Since long, all of us have been taught that the easiest way to get one’s wishes fulfilled is to pray to God. And, we have been diligently following the same, seeking divine intervention at every apparent difficulty.
But, seldom do we tend to seek the capacity to overcome the trouble. For example, a poor person may pray to God seeking wealth and money. Instead of this, if he were to ask God to lead him out of difficulty, he might get the capacity to get a job or start a business of his own which would help sustain him for a longer duration.
Prayer is to reflect upon the qualities of God, He who is having infinite qualities and virtues in Him and He, who provides even Himself, when one prays with proper knowledge and above all a pure sense of devotion or bhakti.
But, like Duryodhana who was more interested in the Yadava army and missed upon the opportunity of having Krishna on his side in the Mahabharata war, most of us are interested in getting materialistic benefits like wealth, instead of seeking bhakti of God. Krishna did grant the wishes of both Arjuna and Duryodhana, but He guided Arjuna by being His charioteer. Often, everyone forgets that if God is on their side, all materialistic pleasures will fall at their feet by themselves.
Sri Jagnnath Dasaru, sums this up in Sri Harikathamaruthsara perfectly:
parama satpurushartharupanu
hariyu lokake endu paramadaradi
sadupasaneya gaivarigittapanu tanna
maredu dharmarthagala kamisu
varige nagutati shighradimdali
surapatanaya suyodhanarigittamte kodutippa (02-07)
“Paramatma is all pervasive and giver of the four purusharthas, namely dharma, artha, kama and moksha. If one were to realize this and pray with devotion, He would give Himself to His devotees. Instead, if one seeks materialistic comforts like Duryodhana, though even that will be smilingly granted, it will be short-lived”
The sooner we learn not to ask God to fulfill our materialistic wishes and learn to pray that God may always be on our side, the better it is for all of us.
Software Engineer by profession and a learner of Madhwa Siddhanta by passion.
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Nice article
Very nice.