Ceremony
Arti ~ Sacred Flame
The arti (pronounced ‘aarti’) is one of the most important and popular ceremonies of the Hindu faith. It is a prayerful ceremony performed in extolled greeting and thanksgiving of the Deities where devotees are reminded of God’s glorious presence and providence.
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The arti ceremony is said to have descended from the ancient Vedic concept of fire rituals, or homa. Others attribute it to the practice many centuries ago of illuminating a murti set deep inside the dark recess of a mandir’s cave-like inner sanctum. To allow devotees darshan of the sacred image, the priest would wave an oil lamp from the Deity’s head to toe while chanting Vedic mantras or singing a prayer. Gradually, the practice developed into the arti.
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In Sanskrit, the word ‘arti’ – transcribed as ‘aarati’ – is composed of the prefix ‘aa’, meaning complete, and ‘rati’, meaning love. The arti is thus an expression of one’s complete and unflinching love towards God. It is sung and performed with a deep sense of reverence, adoration, and meditative awareness.
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Often called the ‘ceremony of light’, the arti involves waving lighted wicks before the sacred images to infuse the flames with the Deities’ love, energy and blessings. It is performed by sadhus (Hindu monks) and pujaris (attendants to the Deities).
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Along with – or sometimes instead of – flames from ghee-soaked wicks, the light from camphor is also used. Other auspicious articles offered during the ceremony include incense, water, and flowers. Some artis also involve the waving of a chamar (wisp) or white cloth. These together represent the five elements of the world – 1) space (white cloth), 2) air (wisp), 3) light (flames), 4) water, and 5) earth (flowers) – and symbolise the offering of the whole of creation to the Deity during the arti ceremony.
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The term ‘arti’ also refers to the prayer sung in praise of the Deity while the wicks are waved. This prayer is joyously sung to the accompaniment of musical instruments, including drums, bells, gongs, and a conch-shell. The pujari also rings a small hand-bell while waving the wicks and singing the prayer.
After the short prayer, the lighted wicks are passed around the congregation to allow members to receive the blessings infused within the flames. Members hover their down-turned hands over the flame and then reverently touch them to their eyes and head. The purificatory blessing, conveyed from the Deities to the flame, has now been passed on to the devotee.
9:00am Monday - Sunday
Weekly Abisheks to Baba
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We welcome you to join us for our weekly Abhishek of Baba where we will perform an ancient ceremonial process of bathing Baba. Abhishek is a traditional Vedic practice seen in almost every temple thought the east. A ceremony of prayer in which a person or priest pours a variety of liquid offerings over a murti of (Baba), God or Goddess or sacred object.
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Using the five elements to worship and offer our prayers, we will chant mantras aloud together as we wash asking the divine for the blessings we need for our lives and the world we live in. May our lives our communities and our planet be healthy, happy and successful.
Please note: If an eclipse falls on the scheduled day of abhishek, the ceremony will be observed on an alternate day. For more information, you may contact us at (831) 216-8669.
Every Sunday morning, 10:30am
