To pray or not to pray

To pray or not to pray

#SwamiTejomayananda

(Part 1)

People often ask, “Why should I pray? I believe in leading a moral life and doing good deeds. Is that not enough?”

However, to be consistently virtuous, one requires tremendous strength, determination, and a noble ideal, otherwise, it is easily given up and we lament, “Why should I go on doing good and suffer when others are not doing so and enjoying life?” In order to avoid being discouraged from living a righteous life we must understand the secret of prayer. For a fan to move it must be connected to electricity; the fan’s connection can be seen as its prayer to the source of energy. The Lord is the ultimate source of all goodness and provides the requisite spiritual strength to lead a good and moral life. One may wish to do good but the mind is such that it gets distracted; Duryodhana also knew what was right but went on committing sinful actions. Thus prayer gives strength.

To pray or not to pray

#SwamiTejomayananda

(Part 2)

Prayer is not begging or presenting a list of demands. Perform all your duties in life remembering God. With a mind thus tuned to Him all His qualities and power will flow to you. Often people serve society for the sake of power or fame, and stop the moment they are not recognized for their efforts. If we work for the Lord, we will not be upset, even when people criticize or crucify us. Also, remembering that all the beauty, strength, and talent we have are indeed His blessings and gifts will help to reduce the pride and arrogance. Ravana suffered greatly, but could not surrender because of his ego. A simple way to remove the ego is to dedicate our work to God, and thus derive spiritual strength.

God is that Consciousness which makes the inert living. Some people say, “There is no God.” But they don’t know that the power by which they are able to talk is God. To live in harmony with the world and yourself the simple formula is pray to God, receive His blessings and with that gain the strength to live a life of dharma or righteousness. 

(end)