Devotee:
Greetings, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Greetings, son. Tell me.
Devotee:
Today, I want to talk to you about a different subject.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Sure, definitely.
Devotee:
This temple has been here for many years now, hasn't it?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
This one has been here for about 10 years. That other one over there is 24 years old. The older temple was small, and there used to be huge crowds. So, I asked the Divine Mother, and she made arrangements for this place. At least 100 people can sit or stand here without any trouble.
Devotee:
You have spent nearly 40 years in spiritual practice here at the Rajpur Mahashashan (cremation ground). Many people used to visit you before, and they still do.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, but not as many as before. It has decreased.
Devotee:
That is exactly my question. I haven't seen the past, but I have heard about it. I have only been coming here for the last five or six years.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
So, you came after 2019? Around 2020 or 2021? Then you don't know the full story. You haven't seen the influence I used to have.
Devotee:
No, I've only heard about it. I heard that people were almost afraid to approach you because of your fierce, commanding presence. I want to know—I've heard that very influential and wealthy people used to visit you.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, very wealthy people used to come. But slowly, some bad elements entered this place. I am the kind of person who doesn't drive anyone away. If someone comes to sit before the Mother or serve her, I don't stop them. For instance, you see Otonu—he doesn't do much, but I have told everyone that as long as I am alive, he shouldn't be forced to leave. If people give him money, he stays; otherwise, he leaves. But I've told them not to abuse him or speak ill of him. He is a child of the Mother; who knows what is inside him? If a curse comes from the heart, it works.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
There was a man named Dulal who used to verbally abuse Otonu right in front of me. I held his hand and begged him not to do it. He was much younger than me. He didn't listen and eventually died of a heart attack. That's why I tell people to be careful.
Devotee:
My question was about why the number of "big" people visiting has decreased.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
You are here, so you know. The people who were here before started slandering me. They told others, "He doesn't know anything, why do you go to him? Why waste your money?" Many prominent people from places like the Morris Library and the Gija Library stopped coming after hearing these rumors. They spread it everywhere—that I am a fraud. I heard this with my own ears, and many people told me as well. Some people still come, but many of those who were my disciples and loved me have moved away.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
But it doesn't matter to me. I don't run a business. I don't need to call people to ensure I get a meal. I love everyone who comes here. Some people have simply spread "poison in the air." They tried to extinguish my light. As Rabindranath Tagore said: "Those who have poisoned your air and extinguished your light, have you forgiven them? Do you still love them?"
Devotee:
But Gurudev, I don't think anyone can truly extinguish your light.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It's a matter of perception. If you keep telling someone, "Why go to him? He has no power," eventually, they believe it. Have you heard the story of the goat?
Devotee:
Please, tell us.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
A man was carrying a goat home to eat. Some boys saw him and decided to trick him. The first boy asked, "Why are you carrying a dog?" The man said, "No, it's a goat." A little further, another boy said, "Look at this man carrying a dog!" This happened a few more times until the man got frustrated, believed it was a dog, and let the goat go. The boys then took the goat and had a feast. That's what happened here. They poisoned people's minds.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Even when I was recently ill, some wealthy people asked, "Who has enough money to keep giving to him?" I tell you, I can raise ten million or a hundred million rupees right now if I want to. I don't do it. People who know me send money without me even asking.
Devotee:
The very people who became wealthy because of your blessings are often the ones who say these things. It's a common theme in literature—you get hurt by those you help.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Exactly. But I have disciples all over the world. A girl in Bangladesh couldn't get a job; I prayed to the Mother, and she got it. She sent me 100,000 rupees from her first salary without a word. Someone from Switzerland sent 100,000 rupees. I don't lack anything. The Mother has made arrangements through YouTube and other ways so I can have my "dal-bhaat" (basic meals).
Devotee:
Gurudev, your "power" or aura used to be so fierce that people were terrified to stand before you. Why is that intensity less visible now?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It's because of the current situation. We work with the power of nature. Nature is telling me, "Don't show your power right now. We are withdrawing it." The deities are telling me to remain ordinary. If I show my power now, I will suffer physically. I've already been hospitalized five times because of this.
Devotee:
I've heard so many stories—that you brought a dead child back to life who now lives in America. That you took a snake bite upon yourself to save a family and their land. I've seen cancer patients arrive on stretchers and walk away on their own feet. I've seen you restore sight to the blind.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The power will return, but for now, I must remain ordinary. Nature has warned me. People wonder where the money for my hospital bills came from since I don't have any. My disciples, who would give their lives for me, provided everything. Over 1.2 million rupees were spent when I was in the hospital. I didn't ask for it; people just gave.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I was very hurt when a woman, a disciple I loved dearly, said, "Who will keep giving him money every time he falls ill?" Since then, she hasn't come back. But money still comes. I don't need much. People from Qatar and Dubai come with bags of money, and I sometimes tell them jokingly, "Don't give me this 'dirty' money," and tell them to distribute it to the poor instead.
Devotee:
Behavior is the true identity of a person. It's sad that people you helped now speak ill of you.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, I've helped people build their homes, signed their property deeds to help them, and this is the return. But as I said, I still think of that Tagore poem. Character and "knowledge" (enlightenment) are more important than bookish education. If people had that, they wouldn't act this way.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I can still raise half a million rupees with two phone calls. I recently called a lady in Pune, and she sent 50,000 rupees within five minutes. She told me never to pay it back.
Devotee:
Your greatness is well-known on social media now, even if you wanted to keep it secret as a "Gupta Sadhak" (secret practitioner).
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I can still save a person's life if I want to, but I have been strictly forbidden from doing so right now. I must stay quiet.
Devotee:
We will end the video here. Stay healthy, everyone. Greetings, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Greetings, son.