The sacred message of Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram resonated across Sri Lanka as Pujya Morari Bapu, the revered Ramkatha exponent and spiritual guide, narrated the Ram Katha in Negombo, marking the Sri Lankan chapter of the historic Ram Yatra.

Following the spiritually enriching Katha in Rameshwaram, where Lord Ram is believed to have worshipped Lord Shiva before crossing the ocean, Bapu and his devotees journeyed across the waters to Sri Lanka, retracing the divine footsteps of Lord Ram.

The open-air Katha in Negombo saw a gathering of over 400 devotees from Sri Lanka and around the world, joining together in prayer, music, and reflection. In a symbolic gesture, followers, lovingly called Bapu’s flowers, travelled by chartered flights from India to Sri Lanka, representing a modern-day re-enactment of Ram’s crossing to Sri Lanka, a journey from devotion to liberation, from dharma to victory.

This Sri Lanka Katha forms a significant milestone in Bapu’s ongoing Ram Yatra, a monumental 8,000-kilometre pilgrimage tracing the sacred path of Lord Ram’s exile, journey to Lanka, and return to Ayodhya. The Yatra, which began in Chitrakoot, will culminate with the final Ram Katha in Ayodhya. Speaking at the Katha, Spiritual leader Morari Bapu said, “A person should stay with themselves, or with a sadhu (guru) or the memory of their guru. Sadhu’s eyes cannot be deceived; they are filled with faith, not corruption. A person who has the discretion of utilising the momentum, grasps perpetuity.”

Organised by Bapu’s follower Madanji Paliwal of Santkripa Sanatana Sansthan, the journey reflects the purity and inclusiveness of Sanatana Dharma. From the arrangements to the discourses and prasad, every aspect of the Yatra remained free of charge, true to Bapu’s lifelong principle that spirituality must never come with a price.

Rooted in the timeless values of Satya (Truth), Prem (Love), and Karuna (Compassion), the Ram Yatra continues to embody Bapu’s mission to spread the light of the Ram Charita Manas and strengthen the spiritual fabric of humanity.

This marks Bapu’s second Parikrama Yatra, inspired by Lord Ram’s vanvaas (exile). His first journey in 2021 retraced the path from Ayodhya to Chitrakoot and Nandigram.

Morari Bapu was born on Mahashivratri in 1946. He has been reciting Ram Kathas for over sixty-five years, beginning his spiritual journey at the age of 14 under a village tree in Gujarat. He was initiated into the Ramcharitamanas by his grandfather and guru, Tribhuvana Das ji. Drawing from Vedic Sanatana Dharma, popularly known as Hindu Sanatana Dharma, Bapu’s narrations emphasise universal peace, truth, love, and compassion. Those attending his kathas belong to all regions, castes and creeds.

Over the decades, Morari Bapu has conducted over 950 Ram Kathas in numerous cities and pilgrimage sites across India and around the world, including Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Australia, Israel, and Japan, attracting millions of followers. He recently conducted Kathas at all 12 Jyotirlingas in India, travelling by train, and organised landmark events at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and at the University of Cambridge. He has also performed Kathas on a ship and on a plane during a circumnavigation of the globe.

Beyond traditional venues, Bapu has also conducted Ram Kathas for marginalised communities, including sex workers and transgender individuals. He has been actively involved in humanitarian efforts in disaster-hit areas globally, including war-torn Ukraine and Israel.

As a regular practice, free vegetarian meals are served as prasad for all those who come to the Katha.