This year at my company's Diwali celebration I was asked to give the opening prayer and then explain a bit about it in relation to our theme that was very straightly focussed on Diwali this year as it was about "The Light of True Knowledge"
At first I felt a bit daunted by it...first of all I'm a blogger but I don't like the big official speeches! And to go on and break from convention in that most people just say opening prayers at functions as formalities...they dont explain them! :) Plus as readers of this blog might know true prayer is like a dance not to be taken all serious and buttoned down for me! :) Although I can see it being serious too if you are all in Shiv like meditation but formality? It does take away from the prayers...but it was also I realised in the end like taking my Universal Collective Prayer blog on the road! :) And although I started off a bit uncomfortably especially having to brave microphone issues...I felt the dance of UCP in the end! :) So I'd like to share that joy of coming up with the prayers here with you! :)
I tend to figure things out not just say them for so...it's my nature...prakriti...so...I asked myself what is true knowledge? What is this light of true knowledge in Hinduism? I even read a few pages of encyclopedic synopsis on Hinduism in preparing for my prayer and was happy to see how diverse and large the Hindu diaspora is in following...about 300,000 in Trinidad and >1M in places like the US and South Africa. I was contemplating saying something to honour Ganesh first and then saying the universal hindu prayer on light...the Shanti mantra...Asatoma sadgamaaya...but wasn't sure exactly...but then right there at the heart of the article my initial thoughts were confirmed...even the encyclopedic synopsis felt that those verses from the Upanishad was the heart of not just Diwali but Hinduism...really those few lines does sum up the very core of Hinduism doesn't it?
Asato Ma Sat Gamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.
Translation:
Lead Us From the Unreal To Real,
Lead Us From Darkness To Light,
Lead Us From Death To Immortality,
Aum (the universal sound of God)
Let There Be Peace Peace Peace. - Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28.
Later on I would hear that even President Obama used it in his Diwali speech!:) And all over the web I found all this talk about its use in the Matrix movies...
However in all my preparation I found this lovely little channel on Youtube to be the most helpful and lovely of them all... and I will attach from that lovely little channel- Edewcate, the three groups of prayers I recited in the end. Edewcate really is a neat little simplistic site for anyone wanting to learn about lots of stuff not just kids but people who approach things like them as Jesus said...with the heart of a child-Hey, it's really the only way to learn! :)
And then for my explanation I decided to talk about my cute little Ishq Devata- Ganesh! :) and why prayers to him always comes first to remove all obstacles..Then I explained some of the stories in Hinduism that explains why in the 2nd set of verses the prayer says "to destroy my enemy's intellect! "...citing Rawan and the emperor of Holi fame! :) And on the whole that prayer asked for the enlightened beings to come help me...so I envisioned it in that order...pray to Ganesh to remove obstacles to even ensure the rest of the prayers goes well...then...ask other enlightened beings to help me out especially when around beings of very little light and then to reflect on my own issues through meditation...reflected in those lines of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
And tonight on the prayers I'd like to wish everyone a Happy and Holy Diwali 2009! :)
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti!
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