Rites & Rituals: Aarti

Urmi Chanda-Vaz
Jun 2, 2016
2 min read

The Hindu way of life is full of rites and rituals, that occur during \several pujas and samskaras. The complexity of these rites often depend on the purpose of these practices and the means of the practitioners. In this section, we shall explore some of the commonly-known rituals of everyday Hinduism in a bid to understand their symbolic and spiritual significance.

One of the commonest rituals among Hindus is the performance of the aarti. Everyone will have seen one being performed in their homes or temples. But what exactly is an aarti and why is it performed? An aarti is a ritual that is performed towards the end of a puja. But sometimes, it is also performed as a standalone ritual. It is a simple and accessible form of worship that evolved from the elaborate system Vedic sacrifices. The word aarti seemingly comes from the Sanskrit word aratrika, which means the dispelling of darkness. Therefore, an aarti is essentially a ritual to ward off dark forces, evil eyes and negative influences.

An aarti thali comprises five or six components, in addition to a peacock fan and/or a yak-tail chauri. The primary components, which may vary from place to place, represent the five elements or the pancamahabhutas. They are Gandha, Akshata, Pushpa, Dhupa, Dipa and Naivedya. The ghee-lamp stands for the fire element; a water-filled conch or utensil stands for the water element; the flowers represent the solid earth element; the peacock fan represents the air element; and the yak-tail fan or piece of cloth, represents the ether element. These offerings therefore signify the offering of the self and one's universe, which are made of the five elements to God.

Aartis are not restricted to deities, but are also performed for people, rivers or inanimate objects like vehicles during auspicious occasions! The aarti thali is waved in a circular clockwise manner, illuminating all parts of the object of worship. It may or may not be accompanied by the chanting of a mantra, the singing of a bhajan, or simple rhythmic clapping to induce auspiciousness and joy. In the sincere performance of this ritual, the flame of knowledge also helps dispel the darkness of ignorance.