Prayers

Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Do not let us fall into temptation, but deliver us from evil. –Amen

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offeneded You. I hate all my sins, because they offend You, my God who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid all occasions of sin.

Oh God, from whom all wisdom, and knowledge come; help me to do my studies well. Open my mind to the Truth; make me diligent and constant in the pursuit of learning. Give me an attentive mind Lord; keen and alert, so that I can concentrate and grasp my lessons. Give me an eager mind Lord to learn something new every day, and may my aim always be to pierce the veil of the visible world, to reach You, Invisible, Eternal, Unchan-geable Truth.

Eternal God/Creator of all / I firmly believe / that I am in Your presence/ I adore Your Divine Majesty/and ask of You/to enlighten my mind, that I may love You/above all things/and my neighbour/ for Your sake. Help me/that I may never/in my thoughts or deeds/ go against Your Holy Law

We give You thanks/Almighty God, for all the benefits/You have showered upon us. Oh my God I love You/with my whole heart and above all things. I am heartily sorry for having offended You/ by my thought/and acts/but You are forgiving/and I firmly resolve/ not to offend You any more.

Heavenly Father, we pray for our nation and its leaders; give them the wisdom and integrity to lead our nation in the best direction. Bless them with discernment so that they may make decisions and laws for the betterment and welfare of the people.

We pray for peace in our nation. Protect our country from all dangers and natural calamities. Inspire and enable us to choose the right way of life, not be influenced by negative thoughts and ideology but surrender ourselves to have to the all embracing love of the Supreme Being. Help us to shun violence and discrimination and assist us to have a peaceful co-existence among all citizens. Help us to build a culture of mutual respect, universal brotherhood, equality and justice. Illumine our minds so that we may work together to realise the ideals and values enshrined in our Constitution, and lead a life most pleasing to You. We make this prayer in Your holy name.

India is my country.
All Indians are my Brothers and Sisters.
I love my country and
I am proud of its rich and varied heritage.
I shall always strive to be worthy of it.
I shall give my parents, teachers and elders
respect and treat everyone with courtesy.
To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion.
In their well-being and prosperity
alone/lies my happiness.

The song Jana Gana Mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the national anthem of India on 24th January, 1950. It was first sung on 27 December, 1911 at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza contains the full version of the National Anthem.

जन-गण-मन अधिनायक जय हे
भारत भाग्‍य विधाता ।
पंजाब-सिंधु-गुजरात-मराठा
द्राविड़-उत्‍कल-बंग
विंध्य हिमाचल यमुना गंगा
उच्‍छल जलधि तरंग
तव शुभ नामे जागे, तव शुभ आशिष मांगे
गाहे तव जय-गाथा ।
जन-गण-मंगलदायक जय हे भारत भाग्‍य विधाता ।
जय हे, जय हे, जय हे, जय जय जय जय हे ।

VANDE MATARAM

The song Vande Mataram composed in Sanskrit by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. The first political occasion when it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. The song first appeared in his book ‘Anandamath’ published in 1882 amid fears of a ban by the British Raj, though the song itself was actually written six years prior in 1876.

वन्दे मातरम्
सुजलां सुफलाम्
मलयजशीतलाम्
शस्यश्यामलाम्
मातरम्।

शुभ्रज्योत्स्नापुलकितयामिनीम्
फुल्लकुसुमितद्रुमदलशोभिनीम्
सुहासिनीं सुमधुर भाषिणीम्
सुखदां वरदां मातरम्॥ १॥

कोटि कोटि-कण्ठ-कल-कल-निनाद-कराले
कोटि-कोटि-भुजैर्धृत-खरकरवाले,
अबला केन मा एत बले।
बहुबलधारिणीं
नमामि तारिणीं
रिपुदलवारिणीं
मातरम्॥ २॥

तुमि विद्या, तुमि धर्म
तुमि हृदि, तुमि मर्म
त्वम् हि प्राणा: शरीरे
बाहुते तुमि मा शक्ति,
हृदये तुमि मा भक्ति,
तोमारई प्रतिमा गडी मन्दिरे-मन्दिरे॥ ३॥

त्वम् हि दुर्गा दशप्रहरणधारिणी
कमला कमलदलविहारिणी
वाणी विद्यादायिनी,
नमामि त्वाम्
नमामि कमलाम्
अमलां अतुलाम्
सुजलां सुफलाम्
मातरम्॥४॥

वन्दे मातरम्
श्यामलाम् सरलाम्
सुस्मिताम् भूषिताम्
धरणीं भरणीं
मातरम्॥ ५॥

Thought for the day

The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure much.” ~William Hazlit