A Prayer

[Guest guest]

 

 

A PrayerWhenever I have been depressed and low, which is often My Baba listens to my prayers, which is always... I pray to you with my mind wandering here and there Bless me Baba, control my mind Please be with me always and ever.....What shall I do without your grace I need your blessings, your love and protection Please answer my prayers, remove my fears I have faith, wish to have stronger faith Let me be at your lotus feet for ever and ever and let your hand be on my head, always and ever....... Baba I love you, I worship you Let my heart be filled with your love and worship always and ever....What is Prayer?Prayer is an act of communication by humans with the sacred or holy—God, the gods, the

transcendent realm, or supernatural powers. Prayer has been described in its sublimity as "an intimate friendship, a frequent conversation held alone with the Beloved". The most important part of any prayer, whether it be a prayer of petition, of thanksgiving, of praise of Lord, or of confession, is the introspection it provides, the moment that we spend looking inside ourselves, seeing our role in the universe and our relationship to God and emphasizes the One to whom prayer is directed. For an observant Sai devotee, prayer is not simply something that happens in temple once a week (or even four times a day). Prayer is an integral part of everyday life. Observant devotees are constantly reminded of Sai's presence and of our relationship with God, because we are continually praying to Him. Our first

thought in the morning, even before we get out of bed, is a prayer thanking Sai for returning our souls to us. Prayers are to be recited before enjoying any material pleasure, such as eating or wearing new clothes; before performing any acts; upon seeing anything unusual; at the site of a great tragedy; whenever some good or bad thing happens; and prayers to recite before going to bed at night. All of these prayers are in addition to formal prayer services, which are performed every weekday and at additional times on festivals and holy days. Many people today do not see the need for regular, formal prayer. "I pray when I feel inspired to, when it is meaningful to me," they say. This attitude overlooks two important things: the purpose of prayer, and the need for practice. One purpose of prayer is to increase awareness of God in one's life and the role that God plays in one's life. If one

will only pray when one feels inspired (that is, when one is already aware of God), then one will not increase their awareness of God.In addition, if one wants to do something well, one has to practice it continually, even when one doesn't feel like doing it. This is as true of prayer as it is of playing a sport, playing a musical instrument, or writing. The sense of humility and awe of God that is essential to proper prayer does not come easily to modern man, and will not simply come to one when one feels the need to pray. If one waits until inspiration strikes, one will not have the skills needed to pray effectively. Before one starts praying regularly, one finds that when one wants to pray, one doesn't know how. One doesn't know what to say, or how to say it, or how to establish the proper frame of mind. If one prays regularly, one will learn how to express them in prayer.When one

says the same prayers day after day, one might expect that the prayers would become routine and would begin to lose meaning. While this may be true for some people, this is not the intention of prayer. The most important part of prayer is the introspection it provides. Accordingly, the proper frame of mind is vital to prayer. The mindset for prayer is referred to as "bhavah", which is generally translated as "approach", "intent" or "devotion". The minimum level of bhavah is an awareness that one is speaking to God and an intention to fulfill the obligation to pray with devotion. If one does not have this minimal level of bhavah, then one is not praying; they are merely reading. In addition, it is preferred that one have a mind free from other thoughts, that one know and understand what one is praying about and that one think about the meaning of the prayer. Satcharita details the prerequisites of

prayer as explained by Baba generally referred to as nine forms of devotion.

 

Prayer is the salt of life and we cannot do without it. It is ingrained in the nature of Man to pray for the fulfillment of his wishes whatever they be. But more often than not we do not know what we may really pray for, how to pray, and what we may do to make our prayer a great dynamic force as may stir up Heaven's mercy.The secret of a successful prayer lies not so much in the words we use, nor in the time we devote to it, nor in the effort that we put into it, as it lies in the concentrated attention that we may give it at the seat of the soul so as to make it soulful. The most natural form for a fruitful prayer is the yearning of a soul without the agency of words, oral or mental, with the tongue of thought. A prayer like this generates and releases such a fund of spiritual energy that all the Cosmic Powers are attracted and combine together, shaping out things as best as possible.A true prayer is one continuous process, independent of form, time and place, and leads ultimately to the stage of Sehaj--a halcyon calm, a perfect equipoise and a complete satiety, with no desire whatsoever. This then is the climax of a genuine prayer and here prayer itself ceases to be a prayer and becomes a state of being, as one gradually rises first into Cosmic Consciousness, with the Divine Will fully revealed unto him. This is the be-all and the end-all of prayer - and how to achieve it is the object of this enquiry. Baba Said.... "Those who are fortunate enough to get Baba's Udi should, after bath, apply it on the forehead and take some little of it, mixed

with water in the mouth as holy tirath".OM SAI SRI SAI JAI JAI SAI!!! Let us pray at the lotusFeet of Bhagwan Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards himJai Sai RamBowe to Shri sai-Peace be to all