Devotee:
Gurudev, pranam.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam, son, pranam.
Devotee:
In the previous episode, we were listening to you talk about Sadhak Ramprasad. You were sharing various events from his life. You mentioned how Ramprasad practiced devotion to the Mother, yet he never got to see Her face-to-face. Along with that, you spoke about several songs through which he expressed the various aspects of his spiritual practice.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, there are many songs. I will analyze a few of them. Talking about him is a bit audacious—he was such a great practitioner of Tantra. He could be called the founder of Kali Puja in Bengal, along with Krishnananda Agambagish.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Once, it so happened that he used to perform puja at home on every Amavasya (new moon). One morning, as he was about to go for his bath, a lady arrived and asked, Is this Ramprasad's home? He replied, Yes, what do you need? She said, I want to hear a song from Ramprasad. Ramprasad replied, I am Ramprasad, but I cannot sing for you right now. It's Amavasya, the Mother's puja. I cannot sing until the puja is over. Why don't you wait on the porch while I finish my bath? After the puja, I will sing for you.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
So, he went to bathe. The door to the Mother's room—Goddess Kali's room—was open. When he returned, he saw no one. He asked his wife, A lady was sitting here; where did she go? She replied, I can't say.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Ramprasad was taken aback. Then, he saw something written on the door: Ramprasad, I am Mother Annapurna. I came all the way from Kashi to hear your song. But unfortunately, I didn't get to hear it. Well, if you ever can, sing a song for me.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Seeing this, Ramprasad lost his mind. He began banging his head against the door where it was written. He told his wife, Quickly arrange for the puja. After the puja, I am leaving for Benaras (Kashi). In those days, people traveled by boat along the Ganges.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Just as he was leaving—as he stepped onto the boat—a divine voice (Akashbani) spoke from above: Ramprasad, you don't need to come to Kashi. Sing from where you are, and I will listen. I am everywhere. You don't need to come to Kashi.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
So, he gave up his plan and sang some songs for the Mother right there. These things happened in his life. I'm just sharing fragments of his story.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He wrote many songs. A few are quite powerful. He says that the ocean of jewels is never empty; if you don't find anything in two or four dives, dive deep into the Kulakundalini. Here, he composed the song based on the Kulakundalini.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
If you don't find Her in one dive, keep diving. Go where the source is. He who has knowledge has peace. One who is ignorant has no peace. That's why he says that in the ocean of knowledge, you will find the pearl of peace. You will find it through devotion, just as Shiva made a pact with the Mother—that he would lie at Her feet and never rise. This is called the Shiva-Pact. Mahakal made this pact with the Mother. Ramprasad expressed this in his song.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He's talking about the six ripus (vices): lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride, and envy. He realized them deeply and said: I feel like killing them all with poison. He couldn't control them, so he said, Let's just kill them with poison. But if he poisoned them, he would die too! He wrote this.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
In another place, he writes about the six crocodiles in the body. He says, Apply the turmeric of conscience (Bibek) to your body, and they won't touch you once they smell it. He's saying to awaken your conscience. Lord Buddha also said this—awaken your conscience. When Buddha was on his deathbed, his disciples asked, Lord, you are leaving, who will manage this great empire? He replied, Awaken your conscience. Be conscious. Then you will see it will run automatically.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Ramprasad realized this too: Apply the turmeric of conscience to your body, and the six crocodiles won't touch you. He wrote many such songs. In one place, he wrote about coming and coming to this world, it has only been a hope.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Such a great saint is writing this! He's saying, You fed me neem, calling it sugar, deceiving me with words. In the greed for sweetness, my mouth stayed bitter all day. He's almost accusing the Mother. He's saying, You fed me something bitter, telling me it was sugar. I ate it, and my mouth remained bitter all day. By all day, he means his entire life.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He also says, You promised to play and brought me down to earth. What kind of game did you play, Mother? My hopes were not fulfilled. And then he says, In the game of the world, what had to happen, happened. Now, at the evening of life, take your child back into your lap.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
These are life-giving songs. If someone truly realizes them, they will understand what a great saint he was. You can see it from his writing. He wrote many more songs, addressing Tara as well, not just Kali.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He realized that the Mugs (Magh pirates), when they went to sea, used to worship Tara. He says: You are like a magician's trick, I have known you, Mother Tara. The Mugs call You Bhora Tara, the Goths (Europeans) call You God. The Mughals, Pathans, Syeeds, and Gazis call You Khoda.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He wrote: The scriptures say You are Shakti, and to the Shaivas, You are the soul of Shiva. The Shonis say You are the Sun, the ascetics call You Radhika. The Kanpata yogis call You Kone, the Yakshas call You Wealth. The artist calls You Vishwakarma, the boatman calls You Bador.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Look at these words! Whoever sees the Mother, sees Her in their own way. Bador is what boatmen call the spirit of the sea. He composed these life-giving songs that can truly alleviate human suffering. No matter how much pain someone is in, if they listen to these songs, I believe they will forget their grief.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He wrote another one: It's no one's fault, Mother, I drown in the water of my own making, O Shyama, it's no one's fault. My righteousness became fierce. I dug a well in the field of virtue.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
From that well came black water, a beautiful blackness. He's saying that the Mother is beautiful, but black. He says that when he dug a well in his field of virtue, beautiful black water came out. It's hard to even imagine this language today. Who provided these words to him? Who wrote through his pen? I still wonder.
Devotee:
There's another song, Mother, this world of mine is endless, there is no shore.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, another life-giving and sorrowful song. When I see the waves and the bottomless water, my body trembles in fear of drowning. He says, By making Your feet my boat, O Tara, show mercy and keep Your servant safe this time. I am making Your feet my boat. There is such a storm, and I am afraid. How will I cross?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The storm rages without rest, my body trembles incessantly. He says, Fulfill my heart's desire as I chant Tara, Your name is the essence of the world. We say Tara is the essence of the world. He realized this and wrote these songs. They are so profound. Unfortunately, there aren't many people today who can analyze them. Many songs have been lost or destroyed, but some are preserved.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
But do you know the irony? When Krishnananda Agambagish initiated him, he said, You must practice Tara Sadhana. Ramprasad said, I worship Kali, why should I worship Tara, Gurudev? The Guru replied, You must worship Tara. You must perform all spiritual practices.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The Guru gave him the mantra and told him he had to perform Shab-sadhana (meditation on a corpse) in the crematorium. He performed Shab-sadhana on Mother Tara. Shab-sadhana isn't usually done for Kali; it's done for Tara. He did it and was quite frightened, but he had his Guru's blessings, so nothing happened. When his sacrifice (Yajna) was complete, Mother Tara appeared. She asked, Ramprasad, what do you want? Ramprasad said, Mother, I want nothing but Brahmagyan (supreme knowledge).
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Usually, when someone attains Brahmagyan, they don't live long. Mother Tara blessed him and said, So be it. I grant you Brahmagyan.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
After that, he didn't live for more than a month, as far as I remember. Aju Gosai was there at the time. Aju Gosai realized that Ramprasad's time had come. He told Ramprasad, Why don't you perform a Kali Puja at our Harisabha, where we sing kirtans?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Since it was his friend's wish, Ramprasad agreed. He knew he had attained Brahmagyan from the Mother. He said, Alright, make the arrangements, I will perform the puja. He built the idol with his own hands using hay and clay, painted it himself, and performed the puja at night.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Aju Gosai knew that Ramprasad was no longer of this world. The next morning, when it was time to immerse the Mother's idol in the Ganges, he went into the river with the idol. He dipped into the water and never came back. His body was never found. There are a few people whose bodies were never found—Ramprasad was one, and Tailanga Swami was another. I will talk about Tailanga Swami in a later episode.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I can't finish talking about Ramprasad. I've shared as much as a person like me can.
Devotee:
Today we heard about Sadhak Ramprasad from you. We invite our friends to subscribe to our YouTube channel, Gupt Sadhak Shama Khepa, and to share and like our videos. This way, we can hear more important insights from Gurudev in the future. Pranam, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam, son, pranam.