Disciple:
Gurudev, greetings!
Gurudev:
Yes, greetings son, greetings, greetings!
Disciple:
Gurudev, day before yesterday was the annual celebration of our Shantikunj Ashram.
Gurudev:
Yes, yes.
Disciple:
Here, Mother Tara has been installed, and she is worshipped regularly throughout the year. However, another Goddess Shyama Kali was brought here specifically to be worshipped. What is the reason behind this?
Gurudev:
It's nothing else. As is Goddess Kali, so is Goddess Tara, and so is Goddess Chhinnamasta. All of them are the same but are worshipped in four different ways. This is according to the Kalika Purana. The same Goddess manifests herself in crores of different forms. The same Goddess has multiple names and forms, and Kali is one of them. I have gained spiritual success through the worship of Goddess Kali. Among the ten Great Wisdoms (Mahavidyas), the first one is Goddess Kali. If someone does not practice the worship of Kali, or if one does not gain spiritual success by worshipping Kali, he cannot gain spiritual success through the worship of Goddess Tara. One cannot practice even one of the ten Great Wisdoms without the blessings of Goddess Kali. That is why we worship Goddess Kali. We must worship Kali first, and then Tara is worshipped. This is the tradition. Since I have gained spiritual success through Goddess Kali, I am a Kali Siddha person. I haven't gained spiritual success through Tara, but if you gain spiritual success through Kali, there's nobody else except her who can bless you with it. Once Kali gives you the spiritual success, you can worship any Goddess. If she is pleased, no one can stop you from worshipping any of the ten Great Wisdoms. That is why we worship Goddess Kali before Tara. Kali worship is actually the worship of Kaal (time). In grammatical terms, Kali is derived from the word 'Kaal' (Time), by adding the suffix 'ee' to make it sound pleasant.
Gurudev:
That's why we worship Kali first and then Tara. If you worship Kali, Tara will come herself. You don't have to go anywhere or do anything; she will come to you herself if you gain spiritual success through Kali. Spiritual success is what matters. One cannot worship Goddess Tara without gaining spiritual success. At first, we worshipped Goddess Kali without any constraints. Much later, we started worshipping Goddess Tara. This was followed by the advent of Bamdev Baba and other subsequent events. However, we cannot worship Goddess Tara without worshipping Goddess Kali first. No one can do it. Goddess Kali is both the beginning and the end of spiritual knowledge. If you don't worship Kali, or if she doesn't help you, you won't gain anything.
Disciple:
So, your annual celebration is actually Kali Puja?
Gurudev:
Yes, of course. We usually worship Black Kali, the Goddess Shyama Kali. The Goddess Kali, who is associated with the sky, is called Goddess Shyama Kali. We perform her worship. This is the worship of Goddess Shyama Kali, which is typically performed during Kali Puja. We also refer to her as Smashan Kali (Kali of the cremation ground). There are different forms of Goddess Kali, such as Raksha Kali and Smashan Kali. Smashan Kali is of ash color, whereas Raksha Kali is black. There are many forms of Goddess Kali, and all of them must be worshipped. It's not enough to worship only Shyama Kali. We must also worship Raksha Kali and Smashan Kali. All of them must be worshipped. Once the Mother is pleased, there's nothing more to worry about.
Disciple:
Gurudev, on the day of our annual celebration, before the worship started, I saw you going to the cremation pyre in your crematorium and performing dead-body worship. What kind of a ritual is that, and why is it performed? Perhaps it's performed before the main worship begins.
Gurudev:
Look, this is a tradition. At first, dead-body worship must be performed. Without performing dead-body worship, Kali Puja cannot be performed. A dead body will inevitably be brought there. The dead body is then bathed, fed, and offered incense and various offerings. After the dead body is pleased, ghosts, spirits, demons, and other beings who accompany the Mother are also pleased. There are eight such beings who accompany the Mother. They are pleased there as well. This is called the offering of devotional sacrifice.
Gurudev:
This is the offering of devotional sacrifice. From the dead body to the ghosts and spirits, everyone must be pleased. Otherwise, they might create obstacles during the worship. To ensure that they don't cause any disruption, they must be pleased first. This is called the offering of devotional sacrifice, which we perform beforehand. There are Aghors and Ghors, and all of them must be worshipped. Aghor and Ghor must be worshipped as well.
Gurudev:
All of them accompany the Mother. Jaya and Vijaya are also companions of the Mother. All of the 64 Yoginis are also there. So, before performing Kali Puja, a dead body must be brought there. It's not enough to bring a dead body; the family members of the deceased must also give their permission for the worship. Many people might object, but some might agree and let us perform the worship. The workers at the crematorium also agree to it. The dead body is placed on the pyre and the worship starts. It takes about an hour. Each of the companions of the Mother, such as ghosts, spirits, demons, and others, are worshipped individually. All of them are companions of the Mother and must be pleased.
Gurudev:
After they are pleased, one must wash his hands and feet before starting the worship. Worship should not be started before that. Dead-body worship involves keeping the dead body near you, feeding it, worshipping it, and bathing it. There's a difference between performing worship near a dead body and performing worship by sitting on top of it. Ramprasad was a great devotee of Goddess Kali and gained spiritual success through her. However, he had to perform Tara worship as well. Krishnananda Agambagish, his spiritual guru, visited him for the first time and told him that he could not perform dead-body worship until his mother died. He refused to initiate him. When his mother died, he came to know about it and initiated him.
Gurudev:
He asked Ramprasad to perform dead-body worship and cremation-pyre worship. Ramprasad didn't quite understand the significance of dead-body worship at that time. Later, at the behest of his guru, he performed dead-body worship and was blessed with a vision of the Mother. While performing dead-body worship, Mother Tara appeared and asked Ramprasad what he wanted. Ramprasad asked for knowledge, wisdom, and conscience. Mother Tara granted his wish and disappeared. So, this dead-body worship must be performed. We have been performing this for the last 32 years. A dead body will inevitably be brought there. Without a dead body, we don't start the worship, even if it's late at night. This is a significant tradition of ours. Dead-body worship must be performed first; otherwise, something untoward might happen. Someone might come and disrupt the whole worship. Actually, that person is not just anyone; he is a part of the Mother's companions.
Gurudev:
Then there's the protector of the cremation ground. He is very fierce. If he appears, your death is certain. The protector of the cremation ground is very fierce. He protects the cremation ground. There's also the doorkeeper of the cremation ground. All of them must be worshipped. Once they are pleased, you are safe. If you ever encounter the protector of the cremation ground, you must shed some blood on the ground. If you don't shed some blood, your death is certain. You must cut your hand and shed some blood. When we used to practice spiritual disciplines, we used to carry weapons with us. If we ever encountered him, we would cut our hand and shed some blood. Then there was nothing to fear. Mother had also provided me with two guards. I used to return home late at night after finishing my work at the cremation ground. However, Mother had provided me with two guards, including the protector of the cremation ground, who would accompany me back home and return after ensuring my safety.
Disciple:
They acted like bodyguards.
Gurudev:
Exactly like bodyguards. It's truly remarkable. Mother had arranged this for me. When I used to return home late at night, two guards would accompany me. My family members were told not to see me when I returned home.
Disciple:
They were told not to look at the main door.
Gurudev:
Yes, they were not supposed to look at the main door because the guards would accompany me inside and then leave. One day, my middle brother saw them. He started shouting, 'Thief! Thief!' and even brought a lamp and a stick. He kept telling me that a thief had come. I didn't say anything and went inside. After some time, I told them that I had already warned them not to look at me when I returned home late at night. I told them that the person they saw was not a thief, but my guard, who had accompanied me home and would return to the cremation ground. Many people have seen them, and I had to tell them the secret.
Gurudev:
Anyway, two things are required for dead-body worship: a bamboo stick and a person to hold it. A person must sit there holding the bamboo stick. One can never be sure when a dead body might wake up. Also, a bottle of alcohol must be kept there. If the dead body wakes up, you must pour some alcohol into its mouth. If it still creates trouble or tries to strangulate you, you must use the bamboo stick. Spirits are very afraid of bamboo sticks. They are very afraid of the bamboo staff. You might have noticed that dead bodies used to be carried on bamboo stretchers.
Disciple:
They used to be carried on bamboo stretchers.
Gurudev:
Yes, but now wooden stretchers are used. Back then, bamboo stretchers were used because of the fear of spirits. There were fewer people back then. Now, there are many people around. Back then, there were fewer people, and people used to avoid the cremation ground after sunset.
Disciple:
There were no lights.
Gurudev:
No lights, it was pitch dark. So, people used to avoid the cremation ground. Now, there are houses nearby. There's nothing to fear now. We perform worship throughout the night, and we are never afraid. However, I have encountered the protector of the cremation ground. As soon as I encountered him, I took out my weapon and shed some blood on the ground. I cut my finger and shed some blood. I survived. This happened once. A great monk and a worker at the cremation ground once told me that I could practice spiritual disciplines there. He told me that if I ever encountered him, I should keep a weapon with me and shed some blood. He blessed me and told me that I should never leave this cremation ground. He was a great Brahmin and a practitioner of Tantra. He used to feed the dead bodies and chant mantras. He advised me never to leave this cremation ground. He told me that the cremation ground would protect me. I have followed his advice and have never left this cremation ground. I still stay here, even though many people have criticized me for it. I have stayed here and haven't left.
Disciple:
Gurudev, you performed the dead-body worship the day before yesterday. If we had recorded it...
Gurudev:
No, it cannot be recorded. I have recorded it, but it cannot be shared on YouTube or any other public platform. If I do so, my license might be canceled. That's why I cannot share it.
Disciple:
Can anyone perform this kind of dead-body worship?
Gurudev:
No, not everyone can do it. We have the practice, the Mother's blessings, and the guru's blessings.
Disciple:
You are a spiritual practitioner, so you can do it.
Gurudev:
We have the guru's blessings, so we don't worry about anything. We don't worry about dead bodies. We have spent a lot of time with dead bodies.
Disciple:
We learned something new today, and many viewers on YouTube will also get to know about it.
Gurudev:
Dead-body worship cannot be performed alone. Another person must be there. A strong person must act as a guard. He must hold a bamboo stick throughout the worship. One can never be sure when a dead body might wake up. I will have alcohol with me, and I will pour it into its mouth if it wakes up. If it still doesn't settle down, the guard must hit it with the bamboo stick. Spirits are very afraid of bamboo sticks.
Gurudev:
If the dead body creates any trouble, the guard must hit it on the head with the bamboo stick, and it will settle down. This is the instruction. No one should touch the dead body. If there's any serious trouble, then we follow this instruction.
Disciple:
Has it ever happened that a dead body woke up during the worship?
Gurudev:
It hasn't woken up, but it has shown some movement. It's better not to disclose everything. Not everything should be shared with the public.
Disciple:
Gurudev, greetings! Let's end it here today. We learned a lot from you. Stay well.
Gurudev:
One thing you should know is that performing dead-body worship can take a toll on your health. You might even need to see a doctor. It's very physically demanding. You cannot imagine how much it affects your body. You must see a doctor and take medicine. This has happened to me several times. I have about 20-22 doctors who visit me and check on my health. On the day of the worship, a doctor was also present. He even visited the cremation pyre. I told him to treat me if I fell ill. He was there by my side. If you saw the video, you would understand. He is a prominent doctor, an honorary doctor, who researches cancer. He is even receiving an award and going to Boston on the 18th to receive a certificate. He is my disciple. It's a matter of pride for me that I have many prominent doctors as my disciples. None of them are ordinary. Doctors are like God. When the call comes from above, we go to them. That's why he is called a 'Doctor' (one who responds to a call). He has prepared many doctors.
Disciple:
Greetings, Gurudev!
Gurudev:
Greetings, son!