Who is the Guru of Sin?

Disciple: Friends, I welcome you from Shantikunj. To those who are new to the Gupta Sadhak Shyamakapa YouTube channel, I welcome you, and to our old friends, thank you for being with us. Pranam, Gurudev.

Gurudev: Pranam, pranam.

Disciple: Gurudev, I have come to you today with a question. I have been looking for an answer but couldn't find it. I’ve asked many people, but no one could give me a clear answer, so I have come to seek your guidance.

Gurudev: Will I be able to answer it?

Disciple: I don't know, Gurudev, maybe you can. I know nothing is impossible for you. The thing is, Gurudev, we know there are spiritual gurus, music gurus, and gurus of education. There are gurus for everything. But Gurudev, I repeatedly wonder—who is the "Guru of Sin"?

Gurudev: That is a very difficult question. Even I don't have the answer readily available, my son. But I remember reading a small story once about who the guru of sin is. Since you asked, I will tell you that story. I’ll keep it brief.

Once, there was a very learned pundit (scholar). One day, he met a farmer. The farmer asked him, "Father, you are such a learned man; will you answer a question for me?"

Disciple: The farmer asked the pundit?

Gurudev: Yes, the farmer asked the pundit. He said, "Everyone has a guru, but who is the guru of sin?"

The pundit was stunned. It was an unexpected question. He didn’t know the answer. He didn’t say he didn't know, but he avoided the question and left. He thought to himself, "I am a scholar, and I couldn't answer this. My education must be incomplete."

So, he went to Benares (Varanasi), the place where he had received his education. He searched and asked many scholars there, but no one could give him an answer. They all said, "I don't know. Sin doesn't have a guru."

He became very depressed. He was a very strict and orthodox man. He would only eat food he cooked himself; he wouldn't even take water from anyone else's hand. He was that disciplined.

One day, while he was walking aimlessly, he met a woman who was a courtesan. She said, "Father, I recognize you. You are a great scholar. May I say something? Please don't be angry." He told her to speak. She said, "You look very worried."

He replied, "Yes, I am in thought. I can't find the answer to a question: Who is the guru of sin? Everything has a guru, but I haven't found the guru of sin."

The woman laughed and said, "That is a very simple matter! Why are you worrying about this? Come with me."

At first, the pundit was hesitant. He thought, "Going with a courtesan? This is a sin!" But he was desperate for the answer, so he went with her to her quarters. He stayed there for a few days, but he continued to cook his own food and maintain his strict rituals.

Eventually, he became frustrated. He said, "The real work isn't being done. I still haven't found out who the guru of sin is." He told the woman he wanted to leave.

She said, "Why? Is something lacking here? Do one thing: Stay here, and I will give you five gold coins every day. You can spend your days as you wish."

The pundit saw this as a "golden opportunity." He couldn't resist. He agreed to stay because of the gold. As the saying goes, "Greed leads to sin, and sin leads to death." That is exactly what happened.

In the end, he realized who the guru of sin is. He discovered that he himself, through his greed, was the practitioner. Greed for those five gold coins made him abandon his principles. He became consumed by it.

The woman then told him, "Now you can go and give initiation to those who commit sins."

Disciple: So, Gurudev, you are saying that the woman showed him that greed is the answer.

Gurudev: Exactly. He found his answer through that experience. I remember the story vaguely, but the point is clear.

Disciple: So, what you are saying, Gurudev, is that Greed is the guru of sin.

Gurudev: Absolutely. Greed leads to sin, and sin leads to death. That is why we see so much conflict in the world today. It is all the result of greed. Nothing else. Greed leads to sin, and that sin will eventually lead to destruction. This greed will destroy society.

Disciple: This greed is why there is so much conflict in the world today.

Gurudev: Yes, and the conflict will only increase. What you see now is just the beginning. Greed for women, money, alcohol, gambling, and gold—these will increase. People will sink into sin and slowly head towards hell. It has already begun. It isn't going to stop.

As Lord Krishna has directed, things will follow their course. Look at the Jagannath Temple. Lord Jagannath is Krishna himself. Look at the unholy acts (anachar) happening there. These are signs. The more time passes, the faster the Kali Yuga (Age of Vice) will take hold.

The first thing Kali does is attack the temple of Jagannath.

Disciple: Are the priests (Pandas) responsible for this, Gurudev?

Gurudev: You can see it for yourself! I don't consider them the children of men. Taking money just to show people God? I cannot tolerate it, and Krishna doesn't tolerate it either. Another temple that will face destruction soon is Badrinath. Narayan resides there, and it is slowly being eroded. People don't realize it, but the temple is being eaten away from within.

First, the hand of Kali falls on Jagannath, then on Badrinath. Kali will finish these places. It won't happen instantly, but the plan is in motion. We are seeing blood in the Jagannath temple, people dying of heart attacks while looking at the Lord—these are not good signs. Whenever blood is spilled there, it causes great disturbance to the deity.

Eventually, the sea will be called forth to submerge the Jagannath temple. Badrinath will go too.

Disciple: Gurudev, my question was about the guru of sin, and you have told us that it is Greed. This is a profound truth. We didn't know this. Today, all the conflict in the world is because of greed. We are very moved by your answer. Our knowledge has increased. We must try to distance ourselves from greed.

Gurudev: Greed is hard to distance. If greed isn't removed, the conflict remains. Greed will surround people. And now, the consequences will come faster. In the past, it took time, but now death will follow sin almost immediately. This is the hallmark of *Kali(yuga)*.

Spiritual Insight

Guru Baba Shyama Khyapa answers a profound question about the origin of sin through a story of a scholar and a courtesan, revealing the true 'Guru of Sin'.