In the village of Bamdeb Baba (Bama Khepa), there was a man named Durgadas Bhattacharya, who was the village head. One day, Bamdeb Baba—who was a bit older then and accustomed to wandering through cremation grounds and smoking ganja—took three or four friends and said, "Let's go smoke some ganja."
Seeing people around, they decided to hide inside a haystack to smoke. After smoking, they accidentally dropped the embers from the pipe into the straw. It was an honest mistake, as can happen. Suddenly, the haystack caught fire. Flames began to spread everywhere.
Durgadas Babu rushed out and was stunned to see the haystack burning fiercely. Neighbors arrived with water. Durgadas Kaka asked, "Who did this?" He caught Bamdeb Baba and asked, "Did you set the haystack on fire?"
Bamdeb replied, "We were smoking ganja here, and the fire fell. I don't know how it spread."
Durgadas was furious. He ordered the men to pick Bamdeb up and throw him into the burning haystack. The villagers thought such a boy was better off dead. They tossed Bamdeb Baba into the fire. Durgadas said, "Good, the nuisance is gone," and walked away.
As they were extinguishing the fire, they couldn't find Bamdeb's body. Durgadas said, "What do you mean? I threw him right into the fire!" The villagers replied, "Yes, we all saw it, but he isn't here." He was bewildered. Where did Bamdeb go?
At that moment, Bamdeb Baba was actually playing under a Shimul tree—the abode of Nila Saraswati. News reached Durgadas Babu that Bamdeb had been found at the Tarapith cremation ground. Durgadas went to see for himself and found Bamdeb sitting there, playing.
He called him over: "Listen, I threw you into the fire. How did you get out?"
Bamdeb replied, "What can I say? When you threw me into the fire, Mother Tara lifted me into her arms. She carried me a distance away, set me down, and said, 'Go, don't do this anymore. Go play under the Shimul tree where Nila Saraswati resides. No one will catch you or say anything to you there.'"
Durgadas Babu was astonished. From that day on, he became a great devotee of Bamdeb. He would visit every evening. One day, Bamdeb Baba was in a very jolly mood, singing songs. He loved Prasadi songs. He was humming a tune, and Logen Kaka was nearby. He said, "Oh, Logen Kaka, prepare the pipe!"
Just then, Durgadas Kaka arrived. As Bamdeb was smoking, he noticed Durgadas standing there. He said, "What happened, Durgadas Kaka? Come in!"
Durgadas replied, "No, I have treated you so poorly; I cannot come near you. It weighs on my heart."
Bamdeb said, "Forget what happened in the past! Come here, sit with me. Why are you acting like this?"
He was in a great mood. His elder brother, Tara Khepa, used to sing Prasadi songs. When Tara Khepa sang with his beautiful voice, Bamdeb would cry uncontrollably. His father, Sarvananda, was also a huge fan of those songs.
Durgadas Kaka sat down. He seemed restless. Bamdeb asked, "Durgadas, do you want to say something?"
Durgadas replied, "Yes, there are a few things I am struggling to understand. Tell me, what is Ashtanga Yoga?"
Guru: "Listen carefully, Durgadas Kaka," Bamdeb said. "Ashtanga Yoga consists of eight parts: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi." (Note: Pratyahara is the 5th limb, though not explicitly listed in that sequence in the audio).
Durgadas then asked, "And what are the Shada Chakras (Six Chakras)?"
Bamdeb explained, "The six chakras are Muladhara, Svadhishthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddha, and Ajna."
Durgadas then asked about the Dasah Chakra (Ten Chakras).
Bamdeb explained, "God has sent us into this world of Maya (illusion) as men and women. He has given us these chakras. He divided them into two parts: the Munda (Head) and the Meru (Spine). The Head is called Nis-traigunya (beyond the three gunas), and the Spine is called Traigunya (within the three gunas).
In the Head, there are five elements: Vidya (Knowledge), Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwar (Shiva), and Ajnana (Ignorance). In the Spine, there are also five chakras: Vishuddha, Anahata, Manipura, Svadhishthana, and Muladhara. Combined, these make the ten chakras. This is why people say 'God resides in the ten chakras' (Dasho chakre Bhagwan bhoot)."
Durgadas then asked, "What is the Kundalini shakti?"
Bamdeb replied, "This is a difficult subject. The place where we evacuate is the Muladhara. It is also called the Gujjhya. There, you find 'Hal' (the plough) and 'Beej' (the seed). It's like preparing a field and sowing seeds. Two fingers above the anus and four fingers below the male organ, there is a triangle. Inside that triangle is a Shiva-like entity, and wrapped around it two-and-a-half times is a serpent-like power. Unless you can uncoil that power, you cannot see God."
"How do we uncoil it?" Durgadas asked.
Bamdeb explained, "It is possible through Kumbhaka (breath retention). There are three channels: Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna. We call Ida and Pingala 'Ganga' and 'Yamuna.' Inside the spine, there is a channel as thin as a thread found inside a lotus stalk; that is the Sushumna. Even after a person is declared dead, this Sushumna nerve can function for up to four hours. That is why doctors often wait four hours before issuing a death certificate—they cannot easily detect the state of this third nerve.
When we practice Pranayama or Kumbhaka, it becomes a play of 'air.' The spine feels a tingling sensation. We imagine Ganga on one side, Yamuna on the other, and a 'fish' playing in the middle. This is the essence of Kumbhaka. It starts from the Vishuddha and goes down to the Muladhara.
The Nivritti Marg belongs to those who are above these six enemies. They have conquered them and turned their own bodies into a 'cremation ground' (a place of detachment). These are the two paths.
Bamdeb Baba stayed with Durgadas Kaka for a long time. Durgadas once said to him, "Baba, you are a man, but you are Tara herself."
Bamdeb replied, "What are you saying, Logen Kaka? Oh, wait—you are right. Tara is Purusha (the Supreme Being/Male); Tara is not a 'girl.' You are correct."
Disciple: But Gurudeb, we see Nila Saraswati or Tara in a female form, like a mother. Why do you say 'Male'?
Guru: This is a deep concept in Tantra. Consider Tarapith. The river there, the Dwarka river, is unique. Usually, rivers flow from North to South. But the Dwarka is Uttarbahini—it flows from South to North. In our spiritual practice, especially in Pranayama and Kumbhaka, we move energy from the bottom upwards, not downwards. This makes Tarapith an ideal place for practice. Most people don't realize how significant that 'North-flowing' river is for Yoga.
Bamdeb explained to Durgadas that Kumbhaka is essential to awaken the five chakras in the spine and the five in the head. This awakening doesn't happen on its own; it requires 'air' (breath control) through the process of Rechaka (exhalation) and Puraka (inhalation).