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Aarti is performed after we finish our prayers or auspicious rituals. It is performed to please the Divine Lord and to rectify any mistakes made during the whole process. Aarti is a completion to our prayers. It is a hymn or a song in praise to our Lord. Those who join in reciting it or even viewing it, all benefit from it.

The literal meaning of Aarti or Veneration is ‘Aart- Nivaran,’ meaning removal of sorrows. Aarti is performed in hope of releasing sorrows. It is recited in relation to our devotion, expressing our pure emotions from the heart. The main Mantra of Lord Shiva is “ Om Namah Shivaya” with which we should make the offerings of flowers three times, then we should chime bells or other instruments, singing “Jai Jai” (Glory be thine). We should either light one, five, seven or more, odd number of lamps for the Aarti. Even Camphor is used instead of a lamp or Diya. The proper way is to rotate the lamp four times at the feet area of the idol, twice at the pelvic area, once at the face and crown area and seven times around the whole idol.

There are five important factors to follow when doing the Aarti, first by lighting the lamp, second by blowing the conch, third by making sure that you are wearing clean washed clothes during the prayers, fourth by the offerings of mango, pepul leaves and flowers and lastly bowing down in a total pose of reverence (Dandhwat Pranaam).

Each Dev has a tithi or number, and we should rotate the lamp only that many times when performing the Aarti for instance, Vishnu is known as a twelve spirited Dev, there are twelve words in his Mantra, so when we are performing Aarti for Lord Vishnu the lamp should be rotated twelve times round the idol form. Rudhra’s tithi number is one and four, so we must either rotate the lamp eleven or fourteen times. Lord Ganesha’s number is four so four rotations and simultaneously nine times for Durga Ma, and seven times for Sun and all the other Devi- Devtas.

After the Aarti is completed, all the devotees move their hand over the lamp and then over their face. It signifies that we have bathed in purity. While doing this act we should have these thoughts in our mind– “Oh Lord! Just as the flame of the lamp is always rising upwards, never downwards, similarly I too should always rise high towards divinity and towards your abode.”