Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam (Study)
by Sadhu Gyanananddas | 2021 | 123,778 words
This page relates ‘Prayer’ of the study on the Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam in Light of Swaminarayan Vachanamrut (Vacanamrita). His 18th-century teachings belong to Vedanta philosophy and were compiled as the Vacanamrita, revolving around the five ontological entities of Jiva, Ishvara, Maya, Aksharabrahman, and Parabrahman. Roughly 200 years later, Bhadreshdas composed a commentary (Bhasya) correlating the principles of Vachanamrut.
12.10. Prayer
Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to Parabrahman or the requesting of good things from Parabrahman. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart. Svāminārāyaṇa also speaks about the importance of prayer:
Devotees should pray:
“Protect us from māyā in the form of I-ness and my-ness, and may the love burgeoning within us for you. May we also have the company of the Santa who has transcended māyā and has affection for you; and may we acquire affection and a sense of my-ness towards him as well.”
Bhadreśadāsa also provokes the importance of prayer in his comments on the Īśa-upaniṣad He states elusively that the true and best way of attaining the ultimate goal, Brahman and Parabrahman, is through prayer. Prayer is the humble voice of surrender.[1] While offering prayer, one can think of the glory and greatness of Parabrahman. Everything else which is the production of māyā is perishable. One should ponder upon His power of all doer and at the same time, one should think that He is the Parabrahman, whom I have attained and I want to please only Him in this life.[2]
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
Satsangadiksha 147-151