Prabhupāda Trains His Disciples in the Pure Art of Praying
People generally approach the Supreme Lord only when they are in distress or in need of material facilities. To elevate his followers to the highest standard of spiritual life, Śrīla Prabhupāda actively trains his disciples in the pure art of prayer. He teaches that a true Vaiṣṇava never views Kṛṣṇa as an order-supplier, but rather utilizes prayer exclusively to beg for spiritual strength, protection from illusion, and the eternal opportunity to render loving service.
The True Meaning of Prayer
In the material world, religion is often mixed with the desire for personal gain. Śrīla Prabhupāda strictly instructs his disciples to abandon this impurity, explaining that a pure devotee relies completely on Kṛṣṇa for maintenance and uses prayer solely to ask for devotional engagement.
- For the Lord's service we can ask for His grace and mercy a hundred times, but for our sense gratification we cannot pray or ask anything - that is pure devotion.
- Pure devotion means to pray to the Lord, begging some service: "My Lord, kindly engage me in Your service." That is the perfection of life, when one is engaged in the service of the Lord in love.
- Don't make any plan. Accept Krsna's plan. That will be simply giving trouble to Krsna. Therefore, a devotee does not pray even for his maintenance. That is pure devotee. He doesn't give trouble to Krsna even for his bare maintenance.
- It is our only prayer that we are always asking the Lord for further opportunities of service. We do not care to ask for anything else, so this is our only prayer. Our life is service to Krishna and how we may serve Him more and more that is our only desire.
The Great Cry for Acceptance
The foundation of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the chanting of the holy names. Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals that this vibration is not a mundane song or a silent meditation, but a profound, desperate prayer from the soul begging the Lord and His internal energy for eternal shelter.
- Lord Caitanya taught that we should simply cry, and we shall simply pray for accepting us. That's all. So this vibration is simply a cry for addressing the Supreme Lord.
- We are addressing, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna: "O the energy of the Lord, O the Lord, please accept me." That's all. "Please accept me." We have no other prayer. "Please accept me."
- Simply our prayer should be, My dear Krishna, please remind me to always chant Your Holy Name, please do not put me into forgetfulness. You are sitting within me as Supersoul, so you can put me into forgetfulness or into remembering You.
- We should be conscious of our fallen condition and pray to the Lord in that way, that "My dear Lord, somehow or other I am fallen. Now kindly pick me up."
Seeking Protection from Illusion
Because the conditioned soul is inherently tiny, it is very easy to be overwhelmed by the material energy. Śrīla Prabhupāda trains his disciples to remain humble and constantly pray to Kṛṣṇa for protection, acknowledging that they cannot defeat māyā by their own independent strength.
- We shall always pray to Krishna that we are weak and Maya is very strong. So seek for His protection in every step so Maya may not inflict upon us her trident injuries.
- If one is always careful about falling down and prays to Krishna that he may not fall down on account of greater strength of Maya, then Krishna will give him special protection.
- Maya is very strong, and we are liable to fall down at any moment. We have to gather our strength by chanting the beads sixteen rounds regularly and praying to the lotus feet of Krsna for guidance.
- Go on chanting Hare Krishna at all costs and never mind these tribulations of maya. Go on chanting Hare Krishna. Krishna is in your heart. Pray to Him for your protection and soon all things will be adjusted.
The Power of the Disciples' Prayers
The relationship between the spiritual master and his followers is one of intense spiritual love and reciprocation. When his health was severely challenged, Śrīla Prabhupāda personally confirmed that the sincere prayers of his disciples directly influenced Kṛṣṇa to spare his life so the mission could continue.
- My dear boys and girls I am so much obliged to you for your prayers to Krishna to save my life. Due to your sincere and ardent prayer, Krishna has saved my life. I was to die on Tuesday certainly but because you prayed sincerely I am saved.
- Your prayer and all other boys' prayers has saved me and I hope to render some service to you all for some more years. Please pray to Krishna and He will give us strength and energy in every respect.
- So long as Krishna will keep me fit I will go on working. So you devotees should pray to Krishna that I can go on giving Him service up to the last point of my death.
- Thank you very much for taking so much care of my health for praying to Nrsimhadeva. He is very kind. By all your prayers He will surely take care of me.
Conclusion
To achieve the ultimate goal of life, a devotee must completely depend on the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda expertly trains his disciples to purify their consciousness by removing all selfish demands from their daily prayers. Whether chanting the mahā-mantra, seeking shelter from the fierce attacks of māyā, or begging for the health of their spiritual master, devotees are taught that the perfection of prayer is simply the earnest desire to serve. By embracing this pure standard, the disciple's heart is cleansed, and they become a fit candidate to return home, back to Godhead.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Our Praying (Disciples of SP). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.