Let’s pray

தமிழில் படிக்க

This is not the first time man has been put in his place by Nature. It won’t be the last time either. Time and again, driven by his endless arrogance and ego, man goes about disrupting the harmony around him and pays. Pays heavily at that. The only thing that can save him from this endless cycle of chastening is awareness. The awareness that he is a puny being incapable of understanding God’s ways. With awareness comes humility.. and then unshakable belief and prayers.

Our scriptures are strewn with several instances of how awareness and prayer can redeem anyone and bring salvation. Some such instances are given below:

• The Lord of elephants, Gajendra was once snared by a crocodile in the shallow waters of a river. A tug of war for life ensued for several centuries. Gajendra, who was confident of his own strength fought the crocodile but found his foe to be more than his equal. At the very last moment, he let go of his pride and prayed to Lord Narayana, who wasted no time and came to the rescue of his devotee.
• In Mahabharatha, the wife of Pandavas, Draupadi was brought to the king’s court where Dusshasana started to forcibly remove her robes. She resisted initially with all her strength and then realized her powers are futile. She let go and started to pray to Lord Krishna. A miracle happened when she was blessed with an endless supply of clothing and thus was protected by Lord Krishna.
• Prahalada’s tale was a bit different. Since his birth, Prahalada believed in God’s existence and attributed every happening to Lord Narayana. As a result, he was not affected by the acts of his father, demon Hiranyakashibu who tried to kill him in various ways. Not only he came out unscathed, but he also became more devoted to the Lord. Such a state is the ultimate stage of devotion.

We may not become Prahaladas, but we can at least strive to be like Gajendra or Draupadi. Humility and prayer can take us there. Praying can take many forms and some of them are listed below:

Meditation or silent prayer

Meditation is a method to focus the mind on a particular thought or object to achieve attention and awareness which can lean to a mentally calm and stable state. Meditation is a type of yoga which can help with both emotional and physical well-being.

Writing names of the Lord

Those who prefer writing, can pick up a blank notebook and write God’s names (such as Rama, Krishna, Sriramajayam, Namashivaya etc). There are preprinted notebooks that are available today which can be used for this purpose. These completed notebooks can be donated to temples where they are typically placed in the foundation or the base of the sanctum to enhance the powers of the deity.

Singing the praise of the Lord

For those who want to participate in prayer as a group, singing and group chanting can be a good option. Names of the Lord in fact are considered even greater than the God Himself as per scriptures. Those who are good at singing can sing devotional songs. Some of the ones are given below:

Chanting Mantras/Slokas

Those who are initiated, can chant portions from the Vedas. An astonishing fact is that there is a portion in Yajur veda that can be chanted to kill germs. You can listen to this mantra below.

The summary of this mantra is as follows: “ I hereby chant the mantra that originated from several prominent sages such as Athri, Jamadagni etc. Using this mantra I kill all the germs and their families along with their leader and chieftains. I submit these germs that cause trouble to humans and lifestock by placing them in the jaws of Lord Yama. With this mantra I destroy my enemies, the germs'”. It is amazing, isn’t it?

List of other slokas that can be chanted:

• Vishnu Sahasranama
• Kanda shashti kavacham (Tamil)
• Subrahmanya Bhujangam
• Sudharshanashtakam
• Abheethi Sthavam

If there is one positive that has emerged from this crisis, it is that we have got more time available for ourselves. Let’s use this time to pray for the world and its inhabitants. Santhana Dharma is based on the the tenet, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (The whole world is our family). Doesn’t it mean all the people of this world are our relatives?