Praying the right way

Prayer means to plead for something. Who can one plead to? Someone who is high above us in terms of stature, power, energy and may be age too. All of us by virtue of being human beings share our CREATOR – the infinite, formless and all-powerful lord who triggered life on, probably, one tiny whim.

HE created so we play. We are very good actors because we play out all our emotions, roles, vices and everything else to perfection. The best part is we take it as real too. And in our flow, we forget one crucial aspect – that of, remembering and seeking our parent, The CREATOR. When we realize that certain situations in life have gone over board for us or are not in our control try as we might, we suddenly remember HIM. We are proven helpless in an instant when in a moment of urgency we cannot even find the match box or the misplaced dollar bill. Then how do we expect to find HIM in an instant… especially, when we have not made it a practice to seek HIM out every waking and sleeping moment. So HE waits. HE does so till the time we decide to seek HIM out. Then begins the series of acid tests! HE is very patient and gentlemanly. You may rave and rant, but HE is cool as a cucumber. Like when our child cribs, we sometimes choose to become silent, patient and decide to hear our child out and then offer a solution. HE is also like that. Except that we cannot match HIS energy, power and light.

Even after all is said and done we lose out on patience that nothing is working out and we decide to put up a bargain with HIM – the sole owner of this LIFE (I include the entire cosmos in this.). We forget that HE is a top notch businessman who does not even work on it full-time. HE is busy elsewhere and doles out the bargain we want from HIM but on HIS terms. Without knowing, we climb deep into this game, till another fine day, we realize that this is not what we wanted in the first place. By now we have grown, evolved and learnt a few lessons. We run from pillar to post.

Now comes the time to pray… not to bargain but to offer something without any expectation. But why should HE be interested in what we have to offer? Whatever we may have that we would like to offer, is already HIS. HE lent it to us so that we could live our life comfortably. In our narrow-mindedness, we take it as our right and work ourselves up to think we are enriched and powerful. In the ‘busy-ness' of life, we forget HIM again and also the fact that HE is one who never suffered from forgetfulness or procrastination. So we reap what we sow.

A question that crosses our mind most naturally in such situations is "Why me, Lord?" Now, the answer hardly seems to come forth to this particular question. As a result, we go inside ourselves and this time, true prayer is born within us. We truly and genuinely do not expect anything in return, we accept and in the process, communicate to the Lord that HE is the sole controller and we are merely HIS immature and forgetful children. Everything becomes peaceful inside and outside us.

Prayer brings results only when it is done in a surrendered mode. Till then, the lord waits. When we are unconscious of what our gross self represents, this is the instant when our prayer is answered. This is the selfless self praying. The selfless self is always the one merged with the almighty infinite formless CREATOR. Any act, including praying, when done from this level fructifies. The art of praying is deep. To know it, we must first know how to delve deep to find and know our true selves .