The Hindu begins every special occasion with prayer and also, we have a prayer for various needs. Ancient Vedic tradition believes in the virtue of seeking divine blessings by the way of true Karma. Even today, the purity of Sanskrit mantras remains exactly the same.
The main thing to note is the OMKARA (simply saying ‘Om’) precedes all prayers, as an invocation to the supreme God Mahadeva.
The below are the 9 prayers to gods/goddesses we perform for various needs.
- Wealth – Goddess Lakshmi
- Health – Lord Hanumana
- Marriage – Agni, the God of Fire
- For Having Children – Lord Shiva and His Divine Consort, Goddess Durga
- Job – Lord Ganesha
- Education/ Wisdom – Goddess Saraswati
- House- Swami Narayana (Lord Vishnu)
- Peace – Lord Mahadeva
- Bad faith/ Karma/ Dosham – Goddess Kalika
Let us look into each one in detail.
Wealth
Goddess Laxmi is worshipped for wealth, along with Ganesha. Her worship is simultaneous to the grand festival of Diwali, the celebration of light over darkness. The mantra is Om Hreem Shreem Lakshmibhayo Namah. Let the splendor of wealth obtained by divine grace outshine all your sorrowful poverty. You should utter the mantra with faith and keep steadfast on the path of karma, despite the challenges. Remember that holy grace is but a reward that you can obtain by your own devotion and goodness.
Health
Invoke the blessings of Hanuma who revived Lord Lakshmana and Lord Rama in the epic of Ramayana. Chanting “Jai Bajrang Bali” infuses vigor in spirit and makes one courageous to recover from illness.
According to the myths, during the epic war, the princes Rama and Lakshmana fell ill on being struck by deadly arrows. When they fell ill with no hope, it was by the efforts of the mighty Hanumana that they could have the antidote to their malady.
Marriage
Hindu marriages are always by the divine testimony of Agni, the God of Fire. Here is a sublime salutation to Him:
“Shuvam karothi kalyanam, aarogyaam, dhana sampadam/ Shatru budhi vruddhi vinasaya deepa jyothi namo nama.”
The chant invokes the glorious flame for well-being and prosperity against wicked thinking. When you utter this mantra, it heralds you into a new beginning of a sweet married life without any kind of ill will or malice.
For Having Children
A blissful Prarthana for marriage seeks that may one’s spouse be as devoted as Goddess Durga is to Lord Shiva. May the spouse be one who is understanding, respectful, and devoted. It says,
“Patni manoramam dehi manovrttanu sarinim/ Tarinim Durga samsara sagarasya kulodbhavam.”
Chanting this great mantra invokes the blessings of the divine couple in showering the marital bliss of intimacy. As your hearts open to adore each other in great love, you learn to worship the divine in each other. This, in turn, leads to a deep marital relationship and lets the grace of God shown as the birth of children in your house.
Job
Pray to Lord Ganesha to remove obstacles in life. His blessings are sought for any good beginning.
The mantra is “OM Gam Ganapataye Namaha Sharanam Ganesha“.
As it is, there could be many obstacles in the path of getting a good job. Constantly devoting your worries at the care of the mighty God dispels all those stubborn troubles to help with achieving the best in your life. In the mythical story about the birth of Ganesha, God was created by Goddess Parvati to prevent anyone from entering her personal space. In obeying the orders of the Holy Mother, the divine child stubbornly stood at the gates disallowing anyone, even Lord Shiva from entering his own palace! Even when a battle ensued on this ground, the child God alone prevented the entire armies of Heaven! It shows that one needs to be stubborn at a good purpose in order to succeed.
Education/Wisdom
Goddess Saraswati graces the devotee with knowledge and wisdom. Invoke her blessings with praying
“Om Aing Hreeng Shreeng Vaagdevyai Saraswatyai Namaha”
Her worship opens the mind to receiving the grace of wisdom so that you can discern between the good and bad in making the right decisions all the time. Remember that it is only by the effects of your own decisions that you invite either good or bad karma in your life. One needs to have the intellect to recognize what is really good or bad because the mind is often foggy with delusions. Even for education, in order to understand anything difficult, you need an open and logical mind. Let her grace usher the best in your life.
House
Before entering into a new house, Hindus hold the Griha Pravesham ceremony. Here, Lord Vishnu is worshipped as Narayana, the preserver of peace. The mantra is Om Namah Narayana. Griha Pravesh literally means ‘Enter House’. Lord Vishnu is one of the great deities of the Holy Trinity in Hindu echelon. He is also the divine consort of Lakshmi, who is worshipped for wealth. So, by the devotion to Vishnu, you also invoke prosperity to your humble abode and seek the safety and protection of the Gods.
Peace
As you let your breath form the mantra of ‘Om Namah Shivaya’,
let your mind bow in devotion to the Almighty.
Pursue the simplicity of ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ in all you do.
This mantra exalts the beautiful practice of truth as a way of devotion. Remember that mental violence arises from arrogance and neglect of spirituality in life. Restoration of peace in your life is a spiritual process where you must abandon your negative feelings. To do that, one must always seek the forgiveness of God because our lives are always sustained despite our misgivings. To be shown the right way in life, the heart has to be humble. Bow down to God so that the self-destructive feelings within you are nullified by the grace of the destroyer god.
Bad Faith / Karma / Dosham
Chant “Om Krim Kalikayai Namah” to dispel the harmful effects of sinfulness.
Goddess Kalika or the Dark Mother, the consort of Lord Shiva is worshipped as the Mother Goddess in Hinduism. Bad faith arises from the interplay of dark emotions of distrust in the mind. As it is said, these demonic thoughts all originate from the Tantra of Kali and Shiva. The ancient God and Goddess have very fierce incarnations as well, thus symbolizing the greatness of holy darkness in purifying the Karma of ill effects. Being prostrate to their divine glory effectively arouses the fear of Holy retribution and encourages the devotee not to follow the path of bad faith.
Hindus also perform prayers at different times of the day
- On waking up
The mantra ‘Om Namo Visvambhare Matah/ Pada Sparsham Ksamasva Me’ seeks forgiveness from Mother Nature for setting feet on her. One should chant this mantra at the beginning of the day when rising from sleep. - Bathing
Invoke the Holy Waters of the Great Indian rivers while you bath with this mantra: Ganga cha Yamune Chaiva Godavari Saraswati, Narmada Sindhu Kaveri Jaleshmin Sannidhim Kuru. Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu, and Kaveri are the Seven Great Rivers of ancient India. - Before Dining
The prayer to begin dining recognizes the satisfaction of Brahmana by the sacrifice of the food, consecrated as the Brahmana. The prayer is Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir Brahmagnau Brahmanahutam. - Before Studies
Pray for the blessings of Goddess Saraswati before studies.
Let the forces of nature respond to your sincere prayers. May you always find your direction in life, guided by the spirit of true devotion and Karma. God Bless!
