Communion with God

Prayers serve as a communion with God. Through prayers we thank God for the innumerable bounties bestowed on us. The painted skies, snow-topped mountains, flowing rivers, bursting clouds, roaring thunder, colors of the rainbow, falling rain, changing tides, rising and setting of the sun and the moon, the inevitability of day following night – all these are signs of the existence of a superior power and His benedictions to us human beings.

Prayers recited with trust and faith in God can move mountains and work wonders. Divine wisdom of the Gathas highlights that prayer is the higher type of expression in words and pious feelings of heart through which one converses with God. The Gujarati term for prayer is bandagi, derived from the Persian word ‘banda’ (servant). Humility, submission and service to God are interwoven in it. Man must express gratitude to God for his superiority over other creations. A Persian poet said: "Zindagi khas ast barae bandagi, zindagi be bandagi sharmandagi (Life is specially meant for prayers, life without prayers is indeed shameful).” We should ever remain grateful to the Lord for what He has done for us and for whatever is achieved by us in life.

God reveals himself to true seekers and devotees. Krishna revealed himself to Hindus, Allah to Prophet Mohammad and Ahura Mazda to Prophet Zara­- thush­tra. Jesus Christ taught his disciples "Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.” Krishna, Allah, Ahura Mazda and Christ are all beings of God, the creator of the universe, destined to spread His message amongst their followers.

We cannot get close to God and understand His divine nature unless we offer prayers regularly and with devotion. Problems, however complicated, become simple and are resolved by prayer. Prayers recited with devotion enlighten our mind, stimulate our energies and remove our worries and anxieties.

Prayers should be recited in the language of revelation, creating thereby beneficent vibrations. They should not be recited as if one is reading a letter or a novel, but devotionally and with full trust in their efficacy. Vibrations emanating from prayers have a significant bearing on their efficacy, which mere translations lack. The Gita for Hindus in Sanskrit, Koran for Muslims in Arabic, Torah for Jews in Hebrew, Khordeh Avesta for Zoroastrians in Avesta are more efficacious than when recited or read in Hindi, Urdu, English or Gujarati, languages more commonly spoken and understood by the people concerned. It is immaterial if a majority of us do not understand the language in which we are offering prayers. What is relevant is the trust and faith with which the prayers are recited.

Man does not need intermediaries to converse with God. Prayers, like meditation, clear the mind, sharpen the senses, make one stoical to bear the sufferings and give strength to resist evil and resolve hardships. They are a source of great solace and have dried many a tear, enlightened many a heart and warmed many a life, filling it with joy and ecstasy. Prayers bring peace of mind and lead to mental solace and happiness, the ultimate goal of all human efforts.

Prayers must be offered regularly – in times of prosperity and in adversity, in joy and in sorrow, in health and in sickness, in life and in death. Many atheists and non-believers turn believers when faced with danger or death. There are many occasions on which I have felt the presence of a super power around me. I believe that God is inside each one of us. I have monumental trust and faith in prayers and devote a fixed time every morning and night (even during my busiest schedules) in remembering the Almighty through prayers.

Every night when I am awakened from sleep I recite the brief prayer of Ashem Vohu and the Nirang of Vanant Yasht to overcome the menace of black art and magic, diseases and ailments of body and mind and thereby derive protection from evil forces. Evil spirits get disintegrated and become ineffective as a result of prayers. Several people who have had similar experiences bear testimony to this. One must spend one’s sunset years in devotional prayers and meditation, thereby communing with God.

Many people select a slogan or keynote as a mantra and chant it regularly, continuously with deep concentration. Such a mantra creates vibrations in the body and mind, and frees one from worldly attachment. Just as the body is nourished by food, the soul is nourished by prayer and becomes righteous. It is said that prayer in the morning is the golden key to open the heart for the service of God and in the evening it is an iron lock to guard the heart against sin and evil.

I end with the powerful mantra from the teachings of Zarathushtra: "Ushta ahmai Yahmai, ushta kahmai chit (Happiness to him through whom happiness is caused to another).”

RUSTOM GAE

New Delhi