Why is the Arti ceremony important to Hindu worship?
Physically, arti is the ritual of waving divas before God’s image. There are several underlying sentiments of arti. One is that the divas illuminate the murti so that devotees can have better darshan of God. A second sentiment is that devotees lovingly welcome Bhagwan during arti, by offering Him the Panch Bhutas – five elements which together form arti. These are : pruthvi – earth, jal – water, tej – light, vayu – wind and akash – space. A third sentment of arti is that just as the wicks of the arti burn away to provide light, devotees are inspired to offer their life to serve Bhagwan an mankind, and thereby attain inner enlightenment. Click here to learn more.
