Seven Names of God Prayer
The Seven Names of God Prayer is a prayer given by Meher Baba to his students and close disciples to memorize and recite, often as a chant or song, at certain times during his life.
Meher Baba composed the prayer on June 16, 1927, for the students in his free school known as the Meher Ashram to memorize and recite daily. The boy's schedule included rising at 5:00 a.m. and after washing they were to chant The Seven Names of God prayer. The prayer was also sung before each meal in the dining hall.[1] Baba later had his adult disciples memorize the prayer.
Baba composed another version during his final seclusion in 1967 that he had a disciple named Kaikobad repeat aloud in his presence.[2]
- Ya Yezdan, Ahuramazda,
- Allah, Ishwar, Paramatma,
- God Almighty, Parvardigar!
Notes
The names of God in these prayers by Meher Baba are explained as follows.
- Hari: another name of Vishnu — Hinduism
- Paramatma: Supreme Soul or Over-soul — Vedanta
- Allah: The one God — Islam
- Ahuramazda: Name of God's attribute of Life and Wisdom — Zoroastrianism
- God: Supreme Being — Christianity and Judaism
- Yezdan (also Yazdan): "Worthy of Worship" — Zoroastrianism
- Hu: a name of God meaning He, God — Sufism
- Ya (as in Ya Yezdan): an Arabic word meaning "O"
- Ishwar (also Ishvara): the Supreme Being which is the lord and the ruler of everything — Hinduism
- God Almighty is a name of God in Judaism, from El Shaddai.[3] It is also one of the traditional 101 names of God in Zoroastrianism, Harvesp-tawan.[4]
- Parvardigar (also Parwardigar): The Preserver or Sustainer — Sufism
- In Islam there are 99 names of God.[5] Meher Baba gave a list of 101 Names of God.[6]
Seven Names of God in Judaism
The tradition of seven names of God is not new to Meher Baba. In medieval Judaism, God was sometimes called The Seven.[7] Among the ancient Hebrews, the seven names for the Deity over which the scribes had to exercise particular care were:[8]
- El (One of the oldest names of a monotheistic God, dating at least as early as tablets found in Syria 2300 BC)
- Elohim ("Strong One" or "Lord Almighty")
- Adonai ("My Lord" and origin of the Greek name Adonis)
- Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh ("I am that I am")
- YHWH
- Shaddai ("Almighty" According to Exodus 6:2, 3, Shaddai was the name by which God was known to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.)
- Zebaot ("Heavenly Host")
Seven Names of God in Christianity
Some Christians recognize seven names of God, often citing Psalm 23.[9][10][11]
- YHWH-Yireh — "The Lord will provide" (Genesis 22:13-14)
- YHWH-Rapha — "The Lord that healeth" (Exodus 15:26)
- YHWH-Niss"i — "The Lord our Banner" (Exodus 17:8-15)
- YHWH-Shalom — "The Lord our Peace" (Judges 6:24)
- YHWH-Ra-ah — "The Lord my Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1)
- YHWH-Tsidkenu — "The Lord our Righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:6)
- YHWH-Shammah — "The Lord is present" (Ezekiel 48:35)
References
- ↑ Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 948, 960
- ↑ Ibid. p. 6524
- ↑ Gen. 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; Ex. 6:31; Ps. 91:1, 2
- ↑ 101 Names of the Lord "Ahura Mazda"
- ↑ Fleming, Marrianne; Worden, David (2004). Religious Studies for AQA; Thinking About God and Morality. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers. ISBN 0-435-30713-4.
- ↑ Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 6124
- ↑ The Reader's Encyclopedia, Second Edition 1965, publisher Thomas Y. Crowell Co., New York, editions 1948, 1955. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 65-12510, page 918
- ↑ The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins (Robert Hendrickson, 1987) ISBN 978-0-8160-4088-9
- ↑ The Name of God Hidden in Plsams 23
- ↑ Seven Names of God in Psalm 23
- ↑ The Seven Redemptive Names of God
See also
External links
- Seven Names of God on YouTube
- Katie Irani's Version of Seven Names of God in Mov and MPEG files
- Quotes on Prayer by Meher Baba
- Prayers by Meher Baba
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