Narrator:
[Introductory spiritual music with the sound of a conch shell, bells, and chanting]
Interviewer:
Pranam, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam, my son.
Interviewer:
You often speak about one thing in particularâSeba (service). You say that service is the ultimate religion. Today, I would like to hear your thoughts on this subject.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Well, I am not the only one who says this. Many have said itâthe Bharat Sevashram Sangha, for instance. They are performing service, everyone is performing service. Now, if a judge asks a priest, \"What do you do?\" the priest answers, \"I am a Sebait (servant of the deity).\"
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
If a judge asks any Brahmin what work he does, he says he is a Sebait. The lawyer will also say he is a Sebait. I, too, am a Sebait. I am serving God, and I am serving people. People come to me, and I serve them.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Now, there are two groups. One group serves the Mother (the Goddess), and another group serves humanity instead of serving God directly. Which is greater?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Suppose you are going to Amarnath. There is someone who massages your legs, someone who heats water for you, someone who constantly looks after your health. Is that person a greater soul, or is the pilgrim going to Amarnath the greater soul? Can you answer this? Is there any scientific answer? No, there isn't.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Seba means serving God or serving humanityâhowever one perceives it. But first, one must serve God. We who have served God first, later received the command of God to serve humanity.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
This is also a great service. If a human cannot serve another human, their birth is futile. I say their very birth is in vain. You must serve humanity; serve the distressed.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
In the great mountain temples, there are Sebaits everywhere. They heat water, massage legs, and arrange food when there are difficulties. Are they the greater Sebaits, or is the person visiting Amarnath the greater one? Tell me.
Interviewer:
Well, the one who is helping certainly has a massive role.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Exactly. Exactly.
Interviewer:
But Gurudev, the word \"service\" is associated with the idea of selflessness. When you practiced your spiritual Sadhana, you must have done it with a selfless mindset.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Of course, I had to. But do you know what people say? They say we are doing \"business.\" \"A good business,\" they say. I hear this sometimes from a few \"goats\"âignorant, uneducated \"goats.\"
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
There is a group of such \"goats.\" They occasionally say, \"You are doing business.\" And yet, this YouTube episode we are recordingâthis too is a service. It is a great service because we are informing people about things they do not know. People are watching; one episode gets 10,000 views.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
So, what does that \"goat\" say? He says Iâve opened a \"good business.\" Such people should be slapped. They will never be educated; they will end up like this. They were born only to criticize. When God \"pokes\" them from behind, they will be finished.
Interviewer:
But Gurudev, such people have always existed. Their job is to hinder good work and find faults in everything.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, that is true. Yet, it brings a certain sadness to the heart for those who serve selflessly.
Interviewer:
But thousands of people come here. Your regular devotees and followers come here and see the truth. You have even put it in writing here...
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, I have.
Interviewer:
...that in this temple of the Mother, no offerings should be given.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
No, because that pollutes it. Itâs nothing but an expression of your ego. \"I gave money to the Mother\"âthat is nothing but ego. The one you are worshiping, or the one you have installedâwhether it's me, you, or anyone elseâshe is the Empress of the Universe (Rajrajeshwari). Why would she need money?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
These actions are enough to pollute the atmosphere. Humans are the ones polluting it. I have explained this to many people, and they bowed their heads in shame. When I made educated people read what I had written, they bowed their heads and said, \"No, we were wrong. We were acting against the truth.\"
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The thing is, humans do exactly what God does not want. And what God wants, humans do not do. Because of this conflict, God does not favor humanity.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Furthermore, the \"trash\" in one's mind must be cleared. Until that mind is liberated, you cannot even get near a vision of God. People come to the Mother with a \"bad heart,\" and she drives them away. I have seen this with my own eyes. Many people came here once with bad intentions and never returned.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I am ready to serve. I never turn anyone away from the Motherâs door. I sit here and do my work. I don't know what others are doing outside. If someone asks for money saying, \"I will get your work done by Gurudev; give me your name and lineage and this much money,\" I wouldn't know. That brings me a bad name.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
But I am selfless. I don't touch a single penny. The reason is simple: God cannot be bought or sold. If you are a Sebait, serve selflessly.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
What I love most today is the Bharat Sevashram Sangha. I once told Swami Pranavananda Maharaj that he taught the world selfless service. Today, the Ramakrishna Mission provides food and relief in various places, but the Bharat Sevashram Sangha risks their lives to save others. They don't care for themselves; they follow their Guruâs command to save a human life, even if they die doing it.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That is what Seba means. It would be wrong to say itâs only for humans. What about the animals? They too were created by God. Although God has provided food for them, we humans who live near themâdogs, cows, goats, or birdsâshould make arrangements for them too.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Trees are almost gone now, and birds are struggling. They come to human doors for food. Iâve seen crows, and now I see common mynas coming to the front of the house for a little food. This, too, is a service.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Service encompasses everythingâserve humans, serve animals, serve a dog. I have no objection. But it must be selfless. If you serve a dog or a bird, you gain nothing in return. But when people serve other people, there is often an underlying interest: \"If I help him, he will look after me later.\"
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Everything is intertwined with self-interest. This is called selfishness. \"I will look after you so that you look after me later.\" \"Iâll look after him so he looks after me in the future.\" This has become the state of society today. You can't change it, and neither can I. There is no true \"service\" left, only \"servants\" of their own interests.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, many of our YouTube viewers are asking that they want to perform various spiritual practices (Sadhana), they want to learn and perform worship. They also speak of this as a way of serving God.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
They say one thing but do another. If you cannot align your body, mind, and words, it is useless. \"Body\" refers to the physical self, the \"mind\" is within, and the \"words\" are what you speak. These three must be one. But that isn't happening. People say, \"Gurudev, I want to do Sadhana; please teach me.\" They do it for two days and then leave. There is no \"juice\" in it for them.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
They think that by wearing saffron robes and rudraksha beads and sitting for a while, they will make some money. There is no doubt about this. But the person who performs true Sadhana knows how much pain and how many tears are hidden in it. Only the Mother knows. A true seeker (Sadhak) gives everything to the Motherâtheir sorrows, their joys, everything.
Interviewer:
One must sacrifice.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Sacrifice? People today don't sacrifice anything except their waste. Iâve said this before. There is no sacrifice, only hedonism.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That is why no one reads the Gita today. Because the Gita is a symbol of sacrifice. \"I will have to sacrifice if I read the Gita? No need.\" What do they read instead? They read the Chandi. \"Give me, give me, give me!\" And the Mother pours it out. They say, \"I did the Kali Puja, I did the Durga Puja, and the Mother gave me so much money.\" I hear this. I am telling you the truth I hear from the many people who come here.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
It is our misfortune. In this country where we were born, every inch of soil has seen the birth of a great soul. No other country in the world has produced so many great souls. Perhaps in one or two places, yes, but here, every square foot has a seeker.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Maybe people don't know them all; some are famous, some are not. And nowadays, everything has become about publicityâwhich has happened in my case too. YouTube, newspapers... these things have come automatically.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, why do you only mention publicity? The things you speak of have another dimensionâpublic education. You mentioned that people aren't reading the Upanishads, the Vedas, or the Gita. The things you are discussing...
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
These are our core. Our heartbeat is the Veda and Vedanta. I am not saying anything wrong by pointing that out.
Interviewer:
That is the point. If people benefit from hearing these words from you...
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Now, look, there is a big difference between hearing and practicing. If I read a bit of the Gita and people listen, will it benefit them much? But if that person reads the Gita regularly, they will gain knowledge. And where they don't understand, they should ask a wise person.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I have a few people who read these and then ask me, \"I didn't understand the meaning of this.\" Even Kazi Nazrul Islam once said, \"I am Bhrigu.\" Someone asked me why he said that. When I explained it to him, he bowed his head and said, \"You are right.\" Nazrul said, \"I am Bhrigu, the sage Bhrigu.\" The person didn't understand why. When I broke it down, he was satisfied and said, \"There is no one to explain things like this here.\"
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
So, this is the situation. True service will no longer happen. There may be \"Sebaits\" who earn money from the Mother. And those of us who are serving are seen as doing \"business.\"
Interviewer:
Gurudev, you are saying this out of a sense of hurt. But those of us who come here regularly and benefit from you, we all know and believe in our hearts that your service is selfless and comes from the soul. There is no question about that.
Interviewer:
Friends, you heard from Gurudev that the current planetary positions are not at all favorable for human nature or human progress. But the time will come; we must wait for it and continue our prayers and calling upon God. Similarly, please subscribe more to our YouTube channel, \"Gupta Sadhok Shyama Khepa,\" and try to deeply understand Gurudevâs words. Gurudev, I offer my pranams to you. Stay well.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, my son. Pranam.