Exactly a month ago, I had one of
my God-given eye lenses scooped out, fortunately by a surgeon, while I was
still under sedation. The surgeon did a good job and filled the evacuated space
with a fine man-made lens. As expected, the eye could not tolerate the intrusion
of a foreigner and protested with pain. However, the least expected was the
strong protest by some other nerves in sympathy with the aggrieved eye. The net
result was that my body suffered acute pain and distress the like of which I
have never experienced before in my entire life.
Specialist consultations and
prescriptions followed to mitigate the pain. It seemed to me that the side
effects of these prescriptions were more powerful than the main desired effect.
They caused more pain, more discomfort and considerable embarrassment. They
hardly helped to make me comfortable.
The question that I asked myself
- How do I get over this pain and distress? The easiest way seemed to be just keep
praying. At best, the prayers could bring me some relief without any money or
side effects, and at worst, could be just a worthless waste. As a kid, I have
seen the pain caused by a scorpion sting miraculously softened by an elderly
person chanting mantras and caressing the affected part. I also remembered that
the famous Carnatic musician Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar regained his lost
voice by praying to Lord Guruvayurappan.
Instead of following the advice of the medical specialists, I took the
risk of moving away and chose my own path - the path of prayers.
I wondered what exactly is meant
by the word "prayer." Browsing the internet, I learnt the word “prayer”
comes from the Latin precarius, which means "obtained by begging, to
entreat." In praying, we believe that there is a power greater than
ourselves that can help us. It is the act of raising hopes and minds to a
higher unseen power.
How does one pray? There are
different ways - some silently as in meditation, some spoken like chanting
mantras, some in a group setting or lighting candles, but each with a specific
thought in the mind. For many, prayer is
a part of a larger religious practice. I chose to pray silently in my
mind chanting repeatedly some of the mantras that I am familiar with. I did it
hundreds of times earnestly pleading for relief.
And relief did come mysteriously! Divine grace led me to an unknown general physician whose diagnosis of the
cause of my pain was precise.
The experience that followed in
the next few days was fascinating. With new medication, the pain gradually
melted away. Continued prayers brought me the much-wanted solace. The rapid
healing that took place reinforce my faith in that unknown, unseen higher power
- you may call it by whatever name you like.
One need not search/visit a
temple to pray. The temple is within you. Ancient scriptures support the
concept of the Almighty within you, making it very easy to pray, anywhere,
anytime. Some excerpts from the scriptures:
एको वशी सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा
एकं रूपं बहुधा यः करोति l
तमात्मस्तं येनुपश्यन्ति धीरास्थेषां सुखं शाश्वतं नेतरेषाम् ll
- (कटोपनिषद 5/12)
- (कटोपनिषद 5/12)
The one Supreme ruler, the
universal soul within all beings, is the one who makes one form manifold.
Eternal happiness belongs to those wise men, who perceive Him within
themselves, and not to others. (Kathopanishad 5/12)
As Jesus made unambiguously
clear, "The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21).
