On this fourth day of the Week of Prayer for World Peace, we pray for those we perceive as enemies. Savita Singh offers a prayer from the Hindu tradition. The Week of Prayer coincides with the nine days of Navaratri in honor of the nine forms of Durga, the mother goddess. The universal mother is known by many names, and in today’s prayer, we pay homage to her as Shakti and to her power in overcoming the maya, the physical and mental reality in which we live that keeps us from our true state of consciousness. Savita explains that maya, illusion, is one of the greatest enemies according to Hindu belief. Only when we can defeat this enemy can we find the divinity within us as we conquer our egotism, our conceit, and our attachments. This keeps us from achieving the ultimate state of nirvana. As we pray for those we perceive as enemies, we keep closely in mind the ways that we are gripped by the enemy of illusion.
Prayer through Dance and Chant
Savita prays through dance and chant. Her prayers tell the stories of humanity’s interactions with divinity both within and beyond. In today’s prayer for world peace the dancer is in awe of the beauty of Shakti and the feelings of radiance that she evokes within. The dancer asks again and again for the benevolence of the mother and the power of Shakti to overcome maya. But the dancer is also an embodiment of the power and grace and beauty of the devi. Another symbol of the deep connection known in Hindu tradition of the inseparability of the divine and human.
Ya devi sarvabhuteshu vishnu-mayeti sadbita Namas tasyai, namas tasyai, namas tasyai namo namah
To that devi who lives in all beings in the form of power, strength
of consciousness
of mother
of kindness, mercy
of forgiveness, tolerance
of intelligence, wisdom
of knowledge
of memory
of faith, reverence
of devotion
of peace, serenity, calmness, tranquility
of prosperity
Salutations to her, salutations, salutations again and again.
To that devi who exists in all beings. Salutations to her, salutations, salutations again and again.
Savita Singh hails from several generations of Hindu priests. Growing up in Guyana, interfaith engagement was an ordinary part of her life. She did not have to seek opportunities to live and work and pray with those of other traditions. She lived the rhythm of Muslim, Christian, and Hindu worship and celebration. Her traditions, from what she eats to how she prays, have been woven from the organic interfaith existence of this life. She is now a frequent presenter at Alignment: Interfaith Contemplative Practices where she leads participants in learning prayer through dance and chanting to invoke the divinity within. She serves in the Hindu community and other faith communities to bring awareness to the Hindu way of life, its traditions, beliefs, and practices but in doing so, she strives to unify and not to divide with her religious beliefs. Savita’s philosophy is that divinity lives within us. There is only one light and we each call that light by different names.
During Alignment weekly online sessions, Savita and other leaders share practices of prayer, contemplation, and meditation from a variety of different traditions. The intention is a rethinking of the expectations of prayer to one of seeking connection to the divine within us, beside us, and beyond us. A connection of presence in which we feel held and whole. By exploring the layers of connection to within, beside, and beyond, there comes a deeper awareness of the expansive embrace of prayer. As Savita offers a prayer for those we perceive as our enemies, may we not only expand our understanding of enemy, but also of our awareness of the many forms that prayer can have.
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n.b. The doors open at midnight US Eastern Time each day of this week with a new prayer. Once a prayer opens, it will remain open to be revisited through the year. Please contact us if you would like the embed code to host the WPWP on your own website.
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