Ans: Prayer is an outpouring of one’s love, that flows incessantly from the heart towards whom they love. That love flows automatically in the form of words, music, etc . Prayer is a call with love.

Ans: We pray to God due to our love towards Him, the one who has helped us with many things right from our survival. It’s an automatic outpouring of our love that generates from the gratitude we feel for Him. Prayer should not be a call to God to fulfil our desires arising from our greed. 

Detailed Explanation: Whenever we understand that we receive help from someone, we feel like expressing our gratitude, our thanks to the person.  When we throw a piece of bread to a dog, it responds with love and care, even a tiger that receives a piece of flesh shows its gratitude by playing with the zoo-keeper. Just taking a little something from someone, makes us feel humble and makes us respond with love. We receive tremendous help and abundant energy from God. It’s only natural that our love outpours and the result is prayer. Some people mistake prayer to be a call to God to ask for things they desire. Prayer is not there for us to ask God for more things arising out of our desires. God knows and  gives one what they truly need and does not require us to ask. Prayer is nothing but the outpouring of our love for God. 

Ans: God does not expect anything from us. One can pray to God however they want. Love for Him makes us do some activity and hence prayer comes out in multiple ways. In the form of tears through eyes, or listening to songs or words about Him through our ears or singing through our mouth or dancing with our legs and hands and many more. 

Detailed Explanation: God does not expect anything from us.  We pray out of our love for Him. Praying to God is always associated with sitting quiet, taking flowers and saying things like o:m ke:sava:ya namaha, o:m ma:dhava:ya namaha, o:m govinda:ya namaha etc.  Yes, this is a way, but not necessarily the way.  Whatever one wants to do for God, like offering food, flowers, song, it is ok with God.  God understands our intent and the amount of love that we have. Whenever love forces one to do some activity with pri:ti (love), that becomes a prayer. And Bhagavad Ramanuja says when the overflowing love mixes with roopa (form), hands will feel like doing something – take flowers, wash the feet, make garlands etc, or the lips will sing or  legs will dance. Such activities are not because we have to do it, but we feel like doing it. Prayer is not something that you sit and wait for the mood to come. The love that you feel, commands you to do something. And the love comes when you understand the help received and understand the relationship with God.

Ans: Whether one knows the meaning of a sloka or not it doesn’t matter. Just like how the sound of a cuckoo brings us joy even if we don’t understand the meaning, chanting the sloka helps one to experience joy. If the meaning is known, then it is even more joyful. 

Detailed Explanation: Slokas are the outpourings of the people who felt incessant love for God . Slokas are not something that one creates because of their knowledge in Sanskrit, or for any kind of benefit. Slokas came out of pure love. Hence when one recites it with the same love and intention, it brings in the same effect to them as it did with its creator. Whether one knows the meaning or not, it doesn’t matter. When the cuckoo sings, it brings us joy even if we don’t understand the meaning. Similarly chanting of the sloka brings us joy whether we know the meaning or not. The joy is multiplied if one understands the meaning as well.  

Something for us to ponder – We spend energy and effort on many activities that don’t give us any kind of benefit. Do we stop doing them? When there are people with experience who got the benefit, why should we leave it? So do not stop reciting slokas.  Out of the many slokas present, learn whatever suits you, and enjoy.  You will definitely see the benefit.Â