Prayers .... Why Prayers?

Prayers

                                     

 Why Prayers?

Prayer is the highest form of communication with the lord, and can be offered in simple words or as an elaborated ritual. The modes of prayer may from person to person, but the attitude is fundamental to all. Prayer helps nurture one’s special relationship to the lord- the relationship of the created to the creator –by involving the devotee in the person. Unlike the other relative roles one plays, the roles of a devotee is non-demanding since the Lord seeks nothing from us. When one’s relationship to the Lord becomes primary in life, other relationships become secondary and, thus less problematic.

Prayer has its purpose in helping one achieve an object of desire, be it mental clarity or a given and. ultimately, prayer helps one gain the maturity to be a qualified recipient of spiritual knowledge. This knowledge teaches us our identity with the Lord and helps us discover freedom and happiness, the nature of oneself.

Prayer is expressed in three ways: Physical, Kayika; oral,vacika; and Mental, manasa. A ritual or a puja is a physical form of prayer. Singing in praise of the Lord or chanting verses and Vedic hymns is an oral prayer. Japa or worship done silently is a mental prayer.

Like any other action, prayer produces a result. The result is twofold: one is immediately seen drsta-phala and the other is unseen, adrsta-phala.

The immediate result of prayer is the inner comfort that comes from acknowledging one’s limited capacities and accepting a power higher than oneself. Being objective about situations over which one has no control and praying to that all-knowing source is an act that frees one from anxiety regarding the expectation of a result.

The unseen result of prayer refers to the subtle result called punya, which accrues to the doer of the action. Punya manifests in the form of comfortable situations whether in this life or later. When one prays for success, the accrued punya, which one may call ‘grace’, helps neutralise obstacles that one may not foresee. The ‘grace’ may not ensure success, but without it the outcome could be worse.