Loving Ganesha: Chapter 11 (Section 1) - Prayer to Lord Ganesha -- Ganapati Prarthanah

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Namaste all,

 

Hope this finds you all well. Not had much opportunity for posting Loving

Ganesh lately, will hopefully continue to post more over this week. This

section is from chapter eleven,

http://www.himalayanacademy.com/books/lg/lg_ch-11.html

 

Om Shanti,

 

Neil

 

 

 

GanapatiPrarthanah

Prayers toLord Ganesha

NEELING OR STANDING, SITTING IN PADMASANA OR walking alone, devotees discover in

prayer One of the most powerful forms of communication with inner worlds.

Through praying with concentrated feeling, or bhava, we can share our inmost

sensibilities with Lord Ganapati. Thus we establish a connection with the

Deity. One of the finest explanations of prayer from the Hindu perspective was

given by the renowned Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, Uttar Pradesh (North

India).

"The entire process of spiritual ascent is from start to finish one of earnest

practice. There is no other road except abhyasa (dedicated striving and

practice). One may have the best feeling, the best heart, the most sublime

bhava, but unless and until every part of this is put into actual practice,

there is no hope. Abhyasa is the keynote of the life of sadhana. Without it,

sadhana will not go towards its fruition of anubhuti, or experience. Thus, we

have the celestials standing at the door of Mahadeva. They hymn Him, glorify

Him and pray unto Him; and this is our next cue. It is the law of prayer that

is now given to us as our sole guide upon the path. Prayer means, first and

foremost, a perfect belief in a higher power. It means the desire and

willingness to submit our abhimana, or ego, at the feet of a higher power.

Thus, the acquisition of shraddha (faith) is now pointed out to us. The

submission of our personal ego, or abhimana, is next pointed out to us. Herein

its natural corollary, the cultivation of the supreme virtue of absolute

humility, also is indicated. The devas prayed not that they may get power to

win over the asuras. There is the attitude of willing self-abnegation,

self-effacement, a standing aside so that the fullest manifestation of the

divine power may stand in front and take over the stand from them. This

indicates the recognition of the nondoership of the individual self and the

Supreme doership of the one Doer, the Supreme God. It indicates that the

sadhaka, or the seeker, is but a mere instrument; and it is the Lord Himself,

the Indweller in the individual, who takes over the sadhana and actually does

it. When the seeker begins to feel that even this sadhana is not done by him,

but that it is the Divine shakti that works within him and enables the sadhana

to be worked out and which achieves the ultimate fulfillment of the Divine

Will, then he starts on the real upward march and rapid ascent toward

triumphant divinity.

"Thus the second aspect of prayer unfolds itself before us. We completely allow

the Divine to take charge of our personality. The seeker recedes into the

background and there is total resignation to the will of the Divine. 'I am

nothing; Thy will be done.' This is the formula that keeps tune to every beat

of his heart, every pulsation in his body. The seeker becomes a transformed

being" (Lord Shanmukha and His Worship, p. xiii-xv).

When we go to the temple in distress or when we go in great joy and

thankfulness, our prayers may flow spontaneously up from our hearts. Some find

it very natural to speak out in words, bringing their gratitude, adoration or

troubles into a form that can be offered to Lord Ganesha. Others may just

stand, feeling but not knowing what to say in their own minds or hearts. Others

may not yet feel at all close to the Mahadeva but still yearn to open the door

to religious communion with the Deity. In other words, many people want to

learn how to pray.

We are indeed fortunate if we have been raised to learn the ancient Hindu hymns

or the songs and prayers of the sants. These can be spoken in their original

Indian languages, or voiced in the translation to other tongues. There are many

types of prayer. There are prayers of invocation performed prior to worship or

important actions. There are prayers of entreaty, requesting devonic aid in

times of decision, trouble or turmoil. There are prayers of praise, giving

thanks for God's grace and the fulfillment of our needs. And, perhaps most

importantly, there are prayers specially written for the children, messages

that make them aware of their innate intimacy with the Divine. On the following

pages we offer a wide variety of prayers to Lord Ganesha composed in recent

times in the English language, along with several famous invocations from the

Sanskrit tradition.

By memorizing prayers, we make them immediately available to put into use

wherever we are. In the temple with God Ganesha before us or by ourselves with

the Lord in our mind, we can repeat them with a strong, concentrated feeling

which will carry our thoughts into the inner world of the Gods. As our worship

matures into an open relationship with the Deity, these prayers will come

automatically to mind as our way of talking with the Lord. They are especially

useful during and after Ganesha puja, when the Lord is present and listening

and we are in close touch with Him. Of course, prayer can be used at any time

to make us aware of our being in the mind of Lord Ganesha. As we come to know

God Ganesha better, our communication with Him will take on more the spirit of

talking with one's intimates, parents or close friends, and our own spontaneous

words may mix freely with formal prayers.

 

 

 

Loving Ganesha by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

 

Web sites: http://www.hindu.org/ & http://www.himalayanacademy.com/

email: contact (AT) hindu (DOT) org

Himalayan Academy Kauai's Hindu Monastery107 Kaholalele RoadKapaa, HI 96746-9304

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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