Fwd: Fw: use of camphor for aarathi

[Guest guest]

Namaste, Thank you for the below reply, really appreciate the same. This is the first time ever that I got such a reply to my emails and I cannot believe that the reply was so indepth and has caught all my attention. The below email is very much informative and as said below many daily ritual habits which we have been doing in our day to day life was more like takeing over from our parents to grand parents etc but never knowing the reall significances of the same. I really salute the below email. If one has time or not one must really read the below and forward it to almost all our near and dear.... I belive reading such information is like a light to the blind, Knowledge to the child, food for the salvation but not money for the greed , jealousy for the eye. Thankyou so very much to shree Madhukar konanurand also to Uncle Balakrishna Murthy ... I knew Uncle Murthy since the time I had started the Group and we had always also discussed many issues. I must say a soul who is Blessed. Pranam, Babitha madhukar konanur <vu2mud wrote: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 03:20:34 +0000 (GMT)madhukar konanur <vu2mudFw: use of camphor for aarathiBabitha Vasanth <babitha70 Dear Babita, In continuation to your doubt about the use of camphor and drishti dosha, I forwarded the topic to our learned brother who has given the below narration. Thanks for bringing up the topic which gave us an opening to enhance our knowledge. Thanks again' Madhukar My Near and Dear!!!Please find below a message from brother Madhukar. WE shall try to discuss the Dristi Dosha later. But as the brother rightly put it down, this has opened a dimension to the thought process.Before we think further, we need to know what is known already and given by our elders. As this query relates to Nirajanam, information on this aspect is collected from the WEB and given below. I have refrained from further commentary, as the information given below is self explanatory and broadly sufficient.Kindly go through. Let us widen our knowledge bowl, by keeping us accessible to that available from all sources, read, assimilate, then think further deep for enlightening ourselves to sprout new ideas and explanations.There are sixteen servings(Upacharaas) to the Lord. I shall give the entire document downloaded in the next post.Please send your feedback and valuable further information, to be shared to all group

members.With best wishes for the ensuing GURUPURNIMA on 30th July.Br. KBKM.------------------------------The message from Brother Madhukar and Sister Babitha.madhukar konanur <vu2mud wrote: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 11:53:38 +0000 (GMT)madhukar konanur <vu2muduse of camphor for aarathiBalakrishna Murthy <kbk_murthi Dear Master I give below another quiry from the same member. I was under the impression that the dristi dosha is removed with the ekarathi and not by the neerajana (with camphor). This diaglogue puts a new dimension to the thought process. Please clarify. I have also given the link to the for your reference. There are many such topics that have come up for discussion. Namskarmams Madhukar Namaste,Can anyone explain to me the properties of Camphor.I am confused..After completing all the Upachaaraas to Lord, we do Neerajanam with a view to remove any Drishti Dosha (evil sight) as we all know that all Devi and deva has a wonderful personality and added to it, HE has been decorated so well and looking so handsome

that it is very difficult for a devotee to take away his sight from HIM. This we do with pure love as we do it to our own small children. It is the practice in our houses/temples that immediately after Aarati, we pay our respects to that camphor flame by putting our palms over it and putting those hands on our eyes. The intention behind giving Aarati is to remove any evil sight (Drishti Dosha) and also to show God more clearly to the devotees, but not for any other purpose, hence why are we accepting the kalpuram once offered to the Devi/Deva?I have read that flame should be kept aside and sprinkle a few drops of water to remove Dosha, as we wash the legs and hands of our children and wipe the eyes with water, immediately after removing Drishti Dosha. Neerajanam signifies the end of Sakara or Bahya (outward) Puja and is at the end to denote that all the Doshas and impurities will vanish in thin air after burning the Ajnan in the Jnanagni or

Tapas.Pranam,Babithahttp://groups. / group/srimookamb ika-devi Copy addresses and emails from any email account to Mail - quick, easy and free. Do it now... -------------------------------- Information on Arathi as part of Shodasopachara Puja All religions teach that prayers and rituals are very important to get devotion to God. The religions or lands may vary but this belief of importance of prayers is stressed in all faiths. Our ancestors have given us the gift of the rules of community worship in a Temple for the welfare of the people of the community as a whole and the prosperity of the world. They have given us the rules of prayers at home as essential for the welfare of the individuals and their family. The basic and essential principle behind the prayer is the total surrender to God who fills the universe by His glory and is present everywhere and that without His command even an atom will not move. The rules of prayer services in a

Hindu Temple is given in the three Agamas and Upa-agamas. There are 28 Siva Agamas and several upa-agamas. Vaishnava Agamas are 5, including Pancharathram and Vaikanasam and have 108 Paththadhis. We do not need to study these Agamas to perform prayer [Pooja] at home. It is enough to accept the fact in a pure heart and mind, as given to us by our ancestors that God is present everywhere in every form and He will accept every kind of our prayers. Our Puranas explain in many stories that God accepts and

blesses everyone who prays, not only humans but also animals and birds. The Lord being not accessible to our eyes, ears, nose, touch and beyond the ken of ordinary (un-refined) intellect, the ancients devised a method of bringing Lord within the realm of the senses. This method is to worship Him (Her or It) in an object (photo, water, fire, precious jewel, idol etc) which you can touch, feel, smell, see, feel the taste of. Thus all wandering senses are brought to a focus, by belief

(faith) and by daily practice. . Performing and knowing about rituals causes us to improve as human beings and most important of all makes us help others do the same. If we know what a certain ritual or custom signifies, then we can help others understand it and prevent them from assuming it to be meaningless and boring. This cycle will surely carry on because learning is contagious and it will pass from one person to another. In conclusion, it is important for us to know about our rituals and customs for they were meant to help us lead a fulfilling and meaningful life. Why do we aarti? Towards the end of every ritualistic worship (pooja or bhajan) of the Lord or to welcome an honored guest or saint, we perform the aarti. This is always accompanied by the ringing of the bell and sometimes by singing, playing of musical instruments and clapping. It is one of the sixteen steps (shodasha upachaara) of the pooja ritual. It is referred to as the auspicious light (mangala niraajanam). Holding the lighted lamp in the right hand, we wave the flame in clockwise direction to light the entire form of the Lord. Each part is revealed individually and also the entire form of the Lord. As the light is moved we either do mental or loud chanting of prayers or simply behold the beautiful form of the Lord, illuminated by the lamp. We experience an added intensity in our prayers and the Lord's image seems to manifest a special beauty at that time. At the end of the aarti we place our hands over the flame and then gently touch our eyes and the top of the head. We have seen and participated in this ritual from our childhood. Let us find Why we do the aarti? Having worshiped the Lord with love - performing abhishekh, decorating the image and offering fruits and delicacies, we see the beauty of the Lord in all His glory. Our minds are focused on each limn of the Lord as it is lit up by the lamp. It is akin to silent open-eyed meditation on His beauty. The singing, clapping ringing of

the bell etc. denotes the joy and auspiciousness, which accompanies the vision of the Lord. Aarti is often performed with camphor. This holds a telling spiritual significance. The camphor when lit, it is consumed till the last entirety without leaving any residue. This is “nirbija avastha”. Camphor when lit burns itself out completely without leaving a trace of it. Camphor represents our inherent tendencies (vaasanas). when lit by the fire of knowledge which illuminates the Lord (truth), our vaasanas thereafter burn themselves

out completely, not leaving a trace of the ego which creates in us a sense of individuality that keeps us separate from the Lord. Also while camphor burns to reveal the glory of the Lord it emits a pleasant smell even while it sacrifices itself. In our spiritual progress, even as we serve the guru and society, we should willingly sacrifice ourselves and all we have, to spread the perfume of love to all. We often wait a long while to see the illumined Lord but when the aarti is actually

performed, our eyes close automatically as if to look within. This is to signify that each of us is the temple of the Lord - we hold the divinity within. Just as the priest reveals the form of the Lord clearly with the aarti flame, so too the guru clearly reveals to us the divinity within each of us with help of the 'flame' of knowledge. At the end of the aarti, we place our hands over the flame and then touch our eyes and top of the head. It means - may the light that illuminated the Lord light up my vision, may my vision be divine and my thoughts noble and

beautiful. The philosophical meaning of aarti extends further. The sun, moon, stars, lighting and fire are the natural sources of light. The Lord is the source of all these wondrous phenomena of the universe. It is due to Him alone that else exist and shine. As we turn our attention to the very source of all light, this symbolizes knowledge and life. Also the sun is the presiding deity of the intellect, the moon that of the mind, and fire, that of speech. The Lord is the supreme consciousness that illumines all of them. Without Him the intellect cannot think, nor can the mind feel nor the tongue speak. The Lord is beyond the mind, intellect and speech. Another explanation is the most important ritual and is performed during almost all ceremonies and occasions. It involves the waving of an 'Arati plate' around a person or idol and is generally accompanied by the singing of songs in praise of that deity or person. The arati plate is generally made of metal. On it must repose a lamp made of kneaded flour, mud or metal, filled with oil or ghee. A cotton wick is put into the oil and then lighted, or camphor is burnt instead. The plate also contains flowers, incense and akshata. The purpose of performing arati is to ward off evil

effects and the malefic influence of the 'evil eye' (see Nazar Utarna). Arati is hence performed on people of high social or economic status; small children during various ceremonies; on people who are going on or are coming back from a long journey; on a bride and bridegroom when they enter their house for the first time; on grain (if one has had a good harvest); on animals or anything else of importance. It is also performed on newly acquired property, like a house or a tractor. It is believed that the idol of a deity too is susceptible to the evil eye, and needs regular arati, with the singing of special arati songs. These songs laud the glory of the deities and describe the benefits that one might gain by praying to them. While arati is being performed, the officiating priest waves the arati plate over the image of the deity. In doing so, the plate itself is said to acquire the radiance and the power of the deity. The priest then takes the plate around to all those present as prasada. Arati The devotees cup their downturned hands over the flame and then raise their palms to their forehead. By

doing this, it is believed that the purificatory blessing, passed from the deity's image to the flame, has now been passed to the devotee. ------- Q. Why do we light a lamp? dIpam :-- “cakSuradhyAtmam draShtavyam adhiBhUtam Adityas tatrAdhi daivatam”. God does not need any artificial light. It is only for us to see god who resides inside of us and not out side. The viewer is yourself, object is god and the insight (antar dr^iSti) is Aditya , the divinity is the target. You have to see inside of you to see god. Then only you can become divine. In almost every Indian home a lamp is lit daily before the altar of the Lord. In some houses it is lit at dawn, in some, twice a day at dawn and dusk- and in a few it is maintained continuously (akhanda deepa). All auspicious functions and moments like daily worship, rituals and festivals and even many social occasions like inaugurations commence with the lighting of the lamp, which is often maintained right through the occasion. Light symbolizes knowledge,

and darkness ignorance. The Lord is the "Knowledge Principle" (Chaitanya) who is the source, the enlivener and the illuminator of all knowledge. Hence light is worshiped as the Lord Himself. Knowledge removes ignorance just as light removes darkness. Also knowledge is a lasting inner wealth by which all outer achievements can be accomplished. Hence we light the lamp to bow down to knowledge as the greatest of all forms of wealth. Knowledge backs all our actions whether good or bad. We therefore keep a lamp lit during all auspicious occasion as a witness to our thoughts and actions. Why not light a bulb or tube light? That too would remove darkness. But the traditional oil lamp has a further spiritual significance. The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolizes our "vaasnas" or negative tendencies and the wick, the ego. When lit by spiritual knowledge, the "vaasnas" get slowly exhausted and the ego too finally perishes. The flame of a lamp always burns upwards. Similarly, we should acquire such knowledge as to take us towards higher ideals. A single lamp can light hundreds more just as a man of knowledge can give it to many more. Luggage? GPS? Comic books? Check out fitting gifts for grads at Search. Copy addresses and emails from any email account to Mail -

quick, easy and free. Do it now...

Luggage? GPS? Comic books?

Check out fitting gifts for grads at Search.