Priest performing navami arati in front of a golden statue of Durga slaying Mahisasur.

'Aarti, ãrti, arathi'Aarthi or ãrati is a Hindu ritual, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more devas/devis. It is said to have descended from the Vedic concept of fire rituals, or homa. The word may also refer to the traditional Hindu devotional song that is sung during the ritual. Aarti is performed and sung to develop the highest love for God. "Aa" means "towards", and "rati" means "the highest love for God" in Sanskrit. Durga slaying Mahisasur - golden statue. ... Durga slaying Mahisasur - golden statue. ... In Hinduism, Durga (Sanskrit: , Bengali: ) is a form of Devi, the supreme goddess. ... A statue of Mahishasura in Chamundi Hills, Mysore. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Ghee in a jar Wikibooks Cookbook has an article on Ghee Ghee (Hindi घी from Sanskrit ghá¹›ta घृत sprinkled ) is a type of clarified butter important in Indian cuisine. ... R-phrases 11-20/21/22-36/37/38 S-phrases 16-26-36 RTECS number EX1260000 (R) EX1250000 (S) Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... For other uses, see Deva (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Shri Vidya be merged into this article or section. ... This article discusses the historical religious practices in the Vedic time period; see Dharmic religions for details of contemporary religious practices. ... Sanskrit ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...

Aarti is generally performed two to five times daily, and usually at the end of a puja or bhajan session. It is performed during almost all Hindu ceremonies and occasions. It involves the circulating of an 'Aarti plate' around a person or idol and is generally accompanied by the singing of songs in praise of that deva or person (many versions exist). In doing so, the plate itself is supposed to acquire the power of the . The priest circulates the plate to all those present. They cup their down-turned hands over the flame and then raise their palms to their forehead - the purificatory blessing, passed from the deva's image to the flame, has now been passed to the devotee. A puja as performed in Ujjain during the Monsoon on the banks of the overflowing river Shipra. ... A bhajan or kirtan is a Hindu devotional song, often of ancient origin. ...

The aarti plate is generally made of metal, usually silver, bronze or copper. On it must repose a lamp made of kneaded flour, mud or metal, filled with oil or ghee. A cotton wick is put into the oil and then lighted, or camphor is burnt instead. The plate also contains flowers, incense and akshata.^[1]

The purpose of performing arati is to ward off evil effects and the malefic influence of the 'evil eye'. Aarti is hence performed on people of high social or economic status; small children during various ceremonies; on people who are going on or are coming back from a long journey; on a bride and bridegroom when they enter their house for the first time; at harvest; on anything else of importance. It is also performed on newly acquired property, or before an important task. John Phillip, The Evil Eye (1859), a self-portrait depicting the artist sketching a Spanish gypsy who thinks she is being given the evil eye The evil eye is a widely distributed element of folklore, in which it is believed that the envy elicited by the good luck of fortunate...

It is believed that the idol of a deva too is susceptible to the evil eye, and needs regular arati, with the singing of special arati songs. These songs laud the glory of the deva and describe the benefits that one might gain by praying to them.

Sometimes they also contain snippets of information on the life of the gods. Arati songs are particular to each deva. The most commonly sung arati is that to Vishnu. In most temples in India, arati is performed at least twice a day, after the ceremonial puja, which is the time when the largest number of devotees congregates. Vishnu (IAST , Devanagari ), (honorific: Sri Vishnu) also known as Narayana is the Supreme Being (i. ...

Aarti (also spelt Arati, Arthi, Aarthi, Aarti or Arti) is also a common name for Hindu girls.

Aarti in South Indian temples

Aarti performed at South Indian temples mostly follows the above-mentioned rituals except that they are often more elaborate in the way they are performed. Aarti is also referred to as Deepa Aaradhanai in Tamil South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the two Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ... The word temple has different meanings in the fields of architecture, religion, geography, anatomy, and education. ... Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ...

Notes

External links

• Ganga Arati Video Quicktime streaming video of worship of the Ganges in Haridwar
• Online Aartis of Shree Ganesha, ShreeDutta, Bhagwan Shiva, Saaibaba and Mantrapushpanjali
• Online Aartis of Shree Sai Baba performed in Shirdi