Roundtable
Prayer
The Roundtable Open Forum # 48, Oct 20 - 26
EDITOR
The following is this week's (October 20 - 26) topic for discussion.
PRAYER
"Sikhism," writes Dr. Ganda Singh, the eminent scholar and historian, in Sikhs and Sikhism, "is the religion of prayer and of prayer minded people. Prayer is the very breath of a Sikh's life. The Sikhs believe in its efficacy. They pray to God on all occasions - of happiness and sorrow, of births and deaths, of marriages or of proceeding on journeys. In fact, they do nothing important without invoking the Lord for His protection and guidance."
POINTS TO PONDER
Do you pray?
What does 'prayer' mean to you?
How do you pray?
To whom?
When?
Why?
Where?
Alone? With others?
Please tell us about your experiences.
October 20, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Khalsa Lakhvir Singh (Nairobi, Kenya), October 20, 2010, 10:44 AM.
Prayer is a personal conversation with the soul. When I pray, I pray to my soul, in words and ways inspired by my Gurus through gurbani and rehat maryada. I have come to believe that no matter what we pray for, we are destined to receive it, but we first must be at peace with the self that whatever it is that we seek, it is already within our grasp. Prayer merely blesses our efforts. Prayer in solitude prepares us in our personal journey back to our source - into the shabad, while praying as part of a congregation unites us and multiplies the positive soul-energy. I no longer see the need to come to the gurdwara merely to pray, because prayer can be done anywhere as the body indeed is the temple of the Lord in which we worship the Divine who is not hidden but needs to be experienced. When the gurdwara is filled with like-minded souls and inspiring, humble gursikhs, I find going to the gurdwara an irresistible place to be - like a thirsty bird longing for the well. Our gurus had toiled long and hard for over two centuries to show us the unflawed path to devotion and exhibited to us through their own exemplary lives what prayer is and how we can reunite with our source. If I follow my own whims and fickle wisdom, I am bound to fail in my prayers, but I consider gurbani and gurmat as a complete prayer that will last me a lifetime to keep me connected to Waheguru.
2: H.S. Vachoa (U.S.A.), October 20, 2010, 11:27 AM.
We need to re-evaluate the term, "God/ Lord". This terminology, borrowed from other religions, is inconsistent with the principle of "Hukam" and "Truth".
3: Khalsa Lakhvir Singh (Nairobi, Kenya), October 20, 2010, 1:29 PM.
H.S. Vachoa ji ... I disagree that the terms God / Lord are derived from other religions. They are just two of the innumerable ways to refer to the source of creation the Sikhs refer to as Waheguru. You have rightly pointed out that hukam and truth are the essence of Sikhi, but these are only compressible through giving a name to the creative force that governs them. Even gurbani clears the fact that - 'koi bole ram ram koi khudaaye' ... what matters is that we reach out to Him (Her), not how we call Him ... and, in all humility, I think your post was a little out of context in reference to the point in discussion.
4: Chintan Singh (San Jose, California, U.S.A.), October 20, 2010, 4:21 PM.
1) Do I pray? Not as much as I should. 2) What does prayer mean to you? Prayer means to me being in gratitude of the one who has given all of us countless gifts - the sun, water, light, earth, food, human body and lots of other things. Prayer also means that I remember that One (Waheguru, God or whatever name we want to call him) by serving everyone around me, and not bickering and complaining. There are a few days when I am in this lovely state and positive state of mind, but more often there are days when I complain, feel bitter and lack focus. Those days I consider as days when I have not prayed or my prayer was not accepted in Waheguru's court. I also consider prayer as connecting with Waheguru/ God by attentively reading or listening to gurbani, and appreciating everything around me. 3) How do you pray? By reading or listening to gurbani. Lately, I have started learning kirtan and doing a little bit of simran. Again, the days I feel connected and in gratitude, are days when my mind does not wander while engaging in this prayer but alas, those days are few! More later ...
5: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), October 21, 2010, 4:48 AM.
Maharajah Ranjit Singh had wrested the Rohtas Fort from Shah Zaman. Among the captured prisoners was a particularly defiant Chieftain who was most abusive to each and every one, including Maharajah Ranjit Singh. This was a daily occurrence. But, one day he accidentally found a tattered book in the dungeon and started to read it. The very first lines: "Sad bakshind sadaa meharvaanaa sabhnaa day-ay adhaaree [GGS:713.18] - 'You are ever forgiving and ever merciful; You give support to all'. This was the spark that ignited the feeling that such a Merciful Lord would surely cure him too. This was the straw that could save him. The next lines brought about an instant transformation: "Jaa ka-o muskal at banai dho-ee koy-ay na day-ay lagoo ho-ay dushmanaa saak bhe bhaj khalay/Sabho bhajai aasraa chukhai sabh asraa-o chit aavai os parbharam lagai na tatee vaa-o" [GGS:70.7] - ' When your friends turn into enemies, and even your relatives have deserted you, if you then come to remember Waheguru even the hot wind shall not touch you'. This was it. His hands got folded in ardaas for the first time in his life. Soon, he experienced a peace like never before. Everyone noticed the profound change in him. He was no longer the devil they feared. A few days later, Maharajah Ranjit Singh happened to arrive at the fort. Unfortunately, that very night he became unwell and nothing would help him in his agony. He too folded his hands in ardaas and soon fell asleep peacefully. The next morning, in thanksgiving, he decided he would release a prisoner and asked Vazir Dhyan Singh for his recommendation. Dhyan Singh mentioned that the most deserving prisoner was that well known defiant Chieftain who had changed into a most God-fearing human being overnight. He was immediately summoned and the Maharajah asked him what made him to change. He related the whole story of how Waheguru in His mercy had woken him from a slumber. Maharajah was very pleased and even offered to restore his rank, but he respectfully refused, quoting: "Mat daykh bhoolaa veesrai tayraa chit na aavai naa-o" [GGS:14.3] - 'Seeing this, I might go astray and forget You, and Your Name would not enter into my mind.'
6: Brijinder Singh (New York, U.S.A.), October 21, 2010, 6:07 PM.
I do not pray. We cannot speak with God and he cannot hear us. Some pray for happiness, money, peace. However, God will do what he wants, no matter what we would like. Prayer is an attempt by us to have some power over situations that are out of our control. We say "If I pray to Babaji, he will help me". This brings us comfort but is simply not true. There is a difference between praying to God and reciting Japji, Rehraas, etc. The latter is said everyday to have the teachings of the Gurus ingrained into our minds so that they become part of our thinking. We all know that 'Sikh' means student. The integral part of Sikhi and the duty of every Sikh is to read and learn from our teacher, Guru Granth Sahib.
7: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), October 21, 2010, 7:27 PM.
Ardaas is not a mere transaction. A baby's cry is heard by the mother and in an instant she is there. "Jeea kee birthaa ho-ay so gur peh ardaas kar/ Chhod syaanap sagal man tan arap dhar/ Poojoh gur kay pair doormat jaa-ay jar" [GGS:519.19] - 'When your soul is feeling sad, offer your prayers to the Guru/ Renounce all your cleverness and dedicate your mind and body to Him/ Worship the Feet of the Guru and your evil mindedness shall be burnt away."
8: Mohan Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada.), October 22, 2010, 7:56 AM.
My prayer starts with quiet meditation and surrender to the Almighty Waheguru, I expose my weaknesses to seek His Grace, His Love, His kindness and His Blessings. I pray not to change God, but urge Him to bring changes in me. Meditation deepens my insight, expands my consciousness and works for me as a healing force. No need to ask for material things -"Bin bolyaa(n) sub kichh jandaa". Also, I do parkash and read gurbani even before sukhaasan. Melodious kirtan opens the window. letting in light, and gurbani helps me to create positive energy in myself and in my home. I rarely go to the gurdwara, but every weekend I go to the Guru Granth Sahib Academy and join the Sadh Sangat to listen and understand gurbani discourse by Prof. Darshan Singh ji. There's always a pin drop silence.
9: Kartar Singh Bhalla (New Delhi, India), October 24, 2010, 12:54 AM.
I pray every day by reading from Guru Granth Sahib one or two stanzas and trying to understand their essence. I believe that mere 'naam japna' is not enough. One should also do 'kirat' and share. Service of Man is also prayer of God. Chintan Singh ji has echoed my thinking when he says that prayer means being in gratitude to the one who has given all of us countless gifts. I do not go to gurdwara every day but when I go , kirtan gives me peace. To me, prayer is surrender to God and not to ask for any favour.