A true prayer

SYNOPSIS: We pray to GOD to ask for something or to overcome some fear. But true prayer must be done for becoming dear to GOD and for making GOD dear to us. This is the pinnacle of prayer. READ THE FULL ARTICLE BELOW -

In every religion, there is special importance attached to prayer. We pray to fulfill some desire or to overcome some fear, there are various types and objectives of prayer.

But the real objective of prayer is that we pray so that we become dear to GOD and GOD becomes dear to us. This is the true pinnacle of prayer.

Goswami Shri Tulsidasji after writing Shri RamCharitManasji made a request to GOD that GOD should become dear to him. How much dear, like the female is dear to a libidinous and like wealth is dear to a greedy. The second request that Goswami Shri Tulsidasji made in many places in Shri RamCharitManasji is that he should become dear to GOD. Due to such dearness, GOD should say that “Tulsi is mine”.

With the rise of devotion, it is only possible that GOD becomes dear to us because it displays the virtues, majesty and pastimes of GOD which attracts us towards GOD. Due to it, GOD becomes dear to us.

But for us to become dear to GOD it is only possible due to the mercy of GOD. Because we are filled with so many ill qualities and therefore we cannot become dear to GOD. Like an upright person becomes dear to another upright person, similarly, a person with virtues can only become dear to GOD, who is an ocean of virtues.

Therefore a humble prayer in the Divine Lotus Feet of GOD should be made at all times that whatsoever evils which are disliked by GOD must not enter in us and whatsoever virtues which are liked by GOD must always enter in us in abundance. We must seek such blessings from GOD.

We must make such a request because by doing so, we will become dear to GOD, which should be the prime aim of our life. The aim of our life should be similar to that of Goswami Shri Tulsidasji that we should become dear to GOD.

There should not be any hidden self-interest in it. When we become dear to GOD we will automatically receive honor from the world, so there should not be any hidden ambition for name, fame, dignity and honor because it will lead to arrogance. Evil like arrogance is something that is not at all liked by GOD.

There is a clear principle that whosoever makes his nature like GOD, receives honor from the world. Like the river water hits the stones inside the river and the stones are also hit by persons when on earth but the stones which take the shape of Ling (a round-shaped stone which is seen as an idol of GOD) is never hit by river water because due to roundness the water flows over it and when out of the water they are worshipped as idols. Likewise, a soul that raises himself in the goodness of GOD and discards the evils which are not dear to GOD receives the true honor from the world.

Therefore, to shed away the evil and for imbibing the virtues we should always pray to GOD. Such prayer should be performed so that we become dear to GOD and should always remain dear to GOD, which is the aim of our life. There should not be any other hidden self-interest in it and if there is one we should pray to GOD to destroy it.

If such prayer is performed daily and devotion is practiced then we will see that evil will go away from our life and goodness will become part of our life. When the evil goes and the virtues sets in, we start becoming dear to GOD and GOD starts becoming dear to us.

Like an upright person is liked by another upright person and vice versa, similarly, GOD likes a person with virtues and a person with virtues likes GOD. GOD is the ocean of virtues, therefore only a person with virtues will be liked by GOD and the person with virtues will only like GOD.

If we become dear to GOD and GOD becomes dear to us, then we reach the real pinnacle of human life. Such a pinnacle is achieved by devotees. After reaching such a state, we lose our love for the world.

Today we love the world, we love the items of the world and we love the relations of the world. There is a clear principle that the world and GOD cannot be simultaneously dear to us. Like the light of GOD Shri SuryaNarayanji (Sun GOD) and the darkness cannot co-exist. Where there is light, there is no darkness and where there is darkness there is no ray of light. Similarly, if we love the world, we cannot love GOD and if we love GOD, we cannot love the world. In an extremely high stage, GOD and the world will both become dear to us. That stage is achieved when due to supreme devotion, we are able to see GOD everywhere in the world. In every particle of the world, we are able to visualize GOD. Very few rarely reach such a stage like devotee Shri Prahladji reached.

Therefore, we should imbibe devotion so that GOD becomes dear to us and we must pray to GOD that we become dear to GOD. GOD becomes dear to us, this is only possible with the practice of devotion because devotion displays the virtues, majesty and pastimes of GOD which attracts us towards GOD. We become dear to GOD, this is only possible with the mercy of GOD, therefore such prayer should be performed daily so that such mercy is received in our lives.

English Translation vetted by Sheelnidhi Gupta