The World of Nothingness: Divine Insights from Gurudev Shyama Khyapa

Interviewer: Namaskar, Gurudev.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: Namaskar, Namaskar.

Interviewer: First, I would like to tell our friends to please subscribe to the "guptasadhakshyamakhapa.com" channel. The more you subscribe, the more valuable videos we will be able to present to you. Today, we have with us Mr. Sujit Haldar. Mr. Sujit Haldar is a writer. Gurudev, please say something about Mr. Haldar.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: This is Sujit Haldar; he has been coming to me for a long time. He is a prominent writer; you will find many of his books in the market. Today, he wishes to ask me some questions that have been brewing in his mind. Go ahead, what do you want to know?

Sujit Haldar: Gurudev, please accept my pranams (respectful greetings). It's not exactly a question—I don't have the audacity to "question" you—but rather a few inquiries that have crossed my mind. Since I've been coming here, you often mention one thing: that we are living in a "world of nothingness" (Neimoy Jogot). If you could explain what this "world of nothingness" is to common people like us and the listeners, I think we would be very benefited.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: That's right. I often tell people that we live in a world of nothingness. What is this world of nothingness? In this world, nothing belongs to you. You have no real contribution. Everything is the contribution of the Mother (the Divine Mother). You are forcibly claiming, "I am doing this, I am doing that," or "This is mine," but the truth is, we live in a world of nothingness.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: Today, there is the sky above, you are able to eat a little, or you can sleep—these are gifts from God. You are in peace—that is God's gift and nothing else. Look, it is God's gift. Truly speaking, we are living in a world of nothingness where nothing exists. Suppose our life is 60 or 70 years; we might do many things, see many things, and hear many things. But can you actually take anything with you? Whatever your contribution is here, you might use it for a few days, then either discard it or leave it somewhere else. Actually, a person cannot use a single thing for a long time; they eventually grow weary of it. You might like something at first, but after a few days of handling it, you don't like it anymore and discard it to think about something else. In this world of nothingness, God is the only permanent essence. God is there; only God exists. We say, "The world is an illusion, God is the truth" (Jagan Mithya, Bhagavan Satya).

Sujit Haldar: Does that mean, Gurudev, that you are speaking from the same perspective as the World Guru Adi Shankaracharya's philosophy of "Brahma is truth, the world is illusion" (Brahma Satyam, Jagan Mithya)?

Guru Shyama Khyapa: Exactly. Many people might not know the meaning of the word Brahma, or perhaps only one person in ten million or a hundred million attains the realization of Brahma (Brahmattva).

Sujit Haldar: Which is very difficult...

Guru Shyama Khyapa: Extremely difficult. To attain the essence of Brahma is the hardest of the hard. It requires immense time and perseverance. It is a process that involves many spiritual practices (Kriya) before the realization of Brahma occurs. It doesn't happen automatically. However, Brahma is self-manifested (Swayambhu). When a person attains Brahmattva, even they might not realize it at first. That is called the Turiya stage (the fourth state of consciousness). It is then that they are given various titles—like Ramakrishna was called Paramhansa, or Totapuri was called Paramhansa. There are many others who attained that title. It is the Turiya stage—getting deep into the heart of Brahma.

Sujit Haldar: But Gurudev, not everyone can reach that Turiya level. Maybe one in a hundred million. But Gurudev, regarding Shankaracharya's "Illusionism" (Mayavad) and what you said about the "world of nothingness"—a question arises in my mind. If we common people consider the world to be nothingness, wouldn't our existence be at stake?

Guru Shyama Khyapa: There is no chance of your existence being at stake. You have your own entity. You will work through that entity. That is why the Gita says, "Karmanyevadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana"—meaning, keep performing your actions but do not worry about the results. What does that mean? You must work. As long as you have taken a physical form, you must work. Worrying about the results will not benefit you. You can work without expectations. If I don't expect the results, doesn't it become a "world of nothingness"? You performed many actions—as Krishna said in his message—perform your actions but don't expect the fruits. Doesn't that fall into the "world of nothingness"?

Sujit Haldar: Yes, it does. Then there's another thing you tell us—that from the moment of birth, the Five Elements (Panchabhoota) start consuming us. That "nothingness" is constantly leading us toward the void.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: Absolutely. Every day you are entering the world of nothingness.

Sujit Haldar: How is that? How do we enter "nothingness"?

Guru Shyama Khyapa: Look, when we are in the womb, our body is formed by the Five Elements (Panchabhoota): Khiti (Earth), Op (Water), Tej (Fire/Heat), Marut (Air), and Byom (Ether/Void). These five elements or principles create us. The word Khiti means soil or earth. Our body is made from this; the flesh comes from the earth. Op means water. While in the womb, there is water—plenty of water—and we stay within it. Marut means air. Air must be there, or you won't survive. Then there is Tej, which is heat. We receive the heat from the mother's body while in the womb; we don't have our own heat then. And Byom refers to a gaseous state. There are trillions of bacteria that help you breathe. If these bacteria die or leave you, your breathing stops, and you die. So, even the breath I take is provided by others. These bacteria help us breathe immensely. This is a matter of high science that people often don't know—that we have 65 trillion bacteria.

Sujit Haldar: That's a huge amount.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: A massive amount. People can't even imagine it. They are helping me to breathe.

Sujit Haldar: So, regarding Byom, which we used to think was just "emptiness" or a void...

Guru Shyama Khyapa: Well, that's true; it is emptiness. But where you are in the womb, there is no total vacuum. There is water, air, the mother's energy, and the mother's heat.

Sujit Haldar: But when I came out of the mother's womb and into the world—when I was born and landed on the earth—how do the Five Elements work then?

Guru Shyama Khyapa: The Five Elements slowly start "eating" you away. They consume you bit by bit, and you won't even realize it. That's why the saint Ramprasad Sen sang a song: "Kichu sombol nai ma gete, ja ani ma khete khute, panchabhoote khay ma bete." (Mother, I have no savings. Whatever I earn with hard work, the five elements consume.) The Five Elements are consuming what you earn through hard work. You have nothing. That's why I call it a "world of nothingness." What is sombol (savings/resources)? It means accumulation. So, there is nothing.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: I don't have a penny in my pocket. That's why he (Ramprasad) realized this and said that the Five Elements consume you every day. You don't realize it, but they are gnawing at you. A day will come when you will be completely consumed. When a person dies, they "merge into the Five Elements." That's it.

Sujit Haldar: But Gurudev, we usually say that after death, when someone is cremated or buried, the body merges into the Five Elements. But I just learned from you that the moment we are born, the Five Elements start consuming us bit by bit until we are finished.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: It's not just then. It's for your whole lifespan—whether it's 100 years, 70 years, or 80 years—they are constantly consuming you. Eventually, you merge back into the Five Elements. Ramprasad understood this very well. He realized that these Five Elements gave me birth—when I was in the womb, they were active—and once you are out, they act as "consumers." They are working. They created me. And when you are born, you get the earth (Khiti), you have to breathe (Marut), you need heat and energy (Tej), and you have to drink or bathe in water (Op). All are present, but you don't realize it. Only a person with spiritual knowledge knows this.

Sujit Haldar: So, it's a matter of realization—that the Five Elements that formed my body are the same elements I move among in the world, and they are slowly wasting me away like camphor.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: Yes, wasting away, and one day you merge right there.

Sujit Haldar: This is a new explanation, Gurudev. Usually, we thought we merge only at the very end.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: No, that's not the case. It starts from birth. Actually, even before birth—from the moment you enter the womb—the Five Elements start forming you. They build you up and then slowly take you out and consume you until you merge back into them.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: That's why I say we live in a world of nothingness. We have nothing. Nothing is "mine." But for common people who are householders, if they always think the world is nothingness or an illusion, how will they manage their worldly progress and daily life?

Guru Shyama Khyapa: Look, everything in this world is God's creation. Nothing is yours. It's all a gift from God. You are just using it. You are living here as a "tenant." You are a tenant! You cannot stay in this world forever. You stay as a tenant. When your "contract" is over, you have to leave. The "Landlord" will tell you to go.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: That's why we say you live in a world of nothingness. There is nothing. You should know well that nothing in this world is yours. You will stay for 50 or 60 years as a tenant. You pay "rent"—you aren't sacrificing anything except your excrement. You are always asking the Mother for more—"Give me this, give me that." What are you actually giving up? Just waste. You have no power to give up anything else. Since you are a human, your "Six Enemies" (Soro-ripu) are active: Lust, Anger, Greed, Attachment, Pride, and Envy. These six enemies are consuming you.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: Ramprasad said another thing: "Eher modhye choi kumbhir ma, ahar lobhe sodai chore, tumi bibek-holud gaye mekhe nao, chobena tar gondho pele." (Within this body, Mother, six crocodiles are always roaming for food. If you rub the 'turmeric of wisdom' on your body, they won't touch you once they smell it.) What does it mean? These six crocodiles—the six enemies/vices—are always running after "food." They are running everywhere. You can't control them under any circumstances. These vices are running; they are running to "eat" you. They are tempting you every moment. "Do this, do that, go there." There are all kinds of temptations. You might say, "I won't fall for temptation," but you will have to. These are the six enemies.

Sujit Haldar: But if I always remember that I live in a world of nothingness, then I might get some relief.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: Whatever you are seeing, you are seeing. Whatever you are hearing, you are hearing. But there should be no reaction. We see a flower blooming beautifully—don't pluck it. Just look at it. Just observe it. Don't pluck it. This is moha (attachment/infatuation). This is kuhak (illusion/deception). I did an episode on kuhak—it is nothing else. It's a magic trick (Indrajal). A trap has been set, and you will fall into it. That's why the Chandi (sacred text) says: "Tathapi mamata garte moha garte nipatitah." (Even after knowing everything, one falls into the pit of attachment and illusion.) Despite hearing so much, you will fall into the same pit. This is the play of the six enemies.

Sujit Haldar: Gurudev, we have been very enriched today. Please accept my pranams.

Guru Shyama Khyapa: Blessings, blessings, my son.

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