“‘Prarthana’ – insaan ko jhukna sikhati hai …’

Swamiji says…

“Man has always placed faith and trust in a force – powerful, greater and stronger than himself. This unique and supreme force – to some – the very forces of Nature themselves ; to others, pictorial representations of higher powers, idols of deities or of great religious and spiritual leaders – have been respected and revered by him. Addressing this invisible force in a manner most personal – mostly by way of a one on one conversation; saying prayers to make oneself heard; worshipping God with sincere devotion and chanting His name to appease Him, has been practised by the human race ever since its evolution on Earth. ‘Insaan ne hamesha ‘Ishwar’ se apne sukhi jivan aur ujjwal bhavishya ke liye prarthana ki hai !”

“It is but natural for us to bow our head or prostrate in obeisance and submission to God whenever we pray. But, is doing just this good enough ! What about the prayer that we read, sing or whisper ! Do we make a genuine, honest attempt to assess, absorb and assimilate the enlightening, elevating sounds and syllables of the prayer said by us,or, do we merely mouth our prayers in a perfunctory manner, as if they were a routine drill, to be attended to and finished with? Do we use our physical being superficially; only as a mechanical tool, while bowing our head in front of God or do we do so lovingly, spontaneously – a joyous response to God’s comforting omnipresence and awe – inspiring omniscience? Do we pray with a heart bursting with love and gratitude for Him; thankful for the countless blessings that He showers upon us in the most unexpected ways? Do we feel our embodied soul stir within us, while we pray, as though trying to free itself from our physical being, the cage in which it is imprisoned, and merge with ‘param atma’?”

” ‘Prarthana karte samay apne tann, mann aur ‘jiv atma’; teeno ko jhukana chahiye. Apni ‘prarthana’ ke har shabd ka prem se uccharan karo, mehsoos karo, aur jo ‘sanskaar’ hum unn shabdon se seekh rahein hain, unko apne andar utaaro!’ “

“Praying makes us understand that God loves us unconditionally. But have we learnt to do the same? Love others around us unconditionally; without any expectations? ‘He’ helps us when all hope is lost; without us asking Him for any help. But do we also in turn help those in need? While we expect God to meet our ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ immediately, do we give precedence over personal matters, to requests for assistance, asked of us, by others? Do we truly look at the concerns and issues of others as our own or do we always consider our own needs to be more important than those of others?”

“We must remember the unfathomable ways in which ‘He’ gives us what is right for us. Praying should make us accept the supremacy of the unseen, invisible power, that is God, and during those few moments, at least, our inflated ego – which most of the times is filled with pride over irrelevant issues – must surrender in all humility to God’s greatness, accepting its own droplet like insignificance in the vast ocean of the cosmos. We should be indebted to our Creator for our time on Earth and for giving us the chance to pray ; to worship Him. We should not waste this lifetime in proving our greatness over others; but must simply strive to be good human beings. We must not forget that our success is not just a result of our actions alone but also an answer to our prayers.”

“Our prayers serve as reminders that we are nothing without God’s help. All of us need His help – some a little ; some a lot more – and cannot succeed in life on our own ; no matter how hard we try. A prayer thus reminds us to be a little more humble, to be a little more respectful, as life is not all about us ; for even in prayer, although, it is man who proposes, finally it is God who disposes !”