Ramana Maharshi said: They pray to God and finish with “Thy Will be
done!” If His Will be done why do they pray at all? It is true that the
Divine Will prevails at all times and under all circumstances. The
individuals cannot act of their own accord. Recognise the force of
the Divine Will and keep quiet. Each one is looked after by God.
He has created all. You are one among 2,000 millions. When He
looks after so many will He omit you? Even common sense dictates
that one should abide by His Will.
Again there is no need to let Him know your needs. He knows them
Himself and will look after them.
Still more, why do you pray? Because you are helpless yourself
and you want the Higher Power to help you. Well, does not your
Creator and Protector know your weakness? Should you parade
your weakness in order to make Him know it?
D.: But God helps those who help themselves.
M.: Certainly. Help yourself and that is itself according to God’s Will.
Every action is prompted by Him only. As for prayer for the sake
of others, it looks so unselfish on the surface of it. But analyse
the feeling and you will detect selfishness there also. You desire
others’ happiness so that you may be happy. Or you want the credit
for having interceded on others’ behalf. God does not require an
intermediary. Mind your business and all will be well.
D.: Does not God work His Will through some chosen person?
M.: God is in all and works through all. But His presence is better
recognised in purified minds. The pure ones reflect God’s actions
more clearly than the impure minds. Therefore people say that they
are the chosen ones. But the ‘chosen’ man does not himself say so.
If he thinks that he is the intermediary then it is clear that he retains
his individuality and that there is no complete surrender.
D.: Are not the Brahmins considered to be the priests or intermediaries
between God and others?
M.: Yes. But who is a Brahmin? A Brahmin is one who has realised
Brahman. Such a one has no sense of individuality in him. He
cannot think that he acts as an intermediary.
Again, as for prayer, a realised man does not see others as different
from oneself. How can he pray at all, and to whom and for what?
His very presence is the consummation of happiness for all. So long
as you think that there are others different from you, you pray for
them. But the sense of separateness is ignorance. This ignorance
is again the cause of feeling helplessness. You know that you are
weak and helpless. How then can you help others? If you say, “By
prayer to God”, God knows His business and does not require your
intercession for others.
Help yourself so that you may become strong. That is done by
complete surrender. That means you offer yourself to Him. So you
cannot retain your individuality after surrender. You then abide by
His Will. Thus Silence is the Highest of all achievements.
Silence is the ocean in which all the rivers of all the religions
discharge themselves. So says Thayumanavar. He also adds that
the Vedic religion is the only one which combines both philosophy
and religion.
(Source: Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, Talk 594)
Know Thyself 