Aao sune Ram katha, people of Bareilly welcomed all
There are only two powers in this world that can fulfill the job of creating an ideal society. The first one being God, the second being the holy saints. God inspires people through his divine word to proceed on the path of Gyan (Knowledge), Bhakti (Devotion) and Karma (Action) while saints set examples of an ideal life through their way of living.
Pujya Bhaishri also inspired the people of Bareilly to live such an ideal life through Ram katha in the last week of Nov. 2002. As it is, the tale of Lord Shri Ram is sweet and soothing to the human mind; when it is narrated by an accomplished kathakar like Pujya Bhaishri it transforms into something more enchanting and enthralling for the listeners.
Pujya Bhaishri arrived in Bareilly from Delhi on the evening of 24th Nov. The joy in the hearts of the people who had gathered to receive him was similar to that of the citizens of Ayodhya welcoming Lord Ram himself. Next morning the Shobhayatra of Ramacharit Manas was taken out in a procession from the Sanatan Mandir through all important streets of the town. Pujya Bhaishri ascended the chariot yoked with real horses and the hosts walked in front of the chariot carrying Shri Ramayanji on their heads. At all major temples of the town the Shobhayatra was welcomed with great devotion and joy. People worshipped the Ramayan with flowers. In a sense the Shobhayatra was inviting people to come and listen to the ennobling divine story of Lord Shri Ram.
Ramayana is believed to be the literary incarnation of Lord Shri Ram. Hence when the procession arrived at the katha mandap it was welcomed with great devotion and warmth befitting the arrival of Lord Shri Ram himself. Following the pujan of Shri Ramayan, Pujya Bhaishri began narrating the divine tale of Lord Shri Ram. All important occasions like Shri Ram Janmotsav, Shri Ram Vivah, etc. were celebrated with great fervour.
According to Pujya Bhaishri the Ram katha is not only a medium of heightening our devotion to God but also as an inspiring story that motivates us to work for the establishment of an ideal life by fighting the forces of ill-will and strengthening the forces of righteousness. Thus he elaborated the important events of Ramayana as occasions utilized by Lord Shri Ram to fight demonic forces and establish the rule of righteousness. Pujya Bhaishri pointed out that it was quite easy to be engrossed in devotion to God and be oblivious to the difficulties created in society by forces of evil, but till such time as we do not awaken to the intrinsic divinity of our country i.e. Bharat and its culture we will not find solutions for its protection and nurturing. The day we realize it the entire world will accept its superior spiritual life and be influenced by its culture. This can happen only when we understand the real significance of Ram katha. Therefore it is essential for us that even while being devotionally inspired and influenced by Ramayan we also utilize our faculty of reasoning so that our devotion gets transformed in strength that can effectively face the threat of terrorism. If devotion is not accompanied by sound practical sense we will not be able to convert terrorism into spiritualism.
Thus the people of Bareilly imbibed the message of combining the divine spring of devotion with sound common sense through the medium of Ram katha.
