New York, Indian spiritual leader Morari Bapu has commenced a nine-day recital of the 'Ramcharitmanas' at Harvard University in Cambridge.
Bapu began the recital, titled 'Manas Guru Prasad', at Harvard's Sanders Theatre on August 15. The recital will continue through August 23. A three-day scholarly discussion was also organised from August 16 to 18, according to a press release issued here on Wednesday.
Prof Diana Eck, Faculty Director at Harvard's Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, said Ram, Sita and Lakshmana could be seen as "primordial pilgrims" whose 14-year journey of exile from Ayodhya through Prayag, Chitrakoot, Panchavati and Kishkindha to Rameshwaram unfolded across India.
"As they travelled, these places were transformed into sacred sites, and pilgrims have followed their footsteps ever since," Eck said, adding that the journey also became the landscape of Ramlila, extending beyond India to Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia.
Member of the UK House of Lords Dolar Popat said that Harvard's motto, 'Veritas', resonated with the values of "Satya, Prem and Karuna", making the gathering meaningful.
The programme also commemorated 'Tulsi Jayanti' on August 19, marking the birth anniversary of poet-saint Tulsidas.
Bapu initiated the Tulsi Jayanti programme in 2010 to honour those dedicated to preserving, interpreting and carrying forward the tradition of Ram Katha and the 'Ramcharitmanas'.
{{/usCountry}}Bapu initiated the Tulsi Jayanti programme in 2010 to honour those dedicated to preserving, interpreting and carrying forward the tradition of Ram Katha and the 'Ramcharitmanas'.
{{/usCountry}}"This Katha is being held in Savan maas, in the context of Tulsi Jayanti. What was lit today by the sadhus was not gyan deep; it was prem jyoti," Bapu said, adding that the gathering would focus on the "Tribhuvana Sutras" of Satya, Prem and Karuna.
Paavan Popat OBE, a member of the organising team, said the event brought together "the world's oldest recital traditions and one of its greatest centres of learning".
He said Bapu had taken the Ram Katha to Kailash Manasarovar, the Vatican, the United Nations and Cambridge, adding that the presence of sadhus and scholars from Chitrakoot, Ayodhya and Varanasi at Harvard was particularly significant.
Bapu has delivered more than 980 Kathas at over 900 locations worldwide, including the Vatican, the UN headquarters in New York and the University of Cambridge in 2023, the statement said.
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