Hindu Prayers
In Hinduism the prayers are for the purpose of calling upon the gods or the different supernatural powers for a purpose. This purpose is usually the welfare of specific people or the entire community. The most powerful prayers are the vedic hymns.
In Hindu prayers the content of the prayer and its utterance is equally important. The vedic mantras are considered to have magical powers and are usually chanted loudly during public ceremonies. Usually the Hindu prayers are a praise to the gods and goddesses for the purpose of seeking favors from them.
According to Hinduism there are basically 5 prayers for all occasions. These 5 prayers are :
- Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra: It is the life giving prayer and dedicated to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is considered the three eyed God .
- Meditations on Shiva: This prayer is also dedicated to Lord Shiva.
- Meditations on Ganesha: This prayer is also dedicated to Lord Ganesh. According to Hinduism Ganesh is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvathi.
- Meditations on Krishna: This is a prayer to Lord Krishna , the narrator of the Bhagvad Gita.
- Meditations on Rama: This is a prayer to Lord Rama, the hero of Ramayan.
The other prayers along with their significance are as follows :
The Gayatri Mantra : it is the one of the most ancient and most powerful prayers. It is in Sanskrit. The Hindus believe that by chanting the Gayatri Mantra and establishing it in the mind, if you just do regularly do leading a normal life, and do what is predestined, your life will be full of happiness. The gayatri mantra consists of 24 syllables. These syllables are arranged in a triplet of eight syllables each. It has its origins in the rig veda.
Ganesh Mantra : Lord Ganesha is considered to be the hurdle remover. In Hinduism all venture should be started after chanting the Ganesh Mantra.
Vishnu Arti: This a prayer dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is also known as universal prayer.
Saraswati Vandana : Saraswati is the Hindu Godess of wisdom and knowledge. This prayer is dedicated to her.
Hanuman Chalisa : This prayer is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. According to Hinduism he is “Pavan Putra” the son of the wind.
The Hindu prayers can again be classified into :
Vrat Kathas : They are usually with reference to the days of the week and main festivals of the Hindus such as Depawali,BhaiDooj,
Chalisas : Chalisas are forty verse prayers dedicated to different Gods and deities
Aartis : Aartis are prayers which praise the Gods and deities.
