Prayer (Sanskrit: प्रार्थना, romanized: prārthanā) is considered to be an integral part of the Hindu religion; it is practiced during Hindu worship (puja) and is an expression of devotion (Bhakti). The chanting of mantras is the most popular form of worship in Hinduism. The Vedas are liturgical texts (mantras and hymns). Stuti is an umbrella term for religious literary creations, but it literally means "praise."
The Hindu devotional Bhakti traditions place a focus on repetitive prayer, known as japa. Prayer is centred on the personal forms of gods and goddesses, such as Vishnu's avatars, most notably Rama and Krishna, Shiva, or Shiva's sons such as Kartikeya and Ganesha, as well as Mahadevi, the supreme goddess, and her forms, such as Lakshmi or Kali.
The human aspire to the highest truth, the underlying monism of Hinduism, pertaining ultimately to the one Brahman, began before the ritual process, before the invocation of diverse deities for the fulfilment of varied needs. The Gayatri Mantra was part of all Vedic ceremonies and is still invoked in Hindu temples all over India and other countries around the world today, exemplifying its essence.
Described in the Bhagavad Gita, bhakti yoga is the path of love and devotion. On bhakti yoga:
".... those who, renouncing all actions in Me, and regarding Me as the Supreme, worship Me... of those whose thoughts have entered into Me, I am soon the deliverer from the ocean of death and transmigration, Arjuna. Keep your mind on Me alone, your intellect on Me. Thus you shall dwell in Me hereafter."
It is essentially the process of enlightenment found through worship of the Devas (or Devi, the feminine form of Deva), in whatever form one envisions. Prayer is achieved through puja (worship) done either at the family shrine or a local temple. We can see from Krishna's injunction that prayer is fundamental to Hinduism, that to dwell constantly on the Divine is key to enlightenment. Prayer repetition (through mantras) using malas (Hindu prayer beads) are a strong part of Hinduism.
The Gayatri mantra is Hinduism's most representative prayer. Many Hindus recite it on a daily basis, not only contemplating its straightforward meaning, but also dwelling on and imbibing its sound, regarded to be pregnant with spiritual meaning. For this reason nearly all Hindu prayers and mantras are sung. The Gayatri mantra was first recorded in the Rigveda[a] which was composed in Sanskrit about 2500 to 3500 years ago, and by some reports, the mantra may have been chanted for many generations before that.[2]
Agrawal, Avadhesh (May 2012). Throw Away Your Thoughts and Change Your Life: A Spiritual Journey. ISBN9781456743949.
Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand (1999) [c. 17 January 1930]. "Speech at Prayer Meeting, Sabarmati Ashram". . Vol. 48. New Delhi: Publications Division Government of India. p. 242. Archived from the original on 2008-05-09.
Beck, Guy L. (2006). Sacred Sound: Experiencing Music in World Religions. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. p. 118. ISBN978-0-88920-421-8.
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Prayer in Hinduism news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Prayer Sanskrit प र र थन romanized prarthana is considered to be an integral part of the Hindu religion it is practiced during Hindu worship puja and is an expression of devotion Bhakti The chanting of mantras is the most popular form of worship in Hinduism The Vedas are liturgical texts mantras and hymns Stuti is an umbrella term for religious literary creations but it literally means praise The Hindu devotional Bhakti traditions place a focus on repetitive prayer known as japa Prayer is centred on the personal forms of gods and goddesses such as Vishnu s avatars most notably Rama and Krishna Shiva or Shiva s sons such as Kartikeya and Ganesha as well as Mahadevi the supreme goddess and her forms such as Lakshmi or Kali The human aspire to the highest truth the underlying monism of Hinduism pertaining ultimately to the one Brahman began before the ritual process before the invocation of diverse deities for the fulfilment of varied needs The Gayatri Mantra was part of all Vedic ceremonies and is still invoked in Hindu temples all over India and other countries around the world today exemplifying its essence Contents 1 Bhakti yoga 2 Mantras 2 1 Gayatri mantra 3 Perspectives 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 BibliographyBhakti yoga editMain article Bhakti yoga This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Prayer in Hinduism news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Described in the Bhagavad Gita bhakti yoga is the path of love and devotion On bhakti yoga those who renouncing all actions in Me and regarding Me as the Supreme worship Me of those whose thoughts have entered into Me I am soon the deliverer from the ocean of death and transmigration Arjuna Keep your mind on Me alone your intellect on Me Thus you shall dwell in Me hereafter Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 Verses 6 8 It is essentially the process of enlightenment found through worship of the Devas or Devi the feminine form of Deva in whatever form one envisions Prayer is achieved through puja worship done either at the family shrine or a local temple We can see from Krishna s injunction that prayer is fundamental to Hinduism that to dwell constantly on the Divine is key to enlightenment Prayer repetition through mantras using malas Hindu prayer beads are a strong part of Hinduism The devotionalist Bhakti movement originates in South India in the Early Middle Ages and by the Late Middle Ages spread throughout the subcontinent giving rise to Sant Mat and Gaudiya Vaishnavism 1 Mantras editMain article Mantra Hinduism Gayatri mantra edit Main article Gayatri mantra The Gayatri mantra is Hinduism s most representative prayer Many Hindus recite it on a daily basis not only contemplating its straightforward meaning but also dwelling on and imbibing its sound regarded to be pregnant with spiritual meaning For this reason nearly all Hindu prayers and mantras are sung The Gayatri mantra was first recorded in the Rigveda a which was composed in Sanskrit about 2500 to 3500 years ago and by some reports the mantra may have been chanted for many generations before that 2 Om Earth Sky Heaven We meditate on thebrilliant light of the Sun May it illuminate our minds Rigveda 3 62 10 3 Ōṃ bhur bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayat ॐ भ र भ वस व तत सव त र वर ण यम भर ग द वस य ध मह ध य य न प रच दय त Perspectives editMahatma Gandhi stated that Prayer is the very soul and essence of religion and therefore prayer must be the very core of the life of man 4 See also editJangamNotes edit Rigveda 3 62 10References edit Bhakti Movement Origin Causes and its Effects BYJUS Retrieved 2023 05 03 Agrawal 2012 Beck 2006 Gandhi 1930 Bibliography editAgrawal Avadhesh May 2012 Throw Away Your Thoughts and Change Your Life A Spiritual Journey ISBN 9781456743949 Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand 1999 c 17 January 1930 Speech at Prayer Meeting Sabarmati Ashram The collected works of Mahatma Gandhi electronic book Vol 48 New Delhi Publications Division Government of India p 242 Archived from the original on 2008 05 09 Beck Guy L 2006 Sacred Sound Experiencing Music in World Religions Wilfrid Laurier University Press p 118 ISBN 978 0 88920 421 8 Swami Omkarananda How to Pray Shakun Narain Kimatrai Healing Prayers amp Mantras Sanskrit amp Hindi Jayaram V Hinduism and Prayers Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Prayer in Hinduism amp oldid 1185848093, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
