Prayer Workshop Ducuments
Prayer Affirmations
I express my gratitude to Krsna for what I have in my life.
I reveal to Krsna my anxietes, my faults and my sins.
I pray to Krsna to help me deal with difficult situations.
I pray to Krsna to overcome the specific obstacles on my path.
I pray to Krsna to empower me to execute and increase my specific service to Him.
I express my spiritual aspirations and hankerings to Krsna.
I pray to Krsna for other’s benefit.
I pray Krsna to offer myself to Him.
I pray to Krsna for pure devotional service.
I pray to Krsna to love Him.
I pray to Krsna to take complete shelter at His lotus feet.
Prayer Principles
Pray to your spiritual master and ask that you be allowed to pray to the previous acaryas and to the Lord
We approach Krsna through the guru.
Act like it depends on you, pray like it depends on God.
Acknowledge that you are not independent of Krsna. Even if we are working wholeheartedly towards a goal, prayer is still necessary to keep us in a humble mood. Otherwise our endeavor may turn to into ahankara, and we will think we are the controller and everything is dependent on us. And even if you ask for pure bhakti more than you endeavor for it, this is also in the mood of surrender and is the gateway to Bhakti. Asking for pure devotional service is also part of the endeavor for pure devotional service. It is as an act of sadhana in the mood of praying to have the desire.
Pray like you mean it.
Krsna responds to the intensity of the prayer. The more you want it, the more chance Krsna will fulfill. You should actually feel in your heart what you are praying for. If you don’t feel it, you probably don’t mean it enough. And if you don’t mean it, why should Krsna take it seriously.
It is better to accept things we can’t control instead of praying to change them.
Sometimes we are in a situation we desperately want to change, but the reality is that we can’t change it. Rather than pray for a situation to change, it is better for us to pray for the ability to deal with the situation. When we acknowledge and accept what we can’t change, and focus on what we can change, our life becomes so much easier.
Phillip Brooks said, “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.”
Be vulnerable
Prayer is often a conversation with Krsna. Be open and honest.
Listen to Krsna
Prayers are often answered by Krsna guiding you and giving you intelligence, rather than arranging external circumstances to fulfill your prayers.
Do not pray for material advancement; pray for spiritual advancement
Vandanam is one of the nine processes of bhakti. It is meant to help us advance in devotional service, not advance materially. If you just pray for material things, you will get it. But then you deprive yourself of getting more bhakti.
Your prayers reveal your state of Krsna consciousness
Your prayers show if you are approaching Krsna out of love or out of material fear and need.
The mood of your prayers should be: “Krsna. If you so desire…….”
If you need pray and compromise the spirit of love by asking God for something, then try to acknowledge that God’s will is the best and what pleases him is the best by asking, “If you so desire.”
Krsna may not fulfill your desires in order to intensify your devotion
“…even if the Lord is approached by someone with devotion, to intensify the devotee’s love the Lord may not immediately reciprocate fully. In fact, the Lord is truly reciprocating. After all, a sincere devotee always prays to the Lord, “Please help me to love You purely.” Therefore the Lord’s so-called neglect is actually the fulfillment of the devotee’s prayer. Lord Krsna intensifies our love for Him by apparently separating Himself from us, and the result is that we achieve what we really wanted and prayed for: intense love for the Absolute Truth, Krsna. Thus Lord Krsna’s apparent negligence is actually His thoughtful reciprocation and the fulfillment of our deepest and purest desire.”
Krsna may give you more than you asked for.
Prabhupada states: “If we depend on the choice of the SPOG, we will receive benedictions in greater opulence than we desire.” The example is Kardama who wanted a wife and got a queen.”
Compose personal prayers according to your realization.
Your own prayers should reflect where you are at, what you are aspiring for, and what you are feeling, otherwise they will be artificial and won’t have real meaning to you. When reciting the prayers of the acaryas that are beyond your realization, try to enter into their mood while praying. Make what they pray for your aspiration. Pray with the hope that someday those feelings will develop.
It’s not proper to perform an act that creates an undesirable reaction and then pray to Krsna to not have to experience that reaction.
The devotee prays let me suffer what I am destined to suffer. I just pray that I can always have your service. Prabhupada said: “Don’t make God your order supplier. You create something (problems) by your own fault and you ask God to come and save you. What is your answer? You have created something and you must suffer for that. You have created some disease and you must suffer. Why you violated the law of nature and created you disease.”
A devotee is glorified by chanting the glories of the Lord.
We become great by serving the great. We become decorated by decorating the Deities. One who always glorifies the Lord is glorious.
Prayers by Category
RECITING NOTABLE PRAYERS
But here it is stated that a devotee who is always engaged in offering prayers to the Lord is worshipable even by the demigods themselves. The pure devotees have nothing to ask from any demigod; rather, the demigods are anxious to offer prayers to the pure devotees.
In the Narsimha Pururana it is stated, “Any person who comes before the Deity of Lord Krsna and begins to chant different prayers is immediately relieved from all the reactions of sinful activities and becomes eligible, without any doubt, to enter into the Vaikuëöhaloka.”
Being Vulnerable and Open with Krsna
Song 8 The Soul’s Fallen Position
(1)
hari he!
dharma-nista nahi mor, atma bodha ba sundar,
bhakti nahi tomar carane
ataeva akincana,gati-hina dusta-jana, rata sada apana bancane
Oh my Lord Hari! I don’t have the determination to follow any kind of religious path, nor do I have any realization of my real self, nor do I have any trace of lovely devotion to Your lotus feet. Therefore, being completely bereft of spiritual practices, this wicked, aimless soul is always fond of cheating himself.
Expressing Complete Dependence on Krsna
(2)
patita-pabana tumi, patita adhama ami,
tumi mor eka matra gati
taba pada-mule painu, tomar sarana lainu,
ami dasa, tumi mor pati
Dear Lord, You are known as patita-pavana, the rescuer of the most fallen, and I am one such fallen soul. Therefore You are my only hope for deliverance. Now I have achieved the soles of Your lotus feet, for I have taken complete refuge in You alone; I am Your eternal servant, and You are my eternal Master.
Begging for Shelter AND REFUGE
at the Lord’s Feet
“Humility and Devotional Surrender”by an anonymous Vaiñëava poet
2) O Lord! Hopelessly taking birth over and over, I have now come to You for refuge. Please show Your merciful nature and deliver this wretched soul.
4) You bring about auspiciousness for the world, and You are the master of all the worlds as well. O Lord, what will become of me if You forsake me?
(3)
e bhaktibinoda kande, hrde dhairya nahi bandhe, bhumi pari bole atahpara , ahaituki krpa kori’,ei dusta-jane, hari! deho pada-chaya nirantare
Now Bhaktivinoda falls upon the ground, weeping piteously, unable to maintain composure in his heart, and says, Oh my Lord! Kindly favor this rogue with Your causeless mercy, and give me the shade of Your lotus feet forever and ever.
Confession, willingness to accept punishment, and begging for shelter at Krsna’s feet
CONFESSION
In the same Padma Purana there is a statement about submission in humbleness. It is stated there, “My dear Lord, there is no sinful living entity who is more of a sinner than myself. Nor is there a greater offender than myself. I am so greatly sinful and offensive that when I come to confess my sinful activities before You, I am ashamed.”
This is a natural position for a devotee. As far as the conditioned soul is concerned, there is no wonder that he has some sinful activities in his past life, and this should be admitted and confessed before the Lord. As soon as this is done, the Lord excuses the sincere devotee. But that does not mean that one should take advantage of the Lord’s causeless mercy and expect to be excused over and over again, while he commits the same sinful activities. Such a mentality is only for shameless persons. Here it is clearly said, “When I come to confess my sinful activities I become ashamed.” So if a person is not ashamed of his sinful activities and continues to commit the same sinful activities with the knowledge that the Lord will excuse him, that is a most nonsensical proposition. Such an idea is not accepted in any part of the Vedic literature.
The Sinful Soul Fit for Punishment
(1)
hari he!
heno dusta karma nai, jaha ami kori nai,
sahasra sahasra-bara hari!
sei saba karma-phal, peye abasara bal,
amay pisiche jantropari
Oh my dear Lord Hari! There are not sinful activities which I have not performed thousands upon thousands of times! And by the fruits of all these sinful actions, I have become robbed of all strength, being helplessly taken for an excruciatingly painful ride on the machine of this material world.
(2)
gati nahi dekhi ar, kande, hari, anibar,
tomar agrete ebe ami
ja’ tomar hoy mane, danda deo akincane,
tumi mor danda-dhara swami
Seeing no other hope for deliverance in sight, I am now continuously crying before You, my Lord. Please punish Your insignificant servant as You see befitting, for You are my Lord and ruling Master.
(3)
klesa-bhoga bhagye jata, bhoga mor hao tata,
kintu ek mama nibedana
je je dasa bhoga ami, amake na charo swami,
bhaktibinoder prana-dhana
Whatever difficulty my destiny prescribes for me, I will gladly undergo, but I have just one appeal to make to You. My dear Lord, no matter what condition I must undergo, please never gibe me up, for You are the only treasure of Bhaktivinoda’s life.
PROTECTION
In the Narsimha Purana, Lord Narsimha dev says, “Anyone who prays unto Me and takes shelter from Me becomes My ward, and I protect him always from all sorts of calamities.”
KRSNA KRSNA PAHI MAM
GRATITUDE
Song 10 The Ocean of Nescience
(1)
hari he
nija-karma-dosa-phale, pari’ bhavarnava-jale
habudubu khai kotakal
santari’ santari’ jai, sindhu-anta nahi pai,
bhava-sindhu ananta bisal
Oh my dear Lord Hari! By the bad fruits of my past evil activities, I have slipped and fallen into the waters of the ocean of nescience, and I have been thus bobbing and sinking beneath the waves for a very, very long time. Swimming, I have not been able to reach the shore of this ocean of material existence, for it extends for an unlimitedly vast distance.
(2)
magna hoiunu jabe, dakinu katara rabe,
keho more koroho uddhar
sei-kale aile tumi, tome jani kula bhumi,
asa-bija hoilo amar
Becoming completely submerged and drowned in this ocean, I have loudly called out with a greatly distressed voice for someone to come and rescue me. At that time You came to me, oh Lord. Knowing that You are the safe shelter at the shore of this fearful ocean has given me a ray of hope.
(3)
tumi hari doyamoy, paile more su-niscoy,
sarvottama doyar bisoy
tomake na chari ar, e bhaktibinoda char,
doya-patra paile doyamoy
You, dear Lord, are actually made of compassion. I am completely convinced that You are the original source of the highest form of causeless mercy. Noe this most fallen rascal Bhaktivinoda won’t reject You any more… for I, the befitting object of causeless mercy, have attained the favor of He Who abounds in causeless mercy.
Appreciation
(1)
hari he!
anya asa nahi jar, taba pada-padma tar,
charibara jogya nahi hoy
taba padasraye natha, kore sei dinapata,
taba pade tahar abhoy
Oh my dear Lord Hari! He who spends his time under the shelter of Your lotus feet, oh Lord, becomes completely fearless. Indeed, he has no ability to neglect Your lotus feet for he hasn’t a pinch of desire to remain under any other shelter.
(2)
stanya-payi sisu-jane, mata chare krodha-mane, sisu tabu nahi chare may jehetu tahar ar, e jibana dhoribar, mata bina nahiko upay
A mother sometimes neglects her breast-suckling children out of anger but still the children could never give up their mother. This is because such small helpless children are not able to maintain their lives at all without their mother, being totally dependent on her.
(3)
e bhaktibinoda koy, tumi charo doyamoy,
dekhiya amar dosa-gana
ami to’ charite nari, toma bina nahi pari,
kakhan dhorite e jibana
Similarly, Bhaktivinoda says to You, oh Lord Who is overflowing with compassion, that You may reject me if You like, seeing all of my offenses. But still, I will never be able to abandon You, for I cannot maintain my life under any circumstances without You.
Hankering, Aspirations, Goals
SUBMISSION (CRY TO BECOME ENGAGED IN SERVICE)
In the same Närada-païcarätra, there is another expression of submission, wherein the devotee says, “My dear Lord, O lotus-eyed one, when will that day come when on the bank of the Yamunä I shall become just like a madman and continue to chant Your holy name while incessant tears flow from my eyes?” This is another perfectional stage. Lord Caitanya also desired that “a moment will appear unto me as twelve years of time, and the whole world will appear to me as vacant on account of not seeing You, my dear Lord.” One should feelingly pray and become eager to render his particular type of service to the Lord. This is the teaching of all great devotees, especially Lord Caitanya.
In other words, one should learn how to cry for the Lord. One should learn this small technique, and he should be very eager and actually cry to become engaged in some particular type of service. This is called laulyam, and such tears are the price for the highest perfection. If one develops this laulyam, or excessive eagerness for meeting and serving the Lord in a particular way, that is the price to enter into the kingdom of God. Otherwise, there is no material calculation for the value of the ticket by which one can enter the kingdom of God. The only price for such entrance is this laulyam lälasämayé, or desire and great eagerness.
INTENSE YEARNING
Lalasämayé or an intense yearning for the personal service of the Lord. This is further stated as follows in the Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu, 1.2.156:
kadähaà yamunä-tére nämäni tava kértayan
udväspaù puëòarékäkña! racayiñyämi täëòavam
“O Puëòarékäkña (lotus-eyed Lord)! When, upon the bank of the Yamunä, with eyes brimming with tears of ecstasy and voice choked up with divine spiritual emotion, will I chant Your holy names and dance like a madman?”
The above verses from Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu are examples of prayers made by devotees at various stages of sädhana-bhakti. Lälasämayi prayers are made by a devotee in whom attachment for the Lord is already manifest.
Samprärthanätmika prayers are made by a devotee in whom attachment to the Lord is not yet manifest. These are prayers for awakening of one’s attachment. Dainyabodhikä prayers are expressions of feelings of humility and one’s utter worthlessness for having not worshiped the Supreme Lord.
Srila Narottama däsa Thäkura was a devotee of the highest order. But he composed the prärthanä placing himself on the level of a conditioned soul who is crying out for the mercy of the Lord, because of his forgetfulness since time immemorial. Thus various moods are displayed throughout the collections of these 57 prayers. The recitations and singing of these prayers will invoke dormant loving feelings towards Lord Krsna.
Great care and effort has been taken in presenting this publication: Prärthanä of Srila Narottama däsa Thäkura. At least five different copies of the original Bengali editions were used in this presentation. Each of these books differ in terms of how many songs were in Prärthana and some lines in some songs have different readings, though they convey the same meaning. Working closely with native Bengali speakers, especially the chief translator of this book, Bhumipati däsa, who is a Bengali disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svämé Prabhupäda, I firmly believe that this translation is true to the original meanings of the compositions of Srima Narottama däsa Öhäkura. The compilations of Prärthanä which I am presently undertaking, is actually for my own bhajana and purification. I pray that the Vaiñëava communities will be pleased with this publication and grant their mercy on me so I can advance on the path of Krsna consciousness. Hare Krsna.
sei dina kabe ha’be, aikantika-bhave jabe, nitya-dasa-bhava lo’ye ami , mano-rathantara jata, nihsesa koriya svatah, sebibo amar nitya-swami
When will that day come when I will take on the mood and behavior of Your unalloyed eternal servant? Then, all other distracting desires of my mind will automatically become totally exhausted, and I will be able to whole-heartedly render service to my eternal Master.
(3)
nirantara seba-mati, babibe cittete sati,
prasanta hoibe atma mor
e bhaktibinoda bole, krsna-seba-kutuhale,
cirodina thaki jena bhor
My soul will become fully satisfied when that day will be mine. My heart will be chaste only to You, and it will exhibit such a service attitude which flows from the core of the heart with uninterrupted devotion. Bhaktivinoda says that he will thus live eternally absorbed in such a delightful flow of ecstatic loving service to Krsna.
Song 19 Prayer for the Association of Devotees
(1)
hri he!
beda-bidhi-anusare,karma kori’ e samsare,
punah punah jiba janma pay
purba-krta-karma-phale, tomar ba iccha-bale,
janma jadi labhi punaray
Oh my Lord Hari! By working fruitively according to the Vedic injunctions in this material world, the soul continuously takes birth again and again.If I also have to take birth once again according to Your will, due to the results of my previous fruitive reactions, then I have just one request to make to You, oh Lord…
(2)
tabe ek katha mama, suno he purusottama!
taba dasa-sangi-jana-ghare
kita-janma jadi hoy, tahateo doyamoy,
rohibo he santusta antare
So then kindly hear me, oh Purusottama! I have only one petition to submit before You. If I can only take my next birth even as an insignificant insect within the home of Your loving servant, then I would become completely satisfied, oh Most Merciful Lord.
(3)
taba dasa-sangi-hana, je grhastha arbacina,
ta’r grhe caturmukha-bhuti
na hao kakhan, hari! kara-dwaya yoda kori’, kore bhaktibinoda minati
Please never , never let me take birth in the home of a foolish householder who is bereft of the association of Your eternal servant, even if his household opulences rival those of Lord’s Brahma’s. This is the only humble prayer that Bhaktivinoda is making now with folded hands.
Expressing Intentions
Song 24 Prayer for Natural Eternal Service
(1)
hari he!
suno he madhu-mathana! mama ek bijnapana,
bisesa koriya boli ami
tomar sebatwa mama, swakiya baibhavottama,
ami dasa, tumi mor svami
Oh my dear Lord Hari! Please hear me now, oh Lord Who gives honey to those who You trample upon! I am revealing this specific confession unto You. The topmost wealth of my own ultimate service attitude is this… I am Your servant, and You are my Master.
(2)
se-bibhava-bahirbhuta, hoite hoile he acyuta! ksana-matra sahite na pari , deho, prana, sukha, asa, atma-prati bhalabasa, sarva-tyaga korite bicari
Oh Acyuta, infallible Lord! I am not able to tolerate even a split second of life outside the purview of this divine wealth of Your eternal service. Therefore I have now decided to renounce everything that is near and dear to the illusioned soul such as the body, the life, material pleasures as well as all hopes for future sense gratification.
(3)
e saba jauka nasa, sata-bar sri-nibasa,
tabu thaku dasatva tomar
e bhaktibinoda koy, krsna-dasa jiba hoy,
dasya bina kiba ache ar
Oh Residence of the Goddess of Fortune! Let all these things be neglected by me and fall into abject ruination hundreds of times; I don’t mind, for I will still remain immutably fixed in Your eternal service. Bhaktivinoda says that the soul is irrevocably the eternal servant of Krsna, and except for this eternal service there is no other reality.
Prayers for Rectification and Deliverance
The Last Hope for Deliverance
(1)
hari he!
ami to’ cancala-mati, amaryada, ksudra ati,
asuya-prasaba sada mor
papista, krtaghna, mani,nrsamsa, bancane jnani,
kama-base thaki sada ghor
Oh my dear Lord Hari! I am most fickle-minded, completely bereft of proper etiquette and extremely insignificant. I always radiate an intense effulgence of jealousy and malice. I willingly perform sinful acts, I love to do harm to my well-wishing benefactors, and I am unnecessarily puffed up with false prestige. Ferociously vicious like a barbarian, I am vastly learned in the art of deceiving others. I am always obsessed under the control of lusty motives, which are my very breath of life.
(16)
tathapi e dina-jane, jadi nama uccarane,
namabhasa korilo jibane
sarva-dosa-nibarana, dunhu-nama- samjalpana, prasade prasida dui jane
In spite of all these offenses, I pray that if ever in my life this most fallen soul has once accidentally uttered just a faint glimpse of Your holy name, without offence, then kindly mitigate all of my faults and allow me to chant Your name simply for the pleasure of You Both.
(17)
bhakti-lava-matre ksaya, sarva aparadha hoy, ksamasila dunher krpay , e asa mane dhori’,carane prarthana kori, sodha dosa ksamiya amay
Even the most minute trace of devotion can completely destroy all offensive faults, for I know that the causeless mercy of You Both is most forgiving by nature. Keeping this in mind as my last hope, I offer this humble prayer at Your lotus feet. Please forgive me and rectify all of my offenses.
(18)
sadhana-sampatti-hina, ohe ei jiva dina,
ati-kaste dhrstatara char
dunhu-pada-nipatita, prarthana koroye hita,
prasannata hauk donhar
Alas, this most fallen soul is completely bereft of the priceless treasure of devotional service. I am so degraded, and I remain in great difficulty due to my shameless arrogance. Falling down and grasping the lotus feet of You Both, I now pray simply for the benefit of seeing You become satisfied by my prayers.
Hankering for One’s Eternal Service
(28)
kabe dunhe ei bane, bilokibo sammilane, amulyanga, parimala-ghrana ,amar nasika-dvare, pravesiya citta-pure, acaitanya koribe bidhana
When will i be able to wistfully observe You Both encountering each other within the transcendental forest? The sweet nectarine fragrance produced by the meeting of Your precious forms will pass through my nostrils and, entering into my heart, will immediately knock me unconscious.
(42)
kabe jambunada-barna, loiya tambuliparna,
sirasunya karpuradi-yuta
bitika nirmmana kori, dunhu mukhe dibo dhori’
preme citta ha’be paripluta
When can I make first-class pan for You Both to chew? Picking fresh cold-??? betel leaves, I will remove the stems and add fragrant spices and camphor, Then, rolling the leaves into a cone shape and thus making it nice, I will take them and place them int Your lotus mouths. At that moment my heart will become flooded and saturated with ecstatic love for You.
(43)
kotha e durasa mor,kotha e duskarma ghora,
e prarthana, jadi bolo keno
he radhe! he ghanasyama! dunhu-jana-gunagrama,
madhuri bolaya more heno
Confession, Request for Shelter, Being Vulnerable
Dainyabodhikä or making known one’s insignificance and worthlessness. In the Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu, 1.2.154 it is cited as follows:
mat-tulyo nästi päpätmä näparädhé ca kaçcana
parihäre ’pi lajjä me kià vruve puruñottama
“O Purushottama! In this world, there is no sinner and offender like me. Even though You are an ocean of causeless mercy, I am ashamed even to request You to forgive my offenses. What more shall I say?”
Gopinatha
Text One
gopénäth, mama nivedana çuno
viñayé durjana, sadä käma-rata,
kichu nähi mora guëa
TRANSLATION
O Gopinath, Lord of the gopis, please hear my request. I am a wicked materialist, always addicted to worldly desires, and no good qualities do I possess.
Text Two
gopénäth, ämära bharasä tumi
tomära caraëe, loinu çaraëa,
tomära kiìkora ämi
TRANSLATION
O Gopénätha, You are my only hope, and therefore I have taken shelter at Your lotus feet. I am now Your eternal servant.
Text Three
gopénäth, kemone çodhibe more
nä jäni bhakati, karme jaòa-mati,
porechi soàsära-ghore
TRANSLATION
O Gopénätha, how will You purify me? I do not know what devotion is, and my materialistic mind is absorbed in fruitive work. I have fallen into this dark and perilous worldly existence.
Text Four
gopénäth, sakali tomära mäyä
nähi mama bala, jïäna sunirmala,
swädéna nahe e käyä
TRANSLATION
O Gopénätha, everything here is Your illusory energy. I have no strength or transcendental knowledge, and this body of mine is not independent and free from the control of material nature.
Text Five
gopénäth, niyata caraëe sthäna
mäge e pämara, kändiyä kändiyä,
korohe karuëä däna
TRANSLATION
O Gopénätha, this sinner, who is weeping and weeping, begs for an eternal place at Your divine feet. Please give him Your mercy.
Text Six
gopénäth, tumi to’ sakali päro
durjane tärite, tomära çakati,
ke äche päpéra äro
TRANSLATION
O Gopénätha, You are able to do anything, and therefore You have the power to deliver all sinners. Who is there that is more of a sinner than myself?
Text Seven
gopénäth, tumi kåpä-päräbära
jévera käraëe, äsiyä prapaïce,
lélä koile subistära
TRANSLATION
O Gopénätha, You are the ocean of mercy. Having come into this phenomenal world, You expand Your divine pastimes for the sake of the fallen souls.
Text Eight
gopénäth, ämi ki doñe doñé
asura sakala, päilo caraëa,
vinoda thäkilo bosi’
TRANSLATION
O Gopénätha, I am so sinful that although all the demons attained Your lotus feet, Bhaktivinoda has remained in worldly existence.
Prayers to the Guru for Empowerment
and Mercy To Increase Service
Gurudeva
Text One
gurudev!
kåpä-bindu diyä, koro’ ei däse,
tåëäpekhä ati héna
sakala sahane, bala diyä koro’,
nija-mäne spåhä-héna
TRANSLATION
Gurudeva, give to this servant just one drop of mercy. I am lower than a blade of grass. Give me all help. Give me strength. Let me be as you are, without desires or aspirations.
Text Two
sakale sammäna korite çakati,
deho’ nätha! jathäjatha
tabe to’ gäibo, hari-näma-sukhe,
aparädha ha ‘be hata
TRANSLATION
I offer you all respects, for thus I may have the energy to know you correctly. Then, by chanting the holy name in great ecstasy, all my offenses will cease.
Text Three
kabe heno kåpä, labhiyä e jana,
kåtärtha hoibe, nätha!
çakti-buddhi-héna, ämi ati déna,
koro’ more ätma-sätha
TRANSLATION
O Lord and Master! When will such mercy fall to this one who is weak and devoid of intelligence? Allow me to be with you.
Text Four
jogyatä-vicäre, kichu nähi päi,
tomära karuëä-sära
karuëä nä hoile, kändiyä kändiyä,
präëa nä räkhibo ära
TRANSLATION
If you examine me, you will find no qualities. Your mercy is all that I am made of. If you are not merciful unto me, I can only weep, and I will not be able to maintain my life.
Prayers of Surrender
Samprärthanätmika or prayer with wholehearted submission of mind, body, and everything to the Lord. An example of sampräthanätmika is given in the Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu, 1.2.153 as follows:
yuvaténam yathä yüni yünäïca yuvatau yathä
mano ’bhiramate tad van mano ’bhiramatäm tvayi
“O my Lord! As the minds of young boys and girls remain attached to one another, please let my mind be attached to You.”
Mänasa Deha Geha
Mind, Body, and Home
Text One
mänasa, deho, geho, jo kichu mor
arpilü tuwä pade, nanda-kiçor!
TRANSLATION
Mind, body, and family, whatever may be mine, I have surrendered at Your lotus feet, O youthful son of Nanda!
Text Two
sampade vipade, jévane-maraëe
däy mama gelä, tuwä o-pada baraëe
TRANSLATION
In good fortune or in bad, in life or at death, all my difficulties have disappeared by choosing those feet of Yours as my only shelter.
Text Three
märobi räkhobi-jo icchä tohärä
nitya-däsa prati tuwä adhikärä
TRANSLATION
Slay me or protect me as You wish, for You are the master of Your eternal servant.
Text Four
janmäobi moe icchä jadi tor
bhakta-gåhe jani janma hau mor
TRANSLATION
If it is Your will that I be born again, then may it be in the home of Your devotee.
Text Five
kéöa-janma hau jathä tuwä däs
bahir-mukha brahma janme nähi äç
TRANSLATION
May I be born again even as a worm, so long as I may remain Your devotee. I have no desire to be born as a Brahmä averse to You.
Text Six
bhukti-mukti-spåhä vihéna je bhakta
labhaite täko saìga anurakta
TRANSLATION
I yearn for the company of that devotee who is completely devoid of all desire for worldly enjoyment or liberation.
Text Seven
janaka, janané, dayita, tanay
prabhu, guru, pati-tuhü sarva-moy
TRANSLATION
Father, mother, lover, son, Lord, preceptor, and husband; You are everything to me.
Text Eight
bhakativinoda kohe, çuno käna!
rädhä-nätha! tuhü hämära paräëa
TRANSLATION
Öhäkura Bhaktivinoda says, “O Käna, please hear me! O Lord of Rädhä, You are my life and soul!”
English Song Version of Manasa, Deha, Geha
1) Mind, body, family
I give to You My Lord,
Offering at Your Feet
Oh Nanda Kishor.
2) In life or in death
All difficulties go
By taking shelter of Your feet,
Oh Nanda Kishor.
3) Kill me or save my life,
Do as you wish to do.
For you are my only Lord
And I only want to serve You.
4) If it is Your will
That I be born again,
Then may it be in the home
Of one who is Your friend.
Chorus
Bhaktivinoda prays
Oh Kana hear my call,
Oh Lord of Radha’s life
You are my life and soul.
Repeat
5) The life of a worm I’ll take
As your devotee true.
I wouldn’t want the life of Brahma
Living adverse to You.
6) He who has no desire,
For salvation has no care,
Such a devotee’s comapany
I always want to share.
7) Teacher, guru, husband, Lord,
Father, mother, lover, son,
You are everything to me,
You are the only one.
8) Repeat verse 8
Chorus
Bhaktivinoda prays
Oh Kana hear my call,
Oh Lord of Radha’s life
You are my life and soul.
Repeat 4 times
You are my life and soul
Repeat 4 times
Telling Krsna Your Troubles, Your Past Mistakes,
Your Story of Grief
Amar Jivan
Text One
ämära jévana, sadä päpe rata,
nähiko puëyera leña
parere udvega, diyächi ye koto,
diyächi jévere kleça
TRANSLATION
I am an impious sinner and have caused others great anxiety and trouble.
Text Two
nija sukha lägi’, päpe nähi òori,
dayä-héna svärtha-paro
para-sukhe duùkhé, sadä mithya-bhäñé,
para-duùkha sukha-karo
TRANSLATION
I have never hesitated to perform sinful acts for my own enjoyment. Devoid of all compassion, concerned only with my own selfish interests, I am remorseful seeing others happy. I am a perpetual liar, and the misery of others is a source of great pleasure for me.
Text Three
äçeña kämanä, hådi mäjhe mora,
krodhé, dambha-paräyaëa
mada-matta sadä, viñaye mohita,
hiàsä-garva vibhüñaëa
TRANSLATION
The material desires within the core of my heart are unlimited. I am wrathful, devoted to false pride and arrogance, intoxicated by vanity, and bewildered by worldly affairs. Envy and egotism are the ornaments I wear.
Text Four
nidrälasya hata, sukärye virata,
akärye udyogé ämi
pratiñöha lägiyä, çäöhya-äcaraëa,
lobha-hata sadä kämé
TRANSLATION
Ruined by laziness and sleep, I resist all pious deeds; yet I am very active and enthusiastic to perform wicked acts. For worldly fame and reputation I engage in the practice of deceitfulness. Thus I am destroyed by my own greed and am always lustful.
Text Five
e heno durjana, saj-jana-varjita,
aparädhi nirantara
çubha-kärya-çünya, sadänartha-manäù,
nänä duùkhe jara jara
TRANSLATION
A vile, wicked man such as this, rejected by godly people, is a constant offender. I am such a person, devoid of all good works, forever inclined toward evil, worn out and wasted by various miseries.
Text Six
bärdhakye ekhona, upäya-vihéna,
tä’te déna akiïcana
bhakativinoda, prabhura caraëe,
kore duùkha nivedana
TRANSLATION
Now in old age, deprived of all means of success, humbled and poor, Bhaktivinoda submits his tale of grief at the feet of the Supreme Lord.
Telling Your Story of LIfe With Maya
Bhuliyä Tomäre
Forgetting You
Text One
bhuliyä tomäre, saàsäre äsiyä,
peye nänä-vidha byathä
tomära caraëe, äsiyächi ämi,
bolibo duùkehera kathä
TRANSLATION
O Lord, forgetting You and coming to this material world, I have experienced a host of sins and sorrows. Now I approach Your lotus feet and submit my tale of woe.
Text Two
janané jaöhare, chiläma jakhona,
biñama bandhana-päçe
eka-bära prabhu! dekhä diyä more,
vaïcile e déna däse
TRANSLATION
While I was bound up tightly in the unbearable confines of my mother’s womb, O Lord, You once revealed Yourself before me. After appearing briefly, You abandoned this poor servant of Yours.
Text Three
takhona bhävinu, janama päiyä,
koribo bhajana tava
janama hoilo, paòi’ mäyä-jäle,
nä hoilo jïäna-lava
TRANSLATION
At that moment I thought, “After my birth this time, I will surely worship You with undivided attention.” But alas, after taking birth I fell into the entangling network of worldly illusions; thus I possessed not even a drop of true knowledge.
Text Four
ädarera chele, sva-janera kole,
häsiyä käöänu käla
janaka janané-snehete bhuliyä,
saàsära lägilo bhälo
TRANSLATION
As a dear son fondled in the laps of attentive relatives, I passed my time smiling and laughing. The affection of my father and mother helped me forget You still more, and I began to think that the material world was a very nice place.
Text Five
krame dina dina, bälaka hoiyä,
bhelinu bälaka-saha
ära kichu dine, jnäna upajilo,
päöha poòi ahar-ahaù
TRANSLATION
Day by day I gradually grew into a young boy and began playing with other boys. Soon my powers of understanding emerged, so I diligently studied my school lessons every day.
Text Six
vidyära gaurave, bhrami’ deçe deçe,
dhana uparjana kori
sva-jana pälana, kori eka-mane,
bhulinu tomäre, hari!
TRANSLATION
Proud of my accomplished education, I later traveled from place to place and earned much wealth. Thereby maintaining my family with undivided attention, I forgot You, O Lord Hari!
Text Seven
bärdhakye ekhona, bhakativinoda,
käëdiyä kätara ati
nä bhajiyä tore, dina båthä gelo,
ekhona ki have gati?
TRANSLATION
Now in old age, this Bhaktivinoda very sadly weeps as death approaches. I failed to worship You, O Lord, and instead passed my days in vain. What will be my fate now?
Telling Our Story of Foolishness and Begging for Mercy
Iñöa-deve Vijïapti
Hari Hari Biphale
Prayer to One’s Beloved Lord and
Text One
hari hari! bifale janama goìäinu
manuñya-janama päiyä, rädhä-kåñëa nä bhajiyä,
jäniyä çuniyä biña khäinu
TRANSLATION
O Lord Hari, I have spent my life uselessly. Having obtained a human birth and having not worshiped Rädhä and Kåñëa, I have knowingly drunk poison.
Text Two
golokera prema-dhana, hari-näma-saìkértana,
rati nä janmilo kene täy
saàsära-biñänale, dibä-niçi hiyä jwale,
juräite nä koinu upäy
TRANSLATION
The treasure of divine love in Goloka Våndävana has descended as the congregational chanting of Lord Hari’s holy names. Why did my attraction for that chanting never come about? Day and night my heart burns from the fire of the poison of worldliness, and I have not taken the means to relieve it.
Text Three
brajendra-nandana jei, çacé-suta hoilo sei,
balaräma hoilo nitäi
déna-héna jata chilo, hari-näme uddhärilo,
tära çäkñé jagäi mädhäi
TRANSLATION
Lord Kåñëa, who is the son of the King of Vraja, became the son of Çacé (Lord Caitanya), and Balaräma became Nitäi. The holy name delivered all those souls who were lowly and wretched. The two sinners Jagäi and Mädhäi are evidence of this.
Text Four
hä hä prabhu nanda-suta, våñabhänu-sutä-juta,
koruëä karoho ei-bäro
narottama-däsa koy, nä öheliho räìgä päy,
tomä bine ke äche ämära
TRANSLATION
O Lord Kåñëa, son of Nanda, accompanied by the daughter of Våñabhänu, please be merciful to me now. Narottama däsa says, “O Lord, please do not push me away from Your reddish lotus feet, for who is my beloved except for You?”
English Song Version of Hari Hari Biphale
Although taking human birth finally,
Oh Lord I spent my life uselessly.
I haven’t worshiped your lotus feet,
Thus I drank poison as if it were sweet.
Thus I drank poison as if it were sweet.
Oh no, no, no, no.
Oh no, no, no, no.
The treasure of the divine love is found in Your Name,
But my attraction for chanting never came.
Day and night my heart burns from desire,
But I never try to put out the fire.
But I never try to put out the fire.
Oh no, no, no, no.
Oh no, no, no, no.
Lor Krsna son of the king of Braja
Became the son of Saci Lord Caitanya.
And Balarama became Lord Nitai,
The holy names delivered Jagai and Madhai.
The holy names delivered Jagai and Madhai.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh Lord Krsna son of Nanda,
Accompanied by the daughter of Vrsabhanu.
Please be merciful to be today,
Please do not push me away.
Please do not push me away.
Oh no, no, no, no.
Oh no, no, no, no.
Although taking human birth finally,
Oh Lord I spent my life uselessly.
I haven’t worshiped your lotus feet,
Thus I drank poison as if it were sweet.
Thus I drank poison as if it were sweet
Oh no, no, no, no.
Oh no, no, no, no.
Oh no, no, no, no.
Oh no, no, no, no.
Oh no, no, no, no.
Oh no, no, no, no.
PRAYING FOR EMPOWERMENT
English Song Version of Markhine Bhagavat Dharm (Make Me Dance)
Intro
1) My Dear Lord Krsna You are so kind
Upon this useless soul.
But I don’t know why you’ve brought me here,
Now You can do with me whatever You like,
Do with me whatever You like.
2) But I guess You’ve got some business here
Since You brought me to this terrible place.
Most of the people are in ignorance and I don’t know
How they’ll understand Your message divine,
Your message divine.
3) But I know Your mercy can do anything,
You’re the most expert mystic of all.
Therefore I am praying for Your mercy so that I
Can convince them of Your message sublime,
Your message sublime.
Chorus
O Lord I’m just a puppet in your hands
And if you brought me here to dance,
Make me dance, make me dance,
O Lord make me dance.
I’m just a puppet in your hands
And if you brought me here to dance,
Make me dance, make me dance,
Dance as you like.
Dance, dance, dance, dance as you as you like,
Dance, dance, dance, dance as you as you like,
Dance, dance, as you as you like.
Dance, dance, dance dance, dance,
Make me dance, dance dance, dance
Make me dance.
4) Everyone has fallen into maya by Your will,
So by Your will they can also be freed.
If you so desire You may deliver them
Then they will understand your words,
Understand Your words.
5) I am the most fallen so I’m seeking Your grace
So that I can convince them of Your words.
Somehow you’ve brought me here to speak about You,
Now make me a success or failure as You like,
Success or failure as You like.
6) You are the Lord of all so if You like
You can make my speaking suitable.
I have no knowledge nor any love,
But You can fulfill the meaning of my name,
Fulfill the meaning of my name.
Chorus
Oh Lord I’m just a puppet in your hands
And if you brought me here to dance,
Make me dance, make me dance,
O Lord make me dance.
I’m just a puppet in your hands
And if you brought me here to dance,
Make me dance, make me dance,
Oh Lord make me dance.
I’m just a puppet in your hands
And if you brought me here to dance,
Make me dance, make me dance,
O Lord make me dance.
I’m just a puppet in your hands
And if you brought me here to dance,
Make me dance, make me dance, dance as you like
Dance, dance, dance, dance as you as you like,
Dance, dance, dance, dance as you as you like,
Dance, dance as you as you like.
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance.
Make me dance, dance, dance, dance, dance.
Repeat 5x
Make me dance.
Make me dance.
Make me dance.
Make me dance.
Make me dance
Make me dance
Make me dance
Make me dance.
PRAYERS OF APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE
English Song Version From Mangala Carana and Caitanya Caritamrita
By Their Mercy
I was born into ignorance
With my eyes closed tightly shut.
My guru brought the torch of knowledge
And showed me what was what.
He gave me spiritual sight
Turned me from darkness to light.
He gave me spiritual sight
Turned me from darkness to light.
Repeat
Chorus
By his mercy
A blind man can see,
A dumb man can speak
Beautiful poetry.
By his mercy
A lame can climb
Great mountain peaks
With strength divine.
By his mercy
A dumb man can talk,
A blind man can see
And a lame man can walk.
By his mercy,
By his mercy,
By his mercy.
May the saints give me their help
By granting me the cane
Of their mercy for my support
To cross this rough terrain.
My path is very hard
And I am blind,
My feet are slipping
And I’m falling behind.
Repeat
Chorus
By their mercy
A blind man can see,
A dumb man can speak
Beautiful poetry.
By their mercy
A lame can climb
Great mountain peaks
With strength divine.
By their mercy
A dumb man can talk
A blind man can see
And a lame man can walk
By their mercy.
Repeat 4x
PRAYING TO THE MIND (Reasoning with the mind)
Duñöa Mana by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Thakura
1) O wicked mind! What kind of Vaiñëava do you think you are? Your pretentious show of chanting Lord Hari’s holy name in a solitary place is only for the sake of attaining the false prestige of a worldly reputation—it is nothing but pure hypocrisy.
2) Such materialistic prestige is as disgusting as the stool of a hog. Do you not know that it is only a mere illusion cast by the potency of Mäyä? What is the value of contemplating day and night your plans for enjoying wealth and women? All these things are only temporary.
3) When you claim wealth as your own, it creates in you ever-increasing desires for material enjoyment. Your riches should be used for serving Mädhava, the Lord of all wealth. Neither is it your proper place to indulge in lust for women, whose only true proprietor is Lord Yädava.
4) The demon Rävaëa (lust-incarnate) fought with Lord Rämachandra (love-incarnate) in order to gain the tree of worldly reputation—but that oasis turned out to be but a mirage cast in the desert wasteland of the Lord’s illusory material potency. Please cultivate fixed determination to attain only the steady and solid platform whereupon a Vaiñëava ever stands. If you neglect worshiping the Lord from this position, then you will ultimately attain a hellish existence.
5) Why do you needlessly suffer the torment of blaspheming the devotees of Lord Hari, attempting to achieve their eminence, thereby only proving your own fruitless foolishness? The desire for spiritual eminence is easily fulfilled when one becomes a devotee of the Lord, for eternal fame automatically follows the heels of a Vaiñëava. And that fame is never to be considered a temporary worldly opulence.
Praying for Things Not Related to Spiritual Advancement
A Devotee Doesn’t Ask Even For Maintenance – He Asks for Love.
“Therefore, a devotee does not pray even for his maintenance. That is pure devotee. He doesn’t give trouble to Krsna even for his bare maintenance. If he has no maintenance, he’ll suffer, fasting; still, he’ll not ask Krsna, “Krsna, I am very hungry. Give me some food.” Of course, Krsna is alert for His devotee, but a devotee’s principle is not to place any plan to Krsna. Let Krsna do. Simply we have to do according to the plan of Krsna. A pure devotee of the Lord is ashamed to ask anything in self interest. But housholders are sometimes obliged to ask favors being bound by the tie of family affection.”
Since the father knows the child’s necessities, there is no need for the child to ask. Similarly, it is not a very good idea to ask God to give us this or that. If God is all knowing and all powerful, He knows our wants and necessities, and can supply them. Therefore we should not demand anything since our demands are already met. Even cats and dogs are receiving their necessities without going to church to petition God. We should not demand anything from God but should simply try to love Him.
In the Christian world also, they believe God gives bread to everyone, and they go to the church, “O God, give us our daily bread.” But higher philosophy is that we should not ask God for our bread. That is already there. We should approach God, how to love Him. That is our business. Otherwise God is supplying food to the elephant who can eat forty kilograms at a time and the ants eat only one grain of sugar. So God is supplying all of them.
Instead of asking God, give me my daily bread, you can think God will die if I don’t give Him his daily bread.
We should not pray for things that keep us entangled in the material world. The purpose of prayer is to get us out of the material world.
Prayer is meant to please Krsna. It is one of the nine processes of bhakti. Just as we don’t read sastra with the view of material gain (it is sravana), we should not pray with the view of material gain.
If we want material gain and pray to Krsna for that, he can give it. But if He gives us material things instead of bhakti, we become big losers.
Praying to the impersonal aspect doesn’t please Krsna: neither do prayers for material benefits please Him. They actually bother Krsna, just as a child bothers its parents when he asks if they will feed him today.
If we fall in the ocean, it would be stupid to pray for a better life in the ocean. Since we have fallen in the ocean of birth and death, we should pray: “Please pick me up from the ocean of birth and death.”
Don’t Pray for Benedictions
“If anyone engaged in the devotional service of the Lord prays for personal sense gratification, he cannot be called a pure devotee or even a devotee. He may be called only a merchant engaged in the business of give and take. Similarly, a master who wants to please his servant after taking service from him is also not a real master.” Prahläda Mahäräja, therefore, did not ask anything from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rather, he said that if the Lord wanted to give him a benediction, he wanted the Lord to assure him that he would never be induced to take any benedictions for the sake of material desires. Exchanges of devotional service for lusty desires are always very prominent. As soon as lusty desires awaken, one’s senses, mind, life, soul, religious principles, patience, intelligence, shyness, beauty, strength, memory and truthfulness are all vanquished. One can render unalloyed devotional service only when there are no material desires in one’s mind.
Do Not Make God Your Order Supplier. You Must Suffer for Your Own Mistakes.
“How can you make God your order supplier? You create something by your own fault and you ask God to come and save you. What is your answer? You have created something and you must suffer for that. You have created some disease and you must suffer. Why you violated the law of nature and created you disease.”
Don’t Pray For Material Happiness
Being disturbed by happiness and distress is an impediment to bhakti, so if we tolerate them we will be spiritually happy. Ultimately, our desire to pray for something material is about being happy. And by KC we can become many times happier.
The Wrong Prayers Entangle Us
Bhaktisiddhanta used to say that asking God for mukti or anything other than bhakti is like going to a rich man and asking for ashes.
Bhakti should be animitta, without motive. Actually Krsna can fulfill all of our wishes without difficulty because He is almighty and full of all opulences. If we want material happiness from Krsna, it is certainly not difficult for Him to grant it. He can also give us mukti, liberation, but it is foolishness to ask anything from Krsna except bhakti. Srila Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvati Thakura used to say that asking God for mukti or anything else other than bhakti is like going to a rich man and asking for ashes. There is another story, about an old woman who was carrying a bundle of dry wood through the forest. Somehow or other the bundle, which was very heavy, fell to the ground. The old woman became very disturbed, and thought, “Who will help put this bundle back on my head?” She then began to call on God, saying, “God help me.” Suddenly God appeared and said, “What do you want?” She said, “please help me put this bundle back on my head.” So this is our foolishness. When God comes to give us some benediction, we simply ask Him to load us down again with all these material bundles. We ask Him for more material things, for a happy family, for a large amount of money, for a new car or whatever.
Krsna said to Rukmini: “Anyone who prays to Me for sense gratification and happiness in family life is simply deluded by My illusory energy, Mäyä. Such a person will take a low birth.”
It Is Our Misfortune to Ask for Something Material
Dhruva Mahārāja regrets that he wanted material opulence and greater prosperity than that of his great-grandfather, Lord Brahmā. His begging from the Lord was like a poor man’s asking a great emperor for a few grains of broken rice. The conclusion is that anyone who is engaged in the loving service of the Lord should never ask for material prosperity from the Lord. The awarding of material prosperity simply depends on the stringent rules and regulations of the external energy. Pure devotees ask the Lord only for the privilege of serving Him. This is our real independence. If we want anything else, it is a sign of our misfortune. (SB 4.9.35)
“A pure devotee of the Lord is ashamed to ask anything in self interest. But householders are sometimes obliged to ask favors being bound by the tie of family affection.”
Krsna Is Always Protecting Us
“The single-minded devotees are surrendered souls. They can perceive how the Lord’s potencies are working. They feel no anxiety if sometimes the Lord’s mercy does not manifest, even after long pleading and prayers, for they have unflinching conviction that the Lord will protect them under all circumstances. The mood of the present age is not spiritually conducive, and hence it is difficult to develop a high degree of faith in the Lord. Still, it is certain that faith in the Lord never goes in vain. In the beginning we may be somewhat hesitant to accept this fact, but in time we come to understand that the Supreme Lord is always protecting us.”
Asking for Material Needs Show a Lack of Faith
Seeking shelter in Krsna is a natural flavor of love because the servant’s mood of love is that Krishna is my maintainer and protector. Of course, with that confidence there is no need to ask from Krishna because He is already doing that. That’s faith.
So according to our faith we will ask or not ask Krishna for help. But either way it is a mood of love. So what we ask for depends on our level of faith.
There is an exception sometimes. “Unalloyed devotees have nothing to ask from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Gajendra, the King of the elephants, was circumstantially asking for an immediate benediction because he had no other way to be rescued. Sometimes, when there is no alternative, a pure devotee, being fully dependent on the mercy of the Supreme Lord, prays for some benediction. But in such a prayer there is also regret.”
Krsna Will Not Give Us What’s Bad for Us
“Those who think material assets to be everything or to be the ultimate goal of life are called misers [krpanas]. They do not know the ultimate necessity of the soul. Moreover, if one awards that which is desired by such fools, he must also be considered foolish.”
Exercise
1.Go over your list of prayers and put a G by each prayer that you would not fulfill if you were God and note why you would not fulfill it, or not fulfill it yet.
- Next, go over you list of prayers and put a D by each prayer that a pure devotee would not ask, including any prayers that you have already marked with a G.
- From this list of G’s and D’s, note which prayer or prayers would be the most difficult for you to give up, i.e. to stop offering Krsna.
After completing the above, find a partner if you don’t already have one, and then complete the steps below. When one partner has completed all the steps below, it will be the other partner’s turn to complete them.
- Tell this prayer or prayers to your partner beginning with, “I should pray to Krsna” and then fill the prayer. For example, if you have a prayer to have a big vacation house on the beach, you would say, “I should pray to Krsna for a big vacation house on the beach.”
- Your partner will then tell this prayer back to you as if it was actually their prayer. Then you will convince them why they should not pray in this way. This must be done with lots of enthusiasm and emotion. So you might say something like, “A devotee should be simple. Why are you complicating your life by buying a big expensive house? Why are you bothering Krsna with your material desires? If you want a vacation house, why don’t you buy a simple place in Vrndavana and go there instead of hanging out on the beach wasting your time. Pray to Radharani to be able to go to Vrndanvana. That is proper. Why are you thinking having another big house is going to make you happy? Don’t you read Bhagavad-gita? Don’t you know that real happiness comes from spiritual life, not having more than you need…….”
- Once you both complete this process, write down whatever realizations you got from this exercise.
Quotes
*Devotees Who Always Glorify Krsna are Worshipable
NOD 9
“Devotees whose tongues are decorated always with prayers to Lord Krsna are always given respect even by the great saintly persons and sages, and such devotees are actually worshipable by the demigods.”
*The Lord is satisfied if someone offers Him a nice prayer. (The Demons Pray to Fulfill Sinful Desires)
The demigods pray to please the supreme Lord. The demons pray to the demigods to fulfill sinful desires. Brahma’s prayers were free of sinful purposes. mayavadi philosopher cannot understand that the Lord has feelings). If someone decries Him, He is dissatisfied.
The purpose of prayer is to satisfy Krsna.
*Pious People Pray to God For Material Things. Atheists Don’t Pray to God. (Devotees only pray for spiritual blessings).
Arthärthé, yes. Ärto jijïäsur jïäné ca bharatarñabha [Bg. 7.16]. This is not pure devotee, but they are pious. One who goes to the temple and prays to God for some material profit, they are also pious. They are not sinful. But those who are sinful, they do not go even to the temple. They think, “What is this temple nonsense? We shall earn money.”
*Except The Devotee, Everyone Is Giving Krsna Trouble. A Devotee Doesn’t Ask Anything.
My dear Lord, there may not be any theft case, burglary, in my home this night. Please save me.” So one man is praying prayer, praying like that. Another man is praying, the thief, “My dear Lord, this night I shall commit burglary in that house. Please help me to get something.” Now, what is Krsnas position? (laughter) Krsna is everyone’s heart. So Krsna has to satisfy so many prayers. The burglar and the thief and the householder, so many prayers. So Krsna’s adjustment… But He’s still… That is Krsna’s intelligence, how He adjusts. He gives everyone freedom. And everyone is given facilities, but still He’s in botheration. Therefore Krsna advises to his devotees that “Don’t plan anything. You rascal, you nonsense, you don’t give Me trouble. (laughter) Please surrender unto Me. Just go under My plan; you’ll be happy. You are making plan, you are unhappy; I am also unhappy. I am also unhappy. (laughter) So many plans are coming daily, and I’ll have to fulfill.” But He’s merciful. If a… Ye yathä mäà prapadyante täàs… [Bg. 4.11].
…… Therefore, a devotee does not pray even for his maintenance. That is pure devotee. He doesn’t give trouble to Krsna even for his bare maintenance. If he has no maintenance, he’ll suffer, fasting; still, he’ll not ask Krsna, “Krsna, I am very hungry. Give me some food.” Of course, Kåñëa is alert for His devotee, but a devotee’s principle is not to place any plan to Krsna. Let Krsna do. Simply we have to do according to the plan of Krsna. A pure devotee of the Lord is ashamed to ask anything in self interest. But housholders are sometimes obliged to ask favors being bound by the tie of family affection.
*No Need to Pray for Our Demands. Our Demands are Already Met
Since the father knows the child necessities, there is no need for the child to ask. Similarly, it is not a very good idea to ask God to give us this or that. If God is all knowing and all powerful, He knows our wants and necessities, and can supply them. Therefore we should not demand anything since our demands are already met. Even cats and dogs are receiving their necessities without going to church to petition God. We should not demand anything from God but should simply try to love Him.
*We Foolishly Pray to Remain Entangled in Material Life
Bhaktisiddhanta used to say that asking God for mukti or anything other than bhakti is like going to a rich man and asking for ashes. An old woman was carrying a bundle of dry wood and the bundle fell. So she called to God for help. Suddenly God appeared and she asked that the bundle be put back on her head. This is our foolishness. When God comes to give us some benediction, we simply ask Him to load us down again with all these material bundles.
*Do Not Make God Your Order Supplier. You Must Suffer for Your Own Mistakes.
How can you make God your order supplier? You create something by your own fault and you ask God to come and save you. What is your answer? You have created something and you must suffer for that. You have created some disease and you must suffer. Why you violated the law of nature and created you disease.
*Don’t Ask God for Bread; Ask How to Love Him.
In the Christian world also, they believe God gives bread to everyone, and they go to the church, “O God, give us our daily bread.” But Higher philosophy is that we should not ask God for our bread. That is already there. We should approach God, how to love Him. That is our business. Otherwise God is supplying food to the elephant who can eat forty kilograms at a time and the ants eat only one grain of sugar. So God is supplying all of them.
Daily bread is given to everyone. Even birds and bees. Your bread is also there. But people do not know that “My bread is already there. Why I shall bother God for daily bread? Let me learn how to love God. God is giving us so many things without asking. God is giving us light water everything He is giving you without which you cannot live. And He will not give us our bead?
*Krsna Already Knows What We Want. (We don’t have to pray for those things)
OWK
No one has to pray to God to ask for anything, and he who does so is foolish because he does not know that the all-knowing God is within his heart and is well aware when he is in distress or in need of money. The wise man realizes this and does not pray for relief from material miseries. Rather, he prays to glorify God and inform others how great He is. He doesn’t pray for his personal interest, for bread, dress or shelter. The pure devotee, when he is distressed, says, “Dear Lord, this is Your kindness. You have put me into distress just to rectify me. I should be put in much greater distress, but out of Your mercy You have minimized this.” This is the vision of a pure devotee who is not disturbed.
If We Pray for Material Things, We are in Maya
Krsna said to Rukmini: “Anyone who prays to Me for sense gratification and happiness in family life is simply deluded by My illusory energy, Mäyä. Such a person will take a low birth.”
Different Attitudes in Prayer Produce Different Results
TQK 12
When the purpose is served, there is no more relation with the Lord. A suffering man, if he is pious at all, prays to the Lord for his recovery. But as soon as the recovery is over, in most cases the suffering man no longer cares to keep any connection with the Lord. The mercy of the Lord is open for him, but he is reluctant to receive it. That is the difference between a pure devotee and a mixed devotee. Those who are completely against the service of the Lord are considered to be in abject darkness, those who ask for the Lord’s favor only at the time of necessity are partial recipients of the mercy of the Lord, and those who are cent-percent engaged in the service of the Lord are full recipients of the mercy of the Lord. Such partiality in receiving the Lord’s mercy is relative to the recipient, and it is not due to the partiality of the all-merciful Lord.
A Devotee Regrets Having to Pray for a Benediction
8.3.20
“One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kåñëa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.” Unalloyed devotees have nothing to ask from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Gajendra, the King of the elephants, was circumstantially asking for an immediate benediction because he had no other way to be rescued. Sometimes, when there is no alternative, a pure devotee, being fully dependent on the mercy of the Supreme Lord, prays for some benediction. But in such a prayer there is also regret.
A Devotee Circumstantially May Ask the Lord for Something, But There is Regret in Such Prayer.
Unalloyed devotees have nothing to ask from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Gajendra, the king of the elephants, was circumstantially asking for an immediate benediction because he had no other way to be rescued. Sometimes, when there is no alternative, a pure devotee, being fully dependent on the mercy of the Supreme Lord, prays for some benediction. But in such a prayer there is also regret. [SB 8.3.21, purport]
First Fully Satisfy the Lord Before Asking a Favor
Generally a pure devotee or disciple doesn’t ask a favor of the Lord or guru, but even there is a need to ask a favor one cannot do so without satisfying him fully (Svayambhuva and his daughter and Kardama?)
God Will Die if I Don’t Feed Him.
Instead of asking God, give me my daily bread, you can think God will die if I don’t give Him his daily bread.
Krsna Will Not Give Us Anything That is Bad for Us
Canto 6 Chapter 9 Verse 49
Those who think material assets to be everything or to be the ultimate goal of life are called misers [kåpaëas]. They do not know the ultimate necessity of the soul. Moreover, if one awards that which is desired by such fools, he must also be considered foolish.
PURPORT
There are two classes of men—namely the kåpaëa and the brähmaëa. A brähmaëa is one who knows Brahman, the Absolute Truth, and who thus knows his real interest. A kåpaëa, however, is one who has a material, bodily concept of life. Not knowing how to utilize his human or demigod life, a kåpaëa is attracted by things created by the material modes of nature. The kåpaëas, who always desire material benefits, are foolish, whereas brähmaëas, who always desire spiritual benefits, are intelligent. If a kåpaëa, not knowing his self-interest, foolishly asks for something material, one who awards it to him is also foolish. Kåñëa, however, is not a foolish person; He is supremely intelligent. If someone comes to Kåñëa asking for material benefits, Kåñëa does not award him the material things he desires. Instead, the Lord gives him intelligence so that he will forget his material desires and become attached to the Lord’s lotus feet. In such cases, although the kåpaëa offers prayers to Lord Kåñëa for material things, the Lord takes away whatever material possessions the kåpaëa has and gives him the sense to become a devotee. As stated by the Lord in the Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya 22.39):
ämi-vijïa, ei mürkhe ‘viñaya’ kene diba?
sva-caraëämåta diyä ‘viñaya’ bhuläiba
“Since I am very intelligent, why should I give this fool material prosperity? Instead I shall induce him to take the nectar of the shelter of My lotus feet and make him forget illusory material enjoyment.”
If one sincerely prays to God for material possessions in exchange for devotional service, the Lord, who is not foolish like such an unintelligent devotee, shows him special favor by taking away whatever material possessions he has and gradually giving him the intelligence to be satisfied only by rendering service to His lotus feet. Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura comments in this regard that if a foolish child requests his mother to give him poison, the mother, being intelligent, will certainly not give him poison, even though he requests it. A materialist does not know that to accept material possessions means to accept poison, or the repetition of birth and death. An intelligent person, a brähmaëa, aspires for liberation from material bondage. That is the real self-interest of a human being.
Krsna Won’t Give Opulence if it Will Cause Forgetfulness of Him
Krsna Book 81
The statement of the brähmaëa Sudämä is correct. An ordinary man who is very poor and prays to the Lord for benediction in material opulence, and who somehow or other becomes richer in material opulence, immediately forgets his obligation to the Lord. Therefore, the Lord does not offer opulences to His devotee unless the devotee is thoroughly tested. Rather, if a neophyte devotee serves the Lord very sincerely and at the same time wants material opulence, the Lord keeps him from obtaining it.
Rather Than Ask the Lord for Anything, The Devotees Depends on Krsna’s Decision to Fulfill or not Fulfill His Desires.
In all circumstances we must take shelter of the SPOG and depend completely on His decision. Man proposes, God disposes. The fulfillment of desires should be entrusted to the SPOG…” If we depend on the choice of the SPOG, we will receive benedictions in greater opulence than we desire.” The example is Kardama who wanted a wife and got a queen.
A Devotee Does Not Pray for Sense Gratification
(7.10 Summary)
Lord Nåsiàhadeva wanted to bestow benedictions upon Prahläda Mahäräja, one after another, but Prahläda Mahäräja, thinking them impediments on the path of spiritual progress, did not accept any of them. Instead, he fully surrendered at the Lord’s lotus feet. He said: “If anyone engaged in the devotional service of the Lord prays for personal sense gratification, he cannot be called a pure devotee or even a devotee. He may be called only a merchant engaged in the business of give and take. Similarly, a master who wants to please his servant after taking service from him is also not a real master.” Prahläda Mahäräja, therefore, did not ask anything from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rather, he said that if the Lord wanted to give him a benediction, he wanted the Lord to assure him that he would never be induced to take any benedictions for the sake of material desires. Exchanges of devotional service for lusty desires are always very prominent. As soon as lusty desires awaken, one’s senses, mind, life, soul, religious principles, patience, intelligence, shyness, beauty, strength, memory and truthfulness are all vanquished. One can render unalloyed devotional service only when there are no material desires in one’s mind.
Real Wealth is the Lord’s Lotus Feet
Adi 13.24
If Lord Kåñëa is very pleased with a devotee, He takes away his material property, as He states in Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.88.8): yasyäham anugåhëämi hariñye tad-dhanaà çanaiù. “To show special favor to a devotee, I take away all his material property.” Similarly, Narottama däsa Öhäkura says:
dhana mora nityänanda, rädhä-kåñëa-çrécaraëa
sei mora präëadhana
“My real riches are Nityänanda Prabhu and the lotus feet of Çré Rädhä and Krsna.” He further prays, “O Lord, kindly give me this opulence. I do not want anything but Your lotus feet as my property.” Srila Narottama däsa Thäkura has sung in many places that his real property is the lotus feet of Rädhä and Krsna. Unfortunately, we are interested in unreal property and are neglecting our real property (adhane yatana kari’ dhana teyäginu).
Once We Surrender, Krsna Protects Us
Ramayana
“‘It is My vow that if one only once seriously surrenders unto Me, saying “My dear Lord, from this day I am Yours,” and prays to Me for courage, I shall immediately award courage to that person, and he will always remain safe from that time on.’
Krsna Wants to Protect Devotees
NOD 11
In the Narsimha Purana, Lord Narsimha says, “Anyone who prays unto Me and takes shelter from Me becomes My ward, and I protect him always from all sorts of calamities.”
A Devotee Never Bothers the Lord by Asking for Protection
A devotee of the Lord never prays to the Lord to appear for the sake of the troubles the miscreants cause for him. And he never bothers Him by asking for protection. Rather the Lord is anxious to give protection to the devotees.
A Devotee Doesn’t Pray for Protection. He Knows Krsna Is Already Protecting Him.
RTW
It is true that when one prays sincerely at the Lord’s lotus feet, the Lord generally fulfills one’s wishes. But those who have completely surrendered to the Lord, throwing themselves at the His lotus feet, do not pray to the Him for anything material. Yet the Lord automatically provides for all their needs. As Lord Kåñëa assures us in the Gétä (9.22):
ananyäç cintayanto mäà
ye janäù paryupäsate
teñäà nityäbhiyuktänäà
yoga-kñemaà vahämy aham
But those who worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.
The single-minded devotees are surrendered souls. They can perceive how the Lord’s potencies are working. They feel no anxiety if sometimes the Lord’s mercy does not manifest, even after long pleading and prayers, for they have unflinching conviction that the Lord will protect them under all circumstances. The mood of the present age is not spiritually conducive, and hence it is difficult to develop a high degree of faith in the Lord. Still, it is certain that faith in the Lord never goes in vain. In the beginning we may be somewhat hesitant to accept this fact, but in time we come to understand that the Supreme Lord is always protecting us.
A Pure Devotee Doesn’t Pray for Liberation
“A pure devotee doesn’t pray for liberation. He thinks he is fit to go be sent to the lowest region of hell.”
A devotee always prays that for my misdeeds I may be born again and again, but I pray I don’t forget your service. A devotee has that much mental strength. Yogis and philosophers want liberation.
Feel Gratitude
We should always feel obliged to the Lord for He is always anxious to bring us to eternal life. Since we can’t repay Him, we can simply feel gratitude and pray with folded hands.
Pray for Spiritual Protection
Brahma prayed for spiritual protection so he wouldn’t become materially affected by his works of creation. He thought he would become proud or deviated from sastra.
Pray for Pure Devotional Service
Ädi 6.42
Mukunda-mälä-stotra, prays:
nähaà vande tava caraëayor dvandvam advandva-hetoù
kumbhé-päkaà gurum api hare närakaà näpanetum
ramyä-rämä-mådu-tanu-latä-nandane näbhirantuà
bhäve bhäve hådaya-bhavane bhävayeyaà bhavantam
“My Lord, I do not worship You to be liberated from this material entanglement, nor do I wish to save myself from the hellish condition of material existence, nor do I ever pray for a beautiful wife to enjoy in a nice garden. I wish only that I may always be in full ecstasy with the pleasure of serving Your Lordship.” (MM 4) In Çrémad-Bhägavatam also there are many instances in the Third and Fourth cantos in which devotees pray to the Lord simply to be engaged in His service, and nothing else (SB 3.4.15, 3.25.34, 3.25.36, 4.8.22, 4.9.10 and 4.20.24).
Pray Only for To Be Engaged in Devotional Service and Spread the Lord’s Glories
SB 9.9.45
One who is absorbed in kåñëa-bhävanämåta has no material benefits to ask from Kåñëa. Instead, such a person prays to the Lord for the benediction of being able to spread His glories all over the world. Mama janmani janmanéçvare bhavatäd bhaktir ahaituké tvayi [Cc. Antya 20.29, Çikñäñöaka 4]. A Kåñëa conscious person does not even want to stop his cycle of birth and death. He simply prays, “I may take birth as You like, but my only prayer is that I may be engaged in Your service.”
Pray To Have Association With Pure Devotees
7.9.24
My dear Lord, now I have complete experience concerning the worldly opulence, mystic power, longevity and other material pleasures enjoyed by all living entities, from Lord Brahmä down to the ant. As powerful time, You destroy them all. Therefore, because of my experience, I do not wish to possess them. My dear Lord, I request You to place me in touch with Your pure devotee and let me serve him as a sincere servant.
PURPORT
By studying Çrémad-Bhägavatam, every intelligent man can get experience like that of Prahläda Mahäräja through the historical incidents mentioned in this great literature of spiritual knowledge. By following in the footsteps of Prahläda Mahäräja, one should gain thorough experience that all material opulence is perishable at every moment. Even this body, for which we try to acquire so many sensual pleasures, may perish at any time. The soul, however, is eternal. Na hanyate hanyamäne çarére: [Bg. 2.20] the soul is never vanquished, even when the body is destroyed. An intelligent man, therefore, should care for the happiness of the spirit soul, not of the body. Even if one receives a body with a long duration of life, like those of Lord Brahmä and the other great demigods, it will also be destroyed, and therefore an intelligent man should be concerned with the imperishable spirit soul.
Pray To See Krsna
Therefore Dakña prays, “One may think of You as personal, impersonal or imaginary, but I wish to pray to Your Lordship that You fulfill my desires to see You as You actually are.”
Pray to Never Forget Krsna
Jaya and vijaya prayed that they wouldn’t forget the Lord. They were afraid they might take birth in lower species and thus forget Krsna. The kumaras thought they would go to hell because they cursed the devotees and they prayed they wouldn’t forget Krsna.
Pray That the Lord is Pleased With Us
SB 7.10.50
The Absolute Truth is sought by different persons in different ways, yet He remains inconceivable. Nonetheless, devotees like the Päëòavas, the gopés, the cowherd boys, Mother Yaçodä, Nanda Mahäräja and all the inhabitants of Våndävana do not need to practice conventional processes of meditation to attain the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for He remains with them through thick and thin. Therefore a saint like Närada, understanding the difference between transcendentalists and pure devotees, always prays that the Lord will be pleased with him.
Pray to Sever the Knot of Material Attachment
SB 8.24.47
For material happiness, the conditioned soul involves himself in fruitive activities, which actually put him into material distress. Because the conditioned soul does not know this, he is said to be in avidyä, or ignorance. Because of a false hope for happiness, the conditioned soul becomes involved in various plans for material activity. Here Mahäräja Satyavrata prays that the Lord sever this hard knot of false happiness and thus become his supreme spiritual master.
TQK 24:
The whole Vedic way of life is meant for detachment, and therefore Kunté prays, “Kindly help detach me from this family attraction.” This is Kuntédevé’s instruction.
Pray for Service
Caitanya Maharapbhu teaches that we should only beg God for His service.
Pray to Always Think of Krsna
POY
Just as a fort is safe when it is defended by a great general, if Krsna is placed in the fort of the mind, there will be no possibility of the enemy’s entering. Material education, wealth and power will not help one to control the mind. A great devotee prays, ‘ ‘When will I be able to think of You constantly? My mind is always dragging me about, but as soon as I am able to fix my mind on the lotus feet of Krsna, it becomes clear.”
(Thus he is not afraid of death)
SC Ch.17
A devotee is never afraid of death. He simply prays to Krsna, “I may die and take birth again repeatedly, as You like. But I only ask that, in whatever condition I may live, by Your mercy I will never forget You
Mukunda Mala Stotra
O Lord Mukunda! I bow down my head to Your Lordship and respectfully ask You to fulfill this one desire of mine: that in each of my future births I will, by Your Lordship’s mercy, always remember and never forget Your lotus feet.
O Lord Hari, it is not to be saved from the dualities of material existence or the grim tribulations of the Kumbhépäka hell that I pray to Your lotus feet. Nor is my purpose to enjoy the soft-skinned beautiful women who reside in the gardens of heaven. I pray to Your lotus feet only so that I may remember You alone in the core of my heart, birth after birth.
O Lord, killer of the demon Naraka! Let me reside either in the realm of the demigods, in the world of human beings, or in hell, as You please. I pray only that at the point of death I may remember Your two lotus feet, whose beauty defies that of the lotus growing in the Çarat season.
Prays to Be Rectified From Within
Isopanisad
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, as powerful as fire, O omnipotent one, now I offer You all obeisances, falling on the ground at Your feet. O my Lord, please lead me on the right path to reach You, and since You know all that I have done in the past, please free me from the reactions to my past sins so that there will be no hindrance to my progress.
In this mantra of Çré Éçopaniñad, the devotee prays to the Lord to rectify him from within his heart. To err is human. A conditioned soul is very often apt to commit mistakes, and the only remedial measure to take against such unintentional sins is to give oneself up to the lotus feet of the Lord so that He may guide one to avoid such pitfalls. The Lord takes charge of fully surrendered souls; thus all problems are solved simply by surrendering oneself unto the Lord and acting in terms of His directions. Such directions are given to the sincere devotee in two ways: one is by way of the saints, scriptures and spiritual master, and the other is by way of the Lord Himself, who resides within the heart of everyone. Thus the devotee, fully enlightened with Vedic knowledge, is protected in
all respects.
Pray for Pure Devotional Service
(Mukunda Mala Stotram)
O my Lord! I have no attachment for religiosity, or for accumulating wealth, or for enjoying sense gratification. Let these come as they inevitably must, in accordance with my past deeds. But I do pray for this most cherished boon: birth after birth, let me render unflinching devotional service unto Your two lotus feet.
Devotee Prays For Others
Lecture BG 4.16
So they do not know that I (Jesus) cannot be killed, but they are thinking that they are killing.” You see? But that was offensive, therefore he begged Lord to be excused because God cannot excuse to the offenders of the devotee. He can excuse one who is offender to God, but if somebody is offender to the devotee, God never excuses. Therefore he prayed for them. That is devotee’s qualification. He prays for everyone, even of his enemy. And he could not be killed. That he knew. But those rascals, they thought they were killing Jesus Christ.
Prahlada Maharaja doesn’t want to go BTG alone. Even in the material field, if a person is not interested in other’s welfare, he should be considered condemned by the SPOG.
7.9.42
Another significant point in this verse is that by devotional service Prahläda Mahäräja does not want to benefit alone. Rather, he prays to the Lord that all of us fallen souls in this material world may, by the grace of the Lord, engage in the service of His servant and thus be delivered. The grace of the Lord is not at all difficult for the Lord to bestow, and thus Prahläda Mahäräja wants to save the whole world by spreading Krsna consciousness.
Pray For Other’s Good Sense
We can pray that others have good sense. The sons of Brahma prayed for their father to understand what the right thing to do when he was overcome by lust. They prayed for the mercy of the Lord because it is only by the grace of the Lord that one can be protected.
Because they go to the temple or church asking God something, because they are accepting that “There is God who can satisfy our needs,” therefore they are sukrtina.
Pray for Other’s Liberation
Prahlada only prayed for his father’s liberation. He didn’t pray for anything personal He never cursed those who tried to kill him.
Ways in Which We Pray
Tell Krsna the story of your life and how you suffered without Him
This is also a form of appreciation by showing Krsna how miserable your life was without his mercy. Express your appreciation of Krsna’s mercy in your life.
Tell Krsna your troubles and anxieties
I am experiencing such and such anxiety, I am going through these difficulties. Express it with a hope to make it through.
Tell Krsna about your bad qualities
Be vulnerable. Of course he already knows how you think and all your faults, but it helps you to tell him.
Confess your sins
Do this for self purification, not to achieve freedom from sin.
Offer thanks and express appreciation for what you presently have in your life
The more you focus on what you don’t have, the more you will focus on what you want God to give you. The more you see the cup half empty, the more you will feel in need.
Imagine you’re at a play and after the play the man next to you goes to the actors and asks them to prepare a him a meal. Wouldn’t you think this is an absurd request? Yet this is no more crazy than continually asking God for what hasn’t been given to you in spite of the evidence of how much He has already given.
Tell Krsna material things that you don’t want
I don’t want women, wealth or followers
Pray for strength to deal with difficult situations as opposed to praying to change the situations.
Use the principle of opposites by looking forward to tackling a situation you would rather see automatically changed or which you would rather just avoid.
Be open to Krsna’s will.
Express your willingness to allow Him to do what is best for you.
Dear Lord,
Whatever we need to be better servants for Srila Prabhupada’s mission, let it happen or come to us. Whatever we need to have taken away to become pure in Srila Prabhupada’s service, let it be taken away.” B.T. Swami
Pray to overcome specific obstacles or weaknesses that are impediments to your bhakti
Prabhupada always prayed to Krsna that he would never fall down. This is a nuance of the above method of praying.
Pray for spiritual protection
Brahma prayed for spiritual protection so he wouldn’t become materially affected by his works of creation. He thought he would become proud or deviated from sastra.
Pray to your mind
Reason with your mind. My dear mind, don’t think like this because it will bring this and that bad result. Think like this. . This helps to strengthen one’s intelligence.
Express your specific spiritual aspirations, hankerings, goals.
Express what you would ideally like to achieve or be in bhakti, even if you don’t think you can achieve it. “When oh when will that day be mine…”
Pray to have a desire that you don’t presently have
Pray for the desire to desire
Pray to the holy name
Pray for mercy to be able to experience the full taste and benefit available from chanting.
Pray to be empowered to execute one’s service.
Pray for the strength, ability, and intelligence to do your service. Be specific. Pray to be empowered to execute a particular service with specific goals. If you are not clear about what service is best for you, pray for guidance and intelligence to understand how to best serve (and then confirm that with guru, sadhu, and sastra.)
Tell Krsna your intentions, what you plan to do and what you plan to avoid.
This will make you accountable to follow through on those plans..
Pray that other’s will be blessed
Bless others in the same way you would wish to be blessed. You can bless everyone you see.
Pray that others will become Krsna conscious
Pray for specific individuals.
Be willing to accept the reactions to your sins
Prabhupada said: “Don’t make God your order supplier. You create something (problems) by your own fault and you ask God to come and save you. What is your answer? You have created something and you must suffer for that. You have created some disease and you must suffer. Why you violated the law of nature and created you disease.”
Express your direct experience of Krsna
Express your personal realizations of Krsna.
Pray to Krsna to reveal Himself to you.
Jagannatha Swami nayana patha gami. Prabhupada said that unless Krsna reveals Himself to you, how will you go on in bhakti.
Pray that you never ask for material benedictions
Prahlada Maharaja offered this prayer to Lord Nrsmhadeva
Offer Krsna that you will take birth anywhere as long as you have His service
“Even a worm’s life I will take in the home of your devotee.”
Pray to sever your material attachments
Kunti prayed to remove her attachment to her family. This is a nuance on the above prayer.
Glorify or praise Krsna
Many prayers of petition begin with praise.
Glorify Krsna’s devotees
If you love me, love my dog.
Pray for the liberation of a relative
Prahlada Maharaja prayed that his father would achieve liberaton
Pray for shelter at the Lord’s lotus feet
“Just place me as a particle of dust at your lotus feet.” A devotee always wants to remain at Krsna’s feet.
Pray to go back to Krsna
This serves as an impetus to go back to Godhead. When you advance further, you will naturally pray as follows.
Pray to take birth again and again for the Lord’s service
A pure devotee feels that the desire to go back to Krsna is sense gratification.
Pray to Krsna to forgive others that offended us, other devotees, or Krsna.
“Father, forgive them. They know not what they are doing.”
Pray for material protection
We can pray this way if the motive is to use our body in Krsna’s service. Prabhupada sai, go to the doctor and pray to Krsna which means that we make the effort to get well and we depend on Krsna (we depend on Krsna for everything.
Tell Krsna that you offer Him your life (prayers of surrender)
Mind, body, family, I give to you my Lord.
Express sastric conclusions
You are the source of all the worlds, the source of Brahman, the God of gods, etc.
Prayers to render one’s eternal service
If you don’t yet know what your eternal service is, you can pray that your eternal relationship and service be revealed.
Prayers for the mercy of the previous acaryas
Pray to your guru to pray to the other acaryas
Pray for pure devotional service
A devotee’s only prayer is, “Krsna, how can I love you.”
Pray for material benefits
You often pray for these things to avoid suffering and to increase your material enjoyment. It is usually out of fear that God will not take care of you that you pray for such things.
Pray for devotee association
If we don’t cherish the association, Krsna might take it away from us
Pray for Forgiveness
Arjuna prayed to be forgiven for treating Krsna as his friend.
Pray to always remember Krsna
Jaya and Vijaya feared forgetting Krsna more than anything else.
Pray to the Lord to rectify you from within your heart
The Lord takes charge of the fully surrendered souls.
Pray For Other’s Good Sense
We can pray that others have good sense. The sons of Brahma prayed for their father to understand what the right thing to do when he was overcome by lust. They prayed for the mercy of the Lord because it is only by the grace of the Lord that one can be protected.
Prayer Notes from Vadanam by Satsvarupa Maharaja
Supersoul is the Order Supplier
God is great, and He cannot be simply an order supplier of the individual selves; therefore the Superself cannot be a full representation of the Supreme Self, Puruñottama, the Absolute Personality of Godhead.
You’re Full of Chit
So if we stick to our determination and pray for the mercy of the director of intelligence sitting within the same bodily tree, like a bird sitting with another bird (as explained in the Upaniñads), certainly the purport of the revealed information in the Vedas becomes clear to our vision, and there is no difficulty in realizing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Väsudeva.
Offering Prayers is an Integral Part of Bhakti
NOD recommends 17. Reciting prayers. 46. Offering notable prayers.
It is one of the nine processes of bhakti. Since prayer in a sense is fundamental to other aspects of bhakti, especially chanting, anything done to improve ourselves in this aspect of bhakti will automatically improve ourselves in all other areas of bhakti. Unfortunately, it is often not given the attention it deserves. Strictly speaking, we can’t progress steadily in bhakti unless we improve in our prayer life.
Prayer is natural. A look through the Bhagavatam shows how frequently prayers occur. It’s natural when coming in front of Krsna to pray to Him.
Exercise
How can improving your practice of prayer help you in other areas of bhakti?
Offering Prayers Makes One Eligible to go to Vaikuntha
In the Narsimha Purana it is stated, “Any person who comes before the Deity of Lord Krsna and begins to chant different prayers is immediately relieved from all the reactions of sinful activities and becomes eligible, without any doubt, to enter into the Vaikuëöhaloka.”
Offering Prayers Makes One Worshipsable
In Skanda Purana the glories of these prayers are stated as follows: “Devotees whose tongues are decorated always with prayers to Lord Krsna are always given respect even by the great saintly persons and sages, and such devotees are actually worshipable by the demigods.”
The Quality of Attention and Devotion When Praying
Prayer is like chanting. If it is done without feeling, there is less (or little) benefit. It is said that Gajendra concentrated his mind in his heart while offering prayers. The point is that prayer, whether one’s own or from scripture or the acaryas, should not be done mechanically. We should enter the spirit of the prayer. Praying properly therefore is a state of experience rather than a theoretical practice. If we are not feeling what we are praying for, the prayer is not from the heart. And why would Krsna reciprocate with prayers if we don’t even take seriously what we are praying for.
Prayers are often heartfelt emotions expressed by the devotee upon seeing Krsna or regretting a mistake they made. Prabhupada writes: “…. without the development of fine affection and love, one cannot offer prayers to the Lord very suitably.” He also said that poetry is born out of love for the object of one’s poetry.
Exercise
What are examples of prayers you offer without feeling?
Why?
What can you do about it?
Prayers are the Causless Mercy of Krsna
We offer prayers by the causeless mercy of the Lord. “Oh Brahma, the prayers that you have chanted praising my glories…………….. are considered to be My causeless mercy.
Prayer as a Conversation with God
The Catholics define prayer as: “… a conversation with God in which we manifest to Him the desires of our hearts.”
The Essential Prayer
Prabhupada said the essential prayer for a devotee is: “Please let me love you.”