Acharya Prashant explains that the word prayer is best understood through its Sanskrit counterpart, 'Prarthana'. While 'Arth' signifies desire, 'Prarthana' means surpassing desire. Most people pray to the world, people, or situations driven by material desires, which are products of conditioning. True prayer, however, is not about asking for objects, thoughts, or people. It is a state where the asker, the object of asking, and the entity being asked are all absent. If any of these three elements remain, it is merely desire and not prayer. Therefore, prayer cannot be an activity or an action performed at a specific place like a temple; it is one's very being and the silent call of the mind. He further clarifies that the more one articulates a specific request, such as for a promotion or a son, the further they are from actual prayer. One cannot 'do' prayer; one can only be prayerful. When a person is prayerful in every movementâwhether eating, sleeping, or walkingâthat prayer is always answered because they are asking for nothing. Since nothing is being requested, there is no way for the request to be denied. Conversely, prayers for specific things often go unanswered because they are rooted in the ego and material desire. Regarding surrender, Acharya Prashant warns that the common concept of surrendering is often a clever trap of the ego. If an individual decides to surrender, they remain the master of that decision and can choose to withdraw it at any time. This type of surrender treats the Divine like a service provider, similar to a barber, where one bows for a specific purpose and then returns to their original state. True prayer and surrender involve the total absence of the 'I' that makes decisions, rather than a calculated act of submission for personal gain.
