Disciple:
Salutations, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Salutations, my son.
Disciple:
Gurudev, this country is a land of spirituality. India is certainly a land of spirituality. We have seen many great souls and saints born here over the ages. We have received their grace. However, looking at the current situation in India, we have fallen behind socially and economically. One gentleman, Sayan Chatterjee, wants to ask you a question. He asks: in such a spiritual land, given the current circumstances, can we expect a great soul (Mahapurush) to be born in the coming days who will lead us again?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pradip, you are right, and Sayan is right to ask. But India is a land of spirituality; it has no birth or death. It has existed for eternity. Pradip, let me ask you or Sayan something: the great souls born among us—Rishi Aurobindo, Swami Vivekananda, Bama Khepa, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa—did God personally hand-deliver and place them here? Answer me first. Did God place them here by hand?
Disciple:
No, they made themselves into who they were.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
They were born in ordinary homes. And if you look, almost every one of them was born into a poor family; none were born into wealthy homes. Those who have passed away while practicing spirituality are not truly gone; they are like stars. If God commands it, they will descend again. They will descend with their companions, just as Bama Khepa or Ramakrishna did with their disciples. Vivekananda, Rishi Aurobindo—none of them were dropped from the sky by God. They were born from a human womb in a human home. Similarly, we are hopeful that someone may have already been born, though you and I do not know it yet. It is God's command. We don't know who He will send, but they will return, perhaps under a different name.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
They are currently "stars," and they will descend when God commands. They might be born in a different home with a different name. You might not realize it yet. India is a country where such souls have been born many times. Ramakrishna and Bama Khepa were born many times to bring peace to India. India is a land of peace; we are creating unrest by trying to mimic foreign cultures. We Bengalis love to imitate others. In doing so, we are losing our way, and the standard of our lives is falling.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
India is not in a state of social or economic poverty. You and I are creating that "poverty." We keep asking what will happen to India, but only good things will happen because it is a land of spirituality—it is God's land. God Himself will come to save India if necessary. If humans cannot do it, God will descend to save it.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Some say India has hit rock bottom, that there is no money, no spirituality, and that it's full of cheaters. People say this, and I acknowledge it. But a land of spirituality does not die. This country will survive and once again take the highest seat in the world assembly. It will be great in religion and great in action. The new sun will rise again in the ancient East.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Understand this well. The poets didn't just say this; they said it after much thought. We think everything is lost, but nothing is lost. It is all still here, just sleeping. It needs to be awakened, but we lack the people to awaken that spirituality right now. God will come again. I am hopeful; perhaps someone has already been born. Ramakrishna wasn't dropped from above; he was born from a womb in a home. The same for Vivekananda and Bama Khepa. So, how can you know who has been born now?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
There is no point in obsessing over this. Our only thought should be a prayer to God: "Lord, please come yourself and deliver us."
Disciple:
But Gurudev, people like you want that. In the current social situation, no one really practices or follows religion anymore.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That's not true; I can't agree with that. It's wrong to say people don't practice religion. Perhaps religion has become distorted. The faith we believe in still exists, even if it's distorted. He has likely already sent people. Souls like Vivekananda or Rishi Aurobindo cannot die. They are stars, and God will send them again to calm India.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
As for what you call "COVID," pandemics have happened many times before. They occur roughly every hundred years. This too has come and will go; it won't stay. I have said that by late June—around the 21st or 22nd—it will become limited. Its power will diminish, and fewer people will be affected. It has already started to decline. I gave an episode recently where I said it's starting to go down, and the graph is indeed falling. People are recovering and getting better.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The current situation is largely due to our panic. Another thing is that people are getting COVID but not saying anything. They only speak up after seven or eight days when their condition worsens. If they tested as soon as they had a fever or discomfort, this wouldn't happen. Many are afraid to go to hospitals—fearful of costs, lack of oxygen, or lack of doctors. Because of this, people avoid hospitals and hope to recover by taking some medicine at home. But this second wave is such that many are falling ill and many are dying. The third wave hasn't reached its peak yet.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
So, when you say spirituality and wealth are gone in India, that is a very wrong concept. Nothing happens before its time. Time will tell. When the time comes, God will send His people, and if that's not enough, He will come Himself. Their footprints are everywhere in this land. I am a firm believer in this. I don't know what you think, but I believe it deeply. There was once a Golden Age (Satya Yuga) here when gods walked this earth. This soil hasn't vanished. Nimai (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) was born here. He was born in a home, from a womb. God didn't just place him here. Similarly, I feel someone has been born.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
We haven't seen such chaos and restlessness in India in the last hundred years. I am 75 years old, and from what I've read in history, people haven't been this helpless in a century. Even during the British period or the 500 years of Mughal rule, people weren't this vulnerable.
Disciple:
Gurudev, people's character and mindset have changed. That is the biggest problem.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Why wouldn't it change? If you help your children change their mindset, they will. Now, there is often only one son or one daughter in a home. If a daughter wants a scooter or a high-end phone and you give it to her, you are the one getting trapped. You must teach children that their parents are poor and cannot provide everything. If a child knows the parents have money, they won't stop demanding. We are creating this ourselves. We are ruining the children, and both society and parents will suffer the consequences. You can't grow mangoes on a cactus. If we don't fix ourselves, then yes, society will continue to decline.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Nowadays, because there is only one child, parents feel they must give them whatever they want, or the child might harm themselves or commit suicide. This has become a headache for parents. In the old days, there were four or five children; if one went astray, there were others. Now there is only one. I see this every moment—parents coming to me because their only child has become useless.
Disciple:
Gurudev, it sounds like you are suggesting we should increase the population. Is population growth right for India right now?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Why wouldn't it be right? It's already under control. If you go from house to house, you'll see only one or two children. People have become conscious; they know they can't afford to feed three children. In some cases, if someone has two daughters, they keep trying for a son, or vice versa. That is why it increases slightly. But among Hindus, the birth rate has dropped significantly.
Disciple:
Many are worried about the younger generation. As we get older, we feel we are ruining ourselves and the youth.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Once they grow up, they move out of their parents' control, and society captures them. There are so many temptations now—jobs, lifestyles, and various allurements. We know what is happening in the name of "jobs." If you fall into that trap, you are stuck. You have to be conscious. You can't just blame society for making you bad; you have to remain upright. There are bad people in society who try to control good boys and girls to do their dirty work, thinking they themselves won't be caught.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
If you and your children aren't conscious, you will fall into these traps. It means education has no value. People have already lost the true meaning of education. If people keep falling for these temptations, they will suffer.
Disciple:
Gurudev, you've shown us a ray of hope that a great soul will be born to guide us.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He will be born in one of our homes, not somewhere else. God won't just "place" him. Ramakrishna, Bama Khepa, Rishi Aurobindo, Vivekananda—they were all born right here. They didn't just suddenly become "Great" at birth; they grew into it. Perhaps someone is already born, but you and I don't know yet. In 20 years, they will grow up and take charge of society. That is the law.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
My time is ending; yours is beginning. Someone will definitely come to save the world and society. Society cannot go to ruin like this, especially in a spiritual land like ours. This chaos is temporary. Once the youth understand this, things will change. We need to handle the corrupt people who are misleading the youth. They should be removed first.
Disciple:
Gurudev, we see so much filth and unrest in society.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pradip, no one is born a criminal. They grow up, get an education, and then turn to crime. Who is making them criminals? There are people in society who lead them into it. I am talking about those people. As long as they are here, this will continue. But someone will be born. According to the laws of this land, someone will come. You and I might not know it yet.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It's been a long time, a long gap, but God will send someone from among the stars. They will be born in a home, grow up, and have their companions. When Rama came, Hanuman was already there. When a great soul comes by God's command, his companions come too, either before or after him. You might be in the dark about it now, but I believe someone has been born to save India. And not just one person; India is a large country. They will be born in different places. Ramakrishna, Bama Khepa, and Vivekananda were all around at the same time. They were there, society respected them, and society didn't fall this far. Now that they are gone, there is a void. God will send them again, one by one. They will handle the economy, the social issues, and the spirituality that has vanished. It will all return.
Disciple:
Gurudev, we received a beautiful message from you today. We can pass this hope to the next generation—that Indians will never fall behind economically, socially, or spiritually.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
No, they haven't fallen behind. That is a misconception. I tell you, India will again take the best seat in the world. It will be great in religion and action. The sun will rise again in the ancient East. The Himalayas still stand as a guard. The seas still surround us on three sides. The Ganges and Godavari have not dried up; they are still flowing with nectar. The day they dry up, you can say our nectar is gone. But they are still alive. Spiritually, many may have already arrived. They might be two or five years old, born in homes like ours. They will rise and take India's spirituality to new heights. You all think it's gone, but nothing is gone. My view is that nothing is lost yet.
Disciple:
Thank you, Gurudev, for this message of hope. It gives us strength. Salutations to you.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Salutations, my son.