Namaskar - July 2009

Book Review
In the Sanctuary of the
Soul, A Guide to Effective
Prayer
by Paramahansa Yogananda
Reviewed by Tia Sinha
In this slim book, Paramahansa Yogananda,
one of the greatest yogis India has ever
seen,
teaches us to pray the way saints, sages and
mystics have prayed over the centuries, the
way that brings life-transforming responses.
The hallmark of Pramahansa Yogananda’s
teaching is that God is not remote or
unapproachable. Indeed, that Divine One is
‘the nearest of the near, dearest of the dear,
closer than the closest, just behind our
thoughts and feelings, just behind the
words with which we pray’.
Prayer is a demand of the soul. For
Paramahansa Yogananda, faith and prayer
to God were not wishful thinking or
unprovable belief. His was a scientific
approach to prayer, which yields direct
results and experience. True prayer is an
expression of, and urge from, the soul. It is
a hunger for God that arises from within.
According to Yogananda, the secret of
effective prayer is to change one’s status
from beggar to child of God. When one
appeals to God from that consciousness, an
intimate relationship is established with
God and prayer has power and wisdom.
The question arises, what does one pray for?
Isn’t the law of karma, of cause and effect,
unchangeable? Yogananda answers the law
of karma is immutable. God cannot be
moved by flattery or by praise to change the
course of His unchangeable, immutable
laws. Yet, God is both law and love. The
devotee who with pure devotion and faith,
seeks the unconditional love of God, and
who also brings his actions into harmony
with divine law, or dharma, will surely
receive the purifying and mitigating touch
of God.
One must remove from one’s mind all
doubt God will answer. Most people don’t
get any response because of their disbelief.
Every prayer uttered represents a desire. But
when one finds God, all desires vanish and
there is no need for prayer. But till one finds
God, it helps to pray! The highest prayer is
for God himself. We think that we want
human love and prosperity, but behind
these, it is God who is calling us. If we
realize that He is greater than all His gifts,
we will find Him.
Every page of this book brims with words
spoken from the depths of Paramahansa
Yogananda’s heart.
Tia writes to us from
Dharamshala in the
Himalayas, where she is
studying Buddhist texts
and the Tibetan
language at the Library
of Tibetan Works and
Archives.
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