Questioner: What is prayer (prarthana)?

Dadashri: Pra + arthana = prarthana. Pra means extra. It means to ask God for a greater meaning.

Questioner: Are the prayers of the world fruitful?

Dadashri: A prayer should be a true prayer, and a person who makes such a prayer is very rare indeed.

Questioner: Can there be one out of a hundred?

Dadashri: Yes, there can be, if the one who is praying is pure at heart; his prayer would be a true prayer. However, at the time of praying, if his chit (inner component of gnan – knowledge and darshan – vision) is absent, then his prayer cannot be considered a true prayer.

Questioner: Who should we pray for, and how should we pray?

Dadashri: Prayer means that one is searching for one’s own self. God resides within the person himself, and because he does not realise this, he goes to temples and derasars to worship (bhakti) Him. Such worship is indirect devotion (paroksh bhakti).

Prayer: Insistence On Truth!

Questioner: If one person strictly follows a path of steadfast truth, while another does prayers, which one of the two is right? Which one will find God first?

Dadashri: The one who prays.

Questioner: Is it not said that, ‘Truth is itself God’

Dadashri: This truth is not God. This truth can be altered. Isn’t the belief that, ‘I am Chandubhai,’ also false? This truth is temporary; it is not the real truth. Real truth is that which is permanent; which is indeed the only truth. It is itself in the form of sat chit anand – that verily is the only “truth” and that is in the form of eternal-awareness-bliss (sat-chit-anand; the awareness of the eternal is bliss).

What is the world’s truth like? You may say, ‘I lent this man some money, he is cunning, and he will not pay me back.’ And someone else might say to you: ‘Why do you keep whining? Why don’t you go home, eat something and relax or go to sleep? Why are you squabbling?’ And if you tell him: ‘I have to do that because I am right,’ then you are the one who is more at fault. What should truth be like? It should be ordinary (or average). It should be an honest truth, and it should not deceive or cheat anyone. It should not involve stealing. It only requires morality and nothing else. All those have stubbornly raised their tails and insisted on their own truth have only ended up in the sea! To insist on the truth is poisonous, and it is also poisonous to insist on the non-truth.

Questioner: When you give distinctions about truth, can you also do the same about prayer? Is there such a thing as deceitful prayer?

Dadashri: Prayer should be completely true, it must not be careless. When a parrot says, “Aayarama-gayarama, Rama-Rama” (the Lord’s name), does it say it with understanding or without understanding? In the same way, prayer should be done thoughtfully and with understanding; it should be heartfelt.