Prayer of the Day

Prayer from Kena Upanishad

ॐ

तदभ्यद्रवत् 
तमभ्यवदत् कॊऽसीति
अग्निर्वा अहमस्मीत्यब्रवीज्जातवॆदा वा अहमस्मीति ॥ ३.४ ॥

ॐ

Hymn as Romanized text

 
Om

tadabhyadravat 
tamabhyavadat kO&sIti
agnirvA ahamasmItyabravIjjAtavEdA vA ahamasmIti || 3.4 ||

( tat abhya dravat 
tam abhyavadat kO asi iti
agnir vA aham asmi iti abravIt jAtavEdA vA aham asmi ti ||   )

Om

Meaning of the Prayer Hymn:

 He (agni) quickly approached (the Spirit).
It asked him, "Who are you?"
He replied, "Oh I am the Agni. 
The one known as Jatavedas (all-knower), it is me!"

 Notes: 

1. abhyaya - approach; dravat - quickly; abhyavadat - ask.

2. The Agni is the base for the Yagna and God stays resplendent
on that base. Hence Agni is worshipped. As the adhishtana of God,
agni gets the brilliant names like Jatavedas - all knower.

However all this is due to the Lord Who is in Agni. 
Without the help of that God, the Agni who is known as Jatavedas
or all knower was not able to find out, Who the Spirit was!!

3. There is a nice story to explain this. One day the God went 
around the town on the Vahana. All the people who saw the Lord,
immediately folded hands and saluted. The Vahana thought it is so
glorious and hence people are paying their respect. Once the Lord
was back in the temple and went inside, leaving the Vahana out, 
it was kept in a corner without anyone bothering allowing dust to settle on it.
Now it realized that all the respect is for the Lord, Who was using the 
Vahana and not for itself.

Many time we forget that thanks to the Grace, we are what we are.
If we realize ourselves to be pure instruments with the Lord, life will be a lot blissful.