Prayer enables one to develop devotion and has untold powers. Householders must seek solitude from time to time for intense spiritual practice, which may not be possible for them in their daily busy lives. But it is very necessary that some time is set aside everyday for prayer so that it becomes a habit. If a time is set aside for prayer everyday it will get ingrained like any other habit and in course of time devotion will take a deep root. Initially the distraction of family life may be disturbing but if one pursues with effort there will be steady progress and success will be in sight.
Devotion enables a person to accept both joy and sorrow with equanimity of mind. Joy and sorrow are relative and there is absolute joy only in realisation of God. The human mind can be compared with milk. When milk mixes with water it will only become diluted and watery. Instead, if it is kept in one place without disturbance and set into curd and then churned, it yields butter.
So also the mind that engages in the world acquires its mundane qualities whereas if it is trained to meditate in solitude, wisdom results. Just as butter remains afloat in water without mixing or getting affected by it, a person of wisdom will remain steadfast in his line of pursuit and will remain unaffected by worldly affections.
Jubel D’Cruz
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
