IndiaPost.com - Three ways of prayer to seek help from the Lord

Sleep is a pleasant experience because there is no sense of limitation in sleep. The more I resolve my isolation more happy I am. Usually whenever we understand our limitation we seek help, as in the use of a microscope to see microbes.

We use glasses to see, if we are shortsighted or longsighted. We use telescope to observe faraway things. Similarly we seek help when we understand our limitations in our ability or resources. But when everybody around is limited in their capacity to help whom shall we turn to? Acceptance of the limitation is also the key for seeking help.

Limitation is a fact and one needs to accept it. But constant complaint about it does not help. According to Swami Dayananda, seeking help is intelligent living. This is what a scientist does when he uses a microscope to see micro organisms. We need the help from the being who has all the wealth and all the knowledge.

Prayer is the means to seek that help; establish connection to the Lord who is sarvajna and sarva saktiman. Here Swamiji introduced a nice riddle. One may say if the Lord is all knowing, he must be aware of my limitation and need. Then that all merciful Lord should help me, without me asking for help. The answer lies in our understanding of the Lord. Lord as the author of all laws of the creation, dispenses the result according to the laws all the time.

Hence in the vision of the Lord, everything is 'sthane, in place and appropriate. There is nothing out of order in the vision of Lord. If me the individual want a particular result, it is up to me to make that request and appropriate effort. In our tradition, sanatana dharma, lord has many forms as Venkateswara, Mahaganapati etc. Every form represents lord and helps me to act out my prayer to that lord who is free from all forms.

One acts out his love towards a child or a friend by a hug. Every emotion, even anger, needs to be acted out properly. Hence helplessness also needs to act out. Without a name and form I cannot establish connection to the lord. Hence prayer itself is possible in three ways, kaayikam-physical, vaachikam- verbal and manasikam- mental.

Kaayikam is elaborate pooja with many materials according to the prescribed steps. VaachlKam is stotra or stuti, praising the lord or recognizing his glories. We have so many stotra and sahasranama for different forms of the lord each high lighting different aspects of ford. Seeing the lord in different aspects helps to understand the nature of the lord. Constant and repeated chanting helps the mind to keep the vision of lord in the mind all the time.

Hence chanting helps the mind to become single pointed, attain eka-agrata. Chanting also could be done in three different ways, Vaikhari- chanting aloud, so that I and others hear; Upamsu- chanting low, so that only I hear. And the last is manojapam-chanting mentally; It is said that upamsu is more efficacious than vaikhari and manojapam is more efficacious than upamsu. The third mode of prayer is manasikam, mental prayer or meditation, dhyanam.

Absorption or staying in understanding of the lord. Without going through the other modes of prayer the mind will not become prepared to stay in meditation. Hence all other forms of prayer are in preparation for this final step. Here some might ask, Swamiji I have been praying and praying but nothing happened, prayer did not give any result! We have seen prayer is an act, a karma, and just as any karma, it should produce a result according to the laws of karma.

Because the law comes from Bhagavan, lord. So I ask you what was your sankalpa, what you wanted when you prayed. Did you have a specific thing, wanting from Bhagavan? If you were confused about what you wanted from Bhagavan, then how can he give anything. He sees only your confusion and cannot determine what you wanted.

So it is important to have clarity of what we need in any prayer. If we are not clear, it is better to ask for clarity of what we need or even say "Oh Bhagavan I am not able to decide what I need, so please give what is good for me". I

f we are in need it is certainly right to ask Bhagavan. Without the request he cannot give. That is why before any pooja we do a sankalpa clasping our hands, making our resolve. Do we need anything from Bhagavan every time we pray? We may not; Prayer could be appreciation of the glory of the lord.

It could be staying in understanding of the lord also. The other modes of prayer help me to address my area of want, deficiency and prepares the mind. The final step helps me to see the non difference between me and the lord. That is the ultimate end.