In Sanskrit, the word ‘Prarthana’ means prayer or seeking. In Hinduism, the word has a deep religious connotation, which means “to request, or ask or seek something politely with a feeling of reverence or submissiveness.” In Vedic parlance, prayer was like mantras, a religious chant or incantation used to communicate with the Gods and seek wealth, health, or certain favour from the Gods.
When an individual prays to the Lord, he devotes all his attention to the Almighty. The form in which the Lord is worshipped could be either saakaar, a human-like form, or it could be niraakaar or formless. In bhakti, the individual loses his ego in worshipping that form and almost attains a merger with it. Prayers are thus considered an essential part of bhakti(devotion).
In Buddhism, prayer is often viewed as a practice to cultivate inner qualities like wisdom and compassion, rather than petitioning external forces. It can be seen as a form of meditation that unifies the mind, body, and speech.
In Jainism, prayer, or prarthana, is a means of spiritual enlightenment, not a method of seeking favours or blessings from deities, but rather an expression of appreciation for virtues and an aspiration to emulate them, ultimately aiming for liberation(moksha).
Prayers are a means of communion with God. It is also a way of connecting to our divine self. Prayers are not just a set of words with some positive connotation, but a single thought with all our positive intentions bound around it.
Over time and with experience, the purity of our soul gets covered with layers and layers of negative perceptions. We harbour negativity from our previous lives, too. All those factors deprive us of the opportunity to know ourselves and our capabilities fully. Thus, we need an ultimate guiding light.
Through prayers, God intends us to obtain His solutions in a tough or tricky situation. We also pray to make major decisions; to obtain the strength to make others grow spiritually; to have the discernment to deny temptations, etc.
In the Bhagavad Gita verse no. 12.8, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to fix his mind on him and surrender his intellect to him. According to Krishna, by doing so, he would be able to attain perfect peace and the eternal abode. God is equal to all beings, but those who do sincere devotion abide in God, and God abides in them.
The Puranas emphasize the importance of prayer as a way to connect with the divine and seek blessings. Not only that, they see prayers as a way to know the nature and attributes of the deities more deeply, thus offering more insights into the divine through the language of devotion.
People usually pray when they have had some bad circumstances in their lives and they want to change them. People may also pray for material glory and prosperity. People may also like to pray for others’ well-being and Kosen-Rufu( Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhist idea of world peace). Prayers help us to communicate with the universe about our desires, hoping that it will respond in its unique ways; however, we may sometimes understand that and sometimes not.
There are many ways by which we can pray, for eg, positive affirmations in oral or written form. These can be done at any time and anywhere. Prayers can be done in solitude or in a group. Different religions have propagated different methods of prayer, loud or in silence. Some prayers are done in front of an idol or without it. Now the big question arises: why should we pray at all, and the simplest answer to it is that we need an anchor other than our mind and body, and anything external. In the process of praying, we consciously surrender to a higher authority and all our desires to his will.
Prayers can also help us identify our actual needs. It somehow lets us know whether we want too much or too little. For eg, in Hinduism, we have the Gayathri mantra that is a perfect mantra to guide us to surrender unto God and become almost as perfect as Him.
Now the million-dollar question is ‘Does God listen to our prayers?” Well, yes, He does it. If we have done it with sincerity and purity of heart, mind, and intentions, God has the power to correct and then fulfill our deepest desires. Prayers also help us purify ourselves. Words have their vibrations. When the words are uttered from the depths of our heart, they communicate their energy to the universe. The universe has its means to listen to our grievances and concerns. When we pray not for ourselves but for someone else, the wishes are even likely to be granted. Many great sages in the past have achieved salvation and liberation from the material world by just praying with their most sincere intent. For eg, Arjuna, the great warrior, prayed to Lord Krishna to lift him from his dilemmas and enlighten him in his moments of despair and grief. Lord heard the sincere prayers, and he got more than expected from Him.
Prayers are the means to vent our feelings and emotions, and help us to feel lighter. Praying at the right place, time, and to the right power makes it even more endearing. Praying helps us to reflect on ourselves and opens new vistas for future life. The whole point of praying is to purify oneself and let the divinity of the universe flow through us to make a communion with our surroundings. Prayers are indeed a symbol of hope.