How to pray?
Sri Ramakrishna used to say, "Pray with sincerity and he is
bound to listen. He can even hear the cries of an ant." Prayer is very
important. It works. I have known Monks who are very careful about what they
pray for because prayers are answered, and they do not want to fall a prey to
the world!
Prayers have a tremendous effect on us as they reduce our
anxiety levels and make us connect to our inner self. Today many of us feel
prayers are outdated and look for motivational books that teach us how to
connect to our subconscious mind. Is not prayer the same thing? It is better
because when you try to connect to your mind and have some out of the world
experience you become egoistic, but with sincere prayers you begin to erase
your ego.
The intelligent consciousness that rules us is taking an angry
form - called Rudra Rupa. Only prayers can calm it down. When Lord Narasimha
appeared to save Bhakt Prahlad from harm it was a terribly ferocious form.
Devotees prayed to him and calmed him down. Similarly when Mother Kali was out
to destroy creation, Lord Shiva lay prostrate on her path and she calmed down
when she stepped on him.
Our actions and mentality decide what is in store for us. Is
that not the same thing the motivational speakers say? In prayer you think of
God as your father and mother. You develop a relationship with him that is very
rewarding. He bestows his gifts as love towards his children. That is more
fulfilling than any materialistic approach.
Lord Shiva is Bholenath - the innocent God who is very easily
pleased. Currently the asuric or demonic forces are praying to him to get what
they want. Don't you see the dancing Nataraj form of Shiva in the compound of
the CERN laboratory? So if the satanists are praying to him should we not, his
real children, pray to him?
If you can go to a Shiva Temple do go and pour a little water on
his head. It is our duty to do so. Do you know why we pour water? It is Lord
Shiva who swallowed the intense poison 'halahal' that emerged from the churning
of the ocean - the poison that would have destroyed the world. As a result he
always suffers intense burning sensation. The devotees respond by constantly
pouring water and milk on him. He is bearing the pain of the world and it is
our duty to alleviate the pain.
Mahasambhuti Chakradhar used to tell us, You cannot imagine the
intensity of the pain that I constantly bear within myself. The energy he
carried within him made him shortlived. He was in his mothers womb for 12 long
years to get a suitable body that could bear that energy - the energy of the
Chakra.
When people used to harangue Ramana Maharshi to relieve the
pain in their lives, he used to wryly reply, Who bears that pain? So do what
little you can to relieve that pain. If you do not like rituals then remember
the gracious form of the Lord and repeat the Mantra "Om Namah
Shivaya" constantly in your mind. Now is the time to drop your ego and
embrace God.
Your prayers should not be selfish. Pray for the welfare of the
world and its inhabitants. If you visit forests bow down and beg forgiveness
for all the atrocities we have heaped on nature. I do this whenever I am in the
comfort of natural habitats. I don't do it consciously, it automatically
happens.
When you visit the ocean bow down and beg her forgiveness. Beg
forgiveness from the earth we stand upon, the air we breath, the fire that
sustains us. The elements are angry. It is our duty to soothe them. Let our
prayers be unselfish and for the good of the world. What will happen to our
physical frame we do not know. This is not the time to pray for survival. This
is the time to pray that God's wish be fulfilled.
Chakradhar has specifically told me that all should prepare for
what is coming. Let us not harbor the illusion that things will go on as usual.
A great change is coming and let us face it bravely. This attitude will please
the Lord and lighten his burden.
Chakradhar used to be troubled whenever he perchance talked
about the destruction. Why should innocent people suffer for the sins of a few,
was his constant refrain. His anger, his rage will be reflected on those asuric
powers who have exploited and ruined our world. They will see my Rudra Rupa and
tremble before me, he used to say. They will not be able to bear it.
But devotees should not be afraid. After all he is our father
and mother. Do not be afraid, was one of his last advice to us, for even that
form is me. "Remember me when the days become dark and all hopes fade,
remember me when destruction stares you at the face, remember me when the
intense churning begins, remember me when everything is lost, for it is me who
is standing before you." Such tremendous words!
Let us all prepare ourselves, do our work with sincerity and
devotion, take care of the soldiers who fight, and always have a prayer in our
lips. The night is dark but is the harbinger of a new dawn. Now is the time to
rejoice and embrace the change.
Post a Comment