The Book of Prayer

Prophets, saints and ordinary seekers, some known, many anonymous, show us the way to a celebration of the Divine and a sacred connection with all life. Contained in these pages is the wisdom of the great religious texts, among them the Upanishads, the Bible, the Qpran, the Dhammapada and the Adi Granth. There are verses by mystics and saint-poets like Kabir, Bulle Shah, Lal Ded, Meera Bai, Jnanenshwar, Aandal, Maliadeviakka and St Francis of Assisi, and poems by famous literary figures like John Donne, Christina Rossetti and Gerard Manley Hopkins. Also included are songs of hope composed by people coping with the compulsions of everyday life - farmers, sailors, doctors and students. Compiled and edited by Renuka Narayanan, India's popular columnist on religion, this collection of the prayers of so many human beings across time and space offers moving proof that we all crave the same protection and deliverance.