The third day of the divine Shri Ram Katha at Parmarth Niketan by Pujya Sant Shri Morari Bapuji was graced by the presence of Pujya Sant Shri Rameshbhai Ozaji (Pujya Bhaishri) and Pujya Swami Rajendra Dasji. During the traditional ritual of offering their respect to the sacred scripture all respected saints offered sacred Peepal leaves to the Ramayana / Ram Charit Manas as a green symbol of their respect and love.
Pujya Swamiji welcomed the respected saints to the katha and introduced the Green Katha initiative by sharing, “The time has come that our festivals, our kathas and our holidays must be green and sustainable. It is time that with every Hanuman Chalisa we must also conduct Safai Chalisas (cleaning programs). Many times our temples and holy places, our pilgrimages are left so dirty and filthy that there is a great need for all of us to make our worship, our pooja, to be to make our spaces clean and green. Through this katha, through our respected Kathakars and their Kathakar Social Responsibility, we can be inspired and charged to make every moment and minute of our lives more green and more sustainable.”
Pujya Bhaishriji also blessed the gathering with his words of wisdom, “Often people ask when will Lord Shri Ram and Lord Krishna be avtarit (reborn) again. I believe that every katha is in itself a darshan of the Lord, a dialogue with the Lord. Every katha is an avtaran, a story of rebirth. Through these kathas we are being graced by the karuna (compassion) of the Lord and with the blessings of our respected saints, like Pujya Morari Bapuji, and sacred pilgrimages like the holy banks of Mother Ganga in Rishikesh we have an opportunity to realize the Lord in our own lives.”
He also added, “I also offer my deepest respects and Pranam to Pujya Swamiji for His great vision and tireless efforts. Often I tell Him that there is too much to fix and change in our world, and that you and I can’t do it all. Yet, wherever He sees a need, a problem to address, He always plans a new initiative or new project to help address it. I offer my deepest respect to this divine nature of His that just keeps giving and serving.”
Pujya Swami Rajendra Dasji, deeply inspired by Pujya Bhaishriji’s words, said, “Indeed Katha in itself is an avtaran of the Lord but every avtaran has a source from which it is brought forth. Just like Mother Ganga’s source is Gaumukh so too it is our good fortune that this Shri Ram Katha’s source is Respected Pujya Morari Bapuji.”
He also added, “At the core of environmental preservation, as Pujya Swamiji inspired and urged us, is the protection of our sacred Gau Mata (mother cow), because Gobar (manure) is the sacred source of nourishment to Mother Earth and thereby Mother Ganga and Mother Nature.”
Pujya Morari Bapuji expressed how fortunate the pilgrims are to be listening to the Shri Ram Katha and to also have the blessings from our saints. He shared also that truly we are living not in Kaliyug but Katha Yug and we are so fortunate to be in a country where this tradition is so abundant and accessible to all. He spoke about the importance of cleaning both our inner and outer environments. Katha serves an important role in inner cleansing. His beautiful words, songs and commentary of the verses of the Rama Charit Manas were a great blessing for all.
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In the evening for Divine Ganga Aarti, the Hon’ble Governor of Uttarakhand, Shri Krishna Kant Palji and his wife Smt Omita Palji joined Pujya Swamiji and Sadhviji and the entire Parmarth family. Pujya Swamiji and Sadhviji shared that it was truly divine Grace to have the Hon’ble Governor with us on the sacred occasion of the second anniversary of the flash floods that wreaked havoc in Uttarakhand in 2013. Pujya Swamiji mentioned that during His recent visit to Kedarnath amongst many plans to rehabilitate and recover the affected regions, plans for developing a International Memorial Garden “Smriti Van” were made with Shri Harak Singh Rawatji, Hon’ble Agriculture Minister of Uttarakhand. They saw the land and planted a sacred sapling in the Rambara, Kedar Valley where a huge landslide wiped out a complete town. They planned to restore Rambara as a beautiful forest in memory of the lost lives as a Nature Contemplation centre, where pilgrims can come and reflect upon their integral and intimate connection with Nature and be inspired to protect and preserve it. The Hon’ble Governor offered his full support to the cause and a two minute moment of silence was held during the ceremony in honour of the departed souls. [To view the Rambara Tree Plantation Story www.facebook.com/media/