Why do we Ring a Bell During Worship?

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The mantra chanted while ringing the bell is as follows:

" AgamArThantu dEvAnAm gamanArThatu rAkSham |

kurvE GhanTA ravam tatra dEvathAAhvAna lAnChanam ||"

(I am ringing the bell to signal the arrival of Gods and to warn the evil forces

to leave the place)

In Mantra-ShAstra, the entire cosmos is described to be the manifestation of

sound energy, both +ve and -ve, personified as Gods and demons respectively.

The subtle purpose of any "Puja" is the unification of the "Atman" (the self)

with the "ParamAtman" (the supreme being-the deity). Ringing the bell helps to

create a +ve, congenial atmosphere that is free from -ve vibrations - which

distracts both the mind and the body.

>From the view-point of "Kundalini yOga", the bell's sound, invokes and energises

the internal "Chakras" (energy centers) in the human body thereby bringing

harmony and balance in the distribution of energies.

It is specified in many TantrAs and AgamAs that the bell should be made out of

"pancha lOha" (an alloy of 5 metals - copper,silver,gold,brass,& iron) and

should be sounded 8/16/24/32 times. The 5 metals correspond to the 5 elements

of Nature - "pancha bhoota" (earth, fire, water, air & space). The numbers

8/16/24/32 usually corresponds to the no.of letters in the mantra practiced by

the aspirant bcoz his body will be vibrating with the frequency generated by

that specific mantra. The numbers 24,28,32...... represent the the no.of

letters in the "meters" or "Chandas" like the "GAyathri", "anuShtup"

etcR.Srinath srinath_atreya Want to chat instantly with your online

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