[Chaturamnaya] Jagadguru Speaks: Devotion to God Is the Best Form of Prayer

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Around the beginning of the month, a nugget of Wisdom from the Jagadguru may be posted
on the Chaturamnaya list : http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/chaturamnaya )
 
 
Experience shows that man with devotion to God attains sreyas in 
life. But nowadays some people wonder whether God hears our prayers 
and whether he has ears, eyes, hands and legs. 
 
The reply to this question is:  “God is all-knowing. He alone has the 
capacity to redeem us from our difficulties. For that he does not need 
limbs, eyes or ears.”  Sankara Bhagavatpada says in his bhashya:
 
अपाणिपादो जवनो ग्रहीता पश्यत्यचक्षुः स शृणोत्यकर्णः
इत्यकरणस्यपि ब्रह्मणः सर्वसामर्थ्ययोगं दर्शयति...
 
There is no room to imagine that God must have only the miniscule 
powers that we have.
 
न च यथैकस्य सामर्थ्यं दष्टं तथान्यस्यापि सामर्थ्येन भवितव्यमिति
नियमोऽस्तीति...
 
God takes note of our devotion alone; not the external show. He is 
above and beyond all of us. He makes it clear in the Gita: “I accept even 
water offered to me with devotion.” Hence, without doubt, all should 
cultivate unshakeable faith in him. 
 
One who makes himself eligible for God’s grace through devotion 
needs no other prayer. He becomes extremely blessed. Such was the 
height of devotion of Dhruva to the Almighty.
 
स्थानाभिलाषी तपसि स्थितोऽहं त्वां प्राप्तवान्‌ देवमुनीन्द्रगुह्यम्‌ !
काचं विचिन्वन्नपि दिव्यरत्नं स्वामिन्‌ कृतार्थोऽस्मि वरं न याचे !!