Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi, a great saint of India, in his Upadesha Saram, has dealt with the topic of prayer in a unique manner. Any object has three aspects – a name, a form and a reality (the substance out of which it is made). For example, consider a gold ring – it could be a wedding ring, nose ring or ear ring. The name is “ring”, the form is round and the reality is the gold from which it is made. Think of the Lord in the same way. His names are countless, the total universe is a part of His form and Existence-Consciousness is His true nature.

Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi states that we, as seekers, have three equipments (body, speech and mind) with which we invoke the Lord in His three aspects. With the body we worship the Lord’s form (pooja), with speech we chant His name (japa), and with the mind we meditate (dhyana) upon His true nature.

In the early stages, we do not recognize the Lord’s form. Hence we are advised to worship Him in a particular form – called ishta devata in Sanskrit. We should then do japa in the name of the form we have chosen, be it Rama, Krishna or any other form. Regularity and sincerity of devotional practices bring about purity and single-pointedness in the seeker. Devotion for the Lord grows steadily making the mind fit for the higher stages of sadhana such as meditation and the culmination of all sadhana – realization.

The best way of cultivating devotion is to be in the presence of great saints. This is granted by the grace of the Lord Himself. Our duty is to pray to Him with a sincere heart; He does the rest. We must remember that the gains of devotion and the consequent vision of the Lord do not stem from our sadhana or efforts, but from the boundless compassion of the Lord for His devotees. Sadhana serves to attract the devotees’ attention to the Lord. He, in His love and compassion, cannot but see His devotees free from sorrow and suffering and reveals Himself to them.

The author is head of Chinmaya Mission