Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Arati
Schedule:
7:30 am Monday - Friday
9:00 am Sunday
** Chanting of the Bhagavad Gita follows Arati
The Practice of Puja and Arati
Puja is the act of showing reverence to a god, a spirit, or another aspect of the divine through invocations, prayers, songs, and rituals. Most often that contact is facilitated through an object: an element of nature, a sculpture, a vessel, a painting, or a print.
Puja means worship,devotion and reverence. Puja is believed to be derived from the word 'pu-chey',or worship. The term puja is now used to include all forms of worship, ranging from the simple daily offerings of flowers, fruit, leaves, rice, sweetmeats and water to the deities in homes or temples.
The object of the puja ritual is to create and setup thoughts of spiritual forces in and around us. This is best achieved by chanting of some Mantra ,Bhajan or Chalisas, The benefit of puja is to remove obstacles. - Spiritualpuja.com / Wiki
Arti: 1,000x’s more effective than meditation
In American yoga studios, Arti is a rare practice. In India and many other Eastern lands, most everyone knows of Arti. Hundreds of millions of people offer this devotional song daily.
Arti is a means to honor the Indwelling Lord and Teacher. It is a prayer that our mind and heart might be cleansed and healed, so that then we could delight in the all-pervasive Spirit that abides within each one of us.
Aarti also spelled arti, arati, arathi, aarthi is derived from the Sanskrit word ārātrika (आरात्रिक), which means something that removes rātrī, darkness (or light waved in darkness before an icon). Another word from which Aarti is thought to be derived is the Sanskrit word Aaraartikyam (Sanskrit: आरार्तिक्यं). "Aa" means "towards or to" and "rati" means "right or virtue".
Aarti can be an expression of many things including love, benevolence, gratitude, prayers, or desires depending on the object it is done to/ for. For example, it can be a form of respect when performed to elders, prayers when performed to deities, or hope when performed for homes or vehicles. Emotions and prayers are often silent while doing Aarti, but this is determined by the person carrying out the ritual or the holiday involved. It's also believed that goodwill and luck can be taken through symbolic hand movements over the flame.
The purpose of performing aarti is the waving of lighted wicks before the deities in a spirit of humility and gratitude, wherein faithful followers become immersed in God's divine form. It symbolises the five elements:
1. Space (Akash)
2. Wind (Vayu)
3. Fire (Agni)
4. Water (Jal)
5. Earth (Prithvi)
(or in this sequence 'Bh'umi (Earth),'A'gni (Fire),'G'agan (Space),'Wa'yu (Wind),'N'eer (Water) (BHAGWAN)
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