PRAYERS
Prayer to God is to be addressed in the following way:- “Endow us, O Lord, who art All-glorious, through thy mercy, at this very instant with that wisdom which the wise, the learned, and yogis pray for.” YAJUR VEDA: . “May, O Lord, the Controller of the Universe, my mind – which is like a driver who can swing the horses around in all directions, sways men hither and thither, is seated in the heart, possessed of great activity and extreme energy – restrain all the senses from treading the path of wickedness and always direct them in the path of righteousness. Mayestt, Thou O Lord, of Thy kindness grant me this prayer.” YAJUR VEDA :
“Lead us, O Bestower of all happiness, Omniscient, Supreme Spirit, into the path of rectitude and thereby inspire us with all kinds of knowledge and wisdom, rid us of all that is false and sinful in our conduct, and make us pure. To this end, we in all humility repeatedly praise and adore Thee.” YAJUR VEDA : .
“Mayest not, Thou, O Punisher of the wicked, destroy our young ones, nor our old ones, foetuses, mothers, and fathers, nor those who are dear to us, nor our relations, nor our bodies. Direct us to that path by following which we may not be liable to punishment by Thy Law.” YAJUR VEDA : “Lead us, O Supreme Spirit, Teacher of teachers, from falsehood unto rectitude, from darkness into light of knowledge, from death and disease to immortality and Eternal Happiness.” SHATPATHA :.
Prayer is said to be Positive or Negative according as the Deity is looked upon as possessed of good attributes or as free from bad qualities, faults and imperfections. A man should act in accordance with what he prays for. For example, if he prays for the attainment of highest wisdom, let him do his utmost to attain it. In other words, prayer should be addressed to God for the attainment of an object after one has strenuously endeavoured to attain it. No one should pray in the following manner, nor does God ever answer such a prayer:-
‘O lord! destroy my enemies, make me superior to all. Let me alone be honoured by all, make all other subordinate to me, etc.’ For, if both enemies were to pray for each other’s destruction, should God destroy both of them? If someone were to say that of the two let that man’s prayer be granted who bears more love to God, we answer that the enemy of the man whose love is less, should also suffer destruction in a lesser degree. If people began to address such foolish prayers, the next thing they will do, will be to pray in this manner, “O God! Cook our food for us, put it on the table for us, scrub our houses, do our washing, till our land, and do a bit of gardening a well for us.” The greatest fools are they who, trusting in God in this wise, remain slothful and indolent; because who so-
ever will obey God’s commandment to work assiduously will never be happy. God commands thus:-
” Let a man aspire to live by doing work for a hundred years, i.e. as long as he lives. Let him never be lazy.” Behold! all the animate and the inanimate objects in this universe perform their respective functions. The ants and other creatures are always active, the earth and other planets are always in motion, the trees are always growing or decaying. Man should take a lesson from these. As men help him who helps himself, so does God help him who works righteously, just as servants do their work only if the master himself is active and not lazy.
Prayer to God is to be addressed in the following way:- “Endow us, O Lord, who art All-glorious, through thy mercy, at this very instant with that wisdom which the wise, the learned, and yogis pray for.” YAJUR VEDA: . “May, O Lord, the Controller of the Universe, my mind – which is like a driver who can swing the horses around in all directions, sways men hither and thither, is seated in the heart, possessed of great activity and extreme energy – restrain all the senses from treading the path of wickedness and always direct them in the path of righteousness. Mayestt, Thou O Lord, of Thy kindness grant me this prayer.” YAJUR VEDA :
“Lead us, O Bestower of all happiness, Omniscient, Supreme Spirit, into the path of rectitude and thereby inspire us with all kinds of knowledge and wisdom, rid us of all that is false and sinful in our conduct, and make us pure. To this end, we in all humility repeatedly praise and adore Thee.” YAJUR VEDA : .
“Mayest not, Thou, O Punisher of the wicked, destroy our young ones, nor our old ones, foetuses, mothers, and fathers, nor those who are dear to us, nor our relations, nor our bodies. Direct us to that path by following which we may not be liable to punishment by Thy Law.” YAJUR VEDA : “Lead us, O Supreme Spirit, Teacher of teachers, from falsehood unto rectitude, from darkness into light of knowledge, from death and disease to immortality and Eternal Happiness.” SHATPATHA :.
Prayer is said to be Positive or Negative according as the Deity is looked upon as possessed of good attributes or as free from bad qualities, faults and imperfections. A man should act in accordance with what he prays for. For example, if he prays for the attainment of highest wisdom, let him do his utmost to attain it. In other words, prayer should be addressed to God for the attainment of an object after one has strenuously endeavoured to attain it. No one should pray in the following manner, nor does God ever answer such a prayer:-
‘O lord! destroy my enemies, make me superior to all. Let me alone be honoured by all, make all other subordinate to me, etc.’ For, if both enemies were to pray for each other’s destruction, should God destroy both of them? If someone were to say that of the two let that man’s prayer be granted who bears more love to God, we answer that the enemy of the man whose love is less, should also suffer destruction in a lesser degree. If people began to address such foolish prayers, the next thing they will do, will be to pray in this manner, “O God! Cook our food for us, put it on the table for us, scrub our houses, do our washing, till our land, and do a bit of gardening a well for us.” The greatest fools are they who, trusting in God in this wise, remain slothful and indolent; because who so-
ever will obey God’s commandment to work assiduously will never be happy. God commands thus:-
” Let a man aspire to live by doing work for a hundred years, i.e. as long as he lives. Let him never be lazy.” Behold! all the animate and the inanimate objects in this universe perform their respective functions. The ants and other creatures are always active, the earth and other planets are always in motion, the trees are always growing or decaying. Man should take a lesson from these. As men help him who helps himself, so does God help him who works righteously, just as servants do their work only if the master himself is active and not lazy.
हिंदी अनुवाद -
सब दिव्यगुण, कर्म, स्वभाव, विद्यायुक्त और जिस में पृथिवी सूर्य्यादि लिोक स्थित हैं और जो आकाश के समान व्यापक सब देवों का देव परमेश्वर है उस को जो मनुष्य न जानते न मानते और उस का ध्यान नहीं करते वे नास्तिक मन्दमति सदा दुःखसागर में डूबे ही रहते हैं। इसलिये सर्वदा उसी को जानकर सब मनुष्य सुखी होते हैं।
ईश्वर की स्तुति-वह परमात्मा सब में व्यापक, शीघ्रकारी और अनन्त बलवान् जो शुद्ध, सर्वज्ञ, सब का अन्तर्यामी, सर्वोपरि विराजमान, सनातन, स्वयंसिद्ध, परमेश्वर अपनी जीवरूप सनातन अनादि प्रजा को अपनी सनातन विद्या से यथावत् अर्थों का बोध वेद द्वारा कराता है। यह सगुण स्तुति अर्थात् जिस-जिस गुण से सहित परमेश्वर की स्तुति करना वह सगुण; (अकाय) अर्थात् वह कभी शरीर धारण व जन्म नहीं लेता, जिस में छिद्र नहीं होता, नाड़ी आदि के बन्धन में नहीं आता और कभी पापाचरण नहीं करता, जिस में क्लेश, दुःख, अज्ञान कभी नहीं होता, इत्यादि जिस-जिस राग, द्वेषादि गुणों से पृथक् मानकर परमेश्वर की स्तुति करना है वह निर्गुण स्तुति है। इस से फल यह है कि जैसे परमेश्वर के गुण हैं वैसे गुण, कर्म, स्वभाव अपने भी करना। जैसे वह न्यायकारी है तो आप भी न्यायकारी होवे। और जो केवल (ढोंग) भांड के समान परमेश्वर के गुणकीर्तन करता जाता और अपने चरित्र नहीं सुधारता उसका स्तुति करना व्यर्थ है।
अग्ने नय सुपथा राये अस्मान् विश्वानि देव वयुनानि विद्वान् ।. युयोध्यॄस्मज्जुहुराणमेनो भूयिष्ठां ते नमऽउक्ति विधेम ।।१।। -यजु० अ० ४०। मं० १६
हे सुख के दाता स्वप्रकाशस्वरूप सब को जाननेहारे परमात्मन्! आप हम को श्रेष्ठ मार्ग से सम्पूर्ण प्रज्ञानों को प्राप्त कराइये और जो हम में कुटिल पापाचरणरूप मार्ग है उस से पृथक् कीजिये। इसीलिये हम लोग नम्रतापूर्वक आपकी बहुत सी स्तुति करते हैं कि हम को पवित्र करें।।१।।
मा नो महान्तमुत मा नोऽअर्भकं मा न उक्षन्तमुत मा न उक्षितम् ।.
मा नो वधीः पितरं मोत मातरं मा नः प्रियास्तन्वो रुद्र रीरिषः ।।१।। -यजु० अ० १६। मं० १५।।
हे रुद्र! (दुष्टों को पाप के दुःखस्वरूप फल को देके रुलाने वाले परमेश्वर) आप हमारे छोटे बड़े जन, गर्भ, माता, पिता और प्रिय बन्धुवर्ग तथा शरीरों का हनन करने के लिये प्रेरित मत कीजिये। ऐसे मार्ग से हम को चलाइये जिस से हम आपके दण्डनीय न हों।।१।।
असतो मा सद् गमय, तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय, मृत्योर्माऽमृतं गमयेति।। -शतपथ ब्रा०।।हे परमगुरो परमात्मन्! आप हम को असत् मार्ग से पृथक् कर सन्मार्ग में प्राप्त कीजिये। अविद्यान्धकार को छुड़ा के विद्यारूप सूर्य को प्राप्त कीजिये और मृत्यु रोग से पृथक् करके मोक्ष के आनन्दरूप अमृत को प्राप्त कीजिये। अर्थात् जिस-जिस दोष वा दुर्गुण से परमेश्वर और अपने को भी पृथक् मान के परमेश्वर की प्रार्थना की जाती है वह विधि निषेधमुख होने से सगुण, निर्गुण प्रार्थना। जो मनुष् जिस बात की प्रार्थना करता है उस को वैसा ही वर्त्तमान करना चाहिये अर्थात् जैसे सर्वोत्तम बुद्धि की प्राप्ति के लिये परमेश्वर की प्रार्थना करे उस के लिये जितना अपने से प्रयत्न हो सके उतना किया करे। अर्थात् अपने पुरुषार्थ के उपरान्त प्रार्थना करनी योग्य है।ऐसी प्रार्थना कभी न करनी चाहिये और न परमेश्वर उस को स्वीकार करता है कि जैसे हे परमेश्वर! आप मेरे शत्रुओं का नाश, मुझ को सब से बड़ा, मेरी ही प्रतिष्ठा और मेरे आधीन सब हो जायँ इत्यादि, क्योंकि जब दोनों शत्रु एक दूसरे के नाश के लिए प्रार्थना करें तो क्या परमेश्वर दोनों का नाश कर दे ? जो कोई कहै कि जिस का प्रेम अधिक उस की प्रार्थना सफल हो जावे । तब हम कह सकते हैं कि जिस का प्रेम न्यून हो उसके शत्रु का भी न्यून नाश होना चाहिये।ऐसी मूर्खता की प्रार्थना करते-करते कोई ऐसी भी प्रार्थना करेगा-हे परमेश्वर! आप हम को रोटी बना कर खिलाइये, मकान में झाडू़ लगाइये, वस्त्र धो दीजिये और खेती बाड़ी भी कीजिये। इस प्रकार जो परमेश्वर के भरोसे आलसी होकर बैठे रहते हैं वे महामूर्ख हैं क्योंकि जो परमेश्वर की पुरुषार्थ करने की आज्ञा है उस को जो कोई तोड़ेगा वह सुख कभी न पावेगा।
