What to pray for?

Impressed!

Dear Sridhar,

Your thoughts and advice on Prayer were very impressive. A topic on which you seem to have already spent some contemplation. It appeals to my sense and sensibilities. Thank you for the same. My admiration and esteem for you keeps growing

L, Kamla

 

Thanks Chitra

Dear Chitra,

Once again, 'animuthyalu' from you. ( pearls of wisdom)!

As a matter of fact, I was waiting to read your response for Pooja's query and you have more than satisfied my expectations. Thanks for the same.

L, Kamla

 

prayers are answered!

Very interesting conversations.....thanks Pooja for initiating this!

And Sundari, i understand what you say when we stand in front of the idol in the temple that we forget to really ask or pray for anything when the magnificient beauty of the Lord takes our breath away! I visit the temple only for these moments really!

Chitra and Sridhar have really put down everything clearly what with the different stages we all go through in life and how our wants andneed keep changing that we really want to thank God for everything we have! Profound thinking both of you, and we can see itin your way of lives!
Just thought will put in my own feelings...i think it is not wrong to ask...like Pooja has put down the questions, or like Kamala say, God does not mind! I feel by focussing on our needs and asking , it is sending a mssg to the universe and we get it back when we are ready to receive it!
What is wrong in pryaing for lots of money.... when we receive it we should feel that we are only a channel to distribute it and share it.....similarly praying for someone's health...does it not send Positive vibrations to that person...?
Well all these we have experienced in life....so i guess praying for oneself to have more strength or happiness and being ready to receive it ,or praying for something in particular is okay!
This must be the reason a concept like PRAYER or Praying to God has come into existence....so let's all pray that IL grows strong and we all stay bonded for many more years to come.

( i had reason to pray fervently this morning and from my personal experience i must say it was answered within half hour or so!...well i hope this mssg reaches the persons involved!)

 

You have set me thinking, Sudha

Dear Sudha,
Well, God doesn't mind our asking for anything. To send a message to the Universe and get what we asked for when we are ready to receive it - a really beautiful thought to build on.
Since this is one subject which has occupied my thoughts most of the time I woud like to make two clarificatory remarks.

a) When you send a message to the Universe you will have to be very careful. Never say 'I want this' The Universe has a strange law. It will record this want and make it permanent. That's why many of our most fervent prayers are not answered. Just say 'I have it.' or if possible Thank the universe for providing it.
When I was a child my mother used to say that we have to be very careful about our thoughts. She said that benign Devas are closely watching our thoughts and when we say something the Devas will say "Thathaasthu" i.e Let it be so. That's a beautiful thought. When you say I want money and the Universe responds with Thathaasthu, then the want will become permanent.
When I was preparing for my CA exams I found some of the lessons very difficult. In Madurai there are not enough experts to explain. I tried hard to understand but nothing happened. I prayed to God. I even cried. Still no result. The exams were due in 2 weeks.
Then one of my friends suddenly walked into our house and said, 'sridhar, I want you to teach me this particular lesson.' My God! He was mentioning the very same lesson I was struggling hard to understand. I told him that I myself was looking for someone who could teach me.
'C'mon, don't lie. Go get the book. I know you'll do it in half an hour.'
I had no choice. When I opened the book and tried to explain it to him I found to my delight that everything was now clear. I had stored this incident in my memory for years. Four years back I got Neale Donald Walsh's Conversations With God. In the book the author says the same thing. He even used my own example. When you attempt to teach something to somebody, you actually attempt to give something. You can't give unless you have. So the Universe rushes to furnish you with the required knowledge.

b) Secondly there are many situations in life where we honestly don't know what to pray for. One of my clients was in so much problems that he could not see any way out of his crisis. He cried to me, 'I go to temple but don't know what to ask for from God. I am so confused. I have left the matter to Him.' Soon a solution came of its own. My friend said 'Never in my dreams I could have thought of this way out. Only God can think like that.'
So what I am saying is that at times when you make a fervent prayer for something very specific you restrict God's bounty.
When we are in pain, when someone we love is in distress, when we are in a deep crisis, we have to have specific prayers. But even then don't dictate your mind to God. In every case, this I can say from my personal experience, He knows better. Before his all-loving intelligence we are nothing. Just pray that the pain should go away or the crisis should be solved or the lessons our loved ones are to learn should be learnt fast or the best one is "Thy will be done". The final one encompasses all the earlier ones.
In this thread I am unduly long. When I talk about Him I can't help it. I have so many specific instances to highlight whatever I have stated. I will narrate them when the right questions are raised.
regards,
Varalotti

 

Great to hear these, Sridhar, I agree with what u have said...
just wanted to assure Pooja that it is not wrong to ask God or like we say Pray for anything...after all he Knows !
But these thoughts can be understood only as we grow older. when i talk to my daughter , initially i would just tell her to think of God , lke u said, be it before exams or programs or when she has lost something. But that sharp focus and the right words or thoughts when uttered with feeling, does work..
i too have heard this Tatasthu of the devas....my granmom would say don't use curses or negative words on yourself that too in the evenings, sandhya kalam, devas are around and will utter tatasthu and it will happen. So when it is true for curses, i am sure like u said, if we pray positively , it should also work.

But we both have already started declaring that PRAyERS WILL BE ANSWERED, while the question was what to pray for?:? Happy Praying!

 

I just came to write - Sridhar has already done it !

Dear Sudha & Kamala,
" Thathasthu" is a beautiful concept - we will never think negative because this concept will make it happen. In our culture this is ingrained deeply in our mind to prevent us from thinking anything negative and also to prevent us from using "bad words" like cursing others etc.This improves the quality of our thoughts definitely.
Instead of asking for something in our prayers, we must imagine it has already happened to us ( assuming there is no bad intention in out prayers, nor do we wish harm for anybody) & thank God for His mercy. If it is good for you, it will fructify. This is emphasised in all energy classes.
Asking God to save us from responsiblities is a wrong prayer, but we should pray to help us do all responsible activities with a cheerful mind & find inspiration in all activities.
We should not pray for controlling the future like asking for success in all our endeavours. We must pray to be able to contribute to the future and accepting whatever comes.
This is specially for family people. Realising we cannot change others, our prayers should be to influence the growth of others. We must also pray for the strength to accomodate others. This is very important because it develops tolerance in us.
We can never pray for an ideal set up. We must pray to be able to discover
the security within ourselves whatever be the set up.
Now, my friends, Sridhar has explained beautifully, I hope I have not confused you !
Let us all pray to grow & contribute our best !
Love & regards,
Chithra.

 

Dear Chitra,
You have answered what to pray for in a fantastic way...you have summed up every aspect i must say....
"we should pray to help us do all responsible activities with a cheerful mind "
"We should not pray for controlling the future "
"our prayers should be to influence the growth of others".
" pray for the strength to accomodate others. -- develops tolerance in us. "
"We must pray to be able to discover the security within ourselves"

So now we ha ve a foolproof recipe for Praying!
Great job, experts...i am sure it is a worthwhile discussion and many of us have benefitted!

 

Re:Gud thought.......

Good thought Sridhar Sir and Chitra Madam ........but I feel all said and done everything is just idealistic (atleast for me)..........we keep our heart open only when our prayers are not answered……..let me accept a truth……..when I prayed that I wanted to pass in the exams I was clear about the results I expected from God….the first time I failed in a group I was still adamant to realize and again prayed for passing and when I passed, I went ahead to pray for my finals…….now when I passed one group and when I failed in one group inspite of getting exemption in 2 papers I was completely exhausted and then prayers changed “God willing I will pass this time” and of course I passed……..I have realized the way in which I should pray now to get better results…….but if you ask me whether that’s how you pray now the honest answer would be “NO”….. I am still demanding my needs from God and if it does not happen I leave it to him………probably to reach the stage you people are talking about would take some more time…….(must reach the correct pakkuvam right)……..it cannot be taught…….one should experience it………..in fact in my previous post I have written that keep yourself open and God would you the best only……..thats the theory part (which I have read elsewhere)……..I thing I am just practicing the theory and yet to perfect it…………… am I confused and confusing others as well……….waiting for your valuable inputs………….

 

Just sharing some more thoughts, A G R !

It is common for people to bemoan their fate when prayers are not answered.
The eternally debated question is whether fate can be changed by prayer. Prayer is not meant to change fate but gives us the strength to face adverse circumstances or situations in life.
The other group believes fate can be changed by prayer & to prove this, the story of Markandeya is quoted.
In fact both answers are correct.The problem arises because we use the word 'fate' loosely, giving it many meanings. Fate can be defined as karmaphalam meaning the fruit or result of one's( past) actions. Fate is not something written on our forehead by Brahma according to his whims and fancy. If so the Lord can be said to be partial.</FONT>
This auto suggestion is very useful to calm down the mind:
I should believe that prayer strengthens me. I am stronger after every fervent sincere prayer. I own up the strength and tell myself that I am now stronger, ready to welcome any situation in life - my own old age, disease or death, the ups and downs of family members, the success or failure in business. I am no more anxious. I am no more tense. I am no more worried, I am strong enough to face anything

I am relaxed.</FONT>
We must remember prayer is not a magic formula, but simply talking with God.
Thee is no stage as " correct pakkuvam" ! Experiences, good,bad & indifferent develop the " pakkuvam" in us.
I am suddenly anxious if I have confused you more !
Love & regards,
Chithra.

 

Dear Chitraji

I can understand what you are arriving at......... I think experience will make us better........for some of them the realisation comes earlier and for some of them a little late........Anyway one strong belief is pray to God and keep praying.......pray in this sense not just asking something but telling slokas which is as good as meditation (we can perform puja only if we have concentration and the will power to do).

We have a merke paartha vinyagar near our house and on tuesday you need to do archanai and give vellam and nothing will be returned to you including the coconut and this needs to be done for 4 weeks for karya siddhi..........amazingly the temple will be full on tuesdays and the no. of archanai thattu was too high.......this just made me comment in the temple itself "I thought we are always praying to God for happening of something or the other....but here there are so many people with some vendudhal or other here........."

One good thing which I have started practicing is that whenever I hear an ambulance sound I pray to GOD that the person inside should be out of danger and should live..........I think Chitra Madam I have started it in a small way as a habit........probably reading more books and interacting with people like you and all the members of IL will make me a better person..........Thanks for the time taken to reply........Hope I had not confused all of you.............