Disciple 1:
Gurudev!
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Blessings, my child, blessings.
Disciple 1:
Gurudev, this coming Saturday, the 5th, is the Puja of Mother Annapurna.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, brother.
Disciple 1:
You used to hold a grand Annapurna Puja at your home.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It went on for thirty-two consecutive years. Then, two deaths occurred in the family, and it has been suspended for the past two years.
Disciple 1:
Yes, your mother passed away.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
My mother passed away, so it couldn't be held. And last year, my brother passed away, so it remained closed. However, I intend to resume it at my home from next year if everything goes well. This year, following your wishes, I plan to perform a smaller puja here at the cremation ground. I have arranged for a priest. The Annapurna Puja will take place. I, too, feel a deep desire for it.
Disciple 2:
The puja will begin on Saturday morning. Uncle will perform the puja this year, and Sujit Babu might perform the Homa (fire ritual).
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, he said he would do the Homa. My brother-in-law said he would perform the puja. Everything is arranged. We are making arrangements for the cooking and distribution of food. You cannot turn anyone away during Annapurna Puja; whoever comes must be fed. That is the rule.
Disciple 2:
Even if it's just a little, something must be given.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Exactly. It used to be a massive event at our house; nearly two to two and a half thousand people would eat. It was a grand affair.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
But do you know the origin of Annapurna? My Guru's brother was named Ram. When Ram had his last child, he went to my Guru and asked for a name. My Guru said, "If it's a girl, name her Annapurna. She will be the one to bring me food here at the cremation ground." As he predicted, it was a girl, and she was named Annapurna. As she grew older, she was the one who provided food for my Guru as long as he lived.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
But the deeper story lies elsewhere. You know of Sati's sacrifice? Sati was the daughter of Daksha. Daksha had organized a grand Yajna (sacrifice), but it was a Shiva-less Yajna—Shiva was not invited. When Sati heard of it, she wanted to go. Shiva warned her, "Do not go. You will be insulted. Do not go to Daksha's house."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
But she would not listen. She insisted on going. She lamented to her companions, "You will all go and receive affection, but if I go, my father will not even speak to me." She went to Daksha's house, and Daksha insulted her greatly. He called her husband a beggar who roams the cremation grounds. He heaped many insults upon them.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The sacrifice was illegitimate because it was performed without Shiva's consent or presence. A Yajna has no value if Shiva is not there. Out of arrogance, Daksha had excluded his own son-in-law.
Disciple 2:
Because he believed Shiva was just someone who wandered the cremation grounds.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, he thought Shiva was someone who consumed intoxicants and mingled with ghosts and spirits. Sati's mother, Menaka, felt the same. There is a song about it: "Come and see what kind of son-in-law you have... he arrives riding a bull, his followers are barefoot, some are deformed, some are covered in ash..." She couldn't believe her beautiful daughter was married to such a man.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Sati could not bear the insults directed at her husband. When the Homa was being performed, she jumped into the sacrificial fire and gave up her life.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
When Shiva heard that Sati had died, he became like a madman. He tore a lock of hair from his head and dashed it against the ground. From that, Virabhadra was born. Shiva commanded, "Destroy Daksha's sacrifice! Spare no one!" Virabhadra was immensely powerful. He went to Kankhal—which is the site of Daksha's house—and destroyed everything. He even beheaded Daksha.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Shiva then arrived to claim Sati's body. He took her in his arms and began a dance of destruction across the skies. Narayan (Vishnu) saw that if Shiva continued this dance with Sati's body, the world would be destroyed. So, he released his Sudarshana Chakra, which cut Sati's body into pieces. Fifty-one pieces fell across the land, which are now known as the fifty-one Shakti Peethas.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
After this, Shiva wondered what he would do now that Sati was gone. He wandered until he struck his trident into the ground at Kashi (Varanasi). He declared, "From today, I am a resident of Kashi." That is why it is said that Kashi sits on the tip of Mahadev's trident. Famine can never touch Kashi. People there will never die of hunger. In the old days, people would say in their old age, "I want to go and live out my days in Kashi." There was never a lack of food or anything else.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Mother Annapurna saw this and wondered, "Who will feed Shiva?" She took the form of Annapurna and came to Kashi. There, she provides food to Shiva every single day. Because of this, even today, no one in Kashi goes without food.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That is why we say to those going to Kashi: offer a bit of gold to the Mother if you can, and bring back a bag of rice. If you mix that rice with the rice at your home, you will never face the pangs of hunger.
Disciple 2:
You are the remover of the world's sorrows.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
There is a prayer that describes her: she wears beautiful red garments, her crescent moon adorns Shiva's head, she is the provider of food, and she is so full of maternal grace that her blessings reach everyone.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I was once meditating at Manikarnika Ghat in Kashi. Afterward, I sat at Dashashwamedh Ghat. An old woman with a walking stick approached me and asked, "Will you give me some money?" I gave her whatever I had in my pocket. She said to me, "You go home; I will go to your house."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
When I returned home from Kashi, the Annapurna Puja started. I didn't even know it was going to happen. It continued for thirty-two years. The Mother stays in many guises to test the hearts of people. She tested me and told me she would come to my house. And so the puja began. It has been closed for two years, but we will do it here this year, and next year it will return to my home.
Disciple 2:
Yes, Gurudev. We will do it on a smaller scale here. All the rituals and the Homa will be performed.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Just remember one thing: no one should go away empty-handed. Everyone should receive food. That is a vital aspect of Annapurna Puja.
Disciple 1:
We will ensure that, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Blessings to you all.
Disciple 1:
Pranam, Gurudev.