Devotee:
Gurudev!
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam, Baba, pranam.
Devotee:
Gurudev, this coming Saturday, the 5th, is the Puja of Mother Annapurna. A grand celebration used to take place at your house every year.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, it happened for thirty-two consecutive years. But then, two family members passed away, and it has been stopped for the last two years.
Devotee:
Since the mother has departed, it cannot be held, and your brother also passed away last year. So, it has been discontinued.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, it stopped. However, I intend to resume it at home from next year if everything remains fine. This year, I want to perform a small Puja at the crematorium, with your cooperation. I have already arranged for a priest. It will be a small celebration for Mother Annapurna. I would personally like that as well.
Devotee:
So, the Puja will begin on Saturday, probably in the morning.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, yes.
Devotee:
You will perform the Puja this year, and Sanjib Babu will likely perform the fire ritual (Homa).
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, he said he would do it. My brother-in-law will perform the Puja. Everything is set; there are no issues. Arrangements for food are also being made. One cannot return anyone empty-handed during Annapurna Puja; everyone must be fed. That is the rule.
Devotee:
At least a little something must be given.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Exactly. In our house, it used to be a massive event, where nearly two to two and a half thousand people would eat. It was a huge affair. But do you know where the concept of Annapurna came from? My Guru's brother was Ram. When his last child was about to be born, he went to his brother and said, "I am having a child." His brother replied, "If it's a girl, name her Annapurna. She will bring me food at the crematorium." Following his words, a girl was born and named Annapurna. When she grew up, she used to bring him food. That is one story.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
But the real story lies elsewhere. Sati, the daughter of Daksha, was not invited to her father's grand sacrifice (Yagna). It was a Yagna where Lord Shiva was intentionally excluded. When Sati heard about it, she wanted to go, but Shiva advised her, "Do not go, for you will be insulted there." But she wouldn't listen and insisted on going. She thought, "Everyone will be there, and I will be loved by my father." She was very upset and shared her grief with her friends.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Eventually, she went to Daksha's house. Daksha insulted her immensely, calling Shiva a beggar and criticizing his lifestyle at the crematorium. He said many hurtful things. The Yagna was conducted without Shiva's permission or presence, rendering it meaningless. Daksha, in his arrogance, refused to invite his own son-in-law.
Devotee:
His own son-in-law!
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes. He believed Shiva was just a madman who wandered in crematoriums, consumed intoxicants, and associated with ghosts. Menaka, Sati's mother, felt the same. She even sang a song about it: "Come and see the groom; he arrives on a bull, his followers are barefooted, some are crippled, some covered in ash, and some naked." She wondered how her beautiful daughter could be married to such a man. This was a popular song in the old days.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Sati could not bear the insult to her husband. Since women generally cannot tolerate insults toward their husbands, she jumped into the sacrificial fire and died. When Shiva heard of Sati's death, he became like a madman. He pulled a strand of hair from his head and threw it on the ground, and from it, Virabhadra was born. Shiva ordered him, "Destroy Daksha's Yagna! Spare no one!" Virabhadra followed the command and beheaded Prajapati Daksha and many others, except for the gods.
Devotee:
He was extremely powerful.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, incredibly powerful. No one could stand against him. He went to Kankhal, which is now the site where Sati died—you can still see the spot today, though it is now barricaded. Shiva was furious because the Yagna was performed without him. After the destruction, Shiva went to retrieve Sati's body. He carried her on his shoulders and began his dance of destruction (Tandava) across the skies.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Lord Narayana (Vishnu) realized that if Shiva continued his dance, the world would be destroyed. So, he released his Sudarshana Chakra, which began cutting Sati's body into pieces. Her body was divided into fifty-one parts, which fell in different locations. These are known today as the fifty-one Shakti Peethas. Sati is honored because she never looked at or touched another man; she was a Maha-Sati (the ultimate chaste woman).
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Afterward, Shiva, grief-stricken, wandered until he reached Kashi (Varanasi). He planted his trident there and declared himself a resident of Kashi. It is said that Kashi rests on the tip of Mahadev's trident. Therefore, Kashi will never face famine; it is a place where no one ever dies of hunger. In the old days, people used to send their children to Kashi, saying they would become residents of Kashi. There was no shortage of food or anything else there. Many women who faced hardships in their families or with their husbands moved to Kashi and formed Bengali neighborhoods, often finding a new life there. Kashi, being on the tip of the trident, is safe from any disaster.
Devotee:
But there is also the temple of Mother Annapurna there.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Exactly. Mother Annapurna saw that Shiva needed to be fed. She wondered who would provide him food. So, she took the form of Annapurna and came to Kashi to feed him regularly. This is why even today, everyone in Kashi receives food and no one goes hungry.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
She removes all sorrows. She wears beautiful red garments and provides food. She is the giver of nourishment. When people go to Kashi, we suggest they offer a little gold to the Mother—whatever they can afford. They also sell sacks of rice there. If you bring some of that rice home and mix it with your own, you will never face a shortage of food.
Devotee:
Never.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That is the significance. We tell everyone visiting Kashi to offer a little gold and bring back some rice. Mother Annapurna feeds Shiva in everyone. As Swami Vivekananda said, "Where there is life, there is Shiva." Serving living beings is serving Shiva. Shiva resides within everyone. Everyone has the Kundalini energy, and within that resides Shiva. There is a serpent energy that needs to be awakened to open the third eye.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I once sat at the Manikarnika Ghat in Kashi to meditate. After finishing, I went to the Dashashwamedh Ghat. An old woman with a stick came to me and asked, "Will you give me some money?" I gave her whatever I had in my pocket. She said, "Go home, I will come to your house." When I returned, the Annapurna Puja had already started. I was amazed. I had no idea it would begin like that. The Puja then continued for thirty-two years. The Mother had told me she would come to my house, and I had given her money without knowing her true identity. She stays in various forms and tests people. She tested me and then came to my house. That is how the Puja started. It has been on hold for two years, but I will resume it next year. This year, we will do it here.
Devotee:
It's alright, Gurudev. It will be done well; there will be no problems.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
This is the history. This is the story.
Devotee:
Alright then, Pranam, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam, Baba, pranam.
Spiritual Insight
Guru Shyama Khyapa weaves together profound mythological narratives with his own lived spiritual experience, demonstrating how ancient wisdom remains vibrantly alive. The story of Sati's sacrifice and the birth of the 51 Shakti Peethas reminds us that the Divine Feminine cannot be excluded from sacred ceremony without catastrophic consequences. The Guru's personal account of how Mother Annapurna tested him at Manikarnika Ghat before blessing his home for 32 years illustrates a fundamental truth: the Divine often appears in humble, unexpected forms to test the sincerity of seekers. His teaching that "serving living beings is serving Shiva" bridges the gap between ritual worship and compassionate action, revealing that Annapurna's nourishment flows not just from temples but through every act of feeding the hungry.