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Thread: Hindu Prayer

  1. Hindu Prayer

    Hi all! I'm back with another question.

    I am curious about prayer within Hinduism.
    Within the sect of Christianity that I am surrounded by here in the southern USA, prayer is typically simple and non-prescriptive. You simply talk to the Divine, silently, or out loud.
    Is this form of prayer practiced within Hinduism? Or are more elaborate prayer rituals carried out?
    Can I simply talk to a deity, or is this not traditional?

  2. #2
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    Re: Hindu Prayer


    Quote Originally Posted by ConfusedLearner View Post
    I am curious about prayer within Hinduism.
    Within the sect of Christianity that I am surrounded by here in the southern USA, prayer is typically simple and non-prescriptive. You simply talk to the Divine, silently, or out loud.
    Is this form of prayer practiced within Hinduism? Or are more elaborate prayer rituals carried out?
    Can I simply talk to a deity, or is this not traditional?
    Prayer is usually performed as a mantra or some of the songs mentioned in the scriptures. You can turn to God also by finding some verses in the Puranas and recite them in His glory.

    Some examples:
    Rig Veda 7.100.5 says:
    "Today I praise This Name of yours, O Vishnu"

    Rig Veda 1.156.1:
    "So, Vishnu, e'en the wise must swell thy song of praise ..."

    See eg prayer offered by Lord Shiva to The Supreme Lord in one Purana called Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, verses 4.24.31 and forward (http://vedabase.net/sb/4/24/en) .

    Vaishnavas usually recite the mantra composed of the holy names of Lord Vishnu, such as Narayana mantra or such as Hare Krishna maha mantra.

    Just to talk to a deity is usually considered for advanced devotees of The Lord.

    regards

  3. #3

    Re: Hindu Prayer

    Namaste
    Quote Originally Posted by ConfusedLearner View Post
    Within the sect of Christianity that I am surrounded by here in the southern USA, prayer is typically simple and non-prescriptive. You simply talk to the Divine, silently, or out loud.
    Is this form of prayer practiced within Hinduism? Or are more elaborate prayer rituals carried out?
    Can I simply talk to a deity, or is this not traditional?
    Of Course you can talk to Him. The Supreme Lord waits for you for Yugas - eons, standing on a brick. Just for you to come back to Him.

    That being said, it is a balance of both, and one is really encouraged to study the prayers found in scriptures as bramha-jijnasa says.

    They are beautiful jewels - masterpieces, and nectar to the ears.
    Some prayers come from exhalted devotees of the past, many from Rshis (seers) inspired by the Supreme Lord Himself.
    Many are heavily philosophical, stuffed with knowledge of the Deity/Supreme, as well as teach proper devotional attitude (stuffed with bhakti rasa).

    I put them into two categories
    1. To be recited by sAdhak (shorter simpler ones)
    e.g. sarvetra sukhinah santu
    sarve santu nirAmaya
    sarve bhadrAni pashyantu
    mA kashchit dukhamApnayat ||


    shAntA kAram bhujaga shayanam padmanAbham suresham
    vishwAdhAram gagana sadrusham meghavarNam shubhAngam
    lakshmi-kAntam kamala nayanam yogibhir dhyAna gamyam
    vande vishNu bhava bhaya haram sarva lokaika nAtham ||

    2. To be studied from POV of both knowledge and devotion
    e.g. (of category 2): BhAgvat PurAN has prayers TO the Supreme Lord by
    - Shukadev GoswAmi
    - Gajendra
    - Lord BramhA before creation
    - All Devas at Shri KRshNa's appearance
    - Dhruva
    - Kunti
    - BramhA when He realized His mistake in making assumptions about Shri KRshNa, the Supreme Bramhan.
    - Pruthu Maharaj
    - Prayers by the Gopis of VRndAvan (Gopi Geet, VeNu Geet, Bhramar Geet)
    - Prayers by Uddhav
    - Prayers by Aditi
    - Prayers by Kardam Muni
    - Chitraketu
    - Bali Maharaj
    - PralhAd

    each in a different setting and mood, each adding to the knowledge of the Supreme Absolute Truth.

    om namo bhagavate vAsudevAya
    Last edited by smaranam; 12 August 2013 at 11:50 AM.
    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

  4. #4

    Re: Hindu Prayer

    My favorite daily prayers are

    1. Shri VishNu SahasranAma
    2. Selected shlokas of Shri Shri Bramha SaMhItA

    and mantra too

    om namo bhagavate vAsudevAya (is a mantra)
    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

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    Re: Hindu Prayer

    Namaste,

    When someone does not even know the alphabet, I would not attempt to introduce him/her to highly evolved classical literature. There must be simple answers for a novice which do not use Sanskrit mumbo jumbo. Making the answers people-centric and to the point is more helpful than long dissertations. The language used for conversing with a sage is very different from the one used for a newbie who is from a Xitian background and has just started to take baby steps into the realm of Hinduism.

    Pranam.

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    Re: Hindu Prayer

    Quote Originally Posted by ConfusedLearner View Post
    Hi all! I'm back with another question.

    I am curious about prayer within Hinduism.
    Within the sect of Christianity that I am surrounded by here in the southern USA, prayer is typically simple and non-prescriptive. You simply talk to the Divine, silently, or out loud.
    Is this form of prayer practiced within Hinduism? Or are more elaborate prayer rituals carried out?
    Can I simply talk to a deity, or is this not traditional?
    Brahma-jijnasa and Smaranam-ji had given good answers.

    I just want to add that a Hindu prayer consists of recitation of hymns and/or mantras because a Hindu believes that, the prayer itself being rendered by some great devotee, carries subtle meditative and medicinal quality about it, which will be pleasing to one's own psyche as well as the deity being praised upon. 'Medicinal' does not simply mean just the treatment of one's body, 'medicinal' here is a term that denotes 'changes to one's psychology as well as body'. Hence, the slokas and mantras are believed to bring about psychological changes in oneself, and supposed to be pleasing to the deities, whereby one's wishes come true, out of the deity sanctioning them.
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

  7. #7

    Re: Hindu Prayer

    Quote Originally Posted by Believer View Post
    Namaste,

    When someone does not even know the alphabet, I would not attempt to introduce him/her to highly evolved classical literature. There must be simple answers for a novice which do not use Sanskrit mumbo jumbo. Making the answers people-centric and to the point is more helpful than long dissertations.
    Pranam.
    Namaste

    You are right, thanks, and I did think of this, also, funnily enough, knew this was coming (such as your feedback).

    However, I have confidence in ConfusedLearner to take a leap and dive at this with my post and not get confused.

    It can be
    1. a good reference to come back to in a matter of months
    2. a good reference for other readers new to SD/Hindu Dharma
    3. a bournvita or complan if you will for those new to SD - you never know. I never underestimate them, they can be sponges.

    And irrespective of all this, who can stop me when it comes to such topics? Not even that Tribhanga-lalita lIlAmAnusha-vigraha tamAlashyAmalAkrutaya veNunAdavishArada Govinda MAdhava Mukunda Shri Hari can

    _/\_
    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

  8. #8

    Re: Hindu Prayer

    Quote Originally Posted by smaranam View Post
    sarvetra sukhinah santu
    sarve santu nirAmaya
    sarve bhadrAni pashyantu
    mA kashchit dukhamApnayat ||
    May everyone [everywhere] be happy, content
    May everyone [everywhere] be free of ailments and disease (nirAmaya)
    May auspiciousness (bhadra) be showered on all everywhere
    May no sorrow (dukha) touch anyone ever/even in traces (kaschit)

    shAntA kAram bhujaga shayanam padmanAbham suresham
    vishwAdhAram gagana sadrusham meghavarNam shubhAngam
    lakshmi-kAntam kamala nayanam yogibhir dhyAna gamyam
    vande vishNu bhava bhaya haram sarva lokaika nAtham
    (This is pre-VishNusahasranAma dhyAnam shloka - meditative glorification of Shri VishNu before reciting His 1000 names
    - Mahabharat, conversation between Bhishma and YudhishThir when Bhishma lay on the bed of arrows waiting for Shri KRshNa's grace, and all kings and sages along with Shri KRshNa the Supreme Lord(VishNu/NArAyaNa) gathered around him.)

    Meaning of this shloka:
    I salute [in adoration] (vande) the universally pervading VishNu, Who is the personification of peace (shAntAkAram),
    the substratum "bed" (shayanam) of the material manifestation (bhu jaga)
    the One Who has a Lotus Navel (padmanAbha) [which is the source of the material universe],
    the Lord (Isha) of the Divine Beings (sura) i.e. devas (sura + isha = suresha),
    the support (Aadhaara) of the universe (vishwa) (vishwAdhAra)
    pervading the entire universal space (gagana sadrusha),
    Who has the [beautiful] complexion (varNa) like the [dark] rain-cloud (megha)... (meghavarNa),
    Who has the purest, and most auspicious (shubha) body (Anga) [untouched by the material defects of this world]
    Who is the Lord and divine consort (kAnta) of the Goddess of Fortune (Lakshmi) ... (Lakshmi-kAnta),
    the Lotus-eyed One (kamala = lotus, nayana = eyes) [Whose eyes are the shape of a lotus]
    the object of meditation (dhyAna) of the yogis (sages in/aspiring to be in union with Him),
    Who destroys (hara) the fear (bhaya) of His devotees [who approach Him],
    and Who is the Lord (nAtha) of all (sarva) 14 material worlds (loka) ... (sarvalokaika nAtha).

    ----

    ( The idea was that those interested could easily google the sanskrit of these shlokas, so as to keep the original post short, rather than one with sanskrit mumbo-jumbo or whatever,
    but here it is now. Beautiful.)

    om namo bhagavate vAsudevAya ~
    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

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    Re: Hindu Prayer

    Namaste,
    Quote Originally Posted by smaranam View Post
    You are right, thanks, and I did think of this, also, funnily enough, knew this was coming (such as your feedback).
    Am I becoming too predictable?

    Quote Originally Posted by smaranam View Post
    And irrespective of all this, who can stop me when it comes to such topics? ......
    Yes, no one can or is trying to.
    A suggestion is not the same as stopping someone.

    Pranam.

  10. #10

    Re: Hindu Prayer

    praNAm Believer
    Quote Originally Posted by Believer View Post
    Am I becoming too predictable?
    Not you, but Shri Hari is sometimes

    Yes, no one can or is trying to.
    A suggestion is not the same as stopping someone.
    Oh, I did not mean it that way The comment was pointing more at me than any potential "stopper."
    A devotee on roller blades made of KRshNamay wheels cannot be stopped very easily.

    A Hindu Prayer:
    He KRshNA, karuNA-sindho, dIna-bandho, jagat-pate, gopesha, gopikA-kAnta, rAdhA-kAnta, namostute _/\_
    Last edited by smaranam; 19 August 2013 at 05:29 AM.
    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

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