VEDIC PRAYERS

Vedic Prayers have become more relevant this New Year having seen the plight of corona Virus (Covid-19) during the year gone by. We shall see the significance of Vedic prayers in general and also a gist of selected Vedic prayers.

We often confront different trying situations in our life. All different trying situations are obstacles to our peace of mind. They rob our mental peace. All difficult situations are obstacles to our peace and progress. These difficult situations are called Tapaga and Pratibandhaga. These Tapas and Pratibandas are classified into three types based on the cause of the situation.

When the cause is our own body, mind, complex because of depression or any other health issues, which are within us, they are called Adyathmika (within Atma, body mind complex). Then I become an obstacle to myself. When obstacles come from outside in the form of living being , may be human being, animals, plants, bacteria, coronavirus , they are called Bhutani; meaning prani or living beings. When they cause difficulties, it is called Adibouthika prathibandha. The third classification is the natural element like earthquake caused by earth, floods and rains caused by water, bush fire or cyclones, when elements disturb the human beings. They are called Adideiviga. According to scriptures, each elemental force is presided by a Devatha. Those obstacles are called Adideiviga prathibandha. With the help of science and technology we can solve most of the problem. Science and Technology are called Gnana sakthi and Kriya sakthi. In spite of this, we confront situations which are choiceless, since our Gnana sakthi and Kriya sakthi are limited.

Whenever we face such choiceless situations, our scriptures prescribe prayers to help us face the situation. It can reduce psychological impact caused by these choiceless situations. We can remain balanced and come out of depression. It can reduce the impact of pain. The second benefit of prayer is that it can activate our gnana sakthi and kriya sakthi so that we can solve our problems. We do have the resources and we only have to tap it. For stimulating Gnana Kriya sakthi, these prayers are useful.

Every day we confront difficulties at the individual level, group level, family level and corporate level. We also face helpless situations. We have to give up our intellectual arrogance and offer our prayers to God. These are prescribed in Scriptures. In Spiritual Journey also, we face obstacles. Often we face helplessness.

Given below are a selected few Vedic prayers which occur in the beginning of the Upanishads. These are chanted by Guru and Shisya before the study of Upanishads which occur in Vedas. This is to mitigate and alleviate the problems that we are confronted with (adyathmika, adibouthika, tapathrayam and pratibandathrayam). They can be chanted by anyone who wants peace and tranquility. We can see the essence or gist of each one of these prayers.

1^st Prayer

Om apyayantu mamangani vakpranascaksuh srotramatho balamindriyani

Ca sarvani | sarvam brahmaupanisadam | maham brahma nirakuryam |

Ma ma brahma nirakarot | anirakaranamastvanirakaranam me astu |

Tadatmani nirate ya upanisatsu dharmaste mayi santu | te mayi santu |

Om santih santhi santhi || (Sama Veda)

First prayer talks about sarira (body, mind, sense complex) resistance and builds balam (strength) and immunity. We have to employ our body, mind, sense complex to accomplish our goals (Viz. Artha, Kama, Dharma and Moksha) both material and spiritual. Let me have faith in God and chant these prayers. I can reduce my mental agitation and use gnana, kriya sakthi. Let me not negate the existence of Eswara (Brahman) without making an enquiry. Vedas promise us to gain Eswara gnanam. One must surrender to a Guru and seek the knowledge of Eswara with the help of scriptures. Let me be humble and drop my intellectual arrogance. Eswara is the changeless reality behind the changing world. Sarvam Brahma. World is changing with names and forms. Upanishads reveal that. Upanishads talk about divine virtues for worldly success and spiritual success. Deivi sampat values are mentioned in the 16^th chapter of Bhagavad Gita. Oh Lord let me have your blessing. This is Sama Veda Vedic prayer.

2^nd Prayer

Om bhadram karnebhih srnuyama devah | bhadram

Pasyemaksabhiryajatrah | sthirairangaistustuvag m sastanubhih | vyasema

Devahitam yadayuh | svasti na indro vrddhasravah | svasti nah pusa

Visvavedah | svasti nastarksyo aristanemih | svasti no brhaspatirdadhatu

|| om santhi santih santih || (Atharvana Veda)

This is Atharvana Veda Vedic prayer. This comes in Mandukya Upanishad. Whatever prompts peace and progress is Mangalam which means auspicious. Whatever obstructs peace is amangalam (inauspicious). Oh Lord let me hear good news. Let me see good things. Let me have auspicious experiences in my life which will contribute to peace and progress in my life. Starting a day with a prayer is auspicious (shoshtram kurvanthaga). We can start the day with Vishnu Saharanama parayanam. Let the journey to reach my goal be mangalam. Let all devatas (Indra, Sun, Garuda, Brhaspati) bless me and make me reach my goal and get moksha or liberation in this janma itself.

3^rd Prayer

Om vanme manasi pratisthita | mano me vaci pratisthitam | aviravirma

edhi | vedasya ma anisthah | srutam me ma prahasih | anenadhitena |

ahoratran sandadhami | rtam vadisyami | satyam vadisyami |

tanmamavatu | tadvaktaramavatu | avatu mam | avatu vaktaramavatu

vaktaram || om santih santih santih || (Rig Veda)

Third is Rig Veda prayer. In this prayer we appreciate the importance of two faculties (skills) which are very much prominent in human beings. Thinking faculty or skill and communicating faculty. These two skills have made human beings far superior to other life forms. Because of these two powers we have become the roof and crown of  creation. Success is heavily dependent on these two skills. Thinking and communicating skills are extremely important for an individual and for family success. Communication gap has broken several families. Therefore Oh Lord may I have both thinking and communicating skills. I want these to function properly and with coordination. All misunderstandings and problems are due to lack of communication. Successes in families and in corporates are due to these two skills. Let me have a healthy mind and refined speech and let them function in coordination. Vedas prescribe Guru Shisya samvada for which I require thinking skill and communication skill. For spiritual enquiry we require faith in God and also reasoning power. May the mind and speech cooperate with me and bring me Vedic wisdom through dialog with my Guru. I will reflect over the teaching with the help of the mind. Finally, I will propagate this truth to others also. I will share spiritual truth and empirical truth with others by keeping my mind and speech healthy. God is not a person sitting somewhere but is a consciousness principle. God is a principle which can be approved but cannot be proved. My faith in God will be converted into knowledge by understanding God, who will reveal himself to me.

4^th Prayer

Om saha navavatu saha nau bhunaktu saha viryan karavavahai |

Tejasvi navadhitamastu ma vidvisavahai | om santih santih santih ||

(Krishnayajur Veda)

This is Krishnayajur Veda Vedic prayer occurring in Katopanishad and Thaithreya Upanishad. This is between Guru and Shisya.  Oh lord protect me and my Guru in such a way that we can continue this journey. Let us both put sufficient effort in gaining knowledge. Guru is communicating and shisya in receiving the knowledge. Let our relationship be never strained. Otherwise the communication will be affected. There should be no communication gap. Both of us help in being together bonding properly and putting forth the effort. This is important before marriage between two persons. This prayer is for guru-shisya bonding. Let us never get estranged. Let us be together in our spiritual journey.

5^th Prayer

Om purnamadah purnamidam purnat purnamudacyate |

Purnasya purnamadaya purnamevavasisyate |

Om santih santih santih || (Suklayajur Veda)

This is Shuklayajur Veda prayer occurring in Ishavasya Upanishad. This talks about relationship between God and the world (Eswara jagat sambandha). God or Brahman is poornam (limitless). This universe in front of me is also limitless. You can never find the limit of Cosmos. God is limitless. World is limitless. If there are two, one will limit the other. This is resolved in the second part of the prayer. God is karanam and world is karyam. They are really not two. They are only seemingly two. Truly they are only one. A product cannot exist independent of its cause. Therefore a product is seemingly existent and borrowing its existence from the cause like the clay and the pot. They are not really two. They only appear to be two. Pot cannot exist when clay is separated. When you separate the cause intellectually then you will find that effect doesn’t exist. When you separate karanam there are no two things. Only karanam exists. Karyam is nothing but changing names and forms. Eswara is changeless and is existence- consciousness principle. Eswara alone exists. World seems to exist by borrowing existence from God. World is like earthenware, very useful but not independently existent. God is satyam. World is Mithyam. Brahma satyam, Jagat mithyam. Gold and ornament are seemingly two. God and World are seemingly two.

6^th Prayer

Om asato ma sadgamaya, tamaso ma jyotirgamaya,

Mrtyormamrtam gamaya | om santih santih santih || (Bri. Upa. 1.3.28)    

This prayer mantra occurs in Brigadharanya Upanishad. Hiranyagarba Upasana. This is contextual interpretation. We can connect it into a spiritual prayer also. From the changing perishable world, karya prabancha, with no existence, causing instability take me to satgamaya which is stable. Lead me from untruth to Truth. Furniture comes and goes, wood remains. World comes and goes, God (existence, consciousness, bliss) remains. Holding on to the stable God, I will live my life. When we are anchored in God life becomes an enjoyment. Otherwise life becomes unstable and stressful. We should move from World dependence to God dependence and finally to Self dependence.

Mrtyormamrtam gamaya

Holding the universe is like holding on to death. May you take me from mortality to immortality. Let me discover the immortal Self in Me so that I can never get fear of death.

na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śhāśhvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śharīre (Bhagavad Gita Ch.II. 20)

The soul is neither born, nor does it ever die; nor having once existed, does it ever cease to be. The soul is without birth, eternal, immortal, and ageless. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.

Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya

Immortal truth is not away somewhere. God the cause is in and through karya prabancha. Karanam is never away from karyam. We need not travel to reach God. God is in the form of Sat Chit Ananda swaroopa (existence, consciousness, bliss principle). We are ignorant of this fact. Our journey to God is from ignorance to knowledge. Oh Lord from the darkness of ignorance may you take me to wisdom of knowledge so that I can discover God who is never away from Me. I can enjoy the world only when I am anchored in God.

May God bless us so that we will get out of this problematic situation and that the year 2021 is a peaceful year. Let us continue our spiritual journey without any obstacles.

Be blissful.

S.SEKAR

Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com

Date: 03-01-2021