Devotee:
Salutations, Gurudev.
Guru:
Salutations, my son.
Devotee:
My salutations to all the viewers. Today's episode begins here at Shanti Kunja. Before we start, I would like to inform everyone of something we mention repeatedly: the meeting hours with Gurudev are from Monday to Friday, between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Please note that Gurudev does not meet anyone on Saturdays, Sundays, Full Moon (Purnima), New Moon (Amavasya), or Ekadashi. Please maintain this schedule.
Devotee:
Now, Gurudev, let's begin today's episode. Today, you are seated with the Divine Mother in your lap. For the benefit of our viewers, could you please share some unknown facts about the Mother? Something that we ordinary people might not know?
Guru:
You see, I still haven't truly understood the Mother myself. Even after forty years of spiritual practice, I haven't fully grasped who She is. My own Guru couldn't fully comprehend Her either. He used to look at Goddess Kali and say, "She is very proud; it is incredibly difficult to please Her." And he was right—it truly is difficult. There is no doubt about it. Forget about attaining Her; even understanding Her attributes is beyond human capacity. Despite our years of worship, we cannot fully explain Her qualities, and neither could my Guru.
Guru:
One thing I can say is that the Mother is Sagun (with attributes), and Mahakal (Lord Shiva), who lies beneath Her feet, is Nirgun (without attributes). Thus, the Sagun stands upon the Nirgun.
Guru:
Mother Durga is also referred to as Annapurna. It is said that She has fire on Her forehead—Her third eye represents this fire. In Her hands, She holds a freshly severed head and a sword. If you look at the sword, it appears as if it has just finished slaying a demon. Her right hand is in a gesture of giving, but it is hard to say what She is asking for in return. Her other hand is in the Abhaya Mudra (the gesture of fearlessness), through which She blesses humanity.
Guru:
What is She seeking? Knowledge, devotion, love, and respect—or perhaps She is testing what people offer Her. It is hard to say. In Her left hand, She holds a garland of heads and that freshly severed head. This is what I can tell you, though I truly know very little.
Guru:
Even Lord Shiva, the God of Gods, who lies at Her feet as Mahakal, could not fully describe Her. He has five faces (Panchamukha), yet even with five mouths, he could not finish praising Her qualities. How can I, with only one mouth, hope to explain Her? To try to do so would be a display of cleverness, and nothing great is ever achieved through mere cleverness.
Guru:
It is better not to claim to know Her true form. Those who have truly known Her have become "mad" with divine intoxication. We have tried to know Her, but we have not yet succeeded. Yet, we will continue to call out to Her until we understand or until She shows Her mercy. The Vedas say that you must keep calling Her throughout your life, regardless of whether She reveals Herself or not. It depends on the depth of your devotion. Some people claim they have "found" Her or seen Her dance, but we have yet to experience even the sound of Her anklets.
Devotee:
Gurudev, are Adi Shakti, Mahamaya, and Kali all the same?
Guru:
Yes, absolutely. There is no difference between Adi Shakti, Mahamaya, and Kali. Adi Shakti was born on the day of Ashtami—specifically, during Janmashtami. She was born in Gokul, while Lord Krishna was born in Mathura, in Kamsa's prison.
Devotee:
She was born in Gokul, but grew up elsewhere?
Guru:
She was born in Mathura. She was born from the womb of Nanda Raja's wife (Yashoda), while Krishna was born from Devaki in Kamsa's prison. Both are manifestations of Adi Shakti. Even NASA has essentially acknowledged seeing a form of Krishna in the cosmos and has shared images. It is wonderful when science validates these truths.
Guru:
On that night, when Vasudev was carrying the infant Krishna across the river in a basket, the Great Serpent Ananta (Shesha) held his hood over them like an umbrella to protect them from the rain. Seeing the vast waters of the Yamuna, Vasudev wondered how to cross, but then he saw a fox crossing the river easily. He followed the fox, realizing the water wasn't deep there. He reached Gokul, swapped the babies—leaving Krishna with Yashoda and taking the baby girl (Mahamaya) back to Kamsa's prison.
Guru:
The most amazing thing was that as Krishna left the prison, all the guards fell into a deep sleep, and the prison doors opened automatically. When the baby girl was brought back, the doors locked again. This is a great mystery of history.
Guru:
Kamsa knew that his killer would be Devaki's eighth child. He had already killed her first seven children. When he heard the eighth child was born, he rushed to the prison, only to find it was a girl. Even so, he tried to kill Her. But as he tried to dash Her against a stone, She slipped from his hands and ascended into the sky, taking the form of the Goddess. She flew toward the Vindhyachal mountains and warned him, "The one who will kill you is growing up in Gokul."
Guru:
In Gokul, Krishna grew up and performed many miracles—slaying demons like Putana and Bakasura, and subduing the serpent Kaliya.
Devotee:
Yesterday was the auspicious Janmashtami, Krishna's birthday. Today is Nanda Utsav.
Guru:
Krishna's birth is celebrated on Ashtami, but the Nakshatra (stellar constellation) is very important. As the saying goes, "What does the date or day matter? The Nakshatra is everything." Krishna was born under the Rohini Nakshatra. Without this constellation, the birth is not traditionally celebrated. Even for our rituals and sacrifices, we look for the right Nakshatra.
Guru:
Today is Nanda Utsav, where Krishna is offered various foods and delicacies. But remember, He was just a newborn baby then. His only food was His mother's milk.
Devotee:
Then why is Nanda Utsav celebrated?
Guru:
It is celebrated because a son was born in Nanda's house. Nanda distributed sweets and held a great feast to celebrate the joy of the arrival of a child. Since Krishna had been moved to Nanda's home, Nanda celebrated the birth with great pomp.
Guru:
There is also a story about the "newborn" (Shaddyajata) aspect. In the case of Lord Shiva, the final worship during Shivaratri is dedicated to his newborn form. Similarly, when Mother Kali was in her fierce, destructive form—where fire erupted wherever She stepped and Her army of ghosts followed—Lord Shiva wondered how to stop Her. No one had the power to calm Her. So, he took the form of a newborn baby lying on the road She was taking and began to cry "Ma, Ma."
Guru:
The Mother wondered, "Where is this baby coming from?" She saw the newborn, and Her maternal instinct took over. She picked him up, and in doing so, Her fierce energy was spent and She became calm. This is why the newborn form is worshipped. Krishna was also that "newborn." These stories are wonderful to hear and reflect upon.
Devotee:
Gurudev, let's conclude here for today. Salutations.
Guru:
Salutations, my son.