Prarthana

Prarthana: The Lamp on the Path

According to the Gujarati dictionary, Prarthana means: to offer praise to Ishwar, to ask, to beseech, to entreat, to plead. The conversation between the Atma and Prabhu — that is Prarthana. Both Prarthana and Dhyana (meditation) are essential for a human being. In Prarthana, Bhagwan listens to what you have to say. In Dhyana, you listen to what Bhagwan has to say. Prarthana makes us Shant (peaceful), Swasth (well), Nirbhay (fearless), and Nirmal (pure). Just as the body needs regular bathing to stay clean, the Antahkaran (inner being) needs regular Prarthana to remain pure. Through Prarthana, the inner filth — Kama, Krodh, Lobh, Moh, Mad, Matsar — finds its way out.

On the long and difficult road of life, Prarthana is a lighthouse. When darkness wraps itself around the path, a single flame of a Diya (lamp) is enough for a person to move forward. Along the way there may be pebbles, there may be thorns. Prarthana has the power to transform thorns into flowers.

The Prayer That Blooms

The poet SureshDalal writes: "In my garden, a flower blooms — and alongside it blooms the flower of my Prarthana. The garden flower blossoms and then wilts, but the flower of Prarthana becomes a stick of incense and spreads its fragrance. One sun rises in the sky, and other rises in my Prarthana. Evening falls, the sun sets — but in the sky and in my Prarthana, that same sun rises again as the moon. Around the sun of my Prarthana there are no clouds — but there is a tenderness, a moisture."

Prarthana should be as natural as a stream emerging from rock — spontaneous, unhurried. A river that flows ceaselessly — that is Prarthana. There comes a moment when one realises: on this river, O God You are the boat and You are the boatman. When You are present, what is there to fear? That fearlessness is Your grace. And it is only through Your grace that Prarthana flows on, unbroken, like an eternal river.

Making Prarthana a Practice

To grow spiritually, it is necessary to set aside a fixed time for Prarthana and build a regular habit. If you have developed the habit of eating at a certain hour, then your body cycle set a rhythm and hunger arrives at that hour without fail — no need to look at the clock. Let Prarthana become the same.

Prarthana is Bhakti toward Bhagwan. Bhakti is a longing for Ishwar. Just as a small child has an unwavering longing for its mother, so must a Bhakt have that same desperate longing for Bhagwan — an eagerness to meet, a restlessness until the meeting happens. Prarthana born of that kind of Bhakti — that alone is true Prarthana.

Rabindranath Tagore wrote: "My Prarthana is not that You protect me in times of Vipatti (adversity), but that I may not be seized by fear in the midst of adversity." Gitanjali is itself a garland of the most exquisite Prarthana-songs — his offering to Bhagwan.

The Nature of Prarthana

Prarthana is the expression of one's innermost self. To place one's humble request before Prabhu without any Swarth (self-interest) — that is Prarthana. To offer a Bhavanjali (an offering of feeling) before Bhagwan — that is Prarthana.

There is a saying: "Sukh ma sambhare soni, dukh ma sambhare Ram" — "In happiness, one remembers the goldsmith; in sorrow, one remembers Ram." When life fills with restlessness and impossible circumstances press in, a person reaches for the path of Prarthana. The greatest healing power is Prarthana.

Prarthana fills our life with purposeful activity. More than that, it shows us the way — from the finite toward the infinite, from Ajnana (ignorance) toward Jnana (knowledge), from the fleeting toward the eternal, from Mrityu (death) toward an Amritmaya (nectar-filled) life.

Prarthana as Nourishment

Acharya Vinobaji compares Prarthana to bathing, eating, and sleeping. The virtues of all three reside in Prarthana. Sleep gives a person rest and renewed enthusiasm. Food nourishes the body. Bathing cleanses the body. In the same way, Prarthana gives the mind its rest and spiritual vitality, nourishes both body and mind, and purifies them. The mind becomes Shant, Swasth, and Prasanna (serene).

To stand before the early morning sun with folded hands — that is the most natural worship of Tejas. Prarthana is an acknowledgment of indebtedness. In Prarthana, the hands are not outstretched for receiving something but they are folded in gratitude. Prarthana is beautiful in itself. Even the sky is not large enough to contain the words of Prarthana. Its speed carries the swiftness of the wind. Prarthana is not for taking — it is for giving. The Prarthana that soothes someone's restlessness, that brings comfort, peace, and lightness — such a Prarthana has the softness of a peacock feather.

Remove the "I" and the "Want"

A person prays:

"Oh God! I want peace."

The answer comes:

"Remove the 'I' and remove the 'Want' from your prayer — and you will be left with peace."

When the "I" — the Aham (ego) — and the "Want" — the Aakanksha (desires) — leave one's life, what remains is Shanti (peace) itself.

What Prarthana Truly Is

To become Ekagra (focused) in Parameshwar, to become Sthir (steady) — that is Prarthana. To contemplate His qualities, to sing His praise, to worship and devote oneself — that is Prarthana. Prarthana is the spring season of Chaitanya (consciousness). A Bhav-samadhi — a state of devotional absorption — filled with Prasannata (serenity) — that is Prarthana. The movement from seed toward tree — that is Prarthana. Prarthana is like the flame of a Diya. Its light is all-pervading. From the deepest darkness... toward the supreme radiance — whoever carries us is Prabhu, and our travel toward that light is Prarthana.

Prarthana is the desire to reach Ishwar. In Prarthana, we ask Ishwar alone for Ashirwad (blessings).

Our own words feel inadequate, frail — and so in Prarthana we turn to the words of Rishis, Munis, and Saints. The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Gita, the Quran, the Bible, the Shruti, the Smriti, the padas of Mira, the Prabhatiya of Narsinh, the dohas of Kabir, the Bhajans of Surdas, the Chaupai of Tulsidas — all these words have been passed on over centuries, and it is that long refinement that gives them their power.

In Prarthana, one may contemplate the infinite Gunas (qualities) of Parameshwar — and hold the intense wish that those Gunas may enter one's own life. By meditating on qualities such as Daya (compassion), Prem (love), and Satya Swaroop (the very form of truth), we ourselves are touched by those qualities. This, too, is one of the Prarthana's most precious gifts.

Prarthana takes many forms and occurs at many times: at dawn, at the beginning and end of study and meals, at the lighting of the lamp, at bedtime — individually and in community. The prayer "Om Saha Navavatu" is offered by Guru and Shishya together. The Gayatri Mantra is chanted both privately and collectively. The Rishis pray "Sarve bhavantu sukhinah, sarve santu niramayah..." — for the peace and well-being of the entire world.

Even after so many words, one cannot say everything there is to say about Prarthana. Perhaps Maun (silence) is the highest Prarthana of all.