My daily prayer

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"asato ma sadgamaya tamaso ma jyotirgamaya mrtyorma amrtam gamaya Lead me from the lies to the truth. Lead me from darkness to light. Lead me from death to immortality." (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad — I.iii.28) This is the true prayer — the seeker’s admission of his sense of limitedness and his heartfelt cry for assistance in transcendence. It is not a prayer for the things of the world. It is not a prayer for food, shelter, health, partnership, riches, success, fame, glory or even for heaven. One who recites these three mantras has realized that such things are full of holes, soaked in pain and, even in abundance, will forever leave him wanting. It is in this full understanding that one turns to this prayer. The essence of each of these three mantras is the same: "O, Guru, help me free myself from my sundry misunderstandings regarding myself, the universe and God and bless me with true knowledge." Let this be the daily prayer of all.