The Hindu : Prayer is more powerful

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 25, 2003

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Prayer is more powerful

CHENNAI JULY 25. The question that most people ask revolves around a very basic concern, what should a man do to attain total prosperity, completed in every sense of the term? What action is required to put within one's reach peace, happiness and worldly possessions? The answer lies in offering prayers to God with sincerity and faith. Our social history is replete with instances where piety and prosperity walked hand in hand. In earlier times, for example, trading communities, while exerting their full potential on their profession, simultaneously embraced a devotional way of life as enjoined in scriptural literature. As a result they experienced joy and amassed wealth for successive generations. The holy texts set out at length the various rituals associated with worshipping the Lord. The pecking order starts with the Vedas, followed by the body of tenets (Smriti) as laid down by Manu and others; the epics come next with the Puranas taking the last place. The first of these guidelines focuses and recommends the traditionally accepted mores of conduct and behaviour of a devotee. Lord Siva is anger personified and how does a devotee approach Him? The Lord's temper, resulting in Nature's fury and similar calamities is assuaged when a devotee sings His praise.

While wisdom gained through knowledge arriving out of the sacred works has led many to eternal happiness, for the simpler mortals, embracing the Lord in passionate devotion has also paid rich dividends. The commonly upheld morals and values of our society are a case in point. For example, a soldier overpowering an enemy in order to safeguard his nation's interest is a patriot, but one who murders another for material gains or out of passion is a sinner. Similarly, a true devotee who takes recourse to unconventional methods of prayer is loved by gods. One can come across such devotion in the Bhagavatam. The Nayanmars were the first to highlight such a devotional approach with Kannappar being the pioneer whose total dedication to the Lord within the confines of his life and means is an eye-opener. Adi Sankara has paid rich tributes to him while Manickavachagar held him as a loving devotee and himself as one lacking the same. Devotion is more powerful than mere adherence to rules and rites. Even in today's context of self-serving devotion, chanting the name of the Lord with steadfast faith is a sure way of reaching the Lord, said Sri B. Damodar Dikshidar in his discourse.

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