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 BIOGRAPHY |
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Morari Bapu was born to Prabhudas Bapu and Savitri Ma Hariyani on the auspicious day of Maha-Shivratri in Talgajarda, a small village near Mahuva in the District of Bhavnagar and State of Gujarat, India. Born into the Vaishnav Bava Sadhu Nimbarka lineage (parampara) where every male is called “Bapu” from childhood, Morari Bapu is commonly referred to as “Bapu” (meaning Father). Bapu has five brothers and two sisters, and is married with one son, three daughters and several grandchildren.
Bapu spent most of his childhood under the guidance of his paternal grandmother, Amrit Ma, often spending hours listening to folk tales from her of traditional India. At the age of five, Bapu began learning the Ram Charit Manas from his paternal grandfather, who is his only Guru, Tribhovandas Bapu. Both of Bapu's paternal grandparents were the influential guiding forces behind his upbringing. |
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| MORARI BAPU- SOME FACTS |
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- Bapu has only one Guru who is also his paternal grandfather named Tribhovandas Bapu.
- Bapu is no one’s Guru and has no disciples (shishyas); rather he has countless listeners (shrotas) worldwide.
- Bapu does not belong to, nor has he created, any groups or organizations. There is no Sita Ram Parivar.
- Although he is a Hindu, Bapu accepts and refers to the good aspects of all religions.
- Bapu’s life is like the flow of the river Ganges (Ganga pravah) – similar to how new water continuously replaces the current stream, Bapu believes in flowing traditions (pravahi parampara) that evolve with the times.
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| MORARI BAPU- LITERATURE & ARTS |
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| 'While Bapu's focus and purpose in life is Ram Katha, he is a well known patron of literature and arts and often quotes writers, poets and musicians during his Kathas. Throughout the years, he has been organising several annual events to recognise, preserve and honour the traditional arts of India:' |
- Asmita Parva takes place during the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. During this event, eminent scholars of the Gujarati language meet to discuss literary issues and achievements. Bapu invites and awards outstanding artists in the fields of vocal and instrumental music as well as dance.
- Sanskrut Satra is held to keep alive the ancient and sacred language of Sanskrit. On this occasion, literary masterpieces of Vedic and classical Sanskrit literature are explored. Bapu presents an award to a prominent Sanskrit scholar. Photo Gallery...
- Sant Vani Award recognises those who are keeping alive the traditional, ancestral and spiritual bhajans (songs) of Gujarat.
- Kavi Kag Award is in memory of a well known Gujarati poet, Kavi Kag, who understood and wrote folk literature. The award is given to a Gujarati folk artist for music or literature.
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| MORARI BAPU- COMMUNITY COHESION |
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Bapu brings together many different branches and sects of religion, various faiths and all the levels of society with a panorama of cultural variation to a common ground of undivided understanding and unity.
Bapu also wholly discards untouchability and has opened up his temples to all castes. He often eats and stays in the midst of the poorest of dalits (untouchables) and has organised kathas for the Devipujaka and Valmiki communities in Gujarat.
In 2007, he organised a conference on Voice of Women, honouring the life and achievements of female saint poets from various parts of India as well as Arabia and Europe.
An Inter Religious Conference took place in Mahuva in January 2009, bringing together prominent leaders of various religions in order to articulate the role of religion in seeking to foster universal peace and harmony and to provide a common platform for dialogue between all faiths. This conference was titled Dharmasanwad. Speakers were from Jain, Hindu, Sikh, Christian and Muslim communities.
In February 2009, Bapu hosted Sadbhavana Parva. 300 delegates from Christianity, Islam and Hinduism sat together for three days to discuss current issues and how to bring harmony.
Tulsi Jayanti
The Tulsi Award is an opportunity to recognise the lineage (paramparāh) of those who recite kathas (kathākār) since they preserve the teachings of Hindu scriptures, as well as maintain the traditions and values of India.
Each year on the auspicious occasion of Tulsi Jayanti (the birth date of Goswāmi Tulsidās), four individuals will be given the Tulsi Award. Since this was the first year of this award, 40 such kathākārs who have passed away were recognised. ( Photo Gallery, Pravachan )
Floods in 2009
During July 2009, the districts of Porbandar, Mangrole and Veraval experienced extremely heavy rains and floods. For days, these floods prevented people from leaving their houses, leading to starvation and other problems. Bapu helped as he does each time a calamity like this takes place. This time, he immediately sent approximately Rs.500,000 as well as volunteers to distribute food bags to the poor who were starving in their homes. The attached pictures are of volunteers distributing food in the Porbandar area.
( Photo Gallery )
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