‘Prayer' means an earnest request for help or favors. In normal parlance, prayer always refers to the communication made with God by the human beings. Prayer is a handy tool to seek solace and solutions when we face hardships and tense situations. It's a time-tested method followed and passed on by our ancestors.
A person can pray to the Almighty from any place or at any time. However, people proffer such prayers in front of God, in the visible form as statues and photos, or through the space of Nature. The former practice is very common among Hindus and Christians whilst the latter is found among Muslims and Parsis.
Prayers are performed in different ways depending on the religions and customs and traditions of the multitude. They can be classified into four major types as 1) Devotion: chanting of hymns and mantras and singing of god's praise are the methods used here. Hinduism and Christianity use this mode for their prayers. 2) Confession: Admitting mistakes and seeking pardon is the essence of this prayer. People go to the temple or mosque or church and submit their wrong doings and surrender to seek relief from what-they-feel as sins. 3) Gratitude: Expressing thanks or acknowledgment to God is another form of entreaty. Some examples of this nature are: students thanking for the high score, community hosting a festival for a good harvest, patients rejoicing after recovering from a serious illness, prayer before eating food, etc. 4) Petition: when something is sought or desired, prayer is made. This variety frequently abounds in our lifetimes.
Based on the intention, prayers can be either private or communal. When an individual implores for own needs, it's a personal prayer. However, when an individual or society offers prayers for the welfare of a member or other members of the society or even the world, it's a prayer for the common cause. If there is a scarcity of water, community prayers are held to invoke God for blessing with copious rain.
Very few people like saints and religious leaders pray for the welfare of others or the communities. Actually, such prayers make us broad-minded and unselfish: ultimately fetching peace and happiness for all.
Whenever happen to see a sick person or animal, I say a simple prayer to God for restoring their health. Sometimes, on seeing or hearing an ambulance pass by, I quickly put a word or two to God for helping the suffering soul.
Thirukkural, a Tamil classic written in 1st Century BC, makes it mandatory to remember and seek the blessings of God, if the soul desires to get out of the vicious cycle of births and deaths.
Prayers take you nearer to God. However, selfless service to others makes God come closer to you. Service to others means such services made for all kinds of life on this earth. Hinduism has gone a step further to say 'Make prayers with the food presented to the Almighty and feed the departed souls and ancestors by practicing rituals.'
