Shiv Aarti

Aarti, also called araatrika or niraajana, is the last ritual of a puja or havan. It is the practice during which one expresses ones devotion for the deity and is transported to a state of bliss. An aarti is also a puja in itself. Each aarti is specific to a God or Goddess and extols the virtues of that particular deity. Finally, an aarti is a prayer for forgiveness. By singing the aarti at the end one is asking the God being worshipped, to forgive acts of commission during the puja or havan.

An aarti is traditionally done by placing on a plate, a lighted earthen or metal lamp, filled with ghee (liquefied butter), along with flowers and uncooked rice. While other devotees sing the aarti, one person moves this decorated plate in a clockwise direction in front of the idol. This practice, it is believed, transfers the blessings from the deity into the lamp. At the end of the aarti, the devotees cup their hands around this flame and put their hands to their foreheads, thus symbolizing that the blessings have now been received by them.

Aartis are normally done twice a day at sunrise and sunset. There are two reasons for this practice. First is the Vedic concept of sandhya, which means the joining point of two different times of the day. Dawn is when night joins day, and dusk, when day joins night. It is said that these are the two best times to offer prayers, and hence also the best time to do aarti. The second reason is the belief that it is at sunrise and sunset when evil forces are at their greatest strength. Doing an aarti at this time protects one from these malevolent forces.

This album contains a collection of aartis some popular and some rare. By listening to these aartis, people who are not familiar with Vedic chanting or rituals can still experience the Divine grace.


Track: 04 Shiv Aarti (Jai Shiv Omkara)
Artist: Soma Singh
Album: Aarti


http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/aarti/id491680091

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0071ZFY80

http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/-/-/13062042/

https://market.android.com/search?q=Various%20Artists%20Aarti&so=1&c=music

http://www.addkiosk.in/show_album.ASP?album_code=ABM0022432