One of the most popular forms of music in devotion all over India is the ‘arati’. Shreeguru Dr. Balaji Tambe explains the purpose of arati in a very simple way. An arati is sung and performed after any meditative activity or puja to assimilate the energy that has been invoked by the activity. He explains the basic rituals in an Arati.
A lamp in the Arati serves to balance and stimulate the fire element. The clapping of hands in the rhythm of the arati, and the movements of the body along with that help our various bio-energies to rise upwards. The lamp is circled anti-clockwise around the nucleus, God or deity in front of us.
There may be hundreds or even thousands of aratis in various languages composed by saints all over India. There are different aratis dedicated to various Gods and Goddesses, for example, for different days of the week. These aratis are also to be used on specific festivals dedicated to the various Gods.
Shreeguruji’s meditation at the Aum Temple at Atmasantulana Village and other meditation centres includes an arati at the end of every meditation. In the upcoming festival season, beginning with the 11 days of Shri Ganesh, various aratis can help us imbibe the energies we require on our journey.
Shreeguruji has composed and sung many important aratis, and they have been compiled in an album called Maha Arati, published in house by Santulan Music.