Livin' on a prayer

Praying is an established practice in all religions. It is an effective form of communication with God. Usually, prayers are made for the fulfilment of aspirations. However, the best prayer is surrendering to God's will. Once, there was a king who was pleased with services of his attendant. The king said, 'Ask whatever you want.' The attendant remembered what his wife told him: they didn't have rice at home, so he asked for two bags of rice. The king wanted to give him a bungalow, but he obliged since the attendant asked for two bags of rice. Therefore, the best prayer one can make is for the grace of God. When the heart is full of love and the mind is pure, the grace starts flowing.

When there is more devotion and detachment, grace flows even without praying. Giri, a simple and unassuming disciple of Adi Sankara, is a case in point. Giri was not as knowledgeable as the master's other disciples such as Padmapad, Sureshwar and Hasthamalaka.

Once, Adi Shankara was waiting for Giri to join his discourse. Giri, devoted to his master, preferred to remain on the sidelines and was washing clothes nearby. Other disciples said that Giri would not understand anything and Shankara could ignore him and begin his discourse. Sankara was disturbed by this comment and, exercising his power, showered his grace on Giri, who transformed into an enlightened sage and composed a remarkable work called 'Totakashtakam', a treatise on Vedanta. The benign grace of the guru is showered on one who qualifies to receive it by his devotion, dispassion and humility.