no towel? Why no conch shell bangles?" I was startled. I told the others to wash her feet and give her food immediately. She ate her fill, and we gave her clothes and money. The other monks later said, "What kind of puja are you doing? The Mother herself came in person to take her offerings."
Gurudev:
Another time, we were performing the puja. The fence was thin. On the other side, there was a group from Nadia. They were being very loud and disruptive. We asked them to be quiet because a puja was in progress, but they wouldn't listen. There was one gentleman with about 30 young people, playing instruments and making a noise to collect money. Around 4:00 AM, that gentleman suddenly passed away, right there, just a few feet behind the Mother's idol. It was supernatural.
Gurudev:
I saw many such supernatural things in Sagar over those 22 years. Local people like the late Bankim Hazra (the local MLA) helped me a lot.
Gurudev:
One year, we hadn't commissioned an idol. Kalu Maharaj and a school teacher went searching all over Sagar. People were asking for thousands of rupees and saying it would take hours to prepare. They were returning disappointed when they found a beautiful, fully decorated Kali idol standing in a potter's house. The potter said, "It's for sale, 300 rupees." They bought it and brought it back.
Gurudev:
We had a wonderful environment for 22 years. Now I am old and cannot go. My heart aches for it. Now we have the Mahamrityunjaya Yajna here, so I cannot leave. I last went in 2015. If the Mother calls again, I will go.
Disciple:
Gurudev, we have learned so much about Ganga Sagar today that the general public rarely knows. We are truly enriched. We hope to learn much more from you in the future.
Gurudev:
Yes, son, that is fine.