Chapter 23

Ten Common Prayers

In This Chapter

Prayers for help and understanding

Salutations to gods and goddesses

When you grow up in a Hindu household, you learn prayers and more prayers. You see your parents offer prayers, almost casually, throughout the day, seeking God’s blessings — mostly for your wellbeing, your future, and your life. In conversations, you notice casual references to gods and goddesses and phrases such as “only His kindness” or “with His grace” or “with Her benevolence” and so on. Then there’s the worship at home or at the temple where you hear even more prayers. For the devout, prayers begin as they rise in the morning and continue throughout the day in a systematic manner.

In this chapter, I list ten prayers most commonly used in Hindu households.

Forgive Me, Mother Earth

I offer my salutations to the consort of Vishnu, Mother Earth, asking her to forgive me for stepping on her, whose body is clothed with oceans and mountain ranges.

Looking at My Palms in the Morning

At the top of my palms resides goddess Lakshmi, goddess Saraswati at the center, and Lord Vishnu at the base. So shall we shall see them in our hands in the morning.

Please Remove All Obstacles

I meditate on Vishnu who is clothed in white, the color of the moon, four-armed and smiling, to lessen all obstacles.

My Lord Ganapati, with a curved tusk and mighty body and with the brilliance of a million suns, please remove any obstacles in my tasks today.

Let This Be a Great Day

May Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara; sun, moon, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, and Ketu grant this to be a good day for me.

Salutations to the Sun God

Salutations to Divakara, the Sun God shining like the japa flower, descendent of sage Kashyapa, of great brilliance, destroyer of all sins and the enemy of darkness.

Let Us Meditate on the Radiance of That Divinity

Om. That which pervades earth, sky, and heaven, which is worthy of worship, that has no beginning; that which is the light of wisdom and truth; Let us meditate on the radiance of that divinity. May that brilliance help inspire and illuminate our minds. That One which represents water, light and is the quintessence in all things; May that almighty spirit pervading the earth, atmosphere, and heaven bless us with enlightenment.

Let There Be Harmony

May Brahman protect us, may we dine together, let us work together with great energy, let us be illumined together, let us live in harmony,

Om, peace, peace, peace!

Let Everything Be Surrendered to You

Whatever I have performed through my action, speech, thought, knowledge, or my inclination, may all that be surrendered to the Lord.

Lead Me from Darkness to Light

Lead me from the unreal to the real, lead me from darkness to lightLead me from death to eternal life, Om peace, peace, peace

By Whose Grace the Mute May Become Eloquent. . .

By whose grace the mute may become eloquent, the lame may leap mountains, to that blissful Lord I offer my salutations.