PRAYER

ॐ

PRAYER

The period from April 2008 has been hectic and abnormal. My routine was disturbed. I’d to suspend Gita Yatra. My work with the schools and students stopped. I’d to shift to Nagpur. My trips to Dubai, which could have fetched some money, had to be indefinitely put off. Akhila demanded and needed whole of my attention. I too fulfilled the demand to a large extent. The one, who was roaming around without any fetters, was confined to a single room. I have not an iota of regret in this change. I have always felt that, like a pendulum, only the ones who are far away from centre (eccentric) have extreme swing to the other end. I don’t call this phase turmoil as my inner self remained intact and was not affected. I used to get irritated at times, but that was due to her obstinate and non-cooperative attitude and not once due to the workload or so called ‘sacrifices’. Each time she woke me up in nights, I used to look at myself to see if I was irritated.

What was the intention behind all these efforts? Intention or what one wants out of his efforts reflects in his prayers.

The largest number of times any subject cropped up during conversations in this period was ‘Prayer’. Many types of prayers were suggested to me by anyone who mattered. 1. Lighting a lamp on eight consecutive Saturdays in the temple of Shri. Hanuman. 2. Applying butter on the idol of Shri Hanuman on a Saturday. 3. Breaking coconut shell in front of the idol of Shri Ganesha. 4. Donating black cloth on a Saturday in the name of Shani Bhagwan. 5. Doing Rahu Kaala Pooja in a temple of Shri Durga. 6. Decorating Shri Durga’s idol with a garland of raw pulse. (Chana). 7. Reciting Mahamrutyunjaya Mantra, at least 11 times. 8. Reciting Vishnu Sahasranaama on Saturdays. 9. Reciting particular verses or the whole of Lalitha Sahasranaama on Fridays and so on. 10. Decorating Shri Durga’s idol with a garland of lemons. (As some say, everyone here is a doctor and a spiritual Guru. Interestingly, I’ve listed more than forty remedial measures suggested by persons around). Each one of these, of course, is a powerful prayer. Those who suggested these prayers also are well intentioned ones and probably, had experienced the power of the suggested prayers. But… What should one do with such suggestions? I did not feel like following any and every one of such instructions. I see it as a sign of lack of faith and sheer desperation.

What were my prayers during this period? I have been reciting the whole

of Gita daily since the last six years. The practice continued during Akhila’s ailment and treatment. I’ve been doing Sandhya Vandanam since last five years on a fairly regular basis. Sandhya Vandanam included 108 chants of Gayatri Mantra. I started doing more number of chants of Gayatri Mantra from 18th of April. At least thousand chants daily. (One reason for this is the information I gathered at Swami Omkarananda’s Ashram in Theni on the 5th of April, 2008. ‘Recital of Gayatri Mantra 27 lakh times is necessary for Sanyasa Deeksha’.) These were rituals, but what were the prayers?

I used to ask myself repeatedly, what my prayer to God is. Should I place a demand before him? If yes, what is my demand? I have always felt that one should never approach Him with a demand. He should know, like a mother, when and what is to be fed or given to the child. It is the child’s ignorance and lack of absolute faith in mother that it demands.

Sometimes, the painful agony that she suffers disturbs and tempts me to pray for relief. On afterthought, however, I feel that my touch, nay, mere presence by her side is more powerful in relieving the agony due to pain.

We desire to get rid of ‘unpleasant’ experience and are eager to have a pleasant and likeable experience. This desire, if not fulfilled instantly, gives birth to anxiety and desperation. On most occasions, our prayers are nothing but an expression of our frustration at pain or anxiety for pleasure. We are ignorant of what is in store for us in future. What seems painful and unpleasant this moment may be the cause of a pleasurable experience in future or vice versa. Most of us forget God at happy moments. We feel that we have worked for and deserve this happy moment. Hence, prayer for continuance of happy moment is very rare. The painful and unpleasant moment brings God into our remembrance and hence prayers for its riddance.

Disease and death, seemingly unpleasant for us, are stark and inevitable realities of life. Is it proper to demand cure of an ailment when death stares at you? Trying all available means for cure of the ailment is okay. Praying for general well being when not afflicted by any disease is also acceptable. But, praying for cure from a seemingly terminal disease is seeking exception from an inevitable aspect of life, i.e. Death. What if one prays and the prayer is not granted? Will it not be painful? Will it also not diminish one’s faith in God and prayer? Will it not be better to accept anything that is bestowed on us? One may seem to be cruel when he says, ‘accept death if that is to be’.

Even when death does not seem imminent, but the disease is painful, prayers for pain relief, I feel, are common but irrelevant. Pain and difficulties have a purpose. These are either fruits of one’s karma or tests of his/her inner strength. To ask for relief is to want to bypass the Natural law of Karma, which is preposterous. In the Gita, Shri Krishna talks of four types of devotees, namely: Aartah, Jignyasu, Artharthi and Gnyani. Aartah is one, who sheds tears and cries out listing his ‘miseries’ and ‘problems’. Jignyasu is one, who analyses God. He wants to understand God through his intellect. Arthartthi always carries a petition of demands to God. Gnyani loves and just loves God and leaves Him alone. Shri Krishna further says that of these four Gnyani is His beloved.

Prayers, of course, have their importance; Prayers, neither with demands nor with tears, but mere remembrance of the virtuous attributes of God. The mind engrossed in physical pain or selfish problems is diverted to nobler and higher realms. This diversion is healthy and may have positive and soothing effect on the problem. Whether the problem is solved or not, it is forgotten, for the time being at least. In course of time, the problem comes to be accepted. As long as a problem is resisted and not accepted, it seems to be more acute and painful. Its severity evaporates as soon as it is accepted. Prayers are invaluable in this sense. Prayers accompanied by music may be more effective.

That probably is the reason why Hindu prayers are universal. “Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah”, (May all be happy); “Sarve Santu Niraamayah”, (May all be healthy); “Sarva Mangala Mangalye”, (One who Bestows well being to all); “Lokah Samasta sukhinah santu”, (May the whole world be happy and prosperous); etc. etc. are some of the more known samples. Most of the Vaidik Yagnyas are carried out with the noble intention of welfare of the whole humanity, nay, the whole creation, live and inert.