TRIBUTES have been paid to Narmadaben, wife of renowned spiritual leader Pujya Morari Bapu, who died at the age of 79 at their home in Talgajarda village, in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar last Wednesday (11).
Prime minister Narendra Modi spoke to Pujya Morari Bapu to offer his condolences following the loss.
Family members and local devotees attended the funeral which took place at their family home last Wednesday, amid traditional Hindu rites.
Shops and other establishments were closed in Talgajarda last Wednesday as a mark of respect to Pujya Narmadaben, as she was known among residents of the area. Reports said she had been unwell for some time, and locals had been offering prayers for her recovery in recent days. “Narmadaben breathed her last during the early hours of Wednesday at their residence in Talgajarda village,” a close aide of Pujya Morari Bapu told reporters. “She was given samadhi with full traditional spiritual rites at the same location in the morning.”
Pujya Morari Bapu is known across India and abroad as one of the leading narrators of Ramkatha. He is well regarded for his recitations of the Ramcharitmanas, the popular version of the Ramayana, written by poet Tulsidas.
Pujya Morari Bapu and Narmadaben were married in Vanot village and had four children – a son and three daughters. She played an important role in quietly and steadfastly supporting her husband’s religious mission.
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