Narrator:
"This (Khokan Das) is my first shadow partner," said Shyama Khyapa || by Shyama Khyapa YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGNk84xD9JE
Narrator:
Transcript: A Conversation with Gurudev and Khokon Das
Narrator:
[00:00 - 00:10] (The sound of a conch shell blowing and ritualistic percussion.)
Devotee:
Pranam, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam, Baba. Pranam, Pranam.
Devotee:
Gurudev, today we have with us Khokon Das, someone who has been a part of your 33-year spiritual journey (sadhana) since the very first day. He is here with us today. Pranam, Khokon-da.
Khokon Das:
Pranam.
Devotee:
Today, we want to hear from you about some unknown facts regarding Gurudev's 33 years of practice-things that we might not know yet. Could you tell us something about that?
Khokon Das:
I have been with Gurudev since the very beginning of his sadhana. It started on the fourth floor of a warehouse in Rajpur Market. That was where he first established the Mother (Goddess) and performed rituals. My acquaintance with Gurudev began right then, and I have been with him ever since.
Devotee:
So, this was around 1988 or 1989?
Khokon Das:
Yes, 1988-89. Later, the Mother was moved from there to the lower floor of our Association building. Gurudev used to spend long hours meditating in the cremation grounds (shmashan), and I was his companion. After that, we moved to a place called Jalghar, where Gurudev continued his practice. From there, he first went to Kamakhya; he took me along. I used to clean everything and arrange the food for the Mother. He also visited the Narmada River, Tarapith, and Sagar. Gurudev took me with him to Tarapith and Sagar as well. Rituals for the Mother were performed in all those places.
Khokon Das:
I have witnessed many miraculous events. One day, I saw Gurudev sitting and meditating in the Jalghar. I left to go to Ram-da's tea stall for a cup of tea. When I arrived, I saw Gurudev was already there, sitting and having tea!
Devotee:
Khokon-da, we have heard of many miraculous stories regarding Gurudev. Could you share another such instance with us?
Khokon Das:
Like I said, I saw him meditating in one place and then immediately saw him at the tea stall. When I asked him, "I just saw you over there!" he simply replied, "What are you talking about? I'm here having tea."
Khokon Das:
There are many more stories. During the time he stayed at the cremation ground, he would sometimes scold people. I remember him telling someone whose child was very ill, "Your child will live." Despite everyone saying the child wouldn't survive, the child recovered. Similar things happened with my own son; Gurudev saved my son's life.
Devotee:
Could you elaborate on one of those stories?
Khokon Das:
Once, Gurudev came to my house to establish a deity. As soon as he stepped onto the porch, he began to experience immense pain. It was as if someone had cast a spiritual spell (baan) on him. He couldn't even get up. We called a doctor named Pallab, but even after giving him medicine, the pain didn't subside. Then Gurudev told me, "Take me to the cremation ground on a bicycle." I took him there. He sat on the ritual seat (chita) and meditated for about two hours. Only then did the burning sensation in his body subside. It was nearly 12:30 AM when I brought him back home. The person who tried to harm him ended up suffering greatly himself. Gurudev didn't do anything to him; he just meditated, but the negative energy rebounded.
Devotee:
You have been with him for over 32 years. Do you ever feel the presence of the Mother (Goddess)?
Khokon Das:
I can feel it. I won't say anything fabricated, but I truly feel the connection between the Mother and Gurudev. Whatever I have asked of Gurudev, he has conveyed to the Mother, and she has made it happen. I have seen her in my dreams as well-Goddess Kali being worshipped by Gurudev.
Khokon Das:
Once at Ganga Sagar, a little girl-who we believe was the Mother herself-came and asked for a cloth and something to eat. After we gave them to her, she vanished. There was also a time during Durga Puja when Gurudev said a woman would come and warned us not to turn her away. When she finally appeared, she looked different to different people, and we were unable to give her anything.
Devotee:
We've heard that Gurudev faced a lot of trouble during his early days of sadhana.
Khokon Das:
Yes, in the cremation ground, people used to harass him. They would throw bricks at him while he was meditating under the Banyan tree. Someone once even threw a garland made of dead bones around his neck. Once, a boy tried to snatch his Rudraksha garland, but he couldn't keep it; he had to return it the very next morning.
Khokon Das:
In Narmada, Gurudev miraculously found an idol of Goddess Jagadhatri. Since then, the worship of Jagadhatri began in his room. Regarding his travels, he often had no money, and neither did I, yet someone would always come and offer to take him to Kamakhya or Tarapith. He once spent three months in Kamakhya.
Khokon Das:
I have found my God in Gurudev. I don't need anything else.
Devotee:
Gurudev, your companion of 33 years has shared so much. Would you like to say something about him?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He has been with me since the beginning. I used to work in an office where 50 people were employed. I eventually closed it down. One night, I had a divine dream where I was told, "This work is not for you. Establish me and worship me." I started my practice in a small attic room. Later, I started meditating with a human skull, which caused some issues with the landlord, so I moved to a bamboo grove for three years. Then I moved to the office building which is now our Association. I have traveled all over India-Bombay, Pashupatinath in Nepal, everywhere. Whenever I went away, these disciples would look after the Mother-cleaning and offering food.
Khokon Das:
I remember an incident in Tarapith. A boy with cancer fainted. Gurudev revived him with his mantras and spiritual power. That boy, Swapan Baul, had been suffering from cancer for 19 years and lived by eating the soil from the Mother's temple.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
There was also an incident at Mundamalinitola in Tarapith. I told everyone not to look toward the riverbank (ghat) after 4 AM because the Mother comes there to bathe. Even though there was no water in the river at that time of year, we all heard the distinct sound of someone splashing and bathing in the water. Once the "bathing" was over, the sound disappeared, and the area was dry again. My disciples are witnesses to this.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I have visited the Jagannath Temple in Puri 30 to 40 times. Lord Jagannath is very dear to me. I have had many spiritual experiences there. I even get scared if I see the temple flag fluttering or tearing because I feel such a deep, personal connection to it.
Devotee:
We've noticed that when you are away, the expression on the Mother's idol seems to change.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That is because I take the Mother with me. I tell her, "Come with me," and we go together. People notice that the idol lacks its usual "smile" when I am gone. These days, I no longer enter the inner sanctum (garbhagriha) of any temple. I offer my respects from the outside. These disciples now handle the rituals and the homa (fire sacrifices). I feel at peace knowing the Mother is being cared for even when I am not physically there.
Devotee:
It has been a privilege to hear these stories from the last 33 years.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It's a long history. Many things happened. In the early days, I used to wear pants and a shirt so that people wouldn't recognize me as a practitioner. We used to struggle even for basic things like wood or bael leaves for the rituals. But the Mother ensured everything was provided.
Devotee:
Pranam, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam, Baba. Pranam.