ARATHI AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

Arathi  is  usually done at the  end  of a  puja, signifying worship and submission of self to the divine. It is  performed in  a clockwise  direction around the  deity, representing God as the  centre of Life. Devotees express their  gratitude towards God while  performing the  Arathi, which is   also considered to signify the ‘Pancha Bhutas’.

Courtesy: Adobe  stock

How is  Arathi performed

• The Arathi is performed lighting a  wick or burning camphor.
• The cotton wick or cotton bathi is made from pure cotton
• The wick or bathi is normally kept in a  metal plate, usually brass.
• These plates come in various  forms and they have  their own significance.
• The bathi used for Arathi usually comes in the form of thin strands which can be  suitably used with the metal plates.
• Camphor is another  substance  which is used for performing 
• Camphor has a spiritual significance and it is  supposed to drive  away negativities and  purify the environment.
• Arathi is performed in the  clockwise direction to the  deity and later offered to the  devotees who place their  hands a  little above the  flame and  then touch their eyes and  head  with them.
• The flame absorbs the  God’s  power which is  then passed to the  devotee when he  takes the 
• While the basic  arathi plate is the Halagarathi, other forms like Pancharathi,Shankarathi, Chakrarathi, Nagarathi,Kumbhaarathi,Kurmaarathi and  Step arathi are available.