Worship and Prayer in Hinduism

Worship and prayer are two separate methods of communion with God in Hinduism, though the common motive is love to God.

The rule of love is to give something to the one we love, so it is natural for a devotee to offer something to God. This act is worship. But, there are times when our love takes the form of asking something from the one we love; in this case, God and so we make our needs known to Him. This is prayer. Both worship and prayer are expressions of love to God. They arise out of a common source that rests on three principles: faith, love and sincerity.

In worship, we offer something to God. We do not seek much. We express our love through offerings. We chant hymns in praise and of adoration to God. A person of metaphysical or philosophical temperament may consider worship to be extremely irrational. The temperament that needs worship seeks an expression of love-not merely through contemplation, meditation or prayer but through a tangible human act of offering a gift to God.

Worship has different forms. Instead of being external, it can also be internal or mental. The mental offerings need not be physical objects but moral or spiritual qualities such as purity, forbearance, self-control and compassion. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna mentions that the best kind of worship is that in which every moment and every act is offered to God. Walking, eating, speaking - all actions become an offering to the Lord. One of the famous verses in Bhagavad Gita says, " Brahman is the ritual, Brahman is the offering. Brahman is the one who offers to the fire that Brahman. Those who see Brahman in every action will find Brahman." All actions are given the color of worship.

Swami Vivekananda, the great preacher revived a distinctly spiritual form of worship: the worship of God in humanity. This is a very effective Vedanta practice for this age. We have to feel the presence of God in all men and women, but not as a mere idle contemplation. Just as love in order to be dynamic to manifest itself through action, so the worship of God in humanity must declare itself through concrete action and through service. Where ever there is need- physical, mental or spiritual- there is the opportunity to serve humanity through tangible action. That is worship, Swami Vivekananda said and he taught us how to perform this worship. We have to remind ourselves that it is the 'Atman' - the universal spirit residing in all beings that we are worshipping.

As we analyze prayer, its two fold nature becomes apparent. We see the positive aspect of prayer when we pray for faith, purity, self control and devotion to God. We see its negative aspect when we pray to be separated from 'maya' or ignorance. It is by a combination of worship and prayer, based on love, that our minds become purified. We need both these practices to take us through the various stages of spiritual evolution until, ultimately merging, they give us the supreme object of our search- the vision of God.