Prayer is the very soul and essence of all religions. It should therefore be the core of our life, for no man can live or exist without prayer to his Creator. A true devotee can live without food for days or without water for some time but not even a moment without prayer.

Prayer essentially begins with a feeling or belief that God is a separate entity from ourselves. Prayer ultimately ends in unity, where we lose all ideas of separation.

God has millions of names, perhaps as many names as creatures. Yet God is nameless and without gender. According to our samskaras, training, background beliefs, traditions, and environment, we may call Him or Her as Krishna, Buddha, Mahavira, Jesus Christ, Rahim, or simply call Him God or Goddess.  Knowingly or unknowingly we all worship one spirit, one God, one Creator that loves us all equally without any differentiation. Just as all foods do not agree with all so all names may not appeal to all. We choose the name and form most pleasing to us according to our liking. This is known in Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) as "Ishthadeva" or "Ishthadevi."

We may however remember that such a God is all powerful and all knowing, existing everywhere and in everything inert and alive, including us. This Atman knows our inner feelings, wants, and desires at all times and responds to our prayers according to our faith and purity of heart rather than intellectual jargons.

Worship or prayer should not be performed merely through the lips, but through the heart, which is believed to be the seat of God or Atman. The heart is also a symbol for true love, which resides equally in all creatures. That is why the prayer of the heart can be performed equally by the dumb, the ignorant, and the stupid. It requires no formal education, tradition, or belief, for love is a reality to all of us under all circumstances.

Prayer should never be performed in crowds. A real prayer is done rather in the solitude and silence of our heart. We need no words since only love can respond to love. It is most important to cleanse our hearts through the practices of Yama and Niyamas, the specific and universal morality taught by all religions in one form or the other. Patanjali has appropriately summarized the recommendations of the Hindu sages. The first step is observing the necessary discipline called Yama and Niyamas without which our prayers or meditations would be useless like a lake or river without water.

Gitaji recommends true faith as a necessary element in our purification process, without which love turns into lust, greed, and anger, which are the triple doors into hell (Ch. 16:21). What is faith? It is nothing but a living wide awake consciousness of existence of God within us. Once we achieve such a faith we need nothing more. Bodily diseases or other obstacles do not disturb our constant loving relationship with our Creator. No one is more rich than such a devotee like Mirabai who has the Kingdom of God in the palm of her hand.

-Swami Radhanandaji