As a child, I would pray for my needs and actively strive to fulfil them. I was firmly convinced that God was aiding me to achieve my wish. Isn’t it a manifestation? The concept of manifestation as it is commonly understood today, particularly in the context of the law of attraction and self-help, may not have been explicitly articulated to the previous generation.

Manifestation refers to the process of bringing something into reality or making something tangible through one’s thoughts, beliefs, and actions. Manifestation is often linked to the idea of the law of attraction, which states that similar things are drawn to each other and that positive thoughts and beliefs can attract positive results. It involves focusing your thoughts, beliefs, and actions towards achieving desired outcomes.

On the other hand, prayer is often practised as a way to seek blessings, protection, healing, guidance, or material abundance. We offer prayers to gods, goddesses, ancestors, or other spiritual entities, believing that our requests and intentions would be heard and answered. Prayer is seen as a way to invoke divine intervention. In this sense, prayer can be seen as a form of communicating desires and intentions to a higher power.

The act of making a wish during prayer can be seen as a part of manifestation. In various Indian cultures, it is common to observe individuals making vows or promises to the divine, pledging to offer something in return once their wish is granted. By making such a vow and consistently contemplating it, one begins to draw the desired outcome closer and actively strive towards it. This process can be seen as turning your heartfelt desires into reality. Hence, manifestation is distinct from prayer, although it may be considered a component of prayer.