Waving lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) is said to have descended from the Vedic concept of fire rituals (होम). During Vedic period, there was no electricity & the inner sanctum (गर्भ गृह) of the temple did not had any source of light except lighting lamp so to see the God's idol clearly, waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) was done in the morning & evening so that people can see the whole form of Gods/Goddesses. At that time circulation of waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) was done in 9 circles; 3 near the feet of the idol, 1 near the navel of the idol, 3 near the face of the idol & 2 circles around whole idol & these circulation was accompanied with ringing bells, etc. This was the main reason to wave the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) in the Vedic period but later on this became the ritual & now we also sing song along with waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्).
Waving lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) in front of God, is now a days also known as आरति. The word आरति is derived from the Sanskrit word आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम् which means waving the lights in front of God. The word आरति may also refer to the traditional devotional song that is sung during this ritual in praise of the God.
Waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) is performed one to five times daily & usually at the end of any puja ritual. It is performed during almost all Hindu ceremonies & occasions. It involves the circulating of waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) around the Deity & is generally accompanied by the congregation singing songs in praise of that Deity. In most versions the plate, lamp, or flame represents the power of the Deity.
The plate is generally made up of metal; usually silver, bronze or copper. On it one must repose a lamp made of kneaded flour, baked clay or metal, filled with clarified butter (cow's ghee). One or more cotton wicks (always in odd numbers) are put into the clarified butter (cow's ghee) & then lighted.
The purpose of waving lighted wicks (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) in front of the Deities is in a spirit of humility and gratitude, wherein faithful followers become immersed in God's divine form. Waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) symbolizes the Five Major Elements: Earth (पृथ्वी), Water (जलम्), Fire (अग्नि), Wind (वायुः), Space/Ether (आकाशः).
Waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) is not only limited to Gods/Goddesses. We also wave the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) in front of Saints, or the person we respect, it is just a gesture of showing respect. Waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) is performed not only to all forms of life, but also inanimate objects which help in progress of the culture. It is also a common practice to wave the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) in front of inanimate objects like vehicles, electronics etc. at least before we start using it, just as a gesture of showing respect and praying that this object would help one excel in the work one would use it for.
Significance of waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) -
1. At the time of waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्), the performer faces the idol of God (or Divine Element, e.g. Ganges river) and concentrates on the form of the God by looking into the eyes of the Deity as it is said that eyes are the windows to the soul to get immersed. The flame of the lights illuminates the various parts of the Deity so that the performer & onlookers may better see & concentrate on the form.
2. Waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) is done in circular manner, in clockwise manner around the Deity. After every circle (or second or third circle), when the performer reaches the bottom (6–8 o'clock position), the performer waves it backwards while remaining in the bottom (4–6 o'clock position) & then continues waving it in clockwise. The idea here is that waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) represents our daily activities, which revolves around God, a centre of our life. Looking at God while waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्), it reminds the performer & the attendees to keep the God at the center of all activities and strengthens the understanding that routine worldly activities are secondary in importance. This understanding would give the believers strength to withstand the unexpected grief and keeps them humble and remindful of God during happy moments.
3. Apart from worldly activities waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) also represents one's self - thus, it signifies that one is secondary to God or Divinity. This would keep one's ego down and help one remain humble in spite of high social and economic rank.
4. Waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) serves as a reminder to stay alert so that the forces of material pleasures & desires cannot overcome the individual. Just as the lighted wick provides light and chases away darkness, the alertness of an individual can keep away the influence of the material world.
5. And in the same way, waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) chases away the darkness of ignorance (अज्ञानम्) from the performer & the attendees, & enlightens the light of knowledge (ज्ञानम्).
Spiritual-Scientific perspective of waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्):
During a puja, every ritual is very important & it has deep spiritual & scientific reasons behind it. Most of us are not aware of various facts. For example, while waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) in front of God, one can move the platter in a clockwise circle from the heart area (अंतः चक्र) to the mid-brow area (आज्ञा चक्र) of the Deity. Most of us do not obtain the benefits of these rituals because we do not know or understand the correct way to do it. Waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) in front of the God, wards off negative energies & attract the positive energies. Due to this we attract more positive thoughts & our mind gets filled with peace & calmness.
When waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्) using a lamp with five wicks (also called पञ्च आरति), the platter containing this lit lamp should be waved in a full circle in front of the Deity. This results in a speedy circular movement of the positive (सत्व) frequencies emitted by the flame of the lamp. A protective armour of these frequencies is formed around the soul of the worshiper waving the lights & this is known as तरंग-कवच. The more the spiritual emotion of the worshiper waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्), the longer the armour lasts. These frequencies then keep increasing as the person concentrates on waving the lights (आरार्तिकम्/आरात्रिकम्). As this positive (सत्व) component is enhanced, the worshiper is able to absorb more Divine frequencies from the Universe. This increases the spiritual emotion & the worshiper perceives the reflection of his soul in the form of a blue spot of light (also known as आत्मबिंदु) in front of him. These positive (सत्व) frequencies also spread in the surrounding are of the temple.
चैत्रः वद १३, २०७६