Devotee:
Gurudev, pranam (salutations).
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam.
Devotee:
Gurudev, several questions regarding Tarapith often come to our minds. One specific question is that when we visit Tarapith, we encounter certain people who approach us and ask, "Have you come for this reason?" or "Are you facing these specific problems?" Based on one's face and appearance, they manage to be about 95% accurate. Then they offer various tabiz (amulets). What happens after that, only the person involved can say. But I want to ask Gurudev—without offending any of the sages or monks at Tarapith—what exactly is this phenomenon? What could be the consequences of this? Please discuss the good and bad aspects of this for us.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
You are right. If you ever go to Tarapith, you will notice this. Not everyone knows this, but certain people wait there, lurking. If you go near them, they will recite your entire life history fluently. You won't be able to reject or ignore them because everything they say matches your life perfectly. However, they cannot tell you what will happen in the future. They only speak about your past.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
While talking, they will eventually offer you an amulet. They might start the price at 500 or 1,000 rupees and might even come down to 200 rupees. Many people think, "Since he knows so much about me, he must be a genuine seer," and they keep it.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Generally, these practitioners are from the local Muslim community around the outskirts of Tarapith. There is a famous Dargah (shrine) near the market there, and they mostly come from that neighborhood. They have a knack for picking out specific people; they don't approach everyone. They take a person aside and tell them things about their life from birth that the person cannot deny.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
This is actually a specific craft known as Kakorid (Crow Lore/Sorcery). They work with crows—they catch them, perform rituals, and even kill them. This is the rule of Kakorid. Common people don't know this. Most of the practitioners of this specific craft are from the Muslim community there. You won't find many Hindus doing this.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I once fell into their trap myself. After everything they said about me turned out to be true, I asked, "How can things get better for me?" He told me to take an amulet. After some bargaining, he gave it to me for 200 rupees. I kept it for a long time, but I saw no results, so I eventually threw it away.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Kakorid is a "Guru Vidya" (knowledge passed down by a teacher). It doesn't require much effort from the student; the Guru provides everything. But it requires significant training. It involves rituals performed on a crow, which is then killed.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
There is a well-known story about Kakorid. Once, a monk was meditating under a tree. A crow sitting on a branch happened to defecate on his head. The monk became furious, looked up at the crow with rage, and the crow was instantly burnt to ash. The monk developed a great ego, thinking, "Look at the power I have attained; I can turn a crow to ash."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Later, driven by hunger, he went to a house to ask for alms. A lady from inside said, "Wait a moment, Father. I am arranging food for you, but I have something to attend to first." The monk thought to himself, "How arrogant of her to make me wait! When she comes out, I will look at her and turn her to ash, just like I did to that crow."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
When the lady finally opened the door, she said, "My husband is ill, and I was caring for him. Please don't be angry for the delay, and please don't think I am that crow you turned to ash. You cannot burn me with your gaze. I am standing right here—try it if you want."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The monk was stunned. He couldn't do anything to her. The lady then said, "You haven't completed your journey yet. You are like an empty vessel. Go to the market and find the butcher who sells meat; you will learn something from him."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The monk asked, "How do you know all this?" She replied, "One who is dedicated to their own duty and service can know such things."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The monk went to the market and saw a man cutting meat. Upon seeing the monk, the butcher welcomed him and said, "You will eat at my house today. Please don't go anywhere else." The monk was surprised. He thought, "I have done so much meditation, yet I am being made to wait by a meat-seller." The butcher asked him to wait until he finished his work, then took him home, fed him, and made him comfortable.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Then the butcher went into his prayer room. The monk overheard him chanting mantras he had never heard in his life. After some time, the butcher came out. The monk asked, "You sell meat, yet how do you know all these mantras?"
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The butcher replied, "My father told me one thing: never abandon your ancestral trade, even while you perform your prayers and rituals. I follow that. But let me tell you, you are still an 'empty pitcher.' You turned a crow to ash and now you're showing off your 'monk-hood' to me. You haven't achieved anything real yet. Go back, call upon God, and leave your ego behind."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The monk was humbled. He realized he had only learned a minor sorcery (Kakorid) and hadn't achieved true spiritual depth. He went back to his meditation and eventually attained true enlightenment. That is the story of Kakorid.
Devotee:
Gurudev, from your story, we understand that fake monks cannot truly harm common people; rather, they bring harm upon themselves. But my question remains—when we go to Tarapith and these practitioners follow us, can they cause any immediate harm if we don't listen to them?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
No, harming others is a sin. One should not deceive or trick people. The consequences of such actions are terrible; often, such people end up destitute. You cannot truly trick people because God resides within them. God doesn't harm anyone. People often blame God for their misfortunes, saying, "God did this to me," but they rarely take responsibility for their own actions. The results we face are the fruits of our own deeds.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
These people at Tarapith who practice Kakorid do it just to earn a few hundred rupees. They use the little knowledge they have to impress people and make a living. That's all there is to it.
Devotee:
Pranam, Gurudev. Thank you for clarifying this. We had so many questions about why they approach us and whether we should be afraid. Now we understand it's a personal choice whether to engage with them or not. Pranam.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam.