Types of Prayers

Just as food cannot be eaten without salt, any service offered to the Lord which is devoid of the devotional mood, sincerity and purity of consciousness, is considered sub-standard. Acting with a prayerful mood in spiritual life is at the heart of devotion. In Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada describes the variety of prayers that can be offered to the Lord:

S – Sorry (dainya-bhodhika) – in the process of cleansing our hearts, we become acutely aware of how much we fall short of the ideals, and how many imperfections we are riddled with. Realising this, the devotee offers humble prayers lamenting his fallen condition, seeking forgiveness and the strength to improve.

A – Ask (lalasa-mayi) – in an advanced stage of spiritual life, when one rekindles their strong attachment to Krishna, one may lovingly express their intense desire to serve the Lord in a particular way. While this is very elevated, one thing that everyone can ask for is more devotional service and more dedication to the process of Krishna consciousness.

L – Listen – after offering prayers we listen to the Lord’s response, which may come to us in a variety of ways.

T – Total (samprathanatmika) – sam means ‘complete,’ and thus the ‘complete prayer’ is one of total submission. It’s a prayer offered with great feeling, ardently desiring to be connected to the Lord in body, mind and words and thus restored to wholeness.