Where we have to do this prayer, how we need to do - whether to
do in the early mornings, evenings, day time or in night time - whether it is
on Sunday or Friday and where it can be done whether in the house or in the
temple, whether by sitting or standing, do we need to keep some thing beneath,
or do we need to bend ourselves - and how much bending is required? Is it
necessary to close our eyes or it is optional or mandatory? And do we need to
recite the Sanskrit slokas or prose?
These are the few of the many questions we usually face when the
question of prayers is taken up. So far as Hinduism is concerned and Brahmin is
in the question - then the three times Sandyavandanam is compulsory. What kind
of text to be used for recitation of Sandhyavandan is prescribed in
particular religious books where as it can be noted that this Sandhyavana can
be done either individually or in a group. In this type of group or
individual recitation of prayers - one should know the difference between the
Prayer, mere recitation and salutation.
Salutation is specifically designed to greet the elders and as
well as some time younger people and also equal aged people, friends, teachers,
officers and unknown yet people with high caliber and high scholastic knowledge
etc., We salute them to express our regards, we salute them as we cherish their
knowledge and we salute them for the privilege they have given to us to meet
them.
Namasakaram - is one salute which is most famous in entire south
Asian countries including India and its subcontinent. One Sanskrit Scholar
informed that when we salute a person with Namasakar - that doesn't mean that
we are low and they are high - it is saluting the Atman which is the basic of
that person. An individual may be doing many wrong things yet his Atman is pure
and perfect, without any death or decay - we are saluting to that Atman and we
need not feel inferiority in doing so.
Mere recitation about their good deeds is another kind of
thing. In this we continue to recite thousand and eight names in
different ways for a number of times.
The other one is Prayer - by its meaning itself it is known that
we are there to ask some favors, requesting a help, begging for immediate
solution and insisting for some way out from the present calamity!
When will you do the Prayer - for this, a counter will be, when
will you take medicine? Whenever you feel bad, feel disturbed, dejected,
nervous, miserable, gloomy, unwanted, awful, troublesome and low - you can do
the prayer. When you were not given the due justice, when you feel
cheated, when there is no body to whom you can represent your case, when things
are going out of your hand, when feel that you are alone - you will turn to the
God. And there is no time for that - because it's an emergency.
Then the question - rather a doubt - will be where to do? Just
do it - start doing it wherever you are! Wash your feel and hands and
wash your face and start doing it. either you can sit in a corner or stand at
one place or you can walk - but keep the concentration on the God. Leave the
results to him and let him take care of the modalities to bring you out of the
rut. Continue to do the prayer - within yourself - and concentrate on the God
and if you need to participate in any discussion - do that. Because
Bhagavan Sri Krishna said that - as a man, we have to do our ordained and
prescribed duty on this earth and pray for him and leave the results to him.
Unless you totally leave the outcome to him, he will not interfere. Don't
try tinkering - don't change the parties and don't mix the Gods! Never invent
new Gods when you are in the middle of the ocean.
