ARATI: DAILY WORSHIP

"We must join the arati. If everyone can get up half an hour before the arati, take shower, etc. and join the arati, that is very good.

"Arati is not for the Deity, arati is for yourself. We show the lamp to the Deity, but actually we do the arati for ourselves, we glorify the Lord early in the morning, do all the morning practices—that is all for us. If the Deity wakes up at 5 o'clock or 6 o'clock, it is no problem for the Deity, but our habit should grow to worship the Deity timely, and that time has been selected by the scriptures. Everything you see—blowing the conchshell, ringing the bell, etc.—it is all for our benefit. The Deity is not the beneficiary; we are the beneficiary of the arati.

"I am sitting here and cannot join the arati, but mentally I am always with them, listening to the songs. It is very important to realise the meaning of these songs—their every phrase is very sweet. It may not be palatable every day, but it is necessary and very important to realise why we sing these songs every day—through that we can cross over the illusion."

Jagad Guru Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj

During an arati at Sri Ekachakra Dham