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Our daily prayer

“asato ma sadgamaya
tamaso ma jyotirgamaya
mrtyorma amrtam gamaya

Lead me from the asat to the sat.
Lead me from darkness to light.
Lead me from death to immortality.”

(Brhadaranyaka Upanishad – I.iii.28)

This is true prayer–the seeker’s admission of his sense of limitedness and his heartfelt cry for assistance in transcendence. It is not a prayer for the things of the world. It is not a pray for food, shelter, health, partnership, riches, success, fame, glory or even for heaven1. One who recites these three mantras has realized that such things are full of holes, soaked in pain and, even in abundance, will forever leave him wanting. It is in this full understanding that one turns to this prayer. The essence of each of these three mantras is the same: “O, Guru, help me free myself from my sundry misunderstandings regarding myself, the universe and God and bless me with true knowledge.”

Let this be our daily prayer.

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1 Response

  1. Service_to_all says:

    This was our daily school prayer. I remember the immense pleasure and peace of mind it gave, when the entire school was reciting this and the reverbating sound of these words was definitely heartening.

    Regards,
    SERVICE TO ALL

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