In this holy month of chaitra, we have all gathered here, in Karnavati club (Ahmd) and it is a pleasure to have dignitaries from the fields of literature, politics and religion. This katha in the club is for clubbing all the sections of society in integration. This katha is also to pay homage to our great literary personality late Sh. Keka Shastri.

Every kand of Shri Ramcharitmanas indicates to a unique kind of search, which an individual experiences at some point of his life even in contemporary time.

Balkand - Manu-Shatrupa and Dashrathjee wanted a son like Bhagwaan Ram. It is the initial stage of one’s life when one wants to expand his family.

Ayodhya kand - There was a want of ‘Ram-rajya’ by people of Ayodhya. Every individual wants peace and joy in life. If you get a chance of experiencing it, do not postpone it; grab every opportunity to experience true joy through satsang or visiting a teerth.

Aranya kand - Bhagwaan Ram wanted to reach out to the downtrodden, so he went to Ma Shabari’s place without invitation. In today’s time, an aspirant might search for devotion like her.

Kishkindha kand - Bhagwaan Ram found Sugreev and took his help in searching Ma Seeta. One can learn that we should use the available resources in the best possible way for betterment of our lives.

Sunder kand - Hanuman jee found Lankini on the border of Lanka. One can see the power of satsang when she gets transformed into a different person just by a blow of Hanuman jee’s fist. Satsang works in five ways:

• It destroys the wrong beliefs based on fanaticism.
• It makes a person free of complaints, prejudices, faultfinding of others and materialistic thought.
• It makes one realize the downfall and then experience the real rise internally.
• It makes a person come face-to-face with truth and then creates humbleness.
• It transforms the whole outlook of the person towards life.

Lanka Kand - Search of Trijata.
Uttar kand - Search of Raavan.

Bapu say, ‘I humbly request all my listeners not to see the faults of others if you really want to experience joy and peace. You create lot of malignity in yourself by seeing the faults of others.’

Any insult that makes you remember the God is the result of your virtues and every applause that takes you away from remembrance of the Lord is the result of your past vices.

According to Tulsidas jee, Hanuman jee searched for specific things in RamKatha:

He wanted knowledge/gyaan when he reached out to hold the sun. He looked for Ma Sita i.e. devotion. He went all the way to get Sanjeevani i.e. divine medicine and he found a guide in Vibheeshan. Similarly, the individual of today, should look for wisdom, peace, food as a medicine for life and a guide to show the right path.

The term ‘mangal moorti’ can be used for the one who possesses the following:

1. Swasth sharer - healthy body.
2. Swachchh sharer - clean body.
3. Sunder body - good physical appearance.
4. Sashakt sharer - strong body
5. Seva-maya sharer - the body that is used for helping others

Hanuman jee introduces himself to different characters of Shri Ramcharitmanas in different ways. Here, in the main chaupai of this katha, he first calls himself as the son of wind (maarut-sut main kapi hanumaana..). Being the son of wind-god, Hanuman jee also possesses the same qualities as of wind. Some of them are listed below:

• Mand – wind is favourable if it blows serenely. Hanuman jee says to Bhagwaan Ram in Kishkindha kand that he is also ‘mand’ (Eku main mand moh-bas kutil hridaya agyaan|). Hanuman jee is ‘mand’ in the sense that in spite of being all-pervading, he does not lose his humbleness.
• Sugandh – wind seems very pleasant if it is fragrant. Hanuman jee like Sadaguru has a unique aroma of his own which does not come from any perfume or flower essence. It is the fragrance of his saadhana.
• Sheetal - Just like cool breeze is very soothing, Hanuman jee’s personality is very calming.
• Gati - Just like wind does not remain stagnant, Hanuman jee is always on the move to do works of Bhagwaan Ram.
• Praan daata - Just like no individual can survive without air, Hanuman jee becomes the life source. In Shri Ramcharitmanas, he saved the lives of Sita jee, Sugreev, Lakshman jee etc.
• Asang - The wind cannot be trapped but only be felt. Similarly, Hanuman jee is not bound by anyone, but his grace can definitely be felt.
• Purifier - Air purifies and so does Hanuman jee.  

Tulsidas jee gives a revolutionary thought that sometimes, it is better to sleep than to be awake. Sleep at least assures that there would be no untruth, no harsh words, no attachments or hatred. Open eyes represent analysis, but close eyes represent faith. Sleep does not mean lethargy here, it rather means to get detached and remain focused on inner self.

In shastras, there’s a mention of brothers of Hanuman jee. The brothers’ names represent qualities present in Hanuman jee. The brothers are- Dhrutiman (patience), keertiman (fame), gatiman (movement), matiman (intellect) and ketuman (eminence).

Bapu says, "I request my listeners to encourage your children to learn some stotras like Rudraashtak, Krishnaashtak, Madhuraashtak etc. They should be aware of our Sanskrit language and our heritage."

No religion can negate the sutras of ‘Satya, Prem and Karuna’ i.e. Truth, love and compassion respectively. They are the essentials of every religion of world. Truth leads to fearlessness (Abhaya), love leads to sacrifice (tyaag) and compassion leads to non-violence (ahinsa).

Saints have a unique ways of welcoming aspirants. Some may welcome with a gesture of eyes, some by hand actions, some by nodding the head etc. Bharat jee is a saint and he is incomparable. He welcomed Hanuman jee by embracing him with open arms. Such a meeting with a saint is a rare thing to happen. This only happens when one goes to a saint with total surrender without any pretense.

Question: It has been seen that saints have got amalgamated with their deity of worship - like Meera with  Bhagwaan Dwarkadheesh and Mahaprabhu jee with Lord Tirupati, is it possible  for a shishya to get amalgamated with his Sadaguru ?

Bapu's answer: In such a relationship, it is the other way round - it is the Sadaguru who gets amalgamated with the shishya. But, the foremost condition for such a  phenomenon is that a shishya has to completely vacate himself internally. The more a shishya’s surrender/admission is natural (swaabhaavik aatma-nivedan), the more of Sadaguru unites with him. It requires absolutely honest surrender on the part of the shishya.

When you come to katha, you should try to be free of any kind of prejudices and reservations. You should not disturb others with your words even if you have some knowledge about the katha. The listener and the speaker should have three qualities:

• Prasann - they should come with a happy and open mind.
• Sampann - they should be full of love and eagerness towards the katha.
• Prapann - they should be dedicated towards the shastra.

Bapu says, “ I dislike the concept of giving shraap/curse in our culture. It should be totally ruled out now. The blessing and curse come true only if they come from the bottom of the heart.”

Question - What are the qualities of an intellectual person?
Bapu’s answer -An intellectual person has following qualities:

• Grahan shakti - grasping power.
• Samjhan shakti - understanding of good or bad.
• Nirakshan shakti - observing power.
• Pareekshan shakti - testing power.
• Kalpana shakti - power of imagination.
• Taaravan shakti - proper judgment of what to accept or reject.  

Question - What is the difference between the state of a foetus in womb and a sleeping baby just after birth?

Bapu’s answer - The condition of a foetus is ‘sushupti’ (half awake-half sleep), but after birth, the baby sleeps deeply. Before birth, the foetus swims in the womb, but after birth, he/she gets drown into world. There should be complete  ban on abortions; it is like killing the form of Bhagwaan Vishnu (who resides in the ocean). Female infanticide should be specially avoided to maintain the  equilibrium of the society.

Bapu says, ‘ I believe that at least for ten years we should all try to make this earth free of weapons. This experiment of love should be carried out by all, but if not all can do it, at least my katha listeners should free themselves from every kind of violence.’

Every individual should donate 10% of his/her wealth for the welfare of people. If you don’t donate for charity, then the nature takes it as a toll in some way or the other.

If you maintain your endurance and continue doing Hari-bhajan, you will realize that the negative elements start turning favourable for you.

In Kishkindha kand, Hanuman jee’s role was seen in three ways. Taking a lesson from him, we can also practice them in our lives:

• Hanuman jee introduced Sugreev to Bhagwaan Ram. We can also try to introduce our friends/family to some auspicious element like satsang.
• Hanuman jee alarmed Sugreev towards his duty when he got involved in material pleasures - We can also remind people not to forget the supreme power when someone goes berserk in materialism.
• Hanuman jee followed the work of going in search of Ma Jaanaki - we should also be sincere in doing the duties assigned to us.

Social service without bhajan is prone to be egotistical. Bhajan should not be ignored at any cost. Gandhijee served the nation with the strength of his ‘prarthna’.

Don’t react to criticism impulsively. Time will definitely bring out the truth; you just need to keep patience. If the points of criticism apply to you, you should accept it gracefully and try to improve on those points. But, if they don’t apply to you then just be silent without reacting. Waiting for truth to come out with time is a kind of sadhana.

The pain that comes due to the nature of a person can only be cured by satsang. Satsang actually means to be in company of truth; it not just listening to discourses.

Question - In our scriptures, there are many instances when a person is cursed (shraap) if he fails to follow the right path. What alternative can used to alarm a person to go towards the right path?

Bapu’s answer - In today’s world, ‘shraap’ should be banned. Instead of cursing, one should take the strength of love and tears to bring a person towards the right path. The past instances of ‘shraap’ have to be seen in context with the practices of those times; ‘shraap’ is out-of-date in present world.

When you are angry, just be quiet for sometime or sprinkle some cold water on your face or look at yourself in the mirror and you’ll realize that this is not your true self. Another way to control your anger is to donate some money whenever you are angry.

Question - What is the difference between anubhav (experience) and anubhooti (feeling)?

Bapu’s answer - Experience can be described in words (Nij anubhav ab kahaun khagesa..) whereas feeling cannot be described in words, only tears come out of feelings.

According to Upanishads, the experience of the supreme power does not depend on the number of people that support you or how much wealth you possess or lot of activity. It can actually happen with sacrifice (tyaag). One saint goes to say that sacrifice without dispassion (vairaag) is inconsistent; it should be backed by total detachment.

A religious institution or a temple should be a place from where a person gets peace, joy and strength. It should not become a seat of business; if it does then just imagine what message do you send to people? Religion should break fanaticism and create awareness.

In chitrakoot, there’s a panchvati (place of five trees) where Ma Sita lived. The five trees denote the five characters of devotion, where bhakti lives-
“ Naath dekhiyahin bitap bisaala | Paakari jambu rasaal tamaala ||” (Ayodhya kand,237)

• Paakari - The tree of paakari represents ‘japa’. A devotee immerses himself in japa.
• Jambu - The colour of black-plum reminds of the Lord. A black-plum is dark outside but it tastes good from inside; similarly, a bhakta is pure in the heart irrespective of his caste or creed.
• Rasaal - A mango represents nectar (rasa). Devotion should not be dry; it should be full of rasa.
• Tamaal - The shape of this tree inspires the aspirant to embrace with the Lord.
• Bada - The banyan tree represents faith (vishwaas) and peace (vishraam).

There should be a Sadaguru, the center of faith in every individual’s life. A Sadaguru is so capable that even if he does not reply to your queries, he does the best for you. Even in his absence, an aspirant can connect with him through faith and devotion.

Question - There are several meanings of chaupais given from the Vyas - peetth. Are these the meanings of Tulsidas jee or do they come from intellectual manifestations of the speaker?

Bapu’s answer - Can I ask you why God made a rose? In answer to this, there may be many reasons according to an individual’s reasoning capacity as different people use a rose for different purposes. Similarly, a chaupai’s different meanings come out of distinct inspirations from the Lord to different speakers. Manas cannot be recited by intellectual manipulations; it can be understood only by God’s grace. The various meanings come out only because they are already present in the chaupais, like water comes out of taps only if it is supplied from filled-up tanks.

Question - Why do Brahmins ask the wife to touch the arm of husband at the time of performing pooja (ritual)?

Bapu’s answer - At the time of pooja, a touch of wife’s hand makes the husband free of every kind of unholiness. The wife’s hand acts as a purifier for the husband!

Question - What is the root of ‘dharma’ - mercy (dayaa) or sense of discretion (vivek)?

Bapu’s answer - I think the root of dharma is ‘truth’ (satya). Dharma comprises of truth, love and compassion. Dharma should be followed with faith and not with fear. ‘Satta’ (power) may scare you but where there is ‘Sata’/truth, there should be fearlessness.

Crisis triggers either intense bhajan or in contrast, a person may avoid doing routine bhajan also. Actually, an aspirant should be extra careful about continuing with bhajan during troubled times. Crisis is sometimes unavoidable in life. If you decide to succumb to it, then it will over-power you and you’ll be pained. But, if you are ready to courageously face it, then you’ll be least affected.

In the path of devotion, don’t ask for anything from the Lord. It is an insult to his power of omnipresence. ‘The Lord would do the best for me’ - keep this faith.

Shri Ramcharitmanas does not expect the youngsters to lead an extremely ascetic life. Tulsidas jee says that one should use material goods after offering them to the Lord and then accepting them as his ‘prasaad’. But, be careful that material pleasures should not be at the cost of moral values and cultural ethics.

Hanuman jee and his glory is for all the times; he is immortal. ‘ Chaaro yuga partaap tumhaara | hai parsidhh jagat ujiyaara ||’ In Satayuga, he’s Shankar. In Treta Yuga, he’s Bandar (in the form of a monkey) in the service of Bhagwaan Ram. In Dwaapar yuga, he plays a passive role but he attentively listens to Bhagwad Gita. In Kaliyuga, he’s present wherever somebody sings Ramkatha. He is beyond time as he’s the life-source (praan-tatva) of all creatures.

If a person attends katha with one and only aim i.e. to listen to the glory of the Lord, then he takes a big leap in spiritual path. The only condition is total focus on satsang devoid of any other motive.

Hanuman jee did not smolder Lanka, but actually he wanted to create light and awareness there. A saint never does any harm to anyone. Aspirants who offer oil to Hanuman jee should rather donate it to spread light in the houses of needy people.

According to Medini kosh, in the name ‘Hanumaan’, ‘hanu’ refers to distinct things:

1. Hanu means the chin portion of a person. Hanuman jee was hurt at the chin in his childhood by Indra.
2. Hanu means a disease. Hanuman jee represents the ‘prem rog’- the disease of love towards to divine beloved. There is no cure for this disease.
3. Hanu means a weapon. Hanuman jee does not carry any weapon but he’s all-powerful himself.
4. Hanu means ‘nagar-vadhu’ (a lady who entertains people with dance and music). Hanuman jee has expertise in music and dance; he’s called a ‘kirtanacharya’.

Don’t ever think about the things that you don’t want to happen. Thoughts can trigger happenings, so abstain from negative thinking.

Question - It is said that the digit ‘13’ is inauspicious. What do you think?

Bapu’s answer - I would say that the digit ‘13’ is the most auspicious than all other digits. If you count the alphabets in the mantra - ‘Shri Ram jai Ram jai jai Ram’, they come to the total of 13. And there’s nothing as auspicious as the ‘Ram naam’. Don’t indulge in these superstitions!

Hanuman jee introduces himself as a humble servant of Bhagwaan Ram - ‘Deen-bandhu raghupati kar kinkar’. In spite of being all - capable, he admits his role as a servant with extreme modesty. The one who admits his truth with humility shows that he’s a possessor of high moral values.

Hanuman jee’s speech is adorned with four qualities:

‘ Bhagati prataap tej bal saani..’

1. Hanuman jee's first quality was Strength. Hanuman Jee had three types of strength (bal).

• Mental strength (manobal). A person can be mentally strong due to two reasons- strong resolutions (sankalp bal) and forgiveness (kshama bal). Cowards cannot forgive, only the brave can forgive.
• Strength of words (vachan bal). Power of speech comes only if there’s truth in the roots of words.
• Strength of vision (drishti bal). If the person has no malign intention in his eyes, it proves to be his strength.

2. The second quality of his speech is Prataap (dignity)
3. The third quality of his speech is Tej (magnificence)
4. The fourth quality of his speech is pleasantness. He’s never rude in his words. Truth should not be made bitter so as not to hurt anybody.

The aspirant who chants ‘Ram naam’ should never:

• Exploit (shoshan) anyone, he/she should rather try to support (poshan) everyone.
• Help others in whatever possible way according to own capacity.
• Should not cultivate any enmity in own mind even if other people create negativity.  

If an aspirant is not careful, he is prone to downfall when he/she comes across public acclaim. So, constant awareness is essential in the spiritual path.

Question - Some people say that they are close to you. what do you say?

Bapu’s answer - I just have to say that no one is close to a saadhu and at the same time, a saadhu is never far from anyone. A saadhu’s not bound by anybody. In fact, he has the close-up of all! Some people who claim to be close, try to cover him up, but an alert/aware saadhu should not let anyone do that. A saadhu should not limit himself; he should reach out to the last person.

Question - It is seen that Hanuman jee always remained fresh. what can a person do to remain full of energy like him?

Bapu’s answer - Three things can help you maintain good energy level:

• Snaan (to bathe)- Bapu says, ‘it is my personal experience that if you recite Rudraashtak while taking bath, you remain energetic.’ If you follow some other religion, then take the name of the deity that you worship.
• Dhyaan (to meditate)- Meditation helps to build energy and also to regain the lost energy.
• Gaan (to sing)- Music and singing can pep up your energy levels.

Vishwamitra jee had accomplished many milestones in the spiritual path, but still he felt that something was amiss until Bhagwaan Ram and Lakshaman jee came to his rescue. An aspirant’s life is incomplete in the absence of truth (represented by Bhagwaan Ram) and sacrifice (denoted by Lakshaman jee).

There’s no inauspicious element on this earth if you have a positive outlook. The most auspicious thing is that God has sent us as human beings in this beautiful creation. Even something that may seem most unpleasant, may be for good only. Have faith that The Lord will always do the best for you.   

Bapu says, ‘At the end of nine days of katha, the listeners may feel the sorrow of a parent who see off the daughter from home, but I feel the pain of father who has to leave the daughter and go away himself. I’m so attached to my listeners that I feel that if someone praises them, it is a compliment for me and when someone criticizes them, I feel that they are criticizing me. My listeners are very important for me.’

Question - A lot has been said in katha and it is difficult to remember everything, so can you just give one single meaning of ‘Hanuman’ as a gist of this katha that can last with us for life?

Bapu’s answer - The holy name ‘Hanumaan’ is made of four letters and they all represent the qualities of Hanuman jee. We can take inspiration from the below mentioned letters.

• Ha - This denotes ‘hakaaratmak vritti’/ positive attitude.  Negative thinking leads to arrogance but positive thinking leads to joy; a true aspirant chooses joy over arrogance so one should remain positive in thoughts. Always try to cooperate with others in a cordial way and avoid creating differences. Hanuman jee’s whole leela was for welfare of all.
• Nu - This inspires not to do ‘nuksaan’/harm of anyone. Hanuman jee did not raze Lanka but created light and awareness in their lives with the fire of unique kind of ‘yagna’. Even if you have an opportunity, don’t take revenge from anyone or harm anyone. It is better to loose something yourself rather than harming others. If you cannot do well for others, then at least don’t harm them. And by chance, if you hurt someone, then don’t’ delay in apologizing. Ask for forgiveness as soon as possible.
• Ma - This shows the motherly instinct of Hanuman jee. He takes care of aspirants just like a mother nurtures a child. In the shelter of Hanuman jee, one feels free from asamaanta (inequality), asalaamati (insecurity), abhimaan (arrogance) and apavaad (negativity towards others). Such is the motherly care of Hanuman jee!
• Na - Hanuman jee wants to convey the message that never be pessimistic about life and don’t just consider it as ‘nashwar’/ transient. Live every moment with enthusiasm and celebrate life without the fear of death.

According to Dale Carnegie, there are some tips to win over people.

• Listen attentively and take interest in the speech of the other person.
• Greet the person with his favourite word.
• Call the person by his name. Calling anyone’s name heartily is like a japa of ‘Harinaam’.
• Start the conversation with the subject of his interest. But, if the person is full of negativity and is inclined towards scornfulness and faultfinding then use your discretion and avoid such topics.

There are some reasons that lead to your grief:

• ‘Abhaav’/ feeling of being deprived.
• ‘Prabhaav’/ growing popularity of others may make you sad.
• ‘Swabhaav’/ own nature may create sorrowful mind.
• ‘Nibhaav’/ hardships of coping with needs trouble you but at that time look at those who are in greater crisis and you’ll realize much better off.

‘I request my listeners, especially mothers, not to pollute the minds of their children against their spouses or in-laws. This is like misguiding them. Don’t spoil the efforts of my Vyas-peetth.’

You can identify a true saadhu if you feel a calming aura around him and whose glimpse encourages you to remember the Lord.

There’s no great effort in breaking or destroying anything. Actual greatness lies in uniting and bringing all together.

God knows if there exists hell or heaven, but the hell on this earth is to indulge in negativity towards others. Please avoid it.

‘Ramahi sumiriya gaaiya ramahi | Santat suniya ram guna graamahi ||’   

Tulsidas jee asks to remember, sing and constantly listen to the glory of Bhagwaan Ram. But, in today’s times, an aspirant should take a resolution to constantly try to remember, sing and listen about the shubh tatva/positive element in everything.

Let us offer the fruit of virtue of this katha in the feet of great Brahmarshi Sh. Keka shastri jee.

  “Pavan tanay sankat haran mangal moorati roop |
    Ram lakhan sita sahit hriday basahu sur-bhoop ||”