Plants, Pets and Prayers III

Part III- Prayers

Plants, Pets and Prayers…hmm. Am wondering if it should be Prayers, Plants and Pets. Prayers are indispensable to Nirvana. Like it or not, it’s a tool that our maker uses to get us on our knees. And in life we will get down on our knees at some point of time or the other indeed! It’s a literal way to come down to earth and actually be thankful for the bare necessities of life. However, the catch is that whenever we go down on our knees and pray, we are usually asking for something. From written notes shoved between pictures of deities asking to clear a math test to praying for a child. We are always asking for something and up above, divine notes must be being taken down as to who is eligible for what.

The rich promise gold and cash in return for an answered prayer. Some people I know have promised to go around a temple premises eleven times for a business deal that came through. Some pledge their hair or better still their offspring’s hair. That makes me wonder what the follicularly-challenged people who are without heirs and hairs could pledge?

For prayers which are request lists, read the fine print “Life does not give you what it cannot give.”

At the office, we know we are covered because a colleague is praying for us at all times. For surfing during work, for wasting time here and there, for saying things that should not be said…we are definitely covered and are adequately pushed into being penitent for our actions. I keep remembering Sean Connery in one of the Indiana Jones movies saying “Only the penitent may pass” and boy, do I duck and bow—yes I do for I do want to pass the gates of paradise, if not for anything but to have a quick peek at what lies beyond.

I have seen prayers are a solution for many things beyond our control simply for the fact that they strengthen your mental resolve and help you be a bit stoic in face of life’s unpredictabilities. I have also seen that prayers are about forgiveness—forgiving your own self first and then moving on to settling scores with other things in life.

Forgive me for my impatience, my temper, my intolerance.
Forgive me for wanting so much in life.
Forgive me for not knowing that I have the best—the sweet smile of a loved child in the morning and the assurance of support of family and friends
In return, I forgive the price rise, the late bonus and the electricity bill.
I forgive the pollution, the people who were mean to me and the traffic.
I forgive it all—if you, my Devi, promise to always be there with me to show me the way.