Does God Listen to My Prayers

Q. Does God listen to my prayers?

 A.God really listens to ALL our prayers. He does, just as much as we listen to our mind. In faith, he LISTENS to us more than we actually listen to our mind. Every one thousandth of a microsecond, the Sun's fiery rays bombard our Earth, whether or not we are facing their direction. Similarly, every one billionth of a second, God's attention is centred on us, His cosmic Mind listening to every little vibration emanating from us, though we are ensconced in the debris of our constellation, oblivious of his listening.

Yes, he does not just hear our noises but also listens intently to every muted whisper. But he responds only when we clamour for his attention. Only when we speak from the depth of our heart, from the fathomless pit of our desires, from the hearts of our cells, from the life force of those hearts, the Giant stirs. The Svambu peers through the thick fog of our prabradha, tears asunder the veils of nescience, and shoves his guiding hand through to grab us by our tufts, to lift us high above and beyond the touch and contact of worldly misery.

In order for that Giant to even stir, maharaj, we would have to unscramble our faithless nosy ramblings into bhakti-radiating, heart-felt, sure-footed, convincing thunderous cries of plea. Remember, what happened when Karuna shot his maiden arrow? All celestial beings were jolted out their reveries! It should be in that fashion: focussed, direct, pointed!

Q. I am in a desperate situation. Why isn't God helping me?

A. You said that you are in a desperate situation. So were Draupadi, Gajendra, Appoothi-adigal, Savithri, Markendeyar, Maha-kavi Kali Dass, Thirumana-Naikar, Abirami-Pattar, Kaarai-Kaal Ammaiyar, Arunagiri, Sengkaathi, Shanmuga-Sunthara Kavirayar (Kumaraguru-bara's father), Valmiki, Druva (Artharthi-bhakthi though), Pattinathar, Job, Uttara and a countless others. They were not super-humans. They were just like us. The only difference between them and us is, they expressed their desperateness. We make a fetish of our desperateness.

Q. Isn't it true that if God want to help you, miracle starts to happen?

A. My answer is, 'Of course'. But we should, at this juncture, ask ourselves when did God decide to help all those personalities I mentioned above. When? Did Druva, whose bhakthi is known as Artharthi bhakthi, sit easy and wait for God's miracle to descend on him? Consider Rupa Goswami's text 63 (Sri Padyavali)

"O Lord Hari, O form of mercy, You quickly rescued both Draupadi and Gajendra. What has happened to that quick action now that I suffer so acutely?"

I guess the above should answer your question.

Q. Now my query is - Prabhu, How can I change my situation with God's help? How to pray for God's grace. What kind of positive thinking or meditation should I do which conforms bright changes in our life?

A. If quantity of rounds, time of the day, place of sadhana, etc., ensure success in spiritual or even material life, no Hare Krsna devotee should be here now on earth---minimum, they should be in Krsna Loka. Swami Sivananda has said, "Divine Grace comes ONLY when the mind is FULLY purified....The Lord's Grace will descend in proportion to the degree of surrender... if you are untruthful, hypocritical and insincere, you are unfit for the Lord's Grace." (pg. 219, Science of Yoga, Vol 6)

A lot more I would like to say here but I do not know how my faceless words would come across to you. So, I shall leave you off here with some gems from Swami Sivananda. Ring me to discuss further:

Swami Sivananda, "...Kindly do not get discouraged....Be patient..." (pg. 151, Science of Yoga, Vol 6)

Swami Sivananda, "Learn to depend ENTIRELY on God. WAIT and WATCH. DESPAIR not. WORRY not. He WILL shower His choicest blessings on thee." (pg. 154, Science of Yoga, Vol 6)

Swami Sivananda, "...There is something good even in SEEMING failures. You are not able to see that NOW. Time WILL reveal. Be patient." (pg. 155, Science of Yoga, Vol 6)

Swami Sivananda, "You say YOUR life has been one of suffering. Think of Prahlad. Think of Dhruva. DRAW inspiration from them andBE calm and unperturbed." (pg. 152, Science of Yoga, Vol 6).

Swami Sivananda, "Cultivate strong patience under CRUSHING trials... You will attain success in ALL your endeavours." (pg. 161, Science of Yoga, Vol 6)

Swami Sivananda, "...He will remove ALL obstacles." (pg. 155, Science of Yoga, Vol 6)