Gurudev Shyamakshayapa Sheds Light on the Mystery of Chandi

Student: Gurudev, pranam.

Gurudev: Pranam, baba, pranam. Bolo.

Student: Gurudev, today I would like to hear from your holy lips about a topic—how according to the Markandeya Purana, Mother Durga first descended to this mortal world. I want to know the name of that place and the events through which she arrived here on Earth according to the Purana. If we can hear this story from you, we will be able to learn a great deal.

Gurudev: It is such an ancient history. Currently, the ashram of Sage Medha (Medhasmuni) is located in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh. It used to be deep within a dense forest. It was a terrifying place filled with wild animals like tigers and lions. Sage Medha lived in the middle of that fearsome jungle. There were some people at his ashram who managed its affairs, while the sage stayed there.

Gurudev: One time, there was a King named Suratha. He was a good ruler and took great care of his subjects; the relationship between the king and his subjects was excellent. However, for some reason, his ministers and even his own family members humiliated him and drove him out of his royal palace. Left with no other choice and deeply heartbroken, he began wandering the streets. There were no proper roads back then, only footpaths. He wandered aimlessly—sometimes this way, sometimes that way—as a king who had lost everything.

Gurudev: At the same time, a merchant (Vaishya) named Samadhi had also been betrayed by his family and left his home. Both were wandering separately without knowing each other, but they eventually crossed paths in that deep forest. The King introduced himself to Samadhi, and Samadhi introduced himself to the King. The King shared how he was ousted from his kingdom, and Samadhi explained how he was driven from his home.

Gurudev: The King said, "Look, we share the same fate. Let us go somewhere together." They wondered where to go in such a deep forest. As evening approached, they felt hungry and thirsty. While walking and talking, they saw an ashram in the distance, and their spirits lifted. They approached the ashram of Sage Medha. The sage wasn't there at that moment; he had gone elsewhere. The sage's disciples asked them, "Who are you? Where have you come from?"

Gurudev: They introduced themselves one by one. King Suratha gave his identity, and the merchant Samadhi gave his. The disciples said, "The Sage is not here right now. You look exhausted; please bathe and eat, and stay here at the ashram. The Sage will return tomorrow morning, and you can meet him then." They stayed there and found shelter. Their fear subsided a bit, though their mental sorrow remained. They spent the night there.

Gurudev: When Sage Medha returned the next morning and saw them, he was somewhat surprised. He asked, "Why are you here? What have you come for?" King Suratha introduced himself and told the sage, "I cannot return to my home. What should I do? Please give me shelter." Then the sage called Samadhi and asked who he was. Samadhi replied, "I am a merchant. My family took everything from me and drove me out. We met and have come to your ashram."

Gurudev: The sage said, "You have done well. For the next 18 days, I will tell you some stories and legends that you should listen to very carefully." They both agreed. For 18 days, the sage told them stories of Mother Durga—how she destroyed various demons. In each chapter, he described her victories: first, the slaying of Madhu and Kaitabha, then the destruction of Mahishasura's army, followed by the slaying of Mahishasura himself. Then came Raktabija, Chanda and Munda, and finally Shumbha and Nishumbha towards the end.

Gurudev: The sage told one story each day. After finishing the stories, he said, "Look, in this world, everyone—except humans—is just eating and reproducing, like animals and birds. But you are humans; you have consciousness. Do this: I will describe the form of a deity. Create an image of her out of clay and worship her for three years." He described the forms of Mother Durga and Mother Chandi.

Gurudev: Following his instructions, both King Suratha and Samadhi created clay idols and began their worship. The sage had told them, "After three years of worship, people from your homes will come to take you back. Be prepared for that."

Gurudev: After three consecutive years of worship, they suddenly saw many people arriving one morning, playing drums and celebrating. King Suratha realized people had come from his home. He immediately went to Sage Medha and said, "Lord, what shall I do now? I do not want to go back home. The spiritual wealth I have gained in these three years is enough for me. Please protect me." Similarly, people had come for Samadhi. Samadhi also said, "Lord, the wealth of peace we have found through these three years of worship is all we desire. We do not want worldly happiness or kingdoms."

Gurudev: But there was no other way; the sage had already predicted this. He said, "Look, you can go home if you wish. You can continue your worship and prayers there. You can take back your kingdom and meditate on what you have gained." He told the merchant the same thing: "But you must leave from here. You have stayed here for three years; now you must go home."

Gurudev: With heavy hearts, they told their families, "We will return on one condition: we will not take up the responsibilities of the kingdom or the household." And indeed, they did not retake the throne or enter worldly life again. They remained immersed in the worship of the Divine. They dedicated the rest of their lives to the Mother.

Gurudev: Do you know where this ashram of Sage Medha was? It was on top of a hill in the Chittagong district. If you go there now—have you been there once or twice?

Student: Yes Gurudev, I have been there twice. I was fortunate enough.

Gurudev: Yes, only the very fortunate can visit such places. It is in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh. The ashram of Sage Medha is still there. The site associated with Sage Markandeya is also there. It is a beautiful and serene environment. Surrounded by forest even today, with massive trees. Entering the temple complex brings peace to the soul. Although it is very high up, one has to climb many stairs—many, many stairs. Because of this, many elderly people cannot make it to the top. It is at the very peak of the hill. Back then, it was a deep forest inhabited by tigers and lions. Only the sage and some of his disciples lived there in that ashram.

Gurudev: It is said that Sage Medha invoked Goddess Saraswati and worshipped her. That is why the mantra says: "Medhe Saraswati bare bhuti bhab bhabitamoti..." He worshipped Saraswati, and not only her but Durga as well. He asked Durga, "You must reside here in the form of a daughter." Satisfied with his penance, the Mother resides there as a daughter. This is what is said. There are many Puranas with different accounts. But that place still exists. Sage Markandeya has ashrams in various places, like by the Narmada River, but not much news is heard of him these days, even though he is the proclaimer of the Chandi. That is why his name is invoked during Chandi Puja. You can see his name carved there in Chittagong. One has to climb very high. You can see live deer, turtles, and large fish—all within the ashram.

Gurudev: It is a very pleasant environment. It's not usually very crowded, but if you sit there, your mind will find such peace that you won't want to leave. Because the Mother's footsteps are there, the place is wonderful. It is no longer as inaccessible; the government has built large staircases. You have to climb many stairs to reach the top.

Student: So Gurudev, I have a question—according to the Markandeya Purana and the accounts of King Suratha and Samadhi, they were the first to perform this worship?

Gurudev: Many accounts say they were the first to perform Durga Puja. In the Chandi legends or the Chandi Path book, the names of King Suratha and the merchant Samadhi are mentioned early on. These two...

Student: Was there any tradition of this worship after that, Gurudev?

Gurudev: I cannot say for sure. Then came the time of Ramachandra. He performed Durga Puja. According to various versions of the Devi Purana, it was done following the traditions of Sage Markandeya. Rama himself was an incarnation of Narayana; he knew everything. Rama performed the Akal Bodhon (untimely invocation) of the Mother. After that, there isn't much specific historical record until much later.

Gurudev: I read somewhere—I can't say if it's entirely factual—that during the time of King Krishna Chandra, there was a famine in the country. Since Mother Durga is the "remover of distress" (Durgatinashini), great scholars from Benaras came and told the King, "There is one way out. If you perform Durga Puja, the country will be saved from this famine." As far as I know from my reading, King Krishna Chandra then performed Durga Puja. Subsequently, the local landlords (Zamindars) gradually began performing Durga Puja.

Gurudev: In the old days, there were no "pandals" (temporary marquees). Every landlord's house had a Durga Dalan (permanent worship hall). Worship was held there in the name of Mother Durga, often called Durga-Tara. If you go to any large ancestral home of a landlord, you will see this tradition, which I believe is about 700-800 years old, though I can't be precise.

Gurudev: The tradition of Baroyari (community) puja came much later—maybe 300-400 years ago. Back then, a few community pujas were started by groups of people collecting donations. Eventually, it spread everywhere. The Durga Puja you see in Kolkata today grew from that—various clubs saw it and started their own pujas. It spread from the elite down to the common people. Now, it has become the biggest and most beloved festival of the Bengali people.

Gurudev: However, the year 2020 is a unique year because COVID has deeply overshadowed us. Not just us, but the whole world. It is a contagious disease. If one patient infects another, it spreads to many. This started about 7 or 8 months ago and is still going on. Some states might have controlled it, but when people start mingling, it increases again.

Gurudev: Our only fear now is that while Durga Puja is a time of joy and cannot—and should not—be stopped during such a crisis (because we need to pray to the Mother now more than ever), we are in a situation where we can't fully say "yes" or "no" to the celebrations. Some large pandals are being controlled by the government, and I think the High Court has given some orders today.

Student: I believe they have forbidden visitors from entering the pandals.

Gurudev: Yes, visitors cannot enter the temples or pandals. But who will follow the rules? This is our biggest festival. People start anticipating it three months in advance.

Student: People should be cautious at this moment. But if people become reckless in their festive spirit, there will be no way to survive.

Gurudev: That is exactly the point, baba. There is a lot of debate right now—Government vs. High Court vs. the general public. Many people feel the puja should be symbolic this year without large idols, because if you install an idol, people will go to see it. On the other hand, some people are inviting others to come and see their pandals, boasting that they have built pandals like Kedarnath. I would say that anyone saying this—no matter how big a leader or minister they are—is a great fool.

Gurudev: They are living in a world of ignorance. To invite crowds in this situation is foolish. What will they do when the corona cases spike? They will run away. It is the common people who will suffer. They should understand that people will go even if not invited, and inviting them only makes it worse.

Student: Gurudev, to change the subject slightly—when I visited the Medhasmuni ashram, I saw several other temples there, like the Kamakhya temple, Sita temple, and Ram temple. The Sita temple is very beautiful. But why are they there, Gurudev, if it was a site for Durga's worship?

Gurudev: When a major temple is established, many smaller temples often crop up around it. People build them. People don't just come to see one temple; they want to see what else is around. So these are built for them.

Student: Is there any direct spiritual connection between Mother Durga and Kamakhya or the others?

Gurudev: There is a connection between Ramachandra and Durga, as you know. Rama was the one who performed the puja, so there is a link. It's fine; there's no harm. When there is a large central temple, many smaller ones are often built around it as a base. People like to walk around and see different deities; it feels good to them. That's the reason.

Student: So Gurudev, from what you've shared, we can understand that according to the Markandeya Purana, Mother Durga first descended to this mortal world at that spot.

Gurudev: Exactly. There is no doubt about that.

Student: And so we can conclude that the very first Durga Puja was performed at the Medhasmuni ashram.

Gurudev: Yes, indeed. And Sage Medha explained the legends and glories of the Mother to King Suratha and Samadhi. He taught them to worship for three years. There are many variations in the stories now, but the essence remains. Whether you call her Durga or Chandi, he initiated the worship, and both the King and the merchant benefited greatly. After three years, their families came for them, just as the sage had predicted. He told them that if they performed the worship sincerely, they would get back everything they had lost. That is the secret of Durga Puja.

Student: So we can say that Sage Medha took the first beautiful step to bring Mother Durga to this Earth.

Gurudev: Yes, he facilitated her arrival through King Suratha and Samadhi.

Student: And that is how people first came to know who Mother Durga is.

Gurudev: That was the first time her identity and methods of worship were known. While the Chandi Path books have changed over time and some of the original secret commentaries might be lost, the core legend of King Suratha and Samadhi remains. It describes her glories and the demons she slew. These are very, very ancient Puranas. It is hard to find exact historical dates for these events or the biographies of these figures. The only truth is that the worship was performed.

Gurudev: The stories of the Chandi are told first, and then the Chandi Path begins. Sage Markandeya and Sage Medha were extremely powerful beings.

Student: Spiritually powerful.

Gurudev: Extremely. In those days, the sages were so powerful that God would come to them; they didn't need to go searching for God. Whether out of fear or devotion, the Divine responded to them. Figures like Sage Markandeya or Sage Bhrigu cannot be compared to anyone today. It is said God even feared and deeply respected such great sages. If Sage Bhrigu ever entered Indra's court, Indra would vacate his throne and offer it to the sage. We read in the Puranas how even the gods were sometimes humbled by them. There was such a close, unified relationship between God and these sages. If they called, God had to appear.

Gurudev: Take the story of Sage Bhrigu. When he went to Narayana, Narayana initially ignored him. In response, Bhrigu kicked Narayana in the chest. Then he realized, "Oh! I have done something wrong." He immediately touched Narayana's feet and asked, "Lord, I hope you aren't hurt? My foot must have hurt you." This shows the character of the sages of that time. They could get angry or curse, but their devotion and penance were beyond modern imagination.

Student: Gurudev, today I have learned from you about Mother Durga's first appearance on Earth and about Sage Medha. I offer my pranam to you, Gurudev.

Gurudev: Yes. In the Katyayana ashram, she was known as Katyayani, in the form of a maiden. That ashram is what you see today as Kanyakumari. These sites exist in various places. While historical proof might be hard to provide, the named places still stand. The Bangladesh government has made great efforts to preserve that site. They have renovated it beautifully. If you go there, you will feel a deep sense of devotion. It is a very ancient place. Pranam, baba, pranam.

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