Three Types of Prayer
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 .
The Results of 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 forsee . The ‘grace’ may not ensure success , but
without it the outcome could be worse .
Purpose of Prayer
A prayer may carry a different intent for different
individuals . In the Bhagavad Gita , Lord Krishna describes four types of
devotees . The first one is called an arta . This individual remembers the Lord
only during crisis and difficulties . When things seem to be going fairly well
, the arta attributes success to his efforts alone .
The second type of devotee is said to be an artharthi . This
is a religious person who is aware of the Lord’s grace in his life , but whose
motivation for prayer stems from seeking personal ends , The artharthi is
committed only to material gains and pleasures . Like the arta , he also prays
for relief from distress .
The third type of devotee is a jijnasu . This person pursues
knowledge for moksha , freedom from unhappiness
. Though moksha is a desirable end for all , only a jijnasu recognizes
knowledge as the means to this end and pursues it . His prayer is for inner
growth and maturity for the sake of gaining this knowledge .
The jnani is the fourth type of devotee.This is a wise
person who knows his identity with the Lord , In the Bhagavad Gita , Lord
Krishna describes the wise person as being one with the Lord . The jnani’s
prayer is an expression of wisdom , and is the highest form of prayer .
Invoking the Unknown Factor
There are three factors necessary in accomplishing an end .
The first factor is adequate effort , prayatna . One cannot accomplish anything
in life without adequate effort . The second factor is time , kala . One effort
is made , time is necessary for the results to fructify . For example , when
one sows a seed , time has to elapse for the plant to grow before it bears
fruit . The length of time varies according to the nature of action and the
result desired .
Despite making adequate effort and allowing sufficient time
, the result may not always meet one’s expectations . One’s knowledge and power being limited , one cannot foresee and
make things happen as one wants .There is always an unknown element , the third
factor , often called chance or luck .
A person who is sensitive and acknowledges the presence of
the Lord sees this third factor as daivam . Such a person knows that the Lord’s
laws govern the results of actions and through prayer , the person invokes the
grace of those laws for obtaining desired results . The laws being non-separate
from the Lord , prayer is efficacious in accomplishing a given end ,
The Meaning of Omkara and Santi
Om is the name of
Brahman , the cause and the basis of creation . Om , as a sound symbol , also
indicates auspiciousness and is chanted at the beginning of prayers and
religious studies . Om is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root ‘av’ , meaning
‘to protect’ . When one chants Om with the understanding that it is a name for
the Lord , it becomes a prayer for one’s protection .
Om etymologically is composed of three sounds , ‘a’ , ‘u’
and ‘m’ . The first syllable , ‘a’ , stands for the waking world , the waker
and the waking experience . The second syllable ‘u’ , stands for the dream
world , the dreamer and the dream experience.The third syllable ‘m’ , stands
for the sleep world , the sleeper and the sleep experience . As one chants Om
repeatedly , the silence between the chants (called amatra) stands for the
awareness , the consciousness which is the basis of the three worlds , the
three experiencers and the three states of experience . Om thus represents all
that exists and the basis or substratum of all that exists .
In any pursuit , including education , there can be a number
of obstacles , tapas . These obstacles
fall into three categories :
1
Adhidaivika – Obstacles which are natural and
over which we have no control . e.g. storms , earthquakes , floods .
2 Adhibhautika – Obstacles created by one’s
surroundings , e.g. noisy neighbours ,
traffic , distractions caused by one’s family .
3 Adhyatmika – Obstacles and distractions created
within oneself , e.g. tiredness , an agitated or distracted mind .
Any of these obstacles can prevent one from achieving
success in a given endeavour . Santi
(peace) is , therefore , chanted three times for the mitigation and the removal
of these threefold obstacles .
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