Interviewer:
Gurudev, my salutations to you.
Gurudev:
Salutations.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, today two of your special devotees have come. Usually, many people come together, but perhaps due to your illness, the entire team couldn't make it. Could you tell us about your feelings on seeing them, and perhaps they can share their feelings too?
Gurudev:
Regarding feelings, you see, a group from Siliguri has been visiting me. They grew fond of me and accepted me as their Guru. They insisted, "Please initiate us." So, I gave the entire group Diksha (initiation). What they do is come once or twice a year and stay here. Back then, the arrangements were different. Now, everything has been demolished; nothing remains. Consequently, they can't stay on the premises anymore and have to stay in a hotel. I heard they have their tickets and will be leaving today. Their train is at 10:00 PM tonight, and they'll arrive tomorrow morning. That is their situation. I have initiated thousands of people, but their initiation was unique. They have taken Diksha from me and truly honor me as their Guru. They keep track of me every single day. Even though they are in Siliguri, they check daily on how my health is. If they don't get news directly from me, they contact Dulal to ask how Gurudev is doing. They are very attentive. My only regret is that every time I plan to visit them, something goes wrong and I fail to go.
Gurudev:
I have decided now that my health has improved. However, I need to stay in bed for another 15 to 20 days for rest. The doctor said it was a major operation and I need about a month and a half of recovery. It has been almost a month now; the operation was on December 11th. By January 11th, it will be one full month. I need to rest for about a month and a half, and then everything should be fine. So many antibiotics were put into my body that it has become very weak. I can't walk properly yet. I did go to the temple yesterday and sat there for about half an hour, visited the Mother (the Goddess), and then returned. I believe if I give it one more month, I will be completely healthy again.
Gurudev:
So Rakesh, you tell us. You are an athlete...
Rakesh:
What can I say, Baba? I have no one but you. That is all. Jiban-da will speak.
Gurudev:
You are an athlete and you love me, and I like you too. Jiban, tell us about your devotion. You hold ceremonies specifically to remember your Guru. In those, perhaps you give more importance to the Guru than even to God. Tell us a bit about why you do this. Everywhere else, I see people call upon God first and then the Guru. You do the opposite.
Jiban:
No, the Guru comes first. If the Guru is displeased, even God cannot save you. But if God is displeased, the Guru can save you. To us, the Guru is everything—Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar. Our Gurudev is everything. We haven't seen God, but we see Gurudev as God himself. We can feel this connection. For instance, yesterday while I was traveling toward Kolkata, I had a feeling that Gurudev was on the train, watching over everyone. Again, around midnight, I felt it... I could sense his presence and his concerns. After 1:00 AM, I felt he had probably gone to sleep, but until midnight, I felt him with us.
Jiban:
I get these feelings often. It happens at home too; it happens to most of us. We sense how Gurudev is. If we can't reach him by phone, we can tell just by looking at his photo.
Gurudev:
I can tell you this: I might not be there physically, but we have a spiritual method where we can be present. A boy from Siliguri was saying yesterday that he saw me visiting his house on a bicycle at night. He said I parked the bike, had a meal, blessed everyone, and then left. I was wondering, with my breathing difficulties, how could I ride a bicycle all that way and back?
Interviewer:
He saw that in a dream, right? But here, we see it face-to-face. Now, Gurudev and Jiban, I have a question. Every time you have looked at Gurudev's photo and called me to check on him, your intuition has been exactly right. Gurudev, what is the reason for this? They see the photo and then insist, "Tell us the truth about how he is."
Jiban:
Yes, we have that connection; perhaps Gurudev himself granted us that power. By looking at the photo, we understand if Gurudev is upset, ill, or just quiet. We literally press for the truth. After sitting before Gurudev for just 10 minutes, we understand what he is communicating. That is the power he gave us—to understand what the photo is saying: whether our day will go well, if he is unwell, or if his mood is off. Sometimes we see him smiling in the photo and we know he is happy and satisfied with our devotion.
Gurudev:
I am always satisfied with you all. Siliguri has many people who have taken initiation from me. My photos are in many houses there, and many people worship me. Since you all live in Siliguri, my eyes will always be on you. I have been giving initiations for a long time. You have visited so many times, stayed for a week or five days, and enjoyed yourselves. Back then, there were rooms and arrangements for you to stay. Now, it's not possible because the government demolished the structures, but the government will also rebuild them. They took the necessary land but were forbidden from touching the Mother's temple. They have arranged for the Mother's daily offerings, built a separate room, and arranged for the worship. There is no problem with any of that.
Narrator:
(The devotees begin a ritual of worshiping Gurudev)
Gurudev:
This is Rakesh. He played for Mohun Bagan and in various leagues in Kolkata. Now he is playing in Assam. His name is Rakesh.
Rakesh:
Yes, Baba.
Gurudev:
Rakesh what?
Rakesh:
Singha.
Gurudev:
Rakesh Singha. He lives in Siliguri.
Narrator:
(The devotees chant "Jai Tara" while performing the ritual)
Spiritual Insight
This intimate conversation reveals the profound bond between Guru Shyama Khyapa and his Siliguri disciples. The devotees' ability to sense the Guru's condition through his photograph demonstrates the mysterious spiritual connection that transcends physical distance. Jiban's insight that "If the Guru is displeased, even God cannot save you. But if God is displeased, the Guru can save you" encapsulates the essence of Guru devotion in the Khyapa Parampara. Even during his recovery from major surgery, the Guru's presence reaches his disciples through dreams and spiritual visions, proving that the Guru-disciple relationship operates beyond the limitations of the physical body.