Should we ask the Lord to protect us at the end of our prayers and meditation?

First of all we must know that prayers by speech and meditation by mind do not have any value like offering a glass of water to the guest has no value. Even in a restaurant, one can drink a glass of water without paying anything. If you ask the Lord to protect you in return for your prayer and meditation, it is something like charging the customer for drinking a glass of water in a restaurant. Only service to the Lord in terms of sacrifice of work (Karma Sanyasa) and sacrifice of the fruit of work (Karma Phala Tyaga) can have real value like serving a plate of meals to the customer in the restaurant. Of course the plate of meals should always be associated with drinking water. Similarly the service to the Lord should also be associated with prayers and meditation. Service without prayer and meditation is ninety-nine percent and cannot be one hundred percent. The prayer and meditation have significance and value only when they are associated with service. Therefore asking for protection from the Lord in return for prayer or meditation is not at all justified.

Of course asking for protection after the service associated with prayer and meditation is justified but not appreciable. When you ask for the fruit, it shall be given according to the value of your service. But if you don’t ask for the fruit, your service attains infinite value and you will get permanent protection from the Lord without any account of your service. Do you ask your son for the fruit as soon as you serve him? You simply do whatever service you can for your son, and when you become old, he renders whatever service he can do for you. Is there any account between you and your son? If you deserve, the Lord will protect you and you need not remind Him about this. If you do not deserve He cannot violate His own rules and administration for the sake of an undeserving fellow. If you do not ask Him for any favor, you are a good follower of His administration and He will be pleased with you even without your prayers and worship. He will become angry if you ask Him to protect you even if you deserve, because He becomes angry since you have unnecessarily reminded Him. He becomes angry with you when you do not deserve, because you are asking the Lord to violate His own administration. Therefore in both the cases you should not mention your desire for protection or for any other fruit before the Lord. Even though nobody is there to question the Lord even if He violates the rules, the angels and sages are constantly watching Him through meditation. If the Lord violates the rules for the sake of undeserving devotees, these divine devotees will be shaken in their impression about the Lord and their meditation will be spoiled. Therefore the Lord will never do anything to harm these divine devotees.