India Post News Service
As per the Hindu calendar and tradition a very important date of Guru Purnima, the day all Mystical Masters of the world are celebrated and honored, is just round the corner. Few days ahead of it, Los Angeles is hosting a nine-day discourse by renowned spiritual leader Morari Bapu from India at the Ontario Convention Center. The narration that began on Saturday, July 02, will continue daily till July 10, from 10 am – 1 pm local time.
Morari Bapu is a very famous expounder of the famous epic Ramayana written by Goswami Tulsidas. Normally, Bapu picks two lines from the epic and explains them in detail over 9-days adding context from the various sacred scriptures, anecdotes, folklore and more. The idea is to plant the root meaning of these lines and to understand their antecedent and relevance in larger concept of the text as well as life. Morari Bapu, who is attributed with taking the Ramayana to the homes and hearts of the people all over India and the world, connects all teachings with morals and ideals that need to be incorporated in daily living to bring more joy and peace in people’s lives.
In the Los Angeles Katha, spiritual luminary Morari Bapu picked the topic of “Manas Acharya Devo Bhava”, an ode to transcendental teachers who bring light to the world. This would be Bapu’s 899th discourse, a journey that started around 1960.
The two lines picked for the Los Angeles Ram Katha are:
Bandau guru pada padumaparaga | suruchisubaassarasaanuraga ||
Guru pada raja mrdumanjulaanjana || nayana amia drga dosh bibhanjana ||
(I greet the dust of the lotus feet of my preceptor, refulgent, fragrant and flavored with love. The dust of the Guru’s feet is a soft and agreeable salve, which is ambrosia for the eyes and remedies the defects of vision.)
Ram Charita Manas: Bal Kaand 1.1, 2.1
Bapu remembered the teachers in his life who contributed towards his education. His Guru though is his own grandfather Tribhuvandas whom he called Dada.
Starting his address today Bapu brought out three points beautifully. He said that while it is not in our hands whether someone hurts our interest, it is very much in our capacity to resolve and not harm others. Secondly, no matter what one does, there will always be people who will backstab or speak poorly about you. This is also not in our control, but again, we can be determined not to wish ill of others. And finally, irrespective of how our family, friends and society treat us or view us, one can be resolute to be favorably disposed towards them.
Morari Bapu then turned towards explaining the four supreme qualities in an Acharya (teacher). He felt a guide must have purity of words, thoughts, speech and maintain unalloyed relations with others. And as a disciple, one must seek broadening of our thoughts, increase in our discretionary power and growth and augmentation of our faith.
Bapu has famously said that Dharma (moral code) comprises three basic simple virtues of ‘Truth, Love and Compassion’. He preaches against indulging in envy, jealousy, and hatred of others as well as unnecessary and unlimited accumulation of objects.
Morari Bapu, who began his journey as a narrator of this grand epic at the age 14, follows the two-track principals of “Bhajan Karo and BhojanKarao” i.e. to chant the holy name and serve food to other with respect. That is the reason the congregational discourse will be followed by ‘prasad’ (lunch) daily.
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