- The four-day Tulsi Janmotsav, organised to mark the birth anniversary of Shri Ramcharitmanas creator Goswami Tulsidasji concludes in Mahuva.
- The dignitaries are felicitated with a citation and a cash award of Rs 1.25 lakh.
- The Valmiki awards are bestowed upon Madhavacharyaji Maharaj of Ayodhya and Vijayshankar Devshankar Dayashankar Pandya of Ahmedabad
- While readers of religious discourse must pay attention to five points in particular – speech, listening, memorising, singing, and chanting, they can also add dance to the points: Morari Bapu.
NE NEWS SERVICE
TALGAJARDA, AUG 5
Tulsidas Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Goswami Tulsidasji, the creator of Shri Ramcharitmanas, was celebrated on Thursday in the august presence of Morari Bapu and other saints. The 12th edition of an award series that was initiated by Morari Bapu in 2010 witnessed its culmination on the auspicious occasion of Tulsidas Jayanti.
Tulsi Award, Vyas, and Valmiki Awards are bestowed on Shri Ramcharitmanas scholars and institutions to recognise their efforts and invaluable contribution. The dignitaries are felicitated with a citation and a cash award of Rs 1.25 lakh. This year, nine dignitaries were selected for their contribution to various fields and were felicitated at the Kailash Gurukul in Mahuva on Thursday.
The Valmiki awards were bestowed upon Madhavacharyaji Maharaj of Ayodhya and Vijayshankar Devshankar Dayashankar Pandya of Ahmedabad. Prem Sagar accepted the award bestowed upon his father Late Ramanand Sagar, the producer of the popular Ramayan serial.
The Vyas awards were bestowed upon Sharadbhai Vyas of Dharampur, Umashankarji, the representative of Mridul Krishnaji Maharaj of Vrindavan, while Pritiben Vakharia accepted the award on behalf of BR Chopra, the producer of Mahabharat serial.
The recipients of the Tulsi awards include Ramaben Hariyani of Jaipur, Murlidharji Maharaj of Omkareshwar, and Mahant Ram Hridaydasji of Chitrakutdham in Satna, MP.
In his address on the occasion, Morari Bapu appreciated the untiring efforts of the recipients of the different awards.
“The award is only one link in the chain and a medium. The reality is that greeting you generates an energy within us,” he said.
Morari Bapu said that the award series should continue to shine bright and urged the dignitaries and other invitees to keep supporting the initiative. He said that instead of a four-day celebration of Tulsidas Jayanti, they plan to have a seven-day celebration from next time onwards.
“Someone else also suggested that shouldn’t we also remember Ratnavaliji if Tulsidasji’s name is taken in prayers. We can pay tribute to the Mother Goddess by instituting Ratnavali Award in future,” he said.
He also said that while readers of religious discourse must pay attention to five points in particular – speech, listening, memorising, singing, and chanting, they can also add dance to the points.
“People are on the lookout for an opportunity to talk about you, but the one who does bhajans need not pay attention to such comments. Whatever we wish to say, we should say it clearly and in a neutral manner. Enlightened persons give ‘Diksha’ and alms. Every person has to handle the character of both, the self and Shri Ramcharit Manas. Three points are extremely important. The faith in what you sing should be transcendent. Whenever possible, be in the company of seers, and, lastly, worship the shelter where there is love. Vyas cannot be captured in a frame. A sadhu has no hatred. The one who wishes well for all is a sadhu,” he added.
The stage was managed by Harishchandra Joshi and the coordination was done by Jaidev Mankad.