Integral part of the Hinduism
Prayer
(
Sanskrit
:
?????????
,
romanized
:
pr?rthan?
) 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.
Bhakti yoga
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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
mala
s
(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
.
[
citation needed
]
Mantras
[
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]
Gayatri mantra
[
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]
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.
?
Rigveda 3.62.10
|
?? bh?r bhuva? sva?
tat savitur vare?ya?
bhargo devasya dh?mahi
dhiyo yo na? pracoday?t.
|
? ??????????:
?????????????????? ?
????? ?????? ????? ?
???? ?? ?: ?????????? ?
|
Perspectives
[
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]
Mahatma 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."
[3]
See also
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]
Notes
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]
References
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]
Bibliography
[
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]
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Main topics
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Rituals
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Mantras
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Objects
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Materials
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Instruments
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Iconography
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Places
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Roles
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Sacred animals
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Sacred plants
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Fruits and other plants
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See also
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