Healing, Karma, and Divine Grace: The Power of Prayer and Surrender

Bhakti Yoga, Featured

Photo by Luis Dalvan courtesy of Pexels.

If you get divinely and miraculously healed, is this part of your karma? Yes. Miraculously you are healed. Maybe you deserved it. God helped you to heal. You have done some good karma to receive that kind of healing energy. But if you haven’t healed and if you want to get healed, you can still create that karma. It’s never too late.

Suppose you are still not well and you want to get healed and there is no miracle happening. You don’t have to get depressed. Instead realize that maybe, yes, I didn’t do good karma before. But, I’ll do it now and I will have faith it will come.” Yes, have that confidence and do it, and you will be healed.

What is the best way to pray for someone else who is sick? Should you use your energy to visualize the person as a whole or just pray that God’s Will should be done with that person? You can do both. You can visualize that person. Imagine that you are sending your good thoughts, healthy thoughts, to that person. Certainly it will reach the person. And, at the same time, you can pray to God and say, “This is what I can do. This is what I would like to do. But, it is not my energy I am sending to that person. I am receiving it from You and passing it on to that person because my energy may be very little. So, I am receiving Your energy and passing it on.”

That’s the best way of praying for somebody. Otherwise, you may pray, and if that somebody gets well then there is a sort of mild, subtle ego that can develop in you: “Oh, look at that! I prayed and they got well!” Then you will want them to be your witness: “See, here is the power of my prayer!” However, that other person may get well, but, by your own egoism, you may fall sick. So beware of that.

Always be humble and say, “God, Thy Will be done. You can pray and say to God, “This person’s illness came to my notice and I feel like praying for that person. I cannot demand and command You to heal that person, but I can request You to please do so. But I know that You are not just going to do it because I request that of You. I am showing my concern, that’s all. So I am doing my part. If that is also Your Will, may it happen.” That way you keep yourself safe.

By Sri Swami Satchidananda

Search the magazine

Recent Articles

Shivoham!

The great Indian sage and proponent of Advaita Vedanta, Adi Shankara, realized his true nature and wrote the “Nirvana Shatakam,” with six Sanskrit verses that describe his experience. Gaiea, a Western yogini, Sanskrit scholar and teacher both sings and composed music...

read more
Donate to Integral Yoga Magazine

Support Integral Yoga Magazine

Integral Yoga Magazine is a nonprofit. Our mission is to share the wisdom of the Yoga teachings—to inspire, comfort, support, and uplift readers around the world—through this website and our eMagazine, which mails weekly.

Do you share our aspiration? We can’t do this without your help. Please donate today. Thank you. Om Shanti.