Welcome to Prayers and Reflections. We've provided a rich array of writings and prayers that express the longing of the human soul for the divine.

>> Submit Prayers & Reflections

>> Go to Discussion Boards

>> Prayers submitted by Hindu Gateway members

Lead Us from the Unreal . . . Lead us from the unreal to the real, Lead us from darkness to light, Lead us from death to immortality. OM, peace, peace, peace.

Homage to Krishna 

The Bhagavad-Gita is one of the central texts of Hinduism. In it Krishna reveals himself to his friend Arjuna as an incarnation of the god Vishnu. This is Arjuna's reply.

>> Go to Prayer

A Call to Shiva 

The Hindu god Shiva may be the oldest continuously worshipped deity in the world. This doesn’t necessarily keep his devotees from addressing him in intimate or even wheedling terms, as this verse from southern India suggests.

>> Go to Prayer

Why Don't We Pray? by Helene Ciaravino 

If prayer has so many benefits, why doesn’t everyone pray? Why is it such a struggle to pray at times? Why is it so easy to forget to pray, to make prayer a last priority, perhaps even to doubt prayer? In identifying why people don’t pray, we can trace most reasons back to fear. The remaining reasons have to do with the busy nature of our lives, the pride we face as people influenced by “rugged individualism,” and plain old lack of faith. This article studies common reasons why people might not pray, and also suggests some viable solutions.

>> Go to Prayer

How Effective is Prayer? by Helene Ciaravino 

It is easy to say that prayer can make us feel really good; that it opens the individual up to better understanding and therefore improves his life; that it can provide calm and contentment, thus improving health and happiness. But is there any proof that prayer actually works? Is it really worth our while? Can we evaluate prayer as we would evaluate any other “treatment” or “therapy” and prove its effectiveness? In very recent years, science has put forth good efforts to do just that. And there have been reputable studies that confirm prayer’s power. This article examines the relationship between prayer and science. It presents studies that not only confirm the power of prayer, but also provide some surprising insights into the process of prayer.

>> Go to Prayer

>> More Tools for Exploration