Narrator:
Greetings, viewers. We welcome you to this year's Shyama Puja. Every year, our Puja at Shantiganj is held in a unique way. Usually, only the Gurudev is present during the rituals; others are not permitted to attend, as we have mentioned before. Similarly, I want to inform you that this Shyama Puja is conducted in a very simple, unpretentious manner. To the new viewers of the \"Gupta Sadhak and Shyama Khyapa\" YouTube channel, we welcome you, and to our old friends, thank you for staying with us.
Interviewer:
Pranam, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam. Tell me.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, there is something I have been curious about, which many of us do not know. Why is Lakshmi Puja celebrated on the day of Kali Puja at the 51 Shakti Peethas? I would like to know the answer to that.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
This is actually \"Deepannita Kali Puja.\" The word \"Deepannita\" is significant. On this day, light is shown to Yamraj (the God of Death). That is the primary purpose—to show light to Yamraj. Additionally, because the Mother Goddess is associated with the pitch-black new moon night, known as \"Kala-kata Amavasya,\" it is so dark that some light is necessary.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
However, Mother Kali does not actually like bright lights. She prefers darkness. In our case, we have always worked with the dim light of oil lamps. Now, everything has become so bright with electric lights, which I personally do not like. Kali Puja should be done with the flickering light of lamps while the priest chants mantras. It should be a sight that gives people goosebumps. That is the kind of Puja we want and have practiced for a long time.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Now, \"Mother\" has become wealthy, so people have installed bright lights. But Mother never asked for that. She herself is the personification of darkness; why would she want light? I believe the best Puja is the one done by the light of a lamp, where the Mother is barely visible in the shadows while the priest's mantras make the surroundings tremble. That is how Kali Puja should be. These bright lights are not for her. She loves the dark, and she is surrounded by ghosts, spirits, and demons—none of whom like light. They thrive in the darkness.
Interviewer:
You are saying that according to Tantric views, worshipping the Mother in darkness is most appropriate. On this day, Lakshmi Puja is also performed. These days, during Dhanteras, people are told to buy brooms and shoes. We never heard of such things before. Now, everyone is buying a broom, believing it brings good luck to the house.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
(Laughs) Yes, they say buy brooms and shoes to drive away the \"ghosts\" and \"spirits.\" It’s an strange affair. Everyone has their own beliefs, and I don't want to interfere in that. However, at every Kali temple on this day, Lakshmi Puja is performed. To worship Lakshmi, one must also worship Kuber, the treasurer of the gods. Kuber gave his wealth to Lakshmi because she distributes it to people. By the command of Lord Mahadev, Kuber donated his immense gold and treasures to Mother Lakshmi.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
But I am completely against keeping \"Kuber Yantras\" or \"Dhanada Kavach\" at home. These are \"Yaksha’s wealth.\" They are dangerous. It will either take your life or take your money; it’s unpredictable. People are taking these things home, but it's not right. These are for Yakshas and Rakshasas, not for common households.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, in the beginning, Tantra did not have these modern rules. These seem to be created by \"neo-Tantriks.\"
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Exactly. Tantra was never meant for the home. It belonged in the deep jungles and cremation grounds. Particular people practiced it far away from society. Now, it has entered every household, and everyone claims to be a Tantrik. People come to me wanting to learn Tantra, and I tell them—you have to be completely detached. You can't keep anything close to you. People think it’s an easy way to make money by wearing red clothes and sitting in a cremation ground. This attracts many uneducated or misguided youths. Tantra is not that cheap; it is a profound path meant for the welfare of the country and humanity. If used for good, it is magnificent.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, another question. Tomorrow is the Puja. Many describe the Mother in different ways. Why does the Mother wear two severed heads as earrings?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Those are the heads of two children. It is a specific aspect of Tantric iconography. I said yesterday that every part of the Mother’s form has a Tantric explanation. The sickle in her hand, the garland of heads around her neck—they all have meanings. The sickle represents Dharma (righteousness). If you follow Adharma (unrighteousness), she will sever your head. The 50 heads in her garland represent the letters of the alphabet (Varnamala). It can also be seen as the \"garland of the untruthful\"—those who walk the path of lies are punished by her.
Interviewer:
And the two heads on her ears? Who are they?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
They are two young boys. They don't have specific names, but they hang as earrings.
Interviewer:
Why children?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
In certain dark rituals, the heads of children are considered very powerful. In extreme, ancient Tantric practices—which I must say are quite harrowing—a child’s head was sometimes used because children lack the complex ego and intellectual resistance of adults. You can make a child’s spirit do whatever you want. A grown person's head might refuse to perform certain tasks if they were a virtuous person in life.
Interviewer:
(Shocked) That is a very disturbing thing you are saying, Gurudev. But I have heard that she wears them because she loves children, and if a seeker becomes child-like in innocence, they achieve success faster.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, that is certainly a perspective. A seeker must be like a child. Even Mahadev, who lies at her feet, is in a state of \"Sadyojata\" (newborn).
Interviewer:
Why did Mahadev become a newborn?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Once, Mother Kali assumed a terrifying, destructive form. Everywhere she stepped, fire broke out. She was followed by an army of jackals and spirits. The gods were terrified. Mahadev realized he had to stop her. He decided that if he became a newborn baby and lay in her path crying, her maternal instinct would take over. He did exactly that. When Kali saw the crying baby, her rage vanished. No matter how fierce she is, she is still a Mother. She picked up the baby and began to nurse him, and all her destructive power subsided. This is the \"Sadyojata\" form. In the final phase of Shivaratri, we worship this newborn form of Shiva.
Interviewer:
That is a beautiful explanation. Finally, why is Kali Puja more prevalent at the Shakti Peethas than Durga Puja?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
The Shakti Peethas are where the body parts of Goddess Sati fell after Vishnu severed her body with the Sudarshan Chakra. At these sites, we worship Dakshina Kali. Our Kalighat is one such \"Kali-Kshetra.\" On this particular day, Mahalakshmi is also worshipped. As for Kuber, he was the son of Sage Vishrava and the half-brother of Ravana. When Ravana gained immortality from Brahma (except from humans, whom he considered food and therefore beneath him), he became unstoppable. Kuber, however, remained a devotee. Mahadev blessed Kuber and told him to move to the North and establish a kingdom where Ravana could never set foot. This is the mystical realm of \"Gyanganj,\" where great yogis perform sadhana. In that realm, there is no death or old age. You come out at the same age you went in, though your hair and nails grow very fast there.
Interviewer:
Friends, we conclude today’s episode with these profound insights. Happy Shyama Puja to everyone. Pranam, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam.