THE ART OF ARATI

There are several cultural practices that I have been performing ever since I remember, without knowing their significance — why? I don’t know...maybe because I grew up in a society where people around me performed these practices regularly and nobody questioned them. So I, too, just followed. But during Ammachi’s 2005 summer tour, I realized it’s essential for me to get a true understanding of these practices, which are an integral part of sanatana dharma. And, hence I started my research in this interesting area.

This article is about the simple and important ritual of Arati. Arati involves the waving of an "arati plate" around a person or a deity and is generally accompanied by the singing of devotional songs (also known as arati) in praise of that deity or person. It is performed usually at the end of the puja / sadhana / ceremonial worship. The arati plate, generally made of metal, carries a lamp made of kneaded flour, mud or metal, and is filled with oil / ghee. Cotton wicks are put into the oil / ghee and then lighted, or camphor is burnt instead. The lamp is either a small one to hold one wick or it is big enough to hold five wicks. The plate also contains flowers and incense. The arati songs are particular to each deity and laud the glory of the deities and describe the virtues that one might be blessed with by praying to them. Sometimes they also contain snippets of information on the life of the gods.

Although arati is done to a person or deity, its main purpose is our purification. The person or deity is symbolic and represents our true Atman. During arati we are worshipping this purest Self within each of us. Arati reminds us of the greatness of the Lord, because the lamp’s flame that we wave cyclically is symbolic of the Cosmos (Sun, Moon, Stars) revolving around the Almighty paying obeisance to Him. The light of the flame dispels the darkness of ignorance and bestows on one the steadiness of mind — analogous to a flame that never wavers. The five wicks on the lamp signify our five senses and the camphor represents our ego, which is nothing but a collection of our vasanas. During arati, we offer our five senses and our ego to the Lord. We pray to Him that all our negativities get burnt out just like camphor, which burns completely without leaving a trace. We close our eyes while performing arati as if to look within. The Self or Atman is within us and self–realization can only be achieved by knowing thyself, with the flame of spiritual wisdom. The fragrance from the burning incense stick signifies our devotion and love rising up towards God away from the earthly pulls of innate tendencies or vasanas. Bells are rung, the sound of which signifies our wish that the mighty OM, which is the purest primordial vibration, resonate in our heart so that all good tendencies may be invoked and let all evil vibrations cease. And hands are clapped while one sings the arati in praise of our beloved Lord.

While we wave the arati plate around a deity, the plate itself is said to acquire the radiance and the power of the deity. We then take the plate around to all those present as Prasad [sacred offering]. The devotees cup their hands palm downwards over the flame and then raise their palms to their forehead. By doing so, they receive the purifying blessing which passed from the deity to the holy flame. The palms are meant to touch the spiritual eye at the center of our foreheads, so that the divine radiance reaches the spiritual eye and opens it making our vision single and unified thus freeing us from the duality of Maya which we see with two physical eyes. We pray that may the illumined light of our beloved Lord light up our spiritual vision so that our thoughts be pure and beautiful as well.

I hope the next time we perform arati it will have more meaning and will be much more beautiful.