Narrator:
(Sound of a conch shell blowing and ambient temple sounds)
Interviewer:
Greetings, viewers. On this late afternoon, I begin this episode by offering my respects to Mother Bamdev at Shantikunj and to you, Gurudev.
Gurudev:
Yes, blessings.
Interviewer:
Today's special episode is about Goddess Annapurna. We know that Annapurna is a significant deity, but I would like to hear more from you, and for our viewers to learn about her. I believe there is also a special event in your life connected to Goddess Annapurna.
Gurudev:
The word "Annapurna" means the one who fulfills with "Anna" (food). She is also called Annada. India is a land of food, and she provides for everyone. Usually, a puja (worship) is held from the first day of the lunar month until the ninth day, known as Navaratri. This also happens during the month of Chaitra. On the Chaitra Shukla Ashtami (the eighth day of the waxing moon), the puja of Mother Annapurna is performed.
Gurudev:
Mother Annapurna resides in Kashi (Varanasi). There is also the "Dashabaktra Shiva" there—Shiva with ten heads and twenty hands. This is the tradition. Every year, the "Annakut" festival is also held there on this day.
Interviewer:
Could you tell us about the mythological history that many people might not know?
Gurudev:
When Sati gave up her life, Mahadev (Shiva) was devastated. Before that, he had sent one of his followers...
Interviewer:
He sent an attendant?
Gurudev:
Yes, to destroy the sacrifice (Yajna).
Interviewer:
Was it Vidur?
Gurudev:
No, I forget the name for a moment... but he was sent to disrupt Daksha's sacrifice. When the sacrifice was ruined, Sati could not bear the insult directed at her husband by Daksha Raj. In the fire of the Yajna, she jumped and immolated herself. When Shiva heard this news—he had warned her not to go as she would be insulted, but she didn't listen—he went to Daksha's palace.
Gurudev:
Daksha had organized a sacrifice excluding Shiva. Shiva had warned Sati, "Don't go, you will be insulted," but she went to her father's house regardless. Her father, Daksha, insulted her and spoke ill of Shiva. Sati, unable to bear the insults toward her husband, jumped into the sacrificial fire and died.
Gurudev:
When the news reached Shiva, he went to Kankhal (near Haridwar). He took Sati's body on his shoulders and began the Tandava (the dance of destruction). He ordered his followers to behead anyone they found. Daksha was beheaded by Shiva's attendant.
Interviewer:
That was Virabhadra.
Gurudev:
Yes, Virabhadra. When Shiva arrived and took Sati's body, Daksha's wife pleaded at Shiva's feet, "Will I be a widow?" Shiva thought for a moment and said, "Go, find a goat, cut off its head, and place it on Daksha's body." This was done, and Daksha was revived with a goat's head. This is why he is known as "Chhagamunda Daksha" (Goat-headed Daksha). Shiva proved that the one who performs a sacrifice without Shiva is like a goat without knowledge.
Gurudev:
As Shiva continued his Tandava, Brahma and Vishnu became worried that the world would be destroyed. Brahma told Vishnu, "Use your Sudarshana Chakra to cut Sati's body into pieces." Vishnu did so, and the body was divided into 51 pieces. Wherever a part of her body fell, a Shakti Peetha was established—like Kalighat, Kamakhya, and Bakreshwar.
Gurudev:
Afterward, Shiva took his trident (Trishul) and declared, "From today, I will reside in Kashi." He planted his trident in the ground, and Kashi is said to rest on the tip of that trident. It is called "Jhulan Kashi" (Hanging Kashi). In Kashi, there is never a shortage of food, nor any great famine or pandemic, because it sits on Shiva's trident.
Gurudev:
In Kashi, Shiva has ten heads and twenty hands. There is a connection here with Ravana. When Ravana performed penance to Brahma for immortality, Brahma wouldn't grant it easily. Ravana began cutting off his heads. Brahma and Vishnu eventually blessed him with a form of immortality. Ravana had ten heads and twenty hands (in some versions), and he thought he was invincible.
Gurudev:
However, Brahma left a loophole—he didn't protect Ravana from humans, as Ravana considered humans his food. This led to the birth of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna to defeat him.
Gurudev:
Ravana had a half-brother named Kubera, the god of wealth. Kubera saw that Ravana had become immortal and feared he would steal all his wealth. Kubera went to his father, who told him to seek refuge with Mahadev (Shiva). Kubera went to Mount Kailash and performed penance. Shiva appeared and asked what he wanted.
Gurudev:
Kubera said, "Ravana will take all my wealth. What should I do?" Shiva replied, "Go to Kashi. Mother Annapurna is there providing food to the world. Give some of your wealth to her. With the rest, establish a 'Yakshapuri' in the north of Kailash. By my blessing, no ordinary person will ever be able to set foot there."
Gurudev:
That Yakshapuri is what people today call "Gyanganj" (or Shambhala). Many sages and saints live there, but the entrance is hidden. According to Shiva's instructions, no one can find the gate to Gyanganj unless they are highly realized beings.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, is Mother Annapurna's blessing limited to Varanasi?
Gurudev:
No, she provides food to the entire world. That is why she is called Annapurna. There is a mantra for her: "Raktang bichitrabasanaang naba-chandra-churaam..." This mantra is chanted by those who seek her blessings for food.
Gurudev:
In my own life, when I was performing penance, Mother told me, "I will come to your house." For 30 years now, she has been worshipped in my home. Every year, before the puja, I return home and find the preparations ready.
Interviewer:
There is a story about an elderly lady who visits your ashram every year during the puja?
Gurudev:
Yes, every year while I am performing the puja, an elderly lady comes and leaves some money. I never have a shortage of funds for the puja because of this. She comes, gives the money, and leaves. It is her blessing.
Interviewer:
Who do you think she is?
Gurudev:
It's better not to say, but her blessings are clearly there.
Gurudev:
Now, about Gyanganj—it is actually the Yakshapuri of the Yakshas. The Lamas (yogis) maintain it. Some of these Lamas are 400 or 500 years old. There is a "Jutsu Lama" who is said to be 400 years old and very strong. They protect the sages in Gyanganj.
Interviewer:
I've heard that Jutsu Lama stays in Varanasi and helps realized souls find the entrance to Gyanganj.
Gurudev:
Yes, I have heard this. The Dean of Benares Hindu University once wrote me a letter asking how I knew these things. I told him that whether he believes it or not, I know that recruitment for Gyanganj happens from there, and Jutsu Lama is the main contact who takes great souls to Shangri-La (Gyanganj).
Interviewer:
To conclude, what is the appearance of Mother Annapurna?
Gurudev:
In Kashi, she appears as an old woman (Vridha). Her body is aged, and she is described as being bent under the weight of her breasts as she feeds Shiva. She wears beautiful Benarasi sarees. Every day, someone offers a new Benarasi saree at her temple. She is the one who removes the hunger and sorrow of the world.
Interviewer:
Thank you, Gurudev. We learned so much about Mother Annapurna and the secrets of Gyanganj today.
Gurudev:
Blessings to all.
Narrator:
(Outro music)
Spiritual Insight
This profound discourse connects the mythological origins of Mother Annapurna with the esoteric secrets of Gyanganj (Yakshapuri). The story of Sati's sacrifice and the scattering of her 51 body parts across India established the sacred Shakti Peethas, while Shiva's planting of his trident in Kashi created a city that never experiences famine or pandemic. The revelation that Gyanganj—home to immortal sages and the mysterious Jutsu Lama—is accessed through Benares Hindu University, reveals how the spiritual and academic worlds intertwine. The mysterious elderly lady who provides funds for the annual Annapurna Puja reminds us that divine grace often arrives in unexpected forms.