Some of you might have read the title of this article and thought that the writer probably wanted to say “worship is life” as an exhortation to pray more. But I want to argue the opposite -- It is not only our prayer that is worship but our entire life is a form of worship. We, sometimes, tend to take a very narrow view of God as an entity who needs to be kept happy by spending time in prayers. Sometimes, the prayers are said with only the lips while the mind is engaged with the pressing concerns of the moment. This is a big disservice to the omnipotent, omnipresent God.
In the Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9, Verse 27, Sri Krishna says: yatkaroshi yad ashnasiyajjuhoshidadasiyat |
yattapasyasikaunteya tat kurushva mad-arpanam ||
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer as oblation to the sacred fire, whatever you bestow as a gift, and whatever austerities you perform, O son of Kunti, do them as an offering to Me.
Here, Sri Krishna is explaining to Arjuna that the relation between us and God is not limited to the time when prayers or sacrifices are being offered. Rather, it extends to everything that we do. Some people feel that once they have said their daily quota of prayers, their account with God is balanced for the time being. What they do during the rest of the day does not matter. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Every bad act that we do is being done against God. If we kick a stray puppy, we are kicking God himself. No amount of praying can cover it up unless we genuinely regret our mistake. To pray is easy; to see everyone and everything as a manifestation of God and treating it with respect is difficult.
On the other hand, a person who strives to be just and fair in everything that they do, need not worry too much about prayers because every act of theirs is a prayer. If a student is studying then his sincerity and hard work is a form of devotion to God too. If one working in an office does their work with love and care and not as a burden, it is a kind of prayer. If we treat our fellow beings with kindness, we are offering our respect to the God who made them. If we admire the marvels of nature -- the rivers, seas, the sky, mountains, trees, animals; we are in the company of God. In our day-to-day life, if we try to always do the right thing and strive to make the world a better place, we are offering worship.