Bhagavat Katha flows to the tirtha of Nasik, Maharashtra, India

On 12th March 2008, Pujya Bhaishri recited the Shrimad Bhagavat katha in Nasik, at the banks of the holy river Godavari. Lord Rama resided at this location in sacred dandakaaranya for 12 years during his exile. The main objective of the katha was to build a temple of Shri Rajrajeshwari Paramba Maa, Shri Annapoorna Devi in Shri Annapoorna Ashram. Shri Vishweshwaranandaji Giri, the chief of Shri Annapoorna peeth Mahamandaleshwar, was the inspirer and motivator of this katha, which was hosted by the family of Shri Kailashnath Dhule. This katha in Nasik by Pujya Bhaishri was organised after a span of 10 years.

Mahamandaleshwar Swami Shri Gurusharananadaji arrived at the inauguration of the katha. Addressing everyone he said, “Janmantare bhavetpunyam tada Bhagavatam labhet”, meaning: one gets the opportunity to listen to the Bhagavat katha by accumulating punya from many births. He also said:
“ Tatreiva Ganga Yamuna Triveni, Sindhu Saraswati shchaiva ”, meaning: all sacred rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Triveni etc come together where Bhagavat katha is being narrated. Hence when one is on a pilgrimage, one should come and listen faithfully to the katha as that is where all the tirthas will be present. One does not need to travel to all the tirthas thereafter.

In the katha, Pujya Bhaishri spoke about the human nature and culture. He said that animals normally follow their prakruti (nature); that is, when they are hungry, they hunt for their prey and eat, when thirsty they drink water and when sleepy they go to sleep. Animals, unlike humans, do not have sanskruti (culture) and vikruti (decadence). On the other hand, human beings disregard and deviate from the laws of nature. For example, some human beings eat non-vegetarian food, drink alcoholic beverages and fall prey to other temptations and desires, leading to crime. These actions do not suit the human physiological constitution. As a result, humans become weak and victims of disease. Due to these reasons Pujya Bhaishri called upon the youth to shun non-vegetarian food and hard drinks. Pujya Bhaishri further added that youngsters should follow the example of Jatayu in Ramayan. Shri Jatayu bravely fought Ravan to save the honour of aarya nari Sita and sacrificed is life in the process. Shri Ram performed the last rituals of Jatayu himself and granted him liberation, a status difficult to attain even by the great yogis.

While in Nasik, Pujya Bhaishri went for darshan to Tryambakeshwar temple and performed abhishek on Shri Tryambakeshwar. He also visited Shri Annapoorna ashram and Shri Ravi Shankarji Maharaj.