Page 152 - Wisdom Unfurled

peace and calmness in such a person’s presence. The aspirant has to be fully conscious of his deficiencies and wrong doing and implore God for His mercy and forgiveness in a mood of genuine repentance for the deviations and transgressions committed. In addition he should resolve not to repeat the wrongs committed. The posture of humility adopted by the abhyasi before the supreme Master creates a vacuum into which the divine grace flows due to the connections already established for him.
There are many who feel that they have not committed any wrong and hence the need for repenting does not arise. However on deeper reflection we realize that the greatest mistake we have all committed is to have jumped out of Reality and getting attached to all sorts of persons and things instead of getting attached to that Supreme Being alone. We have created all the impurities in the form of mala, vikshepa and avarana owing to the undue attachments we have cultivated and thus got enmeshed in the very many coverings even as the silk worm that gets trapped in its own cocoon woven by itself assiduously.
Knowing our lapses and placing them before the Master and repenting for the same creates a jerk in thought waves carving an empty space in our ego. This generates a feeling of humility and the Master fills the space created thereof. It should be noted however that the prayer does not promise that all the lapses and follies committed by us would be ignored; they will naturally be treated according to their merits. Repentance enhances our deservancy to receive the grace of God.
There is a higher dimension to prayer which must be noted by all serious sadhakas. Every person adopts prayer for personal betterment, his own spiritual evolution and at best this may include those near and dear to him. The Master has desired that all abhyasis offer the prayer for the spiritual betterment of all the people in the world at 9 p.m. This prayer facilitates our growth into higher or universal consciousness as we are transcending the limits created by the name and form when we genuinely aspire for the spiritual betterment of all persons irrespective of differences due to sex, caste, creed, nationality or ideologies. The growth is from the level of ‘I’ to ‘We’ in dimension. Though in the beginning it may be a little artificial, as we move along it improves in quality and it becomes our second nature to pray for others ceasing to pray for ourselves. The Atman, the limited individuated consciousness has grown into the Brahman, the growing or enlarged consciousness. As the Master has willed such a prayer, not only it becomes possible for all of us to offer such a prayer but also the growth in consciousness is also facilitated whereby the effectiveness of the thought behind the prayer is ensured. In this context we may note the ancient prayer