Narrator:
To understand the meaning of spirituality, the first question that came to my mind was: What is God? For whom are we performing all these rituals, fire sacrifices (Homa), and worship? Who is He, the one we are searching for so desperately? For whom do we crowd temples and various other places?
Narrator:
To find the answer to this question, I reached a spiritual practitioner at the Rajpur Crematorium today. His name is Shyama Khepa. He has a YouTube channel with over a hundred thousand subscribers, where he provides simple answers to many complex questions. Every day, more than a hundred people visit him with various problems, and he offers them solutions. Today, I also visited him with my question. Listen to what he had to say.
Interviewer:
Greetings, Guru-dev.
Shyama Khepa:
Greetings, my son.
Interviewer:
Guru-dev, today I have a question for you on behalf of all of us who believe in God. Despite everything, we still hold onto faith; we hold onto His feet as we navigate life. The first question that arises is: What is God? Who is this God we are running after to find?
Shyama Khepa:
You see, clever people never call out to God. Truly clever people don't. There was a saint named Trailokya Swami; you might have heard of him. Once, a group of atheists—people who didn't believe in God—went to him. They said, "Baba, we have a special request. We can't decide if God exists." He replied, "Tell me what's on your mind. If I know, I will answer." They said, "Baba, does God exist? We don't think He does. You are a wise man; you can tell us the truth."
Shyama Khepa:
He said, "Sit down, let me ask Him." He looked up toward the sky and shouted, "God, are you there?" After a moment, a voice came back: "No."
Shyama Khepa:
He told them, "See? God isn't there." The group discussed among themselves, saying, "See, even such a great man says God doesn't exist. We were right." They left, satisfied with their disbelief.
Shyama Khepa:
A few days later, another group arrived. They were devout believers. They said, "Baba, we have a question. Is God there? We are a bit confused." He told them to sit and said he would check. He shouted to the sky, "God, are you there?" This time, a voice replied, "Yes, I am."
Shyama Khepa:
He told them, "See? He is there."
Shyama Khepa:
So, you see, it is all a matter of belief. There is "blind faith," which I personally do not like—the idea of just clinging to His feet without understanding.
Interviewer:
So, blind faith isn't good?
Shyama Khepa:
Faith is good, but blind faith is not. Have faith that God exists, and leave it at that. Whether He exists or not, what changes for you? Whether you call out to Him or not, you will still eat, you will still walk the earth, you will still do everything. One person says He doesn't exist; another says He does. These are just two perspectives.
Shyama Khepa:
If you believe He doesn't exist, then for you, He truly doesn't. I can't "show" you God like a science experiment. Science can demonstrate things tangibly, but spirituality cannot. If you ask me to show you God, I will fail. It is entirely a matter of faith. Those who have faith experience Him; those who don't, don't.
Shyama Khepa:
The Vedas say: "Yaschaayamasminn-aakaashe tejomayo'mrtamayah purushah..." which means that the luminous, immortal Being who exists in the sky is the same as the soul within me. I will call out to Him until I know Him, until I feel His presence. That is what the Vedas teach.
Shyama Khepa:
Whether He is there or not, don't think God is the one doing everything. People think God gives them money. That's nonsense. Money rotates. Today it's with you, tomorrow it's with someone else. That is the law of the world, the "rotation." That is the real "God"—the law of nature. Everyone gets a turn; some lose it, some keep it. It shouldn't even be a topic of debate. I say, whether He's there or not, He never said, "Call me, and only then will I feed you." Both believers and atheists are eating. So, where is the difference? The difference is only in the mind.
Interviewer:
Guru-dev, the believers are often divided. Some believe in Dualism (Dvaitabad) and some in Non-dualism (Advaitabad). Which path should they take?
Shyama Khepa:
You live in Kolkata, the heart of these philosophies. Advaitabad is what Belur Math (Ramakrishna Mission) teaches—the idea that the Master is everything, that there is no second. They practice the meditation of the formless Brahman.
Shyama Khepa:
Then you have the Ramakrishna Mission's view on Dualism. Ramakrishna used to say that there was a deep connection between him and Vivekananda. But in my view, Vivekananda never truly "touched" the Master or the Mother in the traditional sense of Dualism. He was a staunch believer in Advaita (Non-dualism).
Shyama Khepa:
Vivekananda faced many struggles. When he went to Chicago for the Parliament of Religions, he crossed the "Kalapani" (the black water/ocean). In those days, crossing the ocean meant you were cast out of society. When he returned after winning that great intellectual war, he was boycotted. Society didn't accept him. He was like a "stray child" whom society refused to take back because he had broken the rules of the time.
Shyama Khepa:
Later, people's views changed, but he suffered greatly. He was a revolutionary. He protested against the stagnation of society.
Interviewer:
Was society not ready to accept him then?
Shyama Khepa:
No. He had crossed the ocean, so he was "unclean" to them. It's like a baby elephant—if it wanders into a human village and humans touch it, the herd won't take it back. That's how it was for him. When he got off the ship, hardly anyone was there to receive him. You will hear many sad stories about his struggles and how he protested against these social evils.
Shyama Khepa:
Regarding women—traditionally, women were treated as objects or products. Even today, that tradition continues in some ways. In the past, women weren't allowed to study the Vedas or perform rituals. Yet, we had great female seers like Gargi, Maitreyi, and Apala. They were Mantra-drashta (seers of mantras).
Shyama Khepa:
Have you heard of Khona? She was so brilliant that her father-in-law, Varahamihira, couldn't tolerate her superior knowledge of astrology. They eventually cut out her tongue so she couldn't speak her prophecies anymore. That is the kind of torture women faced.
Shyama Khepa:
We worship Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, and Saraswati, yet we treat real women as inferior. It's hypocrisy. I call it "double standards." We perform all these pujas for goddesses, but in society, we marginalize women.
Shyama Khepa:
Now, things are changing slightly. I hear women are becoming priests, performing Durga Puja and Kali Puja. I haven't seen it myself, but I've heard of it. In some places, women-only committees are organizing rituals. This was unheard of before.
Shyama Khepa:
But I am still saddened by the state of society. A mother leaves her six-month-old baby to go to work for money. The child is deprived of the mother's milk and her presence. Can that child grow up to be truly healthy or balanced? We used to say, "I have grown strong on my mother's milk," but that sentiment is fading. Now it's all powdered milk. Mothers are afraid that nursing will ruin their physical appearance.
Shyama Khepa:
There is a growing sense of decay in society. I feel a certain hatred toward how both men and women are behaving. Everyone is just chasing money. Mothers are working, fathers are working, and the child is left alone.
Shyama Khepa:
In my opinion, this society needs a total reset. God should just end this cycle. This sin, this hypocrisy—it's too much. Let there be a new creation. This "poisonous tree" needs to be uprooted so it doesn't spread its seeds further. I don't care if I perish with it. The world is running because of women, but if they are led astray or forced into these conditions, everything collapses.
Interviewer:
Guru-dev, we will continue this discussion in another episode with a new topic. Thank you. Greetings.
Shyama Khepa:
Greetings.
Spiritual Insight
Guru Shyama Khyapa offers a nuanced perspective on the nature of God and faith. Using the story of Trailokya Swami, he illustrates that God's existence is ultimately a matter of belief—atheists and believers alike shape their reality through their convictions. He distinguishes between healthy faith and blind faith, emphasizing that spirituality cannot be demonstrated like a science experiment. The teaching explores the tension between Dualism (Dvaitabad) and Non-Dualism (Advaitabad) through the historical lens of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, while also highlighting society's hypocrisy in worshipping goddesses while marginalizing women—a theme he passionately decries.