 |
|
| |
|
|
Prayer as a Spiritual Discipline - Swami Bhajanananda |
|
Part II |
|
In Hinduism, prarthana, the Sanskrit word for prayer, always means petitionary prayer and has been given only limited importance. It means asking God for help to free oneself from the hold of the senses and turn away from the darkness of ignorance to the light of truth. It is the first stage in the struggle for higher consciousness in which the aspirant, realizing his limitations, opens his heart to divine power and light. It is in effect a movement from God to the soul. |
|
Prayers may be grouped into two main divisions: secular and spiritual. Secular prayers are for the fulfillment of worldly desires and needs. Life is full of uncertainties, and in the life of every person come times when he finds himself in the grip of forces which are beyond his control. Confronted with fear and despair, buffeted by sorrows and difficulties, millions of people turn to God in prayer. |
|
Worship is offering something to God—it may be a material object or one’s own body, mind and soul. The Vedic yajna or sacrifice meant “sacrificing things for the sake of the Deity.” Worship shifts the focus of man’s activities from the ego to the divine and detaches the soul from external objects. It is primarily a movement from the soul to God. |
|
As a result of these two movements, the soul draws closer to God. This act of approaching God is what dhyana or meditation means. The Vedantic term for meditation is upasana which literally means “sitting near”—sitting near God. |
|
So then, prayer, worship, and meditation represent three degrees of the development of intimacy between the soul and God. One begins spiritual life by asking God for favors, then starts offering things to him, and finally succeeds in going nearer to him. These three steps also represent three stages in the progressive transformation of the aspirant’s consciousness. When Christ in the Sermon on the Mount speaks about asking, seeking, and knocking at the door, he is referring to these three stages—prayer, worship and meditation respectively. |
|
© “Living Wisdom: Vedanta in a World Community” by Pravrajika Vrajaprana, published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004. Reprinted with permission. |
|
Click here to view the full content of the articles. |