MorariBapu has been saying the Ram Katha from the age of 20 and he has spoken on the ship, on a flight, to all genders of people, to sex workers and to raise funds for various noble causes.
Profile
MoraridasPrabhudasHariyani was born on 25th September 1946 in Mahuva, a village in Gujarat. His parents were PrabhudasHariyani and Savitiri Ben Hariyani and had six brothers and two sisters. The family were followers of dvaitadvaita (dualistic non dualism) philosophy called NimbarkaSampradaya, a Vaishnava tradition. He considers his grandfather TribhovandasHariyani as his guru. However his grandmother also had a great influence on him. From the age of five he began learning Ram CharitaManas from his grandfather and by 12 he could recite all the 24000 verses of Ram CharitaManas by heart and even knew its meaning. After his secondary education he did a course on teaching from Shahpur Teachers Training College in Junagadh and started a career as a teacher which he continued for 10 years. He gave his first discourse of Ramacharitmans at the age of 20 in 1966 in the presence of PujyaRamprasadjiMaharaj, a revered saint of Gujarat. There is a hearsay story about MorariBapu. He would take leave from school to give his discourses. On one occasion as some important event was coming in the school he was not given permission. Nevertheless he took leave and went away, knowing fully well he would not be taken back in school. So when he came back he approached the principal with his resignation letter. The principal was surprised because according to him,MorariBapu was present in the school and had gone about his duties as usual, so why resign. Hearing this MorariBapu was moved and submitted his resignation his letter stating that if the Lord could come and take his place how could he do part time Ram Katha? From then on his life was only for giving discourses and it was the beginning of a practise where thousands of men and women began to gather to listen to his Ram Katha and he was lovingly called ‘Bapu’, meaning father. He is married and has three daughters and a son.
Philosophy Propounded
RamcharitManas written by Tulasidaji is the book MorariBapu speaks about. Sage Valmiki is the author of Ramayana and he has depicted Rama as a human being. While Tulasidaji’s Ramayana, which has all the elements of the original Ramayana, glorifies Rama as the Lord. RamacharitManas has verses filled with devotion. MorariBapu keeps a 300-year-old Ramayan handed over to him by his grandfather. He believes that religious beliefs should not be stagnant and must change with times and be progressive.
Work Done to Spread the Philosophy
MorariBapu’s life mission is to speak about the Lord and ‘reach the last man whenever and wherever possible’. Today there are thousand listening to his Ramkatha. He has travelled all over the world. He has spoken to trans genders, soldiers, sex workers. He has raised funds for construction of toilets, free-hospitals, and more. In times of disasters he has raised funds to help the affected. MorariBapu is love personified and is rightly called ‘Bapu’.
