P R A Y E R

PRAYER


By the term ‘prayer’ we generally mean our earnest submission to God. Through prayer we seek for what we desire and to get rid of what is not desired. In the broad sense it is ‘sukha prapthy’ and ‘dukka nivritti’. But, in practice we desire for material things, thinking that on obtaining them we would get sukha. Similarly we pray to to do away with the tapatriyam which we undergo as per prarabdham. Instead, our real prayer should be for eternal happiness and to get out of delusion of temporal value with which we are bound. Even when we pray for material benefit, we have a strong faith that God would fulfil our desires.

Praising God by way of ‘stuthy’ ‘stotram’, ‘japa’ ‘mantra’ ‘keertana’ also come under the terms ‘prayer’. We praise God with the epithets like ‘sarvagna, sarvakarana, sarvantharyami, sarveshwara, sarvasreshta, sarvasthitikaraka, sarvasamkaraka etc’ The pranavamantra “OM” and shantimantras like ‘Poornamatha Poornamitham’, and Gayatri mantra are popularly chanted as japam or dhyanam. Vishnu sahasranamah and Lalitha sahasranamah and Sri Rudra are very popular to praise God in one form or other.

Many a times our wishes are fulfilled and thus our faith in prayer becomes stronger. Even when events don’t take place as we wish we do not blame the Supreme power; instead we attribute the same to lack of sincerity in our faith. Thus we get consolation.

What we generally wish for is ‘priyam’ whereas God dispenses ,’hitham’. This is the reason for our not getting the wishes fulfilled and in the circumstances we fail to understand this principle. In the katopanishad there is a declaration:

“ The good and the pleasant approach a man; the wise considers and
Distinguishes the two; wisely does he prefer the good to the pleasant;
But a fool chooses the pleasant for its worldly good.”

As our bhakthy gets strengthened and we come closer to God, the concept of God as the dispenser of results for our actions, is slowly changed. In introspection we realise that vasanas with which we are born are responsible for the actions and the result thereon and that God remains as a ‘Sakshi’. He is a Witness for the functioning of the entire Prakrithy in which our individuality (anthakaranam) forms a part. Ofcourse God – Ishwara- is the life force for the prakrity as well as anthakaranam. In the individual God shines as Atma – Kudastha. Once this knowledge is dawned in us (it is His Grace – Arul – that gives this enlightenment) we have no reason to bring in God to take part in our every small affairs .An analogy – a fan gets its life force from electricity and the efficiency of the working of the fan depends on its make. The defective functioning if any for the fan cannot be attributed to the current.

This understanding of the functioning of Prakrithy, anthakaranam and God’s role thereon, shall lift us to the witness stage from the ‘doer’ stage., and in that stage we realise God in us. On this realisation, our attitude towards action changes. A ‘samabhava’(Equanimity) is reflected in all our expressions and we are least affected by the likes and dislikes. We will start viewing the functioning of the anthakaranam (based on vasanas) dispassionately, as a witness. A constant remembrance of God in and out should be practised by our Free Will on all occasions, notwithstanding the tapathriyam in which the anthakaranam revolves. Our prayer, our praise, pooja, idol worship, pilgrimage etc., should help to strengthen this understanding.

Sri Sankara from his high pedestal of Brahmanuboothy declares:

“I committed my first sin, Oh Lord of the Universe by ascribing
form to the formless; Praising with laudation that which is
indescribable, I committed my second sin; Locating in a
particular temple and locality the Great Lord of the universe, I
committed my third sin. Oh Lord of the Universe! Pardon me
for my triple sin.”

The above declaration cannot in anyway demean the worship in temple, chanting of mantras or undertaking pilgrimage. He has only declared the ultimate truth from the Absolute stand point. He only can come with such bold declaration.. Keeping in view the common man he has composed many bhakthy stotrams, established satwik pooja in temples with the authority of agamas and has praised Varanasi – the piligrim centre – as the city of God.

In the vyavahariha stage there is definitely a place for temples, pooja, keerthans, prayer and pilgrimage. All these jointly and severally strengthen our faith in that Supreme Power which is all pervading within and without.

Before concluding let us recollect a sanskrit sloka – “Eko deva sarvabhootheshu
Gooda, sarva vyaphi, sarva bhoodhantaratma, karmathyaksha, sarva bhoodhathi vasa, sakshi chetha kevalo nirgunacha” meaning You are Nirguna and Sakshi. You are all pervading, you reside in every being; you preside over the functioning of Prakrithy.