Praying To Ganesh
Prayers of supplication are requests, pleadings, or entreaties presented to the Deity in the spirit of personal surrender and loving devotion. Something specific is being asked for, a specific problem is being laid at the Lord’s Holy Feet.
Such supplications to the one-tusked Lord are given unconditionally, with full trust that He will do what is best for us, though not necessarily what we might think is best. We do not demand of the Lord; for He, like a parent, provides not as we desire, but as we truly need. Prayers of supplication may come forth in the natural language of our hearts.
Leaving a problem at His holy feet means we let it be there and do not carry it home with us. Nor do we worry or wonder about how it will be handled, when it will be taken care of, or if it will be taken care of at all. In full unquenchable faith we leave the matter there, at the feet of the God, and walk away from the temple or the shrine, feeling that release has started and solution will be forthcoming. We must have this kind of faith for religion to work within us.
To carry home with us the same problems, fears, and worries would be to take back the offering we have given the Deity to dissolve. This is like the rich and famous who buy with gifts and do not give at all, slyly expecting more than something in exchange, gaining papa rather than punya and not knowing the difference. The course of events later show how He works for our ultimate spiritual welfare.
from Loving Ganesa
by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
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michelle said…
these are really sweet and good prayers. I can just imagine adorable small Hindu children learning that bedtime prayer. I printed these out….i think they could come in handy.
shirley said…
Om Shri Ganeshaya Namaha…
I love these little prayers. I think I might make some posters out of them that I can put here and there in my house.
Maybe I might make a ganesh painting or drawing and make something to put on Cafe Press, something with the prayers and/or the mantra on it..
I have a ganesh poster in my office. He has been benevolently overlooking all my endeavors for months now. I think I might almost be ready to make a drawing of him.
Anyway. Thanks for finding these prayers.
Om Shanti Om.
shirley said…
I did this really cool thing and I wanted to share it here. I put two of the prayers together (help in times of need, and family welfare), and I made a greeting card with the prayer on the inside and an image of Ganesh on the outside. I put the card, a little elephant statue, a piece of amethyst, and a candle all on a little altar that I have. I lit the candle and read the prayer and then I took a handful of rice and sprinkled it at the base of the candle. As I sprinkled the rice I said a little prayer to Ganesh – something to the effect that my problems were like grains of rice and I was leaving them at his Holy Feet – I don’t remember the exact words. And then I added a pinch of cinnamon. As soon as I sprinkled the rice, knowing that each grain of rice represented one of my problems, I felt a sense of release and peace. Then I left the candle to burn down. It was really cool and it felt good, so I thought I would share it.