The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1865 page)

d, the abode of Il
, the mother of a solar dynasty king.

 
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Pr
ya
citta
.

In Jainism, the practice of making vows in repentance for sins committed.

 
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(from Lat.,
precare
, ‘to beg, entreat’). The relating of the self or soul to God in trust, penitence, praise, petition, and purpose, either individually or corporately. Some of these aspects of prayer have been isolated (e.g. petition as intercession), as have some of the ways of being before God (e.g.
contemplation
,
meditation
, recollection), so that the term ‘prayer’ may cover more, or less, in each tradition.
Judaism
See
TEFILLAH
;
PRAYER BOOK (JUDAISM)
.
Christianity
Prayer is the acknowledgement of God as the source of all goodness and therefore the One who can meet human need and longing. It is thus an expression of wonder and a cry for help. A. Tanquerey (
The Spiritual Life
…, 1930) defined prayer as ‘an elevation of our soul to God to offer Him our homage and ask for His favours, in order to grow in holiness for His glory’. Christian prayer is prayer in Christ, sharing in the prayer of the Son to the Father through the Spirit, who in prayer exposes our deepest need (cf. Romans 8. 14–27). The model is Jesus' prayer to his Father, joyful, intimate, trusting, and obedient; the pattern is the prayer he gave to his disciples, the
Lord's Prayer
, which moves from adoration of the Father, through surrender to his will, to petition for sustenance, recognition of the need for forgiveness in the darkness of the world, and a cry for deliverance.
Islam
There are three major forms of prayer in Islam:
al
t
, the obligatory prayer five times a day;
dhikr
, remembrance of God, developed especially in
S
f
Islam; and
du‘
’
, a more personal calling on God, of which the prayers based on
y
La
f
, ‘O Gracious One’, are an example, based on Qur’
n 42. 19: ‘O Gracious One, … as you were generously kind in creating the heavens and the earth, and to me in the darkness of the womb, so be generously kind in your unswerving decree [
qadar
], and in your decisions concerning me.’ Prayers, or blessings, on the Prophet are also important.
Hinduism
Prayer permeates Hindu life, but not in so formal or detached a style as it does e.g. for Muslims. Great merit (
pu
ya
) is accrued from the saying of prayers, many of which are derived from the Vedic hymns. Prayer is highly devotional, especially in
bhakti
, and often merges into
mantra
.
Sikhism
Prayer is rooted in
n
m
simara