Firstly, If God exists everywhere, why should we sit in front of the deity to pray and worship Him?
- When we sit in front of the deity, the name and the form of the deity does not obstruct us from connecting with Him. However, with any other object or person, the form and the qualities will obstruct us from connecting with their inner power, God! So, it’s easier to connect with God when seen as deity.
- It is clearly said in Vedam that God exists in five forms: ‘Para (His eternal abode with Sri, Bhu, Neela and the parivar, the family), Vyuha (the execution chair from where He works), Vibhava (on the field forms such as Rama and Krushna that He takes up for his devotees), Archa (an immovable yet absolutely powerful deity accessible to all), Antaryami (in your heart – mostly perceived by yogis)’. ‘Archa’ is what we call as deity.
Now, how long do we sit to pray and worship the deity of God? It depends on your capacity to ‘feel fully charged’ with Him and from Him. What does it mean to be charged in this context?
If you can express all these (and any others you wish) in 2 mins, your prayer time can be 2 minutes. If you need and want it to be longer, your prayer time is longer. How long you pray depends on your capacity to establish connection with the deity and carry it throughout your day no matter what activity you are doing (like how you charge your phone from a source of power to use it for the rest of the day). Plug-in yourself with the deity and you will be charged with positive energy!
That connection with God should inspire you to do your duties well, and be sensitive to the happenings around you. That connection should make you feel responsible for guarding His creation and serving His creation. That connection should enable you to become his powerful and a loving tool working under his guidance. That connection should bring you closer and closer to Him in every way!
– From the discourse of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji at Somasila, Nellore district!
