How to pray or why Aarti or Chalisa or Mantras or Stutis don’t work

Many people pray daily to GOD & get dejected as they don’t get the desired results or when they feel that their prayers weren’t answered. Prayers are indeed very powerful tool to attain something that’s required & possible to attain.

GOD indeed grants those wishes that are good & manageable for those that pray provided 1’s wishes are pious or noble.

Many people recite Aartis, Chalisas, Mantras daily however their wishes don’t get granted. They start believing that prayers don’t work & also share their views of their prayers not working to their friends. In my personal humble opinion prayers have positive energy & are capable to give the right direction to 1 that prays ardently. Prayers only don’t work as people don’t pray in the right way.

Many generally pray when their situation isn’t good. The 1^st thought 1 need to bring in her/his mind is accept her/his situation or position in life. She/he needs to understand that whatever she/he’s today or wherever she/he’s today it’s because of her past birth & this birth’s karmas & deeds. Hence she/he should immediately stop grumbling about her/his present position or life’s situation. Grumbling may help to vent frustration however it limits the power of prayers as GOD prefers to grant wishes of those that call him/her with love & not with grumble.

It’s also necessary to be practical & understand that work or duty is significant with prayers. Prayers alone won’t help to get whatever is wished. For example in Ramayana GOD Ram didn’t get back GODDESS Sita with just prayers. He entered the battle field with prayers. Similarly in Mahabharata the Pandavas didn’t win against Kauravas with just prayers. They had a plan or strategy to win & entered the battle. The Pandavas also used to practice. Thus 1 must know her/his role, duty & work & should also focus on it & think about attaining it with prayers & not just pray quitting her/his path leads to whatever is wished.

An important factor is time or best time to pray. The best time to pray is between 3:00 am to 6:00 am. It’s known as the Brahma Muhrat. It’s the time when mostly everyone around nearby sleeps & vehicle & transport noise is less. Thus it’s a peaceful time. Thus 1 must get up at around 3:00 am finish her/his morning rituals like brushing, bathing, etc. And between 4:00 am to 6:00 am she/he can pray.

Also beginning day with prayers is better than praying in the afternoon or night. It’s because when 1 prays in the afternoon or evening the thoughts of the day easily enter while praying & thus the concentration or focus decreases. However when 1 begins her/his day with prayers early in the morning before sun rise then she/he is less likely to get other thoughts & mind won’t get diverted due to disturbances.

An important thing I’ve observed is that many people though remember Aartis, Chalisas, Mantras exactly however they don’t known it’s meaning. Aartis, Chalisas, Stutis are appreciation to GOD thus while reciting Aartis, Chalisas, Stutis 1 needs to visualise those appreciation consciously & it’s impossible to visualise it when 1 doesn’t know it’s meaning. Thus before reciting any Aarti, Chalisa or Stuti 1 should find it’s meaning & understand it completely & while reciting Aarti, Chalisa or Stuti she/he should visualise the appreciation. The appreciation should also be highly intense & with full concentration & undivided attention or focus.

Almost all the Aartis, Chalisas, Stutis, Mantras aren’t in Hindi language & are in Sanskrit. There are many that don’t understand Sanskrit however are keen to pray. An easy way is to get the translation of the Aarti or Chalisa or Stuti whatever 1 is interested in & recite the translated version. In my personal humble opinion reading the translated version is better than just reciting Aarti, Chalisa or Stuti without knowing it’s meaning & without any devotional feelings for the GOD for whom it’s recited.

While reciting a mantra for example the simplest mantra is "Om Namah Shivaya" thus while reciting this mantra 1 needs to understand it & visualise it i.e. 1 must visualise God Shiv or Shiv Ling & her/him bowing to Shiv or Shiv Ling as Namah means bowing with respect or showing adoration or gratitude.

While reciting mantras 1 should pronounce the words of the mantras properly. The syllables should be right. It’s better to recite it for the right number of times i.e. 108 times or 1008 times. The munis, rishis, sadhus & sadhvis are born to pray & they pray in forest or hills or isolated places & wear anything that they want to however for a household woman/man it’s significant to be fresh by taking bath before prayers. It’s better if stomach is empty & hair is properly combed. 1 must have separate clothes for Puja/prayers & she/he should wear those clothes & pray & not use those clothes for other purpose. The clothes should be clean. The place of worship should also be clean & no ants crawling around. 1 can light a diya (lamp).

One also has to follow a pious lifestyle while praying. She/he under no circumstance must kill any living being. She/he must abstain from non-veg food/hard-drinks. She/he shouldn’t cheat, forge, lie, steal. She/he should remain serene & not avoid unnecessary arguments or conflicts & abstain from using or hearing profane words. She/he should abstain from sensual entertainment or pleasure & bodily decoration. If followed properly for around 60 days then boon will be granted so in between 1 shouldn’t lose faith & remain patient & have faith.

If 1 follows the above techniques & prays ardently for around 2 months then her/his wishes if pious/noble & something that’s possible, not bad for her/him or for society then the boon certainly gets granted.