A long time ago, my father lived in Africa. Back then, life jackets did not exist. Therefore, people who did not know how to swim well in deep water held onto a piece of wood to secure them and to help them float. One day, as my father was swimming in fairly deep water, his piece of wood slipped out of his hands. His body became stiff and he started to drown. He thought his life was coming to an end, but then remembered what his parents had once told him, ''Whenever you are in trouble, always do Simran.'' So he started, and at that very moment someone's leg came into his hand and he was brought ashore. He was very thankful that his life was saved and it was possibly due to Simran and his faith in it that he had survived. This goes to show that Simran is not only a bunch of words put together, but rather something more powerful that works if a person has strong faith in it. Not to say that Simran is some sort of magic spell. It does not always work the way we want it to, or further more the way we think we want it to work.

Sometimes, we forget to see the bigger picture and that it is all a bigger plan that we are unaware of, but is also a remembrance of God. Simran comes from the word "Smaran" which in Hindi means remembering is to actually feel the words and remember God at all times. Mahatma Ghandhi said, "Prayer needs no speech." Doing this can help us tremendously by making the right choices, taking the path of righteousness, attaining bliss, detachment from the materialistic world, liberation, a feeling of safety, washing away or sins, destroying our ego, anger and other such evil things, without any more cravings or wants; and ultimately becoming a fully God-realized person and a true devotee. Like it says in the Avtar Bani, "The one who remembers the Formless, always has a glow on his face; The one who remembers the Formless, remains untouched by suffering. If you know Him and then pray to Him even once, He will Wipe out millions of your sins; But if one remembers the Divine Name given by the True Master, one gets liberated. The luxury and glamour of this world does not satiate one's thirst; But if one remembers God, there remains no thirst or craving. Those who are hued in the divine color of this One, enjoy the bliss; Avtar says, those who have realised this One, are the devotee saints of God."

Simran is also, for me, a way to communicate with God and to thank Him for everything. A recent experience with a friend made me realize that prayer is universal and should be done for everyone, not only for ourselves or the people in our lives. On a field trip we visited a beautiful church. My friend who belonged to the Jewish faith was not supposed to enter into the church but she did anyway. Once we were inside the church, her friend who belonged to the Christian faith was showing her how to pray inside a church and so she did so. After exiting the church she said to me, "It does not matter where I pray, whether in a church or in a synagogue; it is all the same thing. I am still praying for all the poor people and all the sick people."

All in all, Simran is one of the greatest tools we are given to accomplish many things in our spiritual life. I would like to leave you with one more quote by Mahatma Ghandhi, "He who has experienced the magic of prayer may do without food for days together, but not a single moment without prayer. For without prayer, there is no inward peace."