True Nature of Worship by Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya..Part - 8

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Dear ALL,

 

 

What's that prayer which is aimed to overcome sufferings and to satisfy

selfish desires? It is no better than begging. True

prayer is that which is offered to enhance more and more the internal riches

of devotion and bliss. For most people, when sufferings do not mitigate and

selfish desires are not fulfilled mental irritation develops towards prayer.

The whole basis of their prayers appears to be wrong. True prayer in fact

continuously fills up our pot of incompleteness. A true devotee would find

satisfaction in watching his inner pot filled up more today than it was

yesterday. In an effort to reach near the saccidananda (eternal source and

embodiment of absolute bliss and divine light) how can upasana result in any

despair or annoyance? Every step taken in the direction of bliss must

generate happiness only. Distortion of the basis leads us astray and

annoyance is the results of that.

 

Prayer ascends us higher and takes us up to meet those who are already

(spiritually) evolved. The object/deity of our prayer

must be such that one who reaches near that forgets crying and learns to

smile, and through his laughter makes the whole

neighboring environment laugh too. Discontentment and sorrows are not our

goals or objects of our aspirations. Then why should we carry out an anuÌ

Úh³na (a mode of s³dhan³) or vahana (invocation) and visarjan (ritual of

completion of upasana) of these? While marching towards the supreme element

our every step would take us closer and closer to truth, benevolence and

beauty. An engrossed mind and bliss are blessings in themselves. Easy

attainment of these blessings is obstructed by contemplation of

discontentment. If prayer has to be done at all, why not adopt content and

happiness and tie a knot with these with a devoted and

engrossed mind.

 

Prayer can never be a solicitation; it originates and is inspired by the

feeling of surrender. People have seen benefits of

receiving but have not understood the pleasure of giving. No gain or

satisfaction can be compared with the glory that we

attain by performing the supreme sacrifice of surrendering ourselves to God.

When our desires get dispersed and God's wishes begin to take their place,

then it should be believed that our prayers are attaining success in the

same proportion. God's vision

takes place in this same form that He eliminates all the ugliness (vices)

from the inner self and illumines it with His

34 True Nature of Worship beauty. In other words, in place of wishes like

mitigation of sufferings and fulfillment of selfish desires those noble

ideals get established which in the form of enlightened engrossed of mind

and bliss of heart spread their rejuvenating fragrance

everywhere, every moment. One who adopts God's wishes as his own and then

follows those, begins to feel that the supreme element is itself coming to

him and that his journey is nearing to its ultimate aim.

 

.... To Be Coninued ....

Author : Pt Shriram Sharma Acharya

Source : www.awgp.org www.awgpsouth.org