A prayer is not just words, descriptions or sounds. It is mainly the sacred understanding of ourselves with devotion. Prayer is not getting entangled in mere rituals without understanding their meanings. There was a Guru who had mastered the scriptures. One day, when he was teaching Vedas to his disciples, a cat was moving around. This, however, did not disturb the Guru, but was a distraction to some of his disciples.
So, the Guru instructed his disciples to get hold of the cat and tether it to a pillar to prevent distraction. As this nuisance continued to recur on the following days, the cat was regularly tethered to the pillar before the Guru began his teaching. After some years, the Guru passed away. One of his disciples became the new head of that ashram. The practice of tethering the cat to the pillar continued while he taught his disciples. After a few months, the cat died. The next day, when the new Guru began his teachings, he noticed that the cat was missing. He said, “Don’t you know that a cat must be tethered to the pillar here during my teaching? This is our tradition!” The disciples promptly obeyed his orders. People blindly follow tradition and miss the spirit of tradition. Some people say, “We do not have a separate prayer room; So, how are we to pray?” There is absolutely no need for an external peaceful atmosphere for one to pray or meditate. It is possible to pray without mantras and shlokas provided one has peace within.
Edited to remove caps in thread title. Cosmo
So, the Guru instructed his disciples to get hold of the cat and tether it to a pillar to prevent distraction. As this nuisance continued to recur on the following days, the cat was regularly tethered to the pillar before the Guru began his teaching. After some years, the Guru passed away. One of his disciples became the new head of that ashram. The practice of tethering the cat to the pillar continued while he taught his disciples. After a few months, the cat died. The next day, when the new Guru began his teachings, he noticed that the cat was missing. He said, “Don’t you know that a cat must be tethered to the pillar here during my teaching? This is our tradition!” The disciples promptly obeyed his orders. People blindly follow tradition and miss the spirit of tradition. Some people say, “We do not have a separate prayer room; So, how are we to pray?” There is absolutely no need for an external peaceful atmosphere for one to pray or meditate. It is possible to pray without mantras and shlokas provided one has peace within.
Edited to remove caps in thread title. Cosmo