Required Paraphernalia
Preliminary Activities for Arati
Requesting the Lord to Accept the Arati (puspanjali)
Purifying the Upacaras
Offering Procedure
How to Offer Each Item
Upacara-mantras for Arati
Completing the Arati
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.
• 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 (see description), or if doing
simplified worship, as in Chapter 3, 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 Deity’s 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.
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. (See the Supplement, page 156, for diagrams and explanations.)
• 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 one’s
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 one’s 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 Lord’s
associates in descending order, and to the guru-parampara—senior
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.
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 Lord’s face; then offer
seven circles to the Lord’s whole body.
• Arghya in a conch: offer
three circles to the Lord’s 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 Lord’s body.
• Flowers: offer seven
times around the Lord’s 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.
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
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.