Prayers from Whispers from Eternity by Paramahansa Yogananda

Prayer at dawn	At dawn and the opening of lotus buds, my soul flower softly unfolds to receive Thy light Each petal is bathed in rays of bliss. The early breezes waft the perfume of Thy presence. Bless me, that with the spreading aurora I spread to all men Thy message of love. With the awakening day may I awaken countless souls with my own and bring them to Thee.
Prayer at noon	The sun is at zenith; Thine outer world is filled with vigor. Express through me Thy vitality and creativeness. O Invisible Lord, Thy presence permeates the sunrays. They recharge my body battery, that I be strong and tireless. In the heat of the day's activities I drink from Thy fountain of joy. Thine infinite beams shine on all places, crowded or empty. As I walk the populous and the lonely paths of life, may I, too, radiate unchangeably the light of Thy love.
Prayer at Eventide	The day is done. Purified by its sunshine, I pass through the faintly starlit portals of evening. I bow to Thine approaching Spirit of calmness. What prayers shall I offer? For I have no words worthy of Thee. On the altar of my heart I will light a fire of devotion. Shall that little blaze suffice to attract Thee to my temple-dimly illumined, long dark with ignorance? Come, O Lord, I yearn for Thee!
Prayer at night	In the peace of night I worship Thee. The sunlight that revealed a myriad earthly allurements has vanished. One by one I shut the doors of my senses, lest the fragrance of the rose or the song of the nightingale distract my love from Thee. Like Night, I adore Thee in hiddenness and silence. Within the shrine of darkness I invoke Thee, Blessed and Beloved!
A prince of peace, sitting on the throne of poise	Father, teach me to be calmly active and actively calm.* May I be a prince of peace, sitting on the throne of poise and directing the kingdom of activity.
Healing affirmation	O Divine Spirit, Thou didst create my body. It is well, Thou art present in it. Thy Being is perfect. I am made in Thine image: I am perfect.
May I be cheerfully busy	Thou art ever at work and yet eternally smiling through count- less joyous hearts. Bless me, that while I labor in the factory of life I wear, like Thee, an unfading smile. May the waves of Thy power ever dance on the river of my daily activities. Divine Mother, as Thou findest delight in fashioning atoms, flowers, and universes, so teach me the secret of being creatively and cheerfully busy.
Prayer of my heart	Make my soul Thy temple! Make my heart Thine altar! Make my love Thy home! May Thy love shine forever on the sanctuary of my devotion, and may I be able to awaken Thy love in all hearts.
Heal us to heal in body, mind, and soul	O Spirit, teach us to heal the body by recharging it with Thy cosmic energy, to heal the mind by concentration and cheerfulness, and to heal the disease of soul ignorance by the divine medicine of meditation on Thee,
Overcoming my enemies: bad habits	Fierce foes, obstinate habits of restlessness, have entrenched themselves in the territory of my mind. May I overcome my enemies, bent on robbing me of my wealth of peace. Lead Thou my battling-power to victory!
Happiness is our birthright	May we realize, O Lord, that we cannot be happy until we seek satisfaction in spiritual progress, guarding our peace of mind from all influences that would destroy it. Let us understand that happiness comes not by aimlessly thinking about it but by striving to express it in all our moods and actions. No matter what tasks we are performing, teach us to feel the divine undercurrent, the hidden river of bliss, ever flowing beneath the sands of our myriad thoughts and the rocky soil of our difficulties. May we be secretly joyous in spite of all adverse circumstances, knowing that happiness is our birthright, our divine "buried treasure." Guide us to find in the soul the riches beyond the dreams of kings.
Make me A smile millionaire	O Silent Laughter of Spirit! smile Thou through my soul. Let my soul smile through my heart, and my heart smile through my eyes. Make me a smile millionaire, that I may freely scatter to poor hearts the riches of Thy smiles. Enthrone Thyself in the castle of my countenance, O Prince of Smiles! No rebels of hypocrisy shall enter; Thou wilt be protected by my unassailable sincerity.
May I overcome fear	O Divine Lon of Courage! Teach me to overcome fear by understanding its uselessness. May I not anesthetize with forebodings my unlimited ability as Thy child to meet successfully any test of life. Free me from paralyzing dreads. May I not visualize accidents and calamities, lest by the power of thought I invite them to externalize themselves. Inspire me to put my trust in Thee, not in human precautions only. I can pass safely where bullets fly or dread bacteria abound if I realize Thou art ever with me. May I never tremble at the thought of death. Help me to remember that for this body the summoner shall arrive only once; and that, through his mercy, when my time is come I shall not know of it nor care. Teach me, 0 Infinite Spirit! that whether I am awake or asleep, alert or daydreaming, living or dying, Thine all-protecting presence encircles me.

Heavenly Thief of Hearts	The rays of joy spreading in the firmament of my inner silence are promises of Thine approach. Whether Thou deignest to appear soon or late, some day I shall seize Thee, O Heavenly Thief of Hearts!


Why dost Thou seem So far away?	0 Heavenly Father, Thou art just behind my prayer; why dost Thou seem so far away? intimations of Thy presence tremble through my feelings, and glimpses of Thee flash in my sacred thoughts; yet Thou seemest distant. Remove the veil between us; come, Spirit, come! I yearn to know Thee and to hear Thy voice. When I pray to Thee I want to realize that Thou art listening. Show me the way to reach Thee!
Guide me, O soul Charioteerl	Teach me, 0 Lord, to conquer the self by the Self. May I never permit the blind ego in me to obstruct the soul. Bless me, that I willingly appoint the soul as the body's only charioteer. May the divine driver, with its perfect discrimination, control the five fiery steeds of my senses, hold firmly the reins of my mind, and triumphantly take my little chariot on the wheels of right discipline over the speedway of incarnations. 0 King of Kings, after the last lap of the final race I shall ride a chariot of Thine infinite light!
Save us from the dragnet of delusion	By stealth the fisherman, Transitoriness, deludes us. We swim in the shallow waters of false assurances of safety, the while a deadly net of ignorance is closing in upon us. In the daily haul, many men are caught-few escape. 0 Measureless Mercy, save us from the dread dragnet of desires and matter attachment! May we dive into silent deep-sea spaces of divine communion and become uncapturable.
May I calm the storms of restless desires	With the power that flows from perceptions of Thee, may I calm by Christlike command* my storms of restless desires. Blessed Spirit, help me to subdue the incessant ripples of the little wave of my life, that Thine oceanic vastness spread over me. In the limpid waters of my soul let me behold the unruffled reflection of Thy face of stillness.
Master Mariner, take charge of my boat	O Father, my little raft of meditation is buffeting furious storms of distraction. On this boisterous mental sea I am yet heading toward Thy shores. Master Mariner, come, take charge of my boat!





May my love For Thee be unfading	0 Spirit, I care not if sufferings come to me or if all things are taken from me; I pray only that my love for Thee never fade through my negligence. May the taper of devotion into Thee burn forever on the altar of my memory.


Lead me to the royal highway of realization	May I not wander on labyrinthine paths of religious formalities. 0 Lord, set Thou my feet on the one royal highway-realization of the Self; the road that leads straight to Thee.
Destroying the fortress of ignorance	Shell after shell of my Yearning for Thee will break down the ramparts of delusion. With missiles of wisdom and grim guns of determination I shall destroy the fortress of my ignorance.
Revive myriendship with Thee	0 Patient Heart, teach me to revive by meditation my old friendship with Thee. May I realize that in MY journey toward din Thou vine expansion, incarnation after incarnation and Gum have been , and will be my only Eternal Friends.

Make me clean again, Divine Mother	Thou didst dress me in raiment immaculate, and sent me out to play. I wandered away and frolicked among the fruitless trees of delusion. The shadows of the forest of suffering enveloped me. I went out spotless; now I am besmirched with the mud of ignorance. 0 Divine Mother, wash me in waters of Thy wisdom! Make me clean again!

May our hearts repeat Thy Name	0 Utter Innocence! we are not worthy to invoke Thee. We have long indulged in worldly speech. Now with soiled lips we are calling Thee. No matter what our activities, let us hear our soul speaking of Thee. 0 God, 0 Father! may our hearts ceaselessly repeat Thy wondrous Name.






Be Thou President of a United World	Divine Creator, President of the Universe, Chief Executive of Planets, Stars, and Galaxies! Thy democratic rule, giving the rights of free will and self-evolution to Thy citizen children, is bringing them nearer and nearer to Thine ideals. Created with the consciousness of omnipresence, we had from Thee a birthright of eternal freedom. Alas, we imprisoned our universality behind bars of selfish interests and narrowheartedness. May we learn to express our soul warmth of love and understanding, melting all icy boundaries of exclusiveness. Bless us, 0 Father, that we form a United World, electing Thee as our Perpetual Spiritual President. With Thy guidance, may we govern ourselves rightly through conscience and soul discrimination. Teach us to enrich our spiritual opportunities and sympathies by enlarging the circle of our patriotic love, including in it all inhabitants of the earth, regardless of color, caste, class, sex, or creed.