MEDITATION - 3 - Sarve Bhavanthu Sukhinah - May All be prosperous and Happy

MEDITATION - 3

Spoken word has enormous power on the speaker and on the listener both.

You can express your thoughts and you can express your feelings – with words, with the tone, with your facial expressions and with your body language

Most successful people are enormously adept and skillful in all these aspects of spoken communication.

If we are not successful with other people, one of the prime reasons is not using spoken word, the way it should be used.

There is one powerful being whom we must influence with our words, spoken and unspoken. This powerful being is our Creator. 

You may call him by any name you like, in any language you like. You may praise him in any way you like. You may seek anything you like from him.

When we do any of this with the creator, we call it prayer.

Prayer is a powerful means to influence the creator, if you know the art and science of Prayer. Each culture has its own method. All methods of prayer are good.

Hindus have developed prayers of different varieties, each suitable to a particular level of intellectual and cultural attainment.

16 methods of serving the almighty have been developed. These are called Shodsopachaara. Put together, this prayer is called a Pooja. You can address your creator, with any name, and, even with a thousand names. It is called Sahasra namarchana. All these are methods of prayers.

You can bring any fruits, vegetables, cooked items and any other eatable items, place it before the almighty creator and say that all this belongs to you and is intended for you. This is called Naivedyam or arpana or samarpana.

Then, you take it back from him as if it is given to you by the almighty creator and – divide it among all of you. This is called Prasaadam and this intention or feeling is called Prasaada Bhavana.

No one must eat in the home before the eatable item becomes Naivedyam first and Prasaadam next.

Then again, a part of the prasaadam is offered first to birds by placing it on the roof of the house and a part is placed at some place outside the home for Cows, ants etc. 

Then again, the rule is, if any hungry person comes and asks for food, we must not say NO at all. Food is one item, where NO is never to be uttered. If the home has no food, it must be cooked afresh and served. But, never a NO towards hungry stomachs. There is no caste, religion, sex or any other restriction in this prescription.

This is what the ancient Upanishads prescribe. We had such great culture. The food giver is usually the household woman, not man, and she is called Annapurna, the goddess who is always having food to distribute. Today, there is need to revive these great aspects of our culture again.

All this is considered part of Prayer. Beyond Prayer comes Meditation. Prayer is what you seek from God. Meditation is a process in which you speak to God and you also listen to God. Sometimes you only listen, silently to the Creator.

Here is one Prayer cum Meditation, which you must try to practice daily at least three times with closed eyes :

“OM…Sarve Bhavanthu Sukhinah

Sarve Santhu Niraymayaah

 Sarve Bhadraani Pasyanthu

Maa kaschith Duhkhabhaag bhaveth

OM, santih, santih,santih”

1.Om, May All be prosperous and Happy,

2: May All be Free from Illness.

3: May All understand what is truly uplifting and securing,

4: May no one Suffer or be sorrowful.

5: Om, May there be Peace, Peace, Peace.

Kindly close your eyes, address your creator and say this in Sanskrit first and then in English or in any other language. Put your heart and soul into your prayer. Feel that the creator is receiving your prayer and blessing you.

Say it three times. Feel the sensation fully with closed eyes. These are not just words but Mantras with full force. They will reach the creator.

Slowly open your eyes after you are satisfied with your prayer and its result.

This is your Meditation-3.

Sarve Janah Sukhino Bhavanthu

Sd/-

(v.vijayamohan)