Devotee:
My salutations, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, blessings to you, my son.
Devotee:
Gurudev, yesterday was Kojagari Lakshmi Puja. If you could tell us a bit about it...
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, Kojagari Lakshmi Puja fell on two days this time. The full moon (Purnima) began at 8 PM yesterday. Many performed the puja at 8, 9, or 10 PM. We call it "Kojagari," but the actual phrase is "Ke Jagari," which means "Who is awake?" The Mother says, "I will visit the home of whoever is awake." The rule is that the rituals are less important than staying awake through the night for the Mother. The name evolved from "Ke Jagari" to "Kojagari." Staying awake for the Mother all night is the most significant part. This tradition was very strong in the past, but it has almost disappeared now.
Devotee:
Gurudev, how long does one stay awake? Is it until sunrise?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Exactly. Our day begins at sunrise. A day doesn't start before that. Usually, we sit for rituals one Danda (24 minutes) before sunrise. One should not sit before that. That is the essence of Kojagariāstaying awake until dawn. This puja is particularly popular in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), but here, wherever Durga Puja is held, Lakshmi Puja is performed in the same marquee (pandal) after the immersion of Durga.
Devotee:
Yes, itās done in the same pandal.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes. While Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is often done as a community event, the household puja's main point is "Ke Jagari." Whoever stays awake for the Mother after the puja, She visits their home. That is the core messageāstaying awake all night with the lamps lit and the offerings intact.
Devotee:
Iāve heard that the Mother loves to eat puffed rice, sweets (naaru), luchi, rice pudding, and halwa, and that she comes specifically to eat those?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, that is right. Exactly.
Devotee:
Salutations, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, blessings, my son.
Devotee:
Gurudev, Durga Puja has passed; it went reasonably well.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Don't say "well." What do you mean by "well"? Look at what happened. On the day of Navami, we had to "cut the thread" (adjust the rituals) in the almanac (Panjika) in the morning. After Ashtami and Sandhi Puja, there was so little time left that we were forced to finish things early. The "immersion" happened even before the actual immersion. We wait for the puja all year with joy, and usually, the days of Saptami, Ashtami, and Navami are spent in great happiness. That didn't happen this time. Even the priests couldn't perform the rituals properly. I have never seen such a strange alignment of lunar phases (Tithi) in my eighty years of life. Iāve never seen anything like it.
Devotee:
Lakshmi Puja also ended around 4:20 PM today.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Well, Lakshmi Puja was spread over two days. Today, Thursday, was an auspicious day, so many did it today. The full moon started yesterday morning and lasted through the night and today. So there was no issue with Lakshmi Puja.
Devotee:
Next is Kali Puja.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, Kali Puja is coming. I hope it goes well for everyone. Kali Puja is a one-night affair and usually passes without issues. Previously, we held Kali Puja at the hospital. I don't know what will happen this year. However, Kali Puja isn't a major factor for us here because the worship of Mother Tara (Ma Tara) on the night of the New Moon (Amavasya) is our main focus. Kali Puja is done on a smaller scale.
Devotee:
What kind of days are coming after the puja, Gurudev? Wars are breaking out everywhere...
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The Third World War has already begun.
Devotee:
The beginning has indeed started.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It has started, and countries are joining in one by one. Some in Israel, some in Lebanon. This is exactly how it happened in the Second World War; the Third will be the same. It was predicted to start in the Middle East, and it has. We have Russia and Ukraine, and then Israel against Hamas and Hezbollah. Now I hear Iran is being attacked as well. I heard Mossad blew up an oil refinery.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, things are gradually moving in that direction.
Devotee:
A terrifying war will break out within a few days. Perhaps by the end of 2024, nuclear charges might be used.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, and not only thatāthey say that if nuclear charges are used, the sun won't be visible for seven days. You won't see sunlight for a week because of the thick, black smoke.
Devotee:
It will be entirely covered in carbon.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Exactly, a complete carbon shroud. This will be incredibly harmful, and everyone will have to suffer for it. Where will the air go?
Devotee:
But Gurudev, as the war happens in Russia-Ukraine, and we have China and Russia above usāwhen the winter winds blow from that direction, won't that pollution come to us?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, it will come. It will definitely come. There are already warnings about something like COVID returningāsomething is coming; they keep saying it.
Devotee:
Gurudev, someone told meāI won't name themāthat biological warfare will be even worse than nuclear bombs. Attacks involving various germs, bacteria, and diseases. They say the death toll from biological war will be much higher.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That has already been predicted.
Devotee:
They say the start of this is 2025.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
We have marked 2025 for the World War. Many people will die here too. Many died in '24, but even more will die in '25.
Devotee:
On March 29, 2025, Saturn enters Pisces. The effects start two months priorāmeaning the impact will be felt from January.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It will happen. A terrifying catastrophe will occur. Many will die. You can already see how the destruction has begun.
Devotee:
The UN and India are trying to stop the war, but Gurudev, no one is listening. The UN seems to have no authority left.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
No, just like in the Second World War, international bodies lost their relevance. AmericaāBidenādragged this war out. They will have to face the consequences too. No one will be spared. Once it starts, everyone suffers. Do you think India will remain untouched? India will be forced to get involved. Right now, people are focused on Israel, but which side one joins will be a major issue. Itās hard to say right now, but China, Indiaāeveryone will have to join. If America jumps in, everyone falls in. Russia has already seen American involvement behind the scenes in Ukraine, and America is backing Israel.
Devotee:
People will carry bags of money to the shops but find no food.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That day is coming; it has already begun. People don't realize it, but we see it. Many food items are becoming unavailable. Pointed gourd (potol) is 80 rupees a kilo.
Devotee:
Eggplant went up to 150 rupees.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Itās better to "pick the gourd" (a Bengali idiom for dying) than to eat the gourd. Iām joking, but truly, it will be impossible for ordinary people to buy vegetables.
Devotee:
Bank of America says the price of gold will reach 2.5 lakh rupees per 10 grams by 2026. Itās 80,000 now.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Itās possible; thereās no reason it couldnāt happen.
Devotee:
Will people eat gold then? No one will buy or sell gold; everything will be zero. People will need food more than gold. When the famine starts, money will lose value. In some African countries, they are already killing elephants for meat. If this continues, wildlife will be wiped out because of humans. Humans will eat everythingāelephants, rhinos, nothing will be spared.
Devotee:
A few years ago, during the civil war in Somalia, people were seen eating rotten dogs and rats. This time, I feel humans will eat human flesh.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Humans will eat humans. Human meat is already being sold in some places near Chinaāsevered hands and legs. In Bangladesh, the "Aynaghor" (Secret Prison) reports showed that prisoners were fed cooked human meat. This has been proven.
Devotee:
They say human meat is very sweet.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I don't know, son, I can't say. But itās a great misfortune to have to eat human meat. We say "humans will eat humans" to describe the situation we are approaching. You are right. You will take bags of money to the shop and find no vegetables, no food, nothing.
Devotee:
They say the dawn of the new age is 2032...
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Itās far off. The new age is still a long way away. See how many countries disappear before that.
Devotee:
They say the end of the transition will be by 2029.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Whatever must happen, will happen by then.
Devotee:
Gurudev, when we first discussed the Bhavishya Malika (ancient book of prophecies), many mocked us. They said it was all made-up stories. But today, if anyone looks at those prophecies, nearly 30% have already happened.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
More will happen. The rest will follow, and we are moving in that direction. The prophecy says the sun won't be seen for seven days. Now itās clear that a nuclear charge will cause this. The smoke and darkness will be so intense that people won't see the sun for a week. I don't know if thatās exactly what the prophecy meant, but a nuclear strike would certainly cause that.
Devotee:
And there won't be just one strike. There are about 14,000 nuclear warheads worldwide. If 200ā250 explode, thatās it. The Earth itself could be destroyed four times over.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes. And this pollution will cause incurable diseases. Cancer will become common in every household. People will be devastated. We don't want to say anything new, but events will occur as predicted in the Bhavishya Malika, though perhaps in different ways. The book repeatedly says there will be no sunrise for seven days. Now we understand that even one or two nuclear charges would easily hide the sun behind carbon clouds.
Devotee:
Gurudev, they say this year will bring abnormal cold, and some places will be much colder than usual.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
There has been a lot of rain elsewhere, though not so much here. The places that got rain will feel the cold. It gets cold here too, but the weather patterns will be different this time. It will be hard for ordinary people to cope with these weather extremes.
Devotee:
Gurudev, how is your health now?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
My health isn't great. Iām managing. The doctor told me to rest for another month. He said I can go and bow to the Deity occasionally, but I must not see visitors. The doctor keeps repeating this. First, he said ten days, now he has made it a month. He says the medicines heās giving are very strong and I shouldn't walk much.
Devotee:
We should inform the viewers that Gurudev will not be seeing anyone or doing any spiritual work for now. Please come only after Diwali or Bhai Phonta, and only if announced in an episode.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Thatās the truth. I fall ill as soon as I see people. Thatās why I tell those who call that I might never sit with visitors again. Many ask why. A young girl asked me today, "Why won't you sit? What's your problem?" I asked her, "Do I have to tell you everything?" She was a bit rude at first, but later she and her parents apologized. But I know my own body; they don't. They come, get their work done, and leave, but I am the one who suffers.
Devotee:
Thatās the thing, Gurudev. People just want you to give to them and do for them. They don't care about what happens to you.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Today, a young boy came, about 8 or 9 years old. He had a tumor on his backbone. A biopsy showed it was cancer. His parents were crying. They said they are taking him to Mumbai. I told them they are doing the right thing. We have the Tata Center here too, but they want to go there. I will do whatever spiritual help I can. It was heartbreakingāthe boy is only 8 or 9. He used to play football. The Tata Center in Mumbai made arrangements for him. The parents were struggling to gather the funds and didn't know what would happen. The costs are lower there, even with travel expenses. Even at Rajarhat in Kolkata, itās the sameāthey often refer patients to Mumbai. It used to be that people would panic about cancer costs, fearing it would take 4 or 5 lakhs. It still does. I pray the Mother heals him. Since they came to the Mother, She will surely listen. What sin could a small child have committed to suffer like this?
Devotee:
It must be some unknown sin from a previous birth.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The tumor was on the spine, and itās cancer. Now the boy can't walk. I told the parents not to bring him here again in this condition; I told them to come themselves to collect the medicine. I told them to see me after they return from Mumbai. I felt very sad for him.
Devotee:
To our viewers, we repeat: when Gurudev is ready to see people, it will be announced in an episode. Please do not come and disturb him unnecessarily. Gurudev, letās end here for today.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, yes. My blessings to you.
Devotee:
Salutations, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Blessings.