As he speaks to some staff people, Maharaj begins talking about the loss of spiritual power in previously holy places:

In a spiritual place, the important thing is that the Nazar (saint’s blessed gaze) fell there, not the marble buildings. The Guru’s thoughts and feet are so pure, but those gurdwaras made of marble have descended to patal (the underworld). Why is there fighting in the gurdwaras? In the wake of the purity of Guru Gobind Singh, there is just marble—no peace, no dharma. A person sitting in the mountains with nothing but truth is great, but Satan is in the marbled gurdwaras. Everything is upside down now.

When I was a child, Darbar Sahib was so powerful that people automatically started begging forgiveness before Guru Granth Sahib. But now I have seen gurdwaras where reading of the holy scripture is going on inside while people are drinking liquor outside. People are reading the scripture with ego and having their names inscribed on the marble they have donated. As Guru Granth Sahib says, “Nam and ego cannot coexist.”

Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki’s hukam was to leave his place kaccha (of the original natural materials) because his Nazar was so strong there. At Anandpur Sahib (Guru Gobind Singh’s city), the hukam was to keep the place where Guru Teg Bahadur’s head was cremated kaccha and to light divas there.

What is Nazar? The holy person’s gaze was so strong that rock became like wax. The places where their power was so strong have all been covered with marble and the power is gone. The place where Buddha was enlightened under the peepul tree became so pure, but not after it was covered with marble. There is corruption in the gurdwaras now because they are all marble-covered, but previously the atmosphere there was so pure and peaceful.

People’s tastes and Gurus’ choices are different. My desire is to leave our places as they are, not to cover them with marble.