This section attempts to answer some of your basic spiritual and religious queries
- Why Do I Pray ?
- Who is The God I Pray?
- How Am I Related to My God?
- How Do I Pray?
- How often should I pray?
- What does the greeting of pranam or pranamji really mean?
- What is the meaning of the term sundersath?
- What is the brief history and philosophy of Shri Nijanand Sampradaya?
- What virtues and values do the Holy Wani expects from a sundersath?
Why Do I Pray ?
We seek refuge in prayer for different reasons. As a Sundersath (Nijanandi), I may pray:
- For the spiritual well being of myself and my friends and family.
- For the peace of mind, or mainly, to ask something from Shri Rajji.
- For those whom we do not know when we hear them to be in pain or poverty.
- For our enemies in a hope that Shri Rajji gives them good wisdom.
- Not to beg for things since I know that the more I give to Shri Rajji, the more I find being rewarded
- To thank Shri Raj Shyamaji for all the things that happens to me every moment.
- So I may stay closer to the lotus feet of Shri Raj Shyamaji.
- So I may remember to put Him first in all my actions.
- For my own spiritual awakening (Jago), and also, for the spiritual awakening (Jagao) of others.
- So I may recollect the memories of Shri Rajji’s glorious eternity, so as to feel being with Rajji in Paramdham and experience the joy of His pastimes of bliss.
Who is The God I Pray? How Am I Related to My God?
We call our God by loving name such as Shri Raj, Shri Rajji or Shri RajShyamaji. Unlike Shri Krishna or Shri Rama, Shri Rajji is not the name of any person born on this earth. The word ‘Raj’ means the one who is self-self-luminent, the one Ultimate Reality, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. As soon as we begin to attach any name to Him, we indirectlt begin to negate Him. Therefore, the Holy Kuljam Swaroop addresses Shri Rajji with more than fifty different names reflecting His divine virtues.
The noori (the purest divine) God we pray is One Supreme Truth God: who is called Par-Brahmn, Aksharateet, Prannath, or Allah; whom Lord Shiva, the god of annihilation, seeks; about whom Lord Shiva could not reveal even a word to Uma; about whom Lord Vishnu (the sustainer) could not speak to Laxmiji; and whom the creator Lord Brahma, the most knowledgeable in this Universe, could not recognize and hence was disqualified for His Prasad (left- overs from the food offered to Him).
Sundersathjis must also understand the very special nature of their relationship with Shri Rajji. This is how an awakened sundersath would describe his/er relationship:
Dear Rajji! If you are the ocean, I am your wave. If you are the sun, I am your ray. I am the manifestation of your eternal bliss—Shri Shyamaji. You may be the God or Prabhu for the entire world. But for me, you are my Dhani–my Spiritual Husband. I recognize our Divine Family Relationship. You may be the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” for the world. But, to me, you are simply my ‘Sweet Heart.’ I am your nearest and dearest soul—a blissful part of you! O Rajji! Please allow me to reinforce this most powerful relationship. In a worldly sense, my relationship with you is one of a Wife —NOT motherly, fatherly, friendly, or servantly. Such is the foundation of my faith. O Lord! In thinking this way, I feel more at Home—closer to you.
How Do I Pray?
What good is a prayer without a proper foundation? The strength of our prayer foundation depends on how well we understand what we say. In Kirantan Wani, Shri Rajji says:
Samjya bina sukh paar ko nahin, jo udam karo kai lakh |
Toh laun prem na upje pura, jo laun andar na devey sakh ||
Shri Rajji also says this:
Jo laun atman na dijey saakh, toh laun bhaley prabodhiye ber das lakh |
jaao laaoM Aatama naa dIjao saaKa, taao laaOM Balao pa`baaoiQayaoo baor dsa laaKa |
In other words:
Complete Love for the Lord can emerge only by understanding the Divine Wisdom. Unless one’s inner voice agrees, millions of efforts to preach someone are of no use.
Sundersathjis may say this prayer for understanding:
“Dear Rajji! Please allow me to understand the essentials of the most complete way of praying. Teach me the Way of praying so I do not fall back on dogma. Allow me to understand what I am praying about. Let it truly touch my heart. I am truly grateful to you due to your gracefulness. Your grace has enabled me to understand your Divine Wisdom mhich is otherwise beyond the reach of an ordinary human being”.
“O Lord! How can I praise the beauty of your divine pastimes with these false words? Everything happens according to your Divine Plan and your Divine Grace. Ultimately, as you have promised, your true divine form (swaroop), pastimes (leela), and abode (Dham) shall be known to the entire world. Please allow me to understand and serve your purpose in this world.”
Again, just understanding is not enough. In order for our prayers to be effective, we must do it mentally (mansa), verbally (vacha), and through actions (karmana). We can feel our prayer’s effectiveness if we meditate upon its words. In our daily Seva Pooja (Sandhya Sumran Aarti), we sing these words again and again – probabally without giving a serious thought to them. Let’s meditate upon them and feel the meaning of what we say or sing in our Seva Pooja prayers. For example, we sing:
Mansa vacha karmana, shri jugal charan ki aash ||
manasaa vaacaa kma^Naa, EaI jaugala carNa kI Aasa ||
In other words:
Oh Rajji! Let my prayer assume a form that you have chosen for me. Let my prayer be Kuljamically complete. Allow me to pray mentally (mansa), verbally (vacha), and through my actions (karmana). Also, we sing:
Tan dipak mana jyoti karun, prem ghrut lau laay |
tana dIpak mana jyaaoita kr}M, p`aoma GaRta laaO laaya |
Here, what we are really saying to Shri Rajji is this:
Dear Shri Rajji! Let my prayer not be just ritualistic but be involved both physically and spiritually. Traditionally, prayers involve a lamp, a wick, and ghee (oil) as a fuel. However, lighting such a lamp is symbolic. Essentially, in a true sundersath’s prayer, the entire body becomes a lamp. Love for the Lord becomes the wick and the fuel, and the mind takes the form of a burning flame. When this happens, the soul prays unceasingly. Humbleness and unwavering devotion emerges automatically from such a prayerful heart.
How often should I pray?
A sundersathji’s true prayer is an everlasting prayer. Every breath of our life should be filled with prayer. Even as we live our daily life and do different activities, prayers should still continue in the background of our mind. This is the state of being of a Brahmn Shrishri soul and is a sign of one’s Jagni.
In our last prayer (Ananad Mangal), before we go to bed, we express our deepest our Shri Rajji so we may continually pray even as we sleep. We sing:
Tan sovey rooh nishdin jagey, Dham dhani ke charno rahiye |
tana saaovao r}h inaSaidna jaagao, Qaama QanaIkoo carNaaoM rihyao |
In other words: Oh Rajji! Let me pray unceasingly. In all the three states of sleep, dream, and waking, Let the incense of prayer continue to burn in my heart. Let me be at your lotus feet. Even when my body rests at night, let my soul be with you. Let it be immersed in your memories. Let me be prayerful with my conscious as well as unconscious mind, even in dreams. Let my prayer approach such perfection. O Rajji! My own efforts are not powerful enough. I am sure that our eternal relationship (nisbat) will bring my desire to reality.
Also, in Sandhya Sumran Aarti, we sing:
Shwas shwas nijnam japo, vritha shwas mat khoy |
Na jano in shwas ko, aavan hoi na hoi ||
Evaasa Evaasa inajanaama japaao, vaRqaa Evaasa mata Kaaoya |
naa jaanaao [na Evaasa kao, Aavana haoya na haoya ||
O Rajji! Please transform all my life activities into a spiritual practice. I do not know how many more breaths I have to live. There is no assurance.
Please make every moment of my life prayerful. Please bring me in your unceasing prayer. Let me experience the joy of eternal bliss. When you have come to dwell in my heart, how can I stop praying? With your divine presence, it has become an automatic process. I know that your prayer can do miracles. Singing your glory nourishes my soul, and those who listen to it. Please generate in me, an unflinching faith for you.