PRAYER IS THE ONLY WAY WHEN MAN'S EFFORTS ARE OF NO AVAIL

PRAYER IS THE ONLY WAY WHEN MAN'S EFFORTS ARE OF NO AVAIL. PRAY WHEREVER YOU ARE IN WHATEVER WAY YOU LIKE, IN THE SILENCE OF YOUR HEARTS.

THERE IS FAR GREATER POTENCY IN PRAYERS THAN YOU MAY BELIEVE.

HOW MUCH MORE DEVASTATION WILL IT TAKE BEFORE WE WAKE UP TO THIS REALITY?

GOD WILL RELIEVE YOU OF YOUR OWN TROUBLES WHEN YOU PRAY FOR THE TROUBLES OF OTHERS. THIS IS A UNIVERSAL SPIRITUAL LAW.

Follow Hurricane Sandy live coverage
– at least 48 people reported dead
– Barack Obama declares 'major disaster' in New York and cancels Wednesday's campaign trip to Ohio in favour of travelling to New Jersey to tour damaged areas with Republican Chris Christie
– Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, says at least 18 dead in city alone
– Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, says the storm has caused 'unthinkable devastation' and praisesthe president for his handling of the crisis
– Over 50 homes destroyed as firefighters battle raging fires in the borough of Queens
– Around 8.2 million households reportedly left without power after record storm
– Levee breaks in Northern New Jersey, flooding three towns
– 13 foot storm surge bursts the banks of the East and Hudson rivers, submerging New York's road and subway tunnels
– New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it is worst disaster in the history of the NYC subway system
– Alert issued at New Jersey Oyster Creek nuclear power plant due to a record storm surge

INDIAN SAINTS AND THE WILL OF GOD

Throughout the centuries, Saints or Enlightened Souls have been born in India dating right back to 1500 BC. These were souls who were attuned to the Will of God, who saw God around them all the time, who lived and breathed God each and every moment of their lives, and who merged into God in the end, with some of them going to heaven in their bodies.

One such notable saint was Namdev who lived in Maharashtra in Central India during 1270 AD.

Many a legend and story have been woven around this great devotee of God who carried the concept of Will of God to extremes no man was capable of. His one chant was : "The Will of God be done!"

It is said that once when he had left his house and had gone out, the house caught fire. All his belongings were lying inside the house.

When Namdev came to the scene he found kindly neighbours and friends rescuing his belongings from the fire.

He was aghast!

"What do you think you are doing?" he shouted at those who were rescuing his belongings.

"Saving your furniture and clothes!"

"O Woe unto you! Stop! Stop!"

And saying this Namdev went to the scene and picked up the belongings and started throwing them back into the fire!

Now it was the turn of the neighbours to be aghast:

"Hey! And what do you think you are doing!!" they yelled at him, trying to hold him back.

Namdev was inconsolable.

"Today the Lord in His Infinite Mercy, came as Fire to the poor house of Namdev to take his home and belongings! Alas! These became as offerings to the Lord! Why did you have to take them back!

" Throw them back! Let the Lord consume them with the fire he has sent! It was His will that this house be consumed in the Fire that he had sent! Who are we to oppose that Will!"

For these saints everything that was happening around them was the Will of God, and worldly gains and losses had no meaning. Life was the Will of God and Death, too, howsoever unpleasant, was the Will of God. They accepted both with equanimity and love - love for God and for the Will of God, no matter how frightening or bizarre its shape might turn out to be.

"How can you love these dreadful things?" they were asked.

"How can they be dreadful when we love them because we love God more than anything else in the world, and we see the Will of God in them!"

These saints gave the concept of the Will of God a shape which most ordinary folk found incomprehensible - but which was as clear as daylight to them.

When one of these saints was asked:

"You speak of God and His Will all the time - but have you ever seen God?"

The saint replied: " I see Him all the time. I see Him as clearly as I can see you!"

CALLING FOR A WORLD PRAYER TO HALT THE FLOOD

Invoking the Spirit of my Father, HH Shri Bhola Nathji (1902-1992) the Founder of the World Prayer Day, I call upon all my brothers and sisters in the world to offer prayers in any way they like in accordance with their own religious precepts to Halt this Flood and Devastation which has hit the United States of America endangering the lives of thousands of our American brothers and sisters.

Only He who has created Nature can halt the forces of Nature, it is beyond the puny strength of man, no matter how strong or mighty.

Let us all pray to God to invoke His Divine Grace, in the manner my Father had done in 1984, when the world was threatened by a nuclear holocaust, even as he sends his benedictions upon us from his celestial plane. Let the flood waters recede as suddenly as they had begun.

PRAY WHEREVER YOU ARE

IN WHATEVER WAY YOU LIKE

PEACE AND DESIRE

Thou do desire peace by means of desire. But thou do lose the very peace by instilling desire. Try not to create things to satiate thy desire, but create thou desires for the things that are already with thee.

And in this way thou shalt never lose thy joy.

Thou wouldst evolve desire and then search for things that may or may not be found. If they are found there is happiness and if they are not found there is sorrow. Leave, therefore, this uncertain joy.

Do thou evolve a desire for the things that are in thy possession, so that thou may enjoy them to the fullest extent.

Create a desire for whatever is given unto thee or whatever Providence sends.

Where, therefore, can sorrow find a place?

In this way thou shalt possess all that thou do desire, for thou didst not desire that which was not with thee.

If thou canst desire in one way why canst thou not desire in another?

To desire, rests in a thought of thy mind. Desire, therefore, in the way which gives thee joy.

Why create before thyself the darkness of thy own shadow and stumble and fall?

PEACE AND DESIRE

Thou do desire peace by means of desire. But thou do lose the very peace by instilling desire. Try not to create things to satiate thy desire, but create thou desires for the things that are already with thee.

And in this way thou shalt never lose thy joy.

Thou wouldst evolve desire and then search for things that may or may not be found. If they are found there is happiness and if they are not found there is sorrow. Leave, therefore, this uncertain joy.

Do thou evolve a desire for the things that are in thy possession, so that thou may enjoy them to the fullest extent.

Create a desire for whatever is given unto thee or whatever Providence sends.

Where, therefore, can sorrow find a place?

In this way thou shalt possess all that thou do desire, for thou didst not desire that which was not with thee.

If thou canst desire in one way why canst thou not desire in another?

To desire, rests in a thought of thy mind. Desire, therefore, in the way which gives thee joy.

Why create before thyself the darkness of thy own shadow and stumble and fall?

SHRI NATHJI A DIVINE PERSONALITY

HH Shri Nathji (1902-1992) was not only known as the handsomest man in the world during his time, but philosophers, poets and religious folk had their own interpretations of his godly face and eyes, with the divine love, compassion, peace and innocence and guileless expression that marked his countenance, and which were out of this world. It was this one distingui

shing feature of his personality that made people stop and gaze at him. It was as if all the love and compassion in the world had personified itself in his face.

There were many persons who compared his divine beauty to that of the gods, Lord Rama in particular, of ages past, about whom a poet, Tulsidas had written:

"Alas! The eyes have no tongue to narrate,

And the tongue hath no sight to behold,

This indescribable beauty of Thine."

It is noteworthy that many paintings and images of Lord Rama bear a striking resemblance to HH Shri Nathji. It appeared to be a favorite Face for the artists and painters of the time!