Offering Arati

You are here: Home Worship Temple Worship Offering Arati

Arati Ceremony
Every scheduled bhoga offering is followed by an arati. Except for kirtana, offering arati is the
only regular daily function of Deity worship performed publicly.

Required Paraphernalia

Make sure the following items are present:

For all aratis:

1. a bell on a plate

2. a panca-patra containing samanya-arghya water (or simply fresh water) and a spoon

3. a conch (for blowing) with a water-filled lota for purifying it

4. a receptacle to catch the water from rinsing the conch (just outside the Deity room, in the
temple room).

In addition, for full arati:

1. an incense holder with an odd number of incense sticks

2. a camphor lamp (for midday arati)

3. a ghee lamp with an odd number of wicks (at least five)

4. a conch for arghya water, with a stand

5. a waterpot with a spout and a cover, filled with water (this is for the arghya water to be
offered in the conch)

6. a small visarjaniya-patra (throw-out container) for the offered arghya

7. a handkerchief

8. flowers on a plate

9. a camara (yak-tail whisk)

 10. a peacock fan (only in warm weather).

For dhupa-arati:

1. an incense holder with an odd number of sticks

2. flowers on a plate

3. a camara

4. a peacock fan (only in warm weather).

Preliminary Activities for Arati

Outside the Deity room, after performing acamana (if not already done for previous services),
offer obeisances to your spiritual master, requesting to assist him in the worship.

Prepare the samanya-arghya if not already done, or if doing simplified worship see to it that
there is a panca-patra containing fresh water and a spoon.

After cleaning the place where the arati paraphernalia will be set up (either on a low table, on the
floor, or, if space allows, on the altar itself), bring the tray with paraphernalia and place them in
the order of offering.

You may now light a standing or hanging oil or ghee lamp for lighting incense and arati lamps.

Requesting the Lord to Accept the Arati (puspanjali)

While ringing a bell, offer flower petals to the lotus feet of your spiritual master and then to each
Deitys lotus feet, requesting each Deity to accept the arati ceremony. The order of offering
puspanjali is as follows: your spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, Lord Nityananda, Lord
Caitanya, Srimati Subhadra, Lord Baladeva, Lord Jagannatha, Srimati Radharani, and Lord
Krsna. While offering the petals, chant esa puspanjalih and the mula-mantra for each Deity. Or
in simplified worship, simply say, Please accept these flowers of surrender. (Substitute water
from the panca-patra for flower petals if necessary, holding a spoonful of water toward each
personality and then discarding it in the visarjaniya-patra; or simply offer Them flower petals in
the mind.)

Ringing the bell again, open the Deity room doors. Then, take the blowing conchshell and lota
with water just outside the Deity room (without the bell), blow the conch three times, rinse it off
over a receptacle placed outside for that purpose, and then bring the conch and lota back inside.
(You may place the conch horizontally on top of the lota.) Next wash your hands with water from
the panca-patra and open the curtain while ringing the bell.
During the arati ceremony, devotees should perform kirtana in the temple. If by some misfortune
no one is in the temple to chant, the pujari performing arati may either sing or have a recording
of kirtana played.

Purifying the Upacaras

Before offering each upacara, purify both your right hand and the upacara by sprinkling them
with water from the panca-patra. You can purify the upacara in either of two ways:

1. place a few drops of water in your right hand and then sprinkle it lightly over the
upacara with a single motion of your hand, so that the water comes off your fingertips; or

2. take the spoon in your right hand and sprinkle water on the upacara directly from the
spoon.

Optionally, with either method you may then show the cakra-, dhenu- (or surabhi-), and matsya-
mudras over each item to indicate more subtle purification and protection.

Offering Procedure

While standing on an asana and ringing a bell, present the incense first to your spiritual master
by waving it in three or seven graceful circles, and then present it to Srila Prabhupada and Lord
Caitanya in the same manner. Arati paraphernalia should be offered gracefully, in a meditative
mood. But do not be either too slow or too fast, and do not perform it in a showy manner, but as
a humble servant of your spiritual master and the assembled Vaisnavas. Stand to the left of the
altar (as viewed from the temple room) not hidden entirely from view but also not distracting
by your presence.

For devotees who are not direct disciples of Srila Prabhupada:

Along with the worship of ones own spiritual master, devotees in ISKCON worship His Divine
Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as both the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON and the
siksa-guru for all devotees of ISKCON. In addition to the worship of Srila Prabhupada in his
guru-puja, one should also honor him when performing arati by presenting the arati items to
Srila Prabhupada after presenting them to ones own spiritual master.

Then, with the consciousness that you are offering it on behalf of your spiritual master and with
the blessings of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya, offer it with the full number of circles
(listed below) to the main Deity.

After offering the incense to the main Deity, offer it as prasada to the Lords associates in
descending order, and to the guru-paramparasenior to junior. This may be done with seven or
three circles for each personality, depending on time allowance. (Some manuals say that when
offering items as prasada in arati, one should not offer below the waist.)
Then distribute it (with one or three circles) to the assembled Vaisnavas as the prasada of the
Lord and His associates.

Offer the remaining items in a similar way. When offering each upacara, say softly the name of
the item and the appropriate mula-mantra of the Deity being worshiped. Or in simplified
worship, simply say to each personality, Please accept this offering of [incense, lamps, etc.].

Offered items should not be mixed with unoffered items. You may place offered items back on
the plate that was used to bring in the paraphernalia, provided no unoffered paraphernalia
remains on it.

How to Offer Each Item

Offer all the items, except the camara and fan, by moving them in clockwise circles while
ringing a bell with your left hand (above waist level), fixing your attention on the Deities.

Incense: offer seven circles around the whole body of the Lord.
Lamp(s): offer four circles to the lotus feet, two circles to the navel, and three circles to the
Lords face; then offer seven circles to the Lords whole body.
Arghya in a conch: offer three circles to the Lords head and seven circles to the whole body of
the Lord. Then pour a small amount of the offered arghya into the visarjaniya-patra (small
throw-out pot) before proceeding to offer arghya to the next personality. (Arati arghya: plain or
scented water).
Cloth: offer seven times around the Lords body.
Flowers: offer seven times around the Lords body.
Camara: wave before the Lord a suitable number of times.
Fan: wave before the Lord a suitable number of times.

You may give out the lamp(s) to the assembled devotees immediately after offering them to the
Deities; it is traditional in many temples, to avoid interrupting the arati, to distribute arghya
water and flowers at the end of the arati, after blowing the conch.

Upacara-mantras for Arati

The mantras for each item are as follows:

Incense: esa dhupah and the mula-mantra

Camphor and ghee lamps: esa dipah and the mula-mantra
Water in a conchshell: idam arghyam and the mula-mantra
Cloth: idam vastram and the mula-mantra
Flowers: etani puspani and the mula-mantra (idam puspam if offering a single flower)
Camara: esa camara-seva and the mula-mantra
Fan: esa vyajana-seva and the mula-mantra

Completing the Arati

Full aratis, including fanning and blowing of the conch before and after the arati, may last up to
twenty-five minutes; the duration of short aratis (in which incense, flowers, and camara are
offered) is from five to eight minutes.

After completing the arati, blow the conch three times outside the Deity room, as at the
beginning of the arati. Then distribute the arghya and flower prasada to the assembled devotees.

Chant the prema-dhvani mantras if the kirtana leader or another devotee in the temple does not
chant them.

Then with joined palms offer pranama prayers softly to your spiritual master and Their
Lordships.

Next remove the arati paraphernalia from the Deity room, clean the area and articles, and at last
offer dandavat-pranamas (prostrated obeisances) outside the Deity room.