Four years ago, I had one of my natural eye lenses scooped out, fortunately by an eye doctor. The surgeon filled the evacuated space with a fine artificial lens. My eye ball could not tolerate the insertion of a foreign element and protested with pain. The least expected was the strong protest by some of my other body nerves in sympathy with the aggrieved eye. The net result was that I suffered acute pain and distress the like of which I have never experienced before in my entire life.

Specialist consultations and prescriptions followed to mitigate the pain. It seemed to me that the side effects of these prescriptions were more powerful than the intended main effect. They caused more pain, acute discomfort and considerable embarrassment.

The question that I asked myself – How do I get over this pain and distress? Do I visit another doctor and get more prescriptions that might add to my misery? The easiest way seemed to be just keep praying for relief. At best, the prayers could help mitigate the pain without any money or more side effects, and at worst, they could be just a worthless waste. As a kid, I have seen the pain caused by a scorpion sting miraculously softened by an elderly person chanting mantras and caressing the affected part. I also remembered that the famous Carnatic musician Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar regained his lost voice by praying to Lord Guruvayurappan. So, instead of following the advice of the medical specialists, I took the risk of moving away and chose my own path – the path of prayers.

I wondered what exactly is meant by the word “prayer.” Browsing the internet, I learnt the word “prayer” comes from the Latin precarius, which means “obtained by begging, to entreat.” In praying, we believe that there is a power greater than ourselves that can help us. It is the act of raising hopes and minds to a higher unseen power.

How to pray? There are different ways – silently as if in a meditation, or chanting known mantras, with a specific plea in the mind. For many, prayer is a part of a larger religious practice. I chose to pray silently in my mind chanting repeatedly some of the mantras that I was familiar with. Pacing frequently at home, I did it hundreds of times earnestly pleading for relief.

Lo and behold! Relief did come mysteriously! The pain softened. Divine grace led me to an unknown general physician whose diagnosis of the cause of my pain was precise.

My experience over the next few days was fascinating. With new medication, the pain gradually melted away. Continued prayers brought me the much-wanted solace. The rapid healing that took place reinforced my faith in that unknown, unseen higher power – you may call it by whatever name you like.

One need not search for a temple to pray. The temple is within you. Hinduism supports the concept of God within you, making it very easy to pray, anywhere, anytime. In this context, I recall a relevant Sanskrit verse from the ancient Kathopanishad that I taught online in the ‘SanKatha’ program:

​एको ​वशी सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा एकं रूपं बहुधा यः करोति l
तमात्मस्तं येनुपश्यन्ति धीरास्थेषां सुखं शाश्वतं नेतरेषाम् ll
– (कटोपनिषद 5/12)

The one Supreme ruler, the universal soul within all beings, is the one who makes one form manifold. Eternal happiness belongs to those wise men, who perceive Him within themselves, and not to others. (Kathopanishad 5/12)

As Jesus made unambiguously clear, “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21).