When Krishna knows everything including what we need what is the need to pray to him?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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Thank you. If Krishna knows what is best for us, then what is the need for us to pray to him or is there a particular way in which we should pray and a particular way in which we should not pray? So the Bhagavatam conceptualizes or presents prayer in a way different from the concept of material religiosity. In material religiosity, the prayer is basically a tool to petition God to do certain things.
Whereas the Bhagavatam talks about prayer as one of the nine limbs of bhakti and it says what is the purpose of these nine limbs of bhakti? All these create a bhagavatyadha. These increase our attraction to the Lord. Just like after shravanam, after hearing or after speaking about Krishna, what is the fruit that we expect? There is no particular fruit that we expect.
It is just that we come to know Krishna better, we connect with Krishna better and we come closer to Krishna. So similarly, prayer, a praying is seen as an activity for connecting with Krishna. Not so much for getting Krishna to do something.
That’s why we will see some prayers, like say the Brahma Samhita, there is no request at all. This is Govindam Adi Purusham Tamaham Bhajaam. I worship you, I worship you, I worship you.
Nothing more than that at all in those prayers. So praying is a way of connecting with Krishna and if you consider from that perspective, sometimes we needn’t even ask Krishna for anything and still there can be a prayer. But another perspective or continuing that same thread of thought, if the purpose is to connect with Krishna, then if some issue is burdening us, then speaking our heart to Krishna will unburden us.
And we could say even our specific request to Krishna as a way of using our intelligence in Krishna’s service. This is the problem and with my intelligence I think this is the solution. But if you have some other way, please help me understand it.
Then that way we are submitting to Krishna also. There is always this question sometimes that comes in bhakti. Should we surrender with intelligence or should we surrender the intelligence? Use our intelligence to surrender or surrender my intelligence.
Whatever Krishna wants, I’ll do it. Bhagavad Gita’s mood is actually to some extent surrender with intelligence. Krishna tells Arjuna, deliberate deeply and decide what you want to do.
So our intelligence is also a faculty which Krishna has given us. And one way of saying surrender is that I do, you do whatever you want. Another way of surrendering is that Krishna, everything of mine is yours.
Bhaktivinoda Thakur says, Everything of mine I offer to you. If everything of mine I offer to you, then even my intelligence I offer to you. I think I should use my intelligence also.
So sometimes when we have some problem and we talk with someone, they may not offer a solution, but just that they offer the patient hearing, that itself unburdens us a lot. So like that if we see Krishna as a person with whom we are trying to develop a personal relationship, then we’ll be able to pray to him, unburden our heart, come closer to him and even use our intelligence in his service. But still we can do it all in the mood of submission.
Krishna, if you have some other things, I still want to serve you. Please guide me how I can serve you. So the idea that because Krishna knows everything, because Krishna will do the best, there’s no need to pray to him.
If somebody can be so absorbed in direct service to Krishna, that that thought can just free their thoughts from the problem, then it’s okay. But if somebody has that problem and artificially they’re thinking, Krishna will take care of everything. The problem is burdening them and they’re not really offering everything to Krishna.
So the same thing, that approach might work for some people. But we have to see what works for us. One thing I often say is that we can’t become pure devotees without becoming devotees.
So sometimes we strive so much for pure devotion that even devotion is not there. At least connect with Krishna, then you can purify the connection. But if I first make the purity as the precondition for the connection itself, then the connection itself is not established.
So even if you strongly feel this is a problem, this is a solution, I feel for it, you can pray for that, but then you submit to Krishna. If you have some other solution, if you have some other will, please guide me to accept that. Please give me the strength to accept that.