Prayer is the most potent force in the life of an individual. It helps to draw out the best in him by opening him out to the "Divine Grace." A prayer consists of two parts, one, an ascending aspiration on the part of the Sadhaka and the other, the descent of the Grace from the deity to whom the prayer is offered. Only when both these combine, does the act of prayer become fulfilled. The essential pre-requisite for this is the sincerity and competence of the devotee or the Sadhaka.
Prayers are of different kinds. It may be individual or collective. It may be for one's own selfish ends or for the general welfare. Even in the individual case, it can be for material benefits or spiritual elevation. Depending upon the purpose for which the prayer is offered, deities also vary. It is said यान्ति देवव्रता देवान्पित् न्यान्ति पितृव्रताः ।
भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्या यान्ति मद्याजिनोऽपि माम् || 9.25
yanti deva-vrata devan pitrin yanti pitr-vratah
bhutani yanti bhutejya yanti mad-yajinopi mam || 9.25
"Those who take to the worship of gods go to the gods; hose who worship the manes reach the manes; those who adore the spirits reach the spirits and those who worship 'Me attain Me. (That is why My devotees are not subjected to birth and death.)"
No prayer is deprecated, because it is an act of faith, between the devotee and the deity. As the devotee rises in his level of evolutionary consciousness, there is a corresponding rise in the object for which he prays, and the deity to whom he prays.
In the Vedic tradition most of the prayers are collective. It reflects a high level of social consciousness. This is probably unique to the Hindu tradition. It is not, as some westernised intellectuals presume, because of the collective concern for security from enemies and other external threats. This is evident when we carefully go through the Vedic prayers which are of a very sublime order and which are of a universal character like the Gayatri Mantra. There is no fear of insecurity or any shadow of an enemy anywhere in the horizon. It is the highest level of Spiritual realization, which instils in every individual the sense of a collective identity at the spiritual level.
In the Vedas, there are prayers addressed for the welfare of the society, the nation, whole humanity and the entire creation. They are as relevant today as they ever were, so much so that even today such prayers are chanted not only in the religious rituals, but also in the everyday life of ordinary man. They are part of the Hindu way of life.
When people come together to form organisations for a great purpose, it is found that appropriate forms of prayer are evolved in the natural course. It fulfils a great psychological necessity. It binds the members together by a common aspiration. They become fellow-pilgrims to a common destination. It steels their determination to face hurdles of the way and walk hand in hand until they reach the abode of the "Divine" - the cherished Goal of the organisation. The subtle Sentiments vibrating through the words of the prayer have the effect of a "Mantra".
Prarthana' literally means 'Prakarsena Arthana', that is, seeking something intensely. In the Hindu tradition Prarthana involves three elements - the persons who seek, the deity to which the prayer is addressed, and the intent, content and the purpose of the prayer.
The concept and practice of prayers are broadly common to all traditions of the world. The purpose of prayer or its contents rests on the state of evolution of the seeker. An individual prays for himself or herself. A mother prays for her children and family. A village panchayat prays for the welfare of its village. A king prays for the welfare of his subjects. A sage prays for the well being of the whole creation. The Santi Mantras' in the Vedas are the prayers of the sages for the whole creation. While prayers are common to all traditions, the mission or intent of the seeker determines the content or character of the prayer.
In the Hindu tradition Prarthana has a very high and revered place. In fact it is part of the Hindu samskara to pray. Whether it is the saint or the commoner, praying is integral to the samskara of all the asramas. The only difference is that while the saint prays for all, for the preservation of Dharma, which preserves all, the commoner prays for his family and his kith and kin. In fact, even here there was no contradiction between the prayer of a saint and that of the commoner. In a Dharmika society, even the prayer of an individual or a family is integral to the collective idea of Dharma, as the family itself is a Dharmika institution, not just a biological or an economic institution. Therefore the welfare of the individual or the family is integral to and not inconsistent with the welfare of the collectivity-Samasti - whether it is the neighbourhood, village or the virat samaj. Thus Prarthana in a Dharmika society where Dharma forms all the aspects and dimensions of the individual, family, community and the state, is integrated through an ever expanding, continuous and unbroken circles linking the individual and the family (the vyasti) to the society (samasți) and ultimately to Isvara (the paramesti).
But when this Dharmika order is disturbed and therefore when Dharma declines, that is in a situation in which we all live at present, then for the restoration of Dharma various initiatives become necessary. One of the important initiatives which has become necessary in the present times for the restoration of Dharma and for the reinstatment of Dharmika order is organising those concerned by the decline of Dharma.
Here organisation of persons in the cause of Dharma becomes the supreme duty of all those concerned at the decline of dharma. This is what the Paramācārya of Kanchi, a great saint who lived for 100 years, told a national leader who asked him what was the duty of an individual when Dharma declines: The Paramācārya said:
"Our country's welfare demands an organised, sustained movement to re-establish ethical and moral values signified by the term 'Dharma' so that the nation could regain its lost direction for a better future for the present generation and for the posterity. To remain passive, though distressed at heart, in this hour of all round crisis is a betrayal of national consciousness and failure in national duty.
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