Question: What is praying? Why do we have to pray? When should we pray? How should we pray?
Answer by Romapada Swami: Prayer is an address to a superior in supplication. Of all those who are worshipable, the Personality of Godhead is the most worthy object of one’s prayers, and so are His pure devotees who are His direct and confidential representatives.
There is certainly a need for us to pray to the Supreme Lord because, by constitution we are tiny and in need of the mercy of the Supreme Lord in every breath of our life. When one realizes one’s own dependent position and acknowledges the greatness as well as the mercy of God, naturally one offers prayers in praise and implores the Lord for shelter.
Different people pray according to their different level of faith, with different motivations and for different ends. The best prayer is to beg the Supreme Personality of Godhead to engage us in His service. Within that all of one’s material and spiritual needs are taken care of.
The import of chanting the mahamantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare” is exactly this: addressing God (Krishna, Rama) and His internal energy (Hare) to kindly engage us in His service. The scriptures describe the chanting of God’s Holy Names, such as the mantra above, as the best form of prayer.
We can pray from the core of our hearts at any time, place or circumstances, indeed every moment, 24 hours a day! Especially in chanting the Holy Names of God there are no rules or regulations as in other formal forms of worship.
There are some further nice descriptions about prayers found in the Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 9 under the headings Submission and Offering Notable Prayers.
