Prayer is a vital tool to improve your life. Wherever you can put your effort, put it. Where you cannot, pray for it! Whatever you do, know that a Higher Power has the final say and you can tap that power through your prayers.

You don’t need any special qualifications or abilities to pray. Whether a fool or a wise person, whether rich or poor, anybody can pray. Prayer doesn’t mean just sitting and chanting some words. It’s about being in that serene, calm, and meditative state. That is why, in the Vedic tradition, dhyana (meditation) is done before prayer as well as afterward. When the mind is focused, the prayer becomes far more powerful.

Prayer is the cry of a soul. To whom you pray is not important. Whereas religion puts words to the prayer, and adds symbols and rituals to it, the prayer itself transcends them. It happens on the subtle level of feelings; and feelings transcend words and religion. The act of praying itself has the power to bring transformation.

When you pray there should be total involvement. If the mind is preoccupied elsewhere then that is no prayer at all. When there is pain, there is more involvement. That’s why people turn to prayer when they are in pain. Prayer happens when you feel grateful or when you feel utterly helpless. In either case, your prayers will be answered. When you feel helpless, prayer happens by itself. That’s why in Hindi we say ‘Nirbal toh Balram’. If you are weak, God is your strength. Prayer is that moment when you come in touch with your limitations and your boundaries.

In today’s fast-paced world, people often pray out of fear and greed. Usually, when you love something, you want to possess it and you pray for it. True prayer, however, is just the opposite of wanting to possess. It’s about honouring and offering everything to the Divine. Honouring brings devotion and leads to surrender. Devotion brings a healing touch to life.

Devotion and faith are at the core of a sincere prayer. A true prayer can’t happen without devotion and faith. Having faith is to realize that God’s protection is there for you. Devotion is inner flowering. Devotion starts from where you are. Unless you are lit in devotion to the Divine, your life will remain restless. In devotion, longing will arise in you. And when there is longing, true prayer happens by itself.

Be sincere in your prayers. Do not try to outsmart the Divine. The mind has the tendency to forget the Divine. What type of time do you give the Divine? Usually, you give the leftover time; when you have nothing else to do, no guests to attend to, no parties to attend to, you go to the Divine. This is not quality time. Give prime time to the Divine. You will be rewarded. If your prayers are not answered, it is because you have never given quality time.

Four types of people go to God. One, is those who seek the truth (knowledge and freedom). Two, the wise ones (gyanis). Three, the ones who seek material comforts (wealth). Four, the ones who are in misery. The wise one does not pray for something. His life itself is a prayer.

If at all you have to pray for something, pray for the happiness of all the people in the world. ‘Loka Samastha Sukhinou Bhavantu’ (May Everybody Be Happy).

— He is a Spiritual Guru