Sunday Dec 2, 2018 NYC

Meaning of the Offering of Arati

Light emerging from darkness—this symbolizes God manifesting in the world.
The offering of light inherently contains the act of humbly receiving that light.
For God becoming manifest, the heavens swirl, flower petals shower down,
and the celestial gods play their heavenly music in joy.
The offering of the mala (flower garland) and of the hymns all symbolize that.

—Satguru Shri Mahayogi Paramahansa

    

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During the opening of the Satguru Jayanti celebration in Kyoto, arati was offered. One of the members of the team offering arati, Mirabai, has written about this offering (published in MYM’s bi-monthly newsletter, Paramahamsa, in Japan), and we would like to introduce the translation of this article as well as the Kirtan that was offered.

    

Offering of Arati: The Mysterious Love of Kirtan

Arati is part of the ritual of puja, where a song of joy is dedicated to the descent of the Lord into this world, which is a rare blessing. What an awe-inspiring event this must have been—the formless God taking on form and appearing on earth—even for the gods themselves! How delighted the Gandharva (heavenly musicians) must have been for this miracle and for the compassion of the Lord, that they blared out their resounding hymns! When we offer arati, I personally make the offering of kirtan with the feeling that I am a member of the Ghandarva. Through trial and error for some years, I have continued to try and figure out how to express and share with everyone this deep emotion and Joy for the fluttering down of the Lord, and I tried to find an appropriate song for this. Then one day…

Upon hearing a certain song for the first time, I felt that it might be an appropriate song for arati. The quiet melody of the mantra-filled introductory part, the way the joy flows from it as the phrases repeat, gradually increasing in cheerfulness, and the tone of sattva underlying it all. I thought that if the content of the lyrics were appropriate for the celebration, then I would want to offer this song to Shri Mahayogi. When I asked Sanatana-san about the meaning of the words, he answered that he feels that the lyrics were clearly written by someone who knows God. Wow! And that this song was an excerpt from a scripture associated with the Goddess, Devi Mahatmya, which then turned into a song!

 

The song starts out with a mantra praising the Goddess. Then, it goes into describing the way God, originally formless, gradually manifests in the world, first from the subtle things of this world, such as consciousness and intellect, then develops into the gross things in this world, such as faith and beauty. Further, the song says that that Goddess dwells within all living beings.

Shiva, the male principle and the source of Existence, alone could not have birthed this universe. Everything in its entirety was birthed by the power of the Goddess, Shakti, and continues to be nurtured by her, even now. And that very Shiva and Shakti are One, indivisible.

 

When we were performing this song for Jayanti one year, I noticed that the bell that I was playing suddenly separated from my hand and began to play on its own. It felt like it was not me who was playing, but it was as if it was granted a Life of its own from the Lord, and the bell, by its own will, began to celebrate the birth of the Lord and to dance with joy. And what’s more, how clear and beautiful its tone was, completely different from the tone that I used to hear before! Then it was not only about the instrument, which is a thing, but also it began to reveal that a brilliant Existence abides within us, human beings, in the same way.

Shri Mahayogi’s holy birth, at the same time, means that True Life has been granted to us, to everything—that is to say, it is our birth as well. That Essence is the same as the Lord—it is filled with Eternal Joy. And the Lord and we are One. I feel that the more we get in touch with this song and deepen our singing of it, the more it will reveal and manifest the mystery of the Goddess imbued within it.

 

This year again, we offer this arati for the occasion of Jayanti. No matter how far away you might be, may we etch the song into our hearts, offer it to Shri Mahayogi, and taste it together!

Mirabai

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TANTROKTAṂ DEVĪ SŪKTAM

Namo Devyai Mahādevyai Śivāyai Satataṃ Namaḥ
Namaḥ Prakṛtyai Bhadrāyai Niyatāḥ Praṇatāḥ Sma Tāṃ

Salutations to the Great Goddess (Divine Mother).
Saltations always to she who is ever auspicious.
Salutations to she who is the primordial cause and sustaining power.
With attention, oh, we pay obeisance to her.

礼拝いたします、女神に、偉大なる女神に。吉祥なる女神に、永遠に礼拝いたします。
礼拝いたします、万物を生み出す根源の力、吉祥なる女神に。
全身全霊でつつましく、ああ！ あの方に頭を垂れます。

 

Raudrāyai Namo Nityāyai Gauryai Dhātryai Namo Namaḥ
Jyotsnāyai Cendurūpiṇyai Sukhāyai Satataṃ Namaḥ

Salutations to she who is fearsome, to she who is eternal.
Salutations again salutations to she who is the supporter of the Universe.
Salutations to she who is of the form of the moon, of moonlight, and of happiness itself.

恐るべき女神に礼拝いたします。
永遠であり、白く光り輝く、この世界を支える女神に礼拝いたします。
月の光であり、月の甘露のしずくという姿をもつ、幸福そのものであるお方に、
永遠に礼拝いたします。

 

Yā Devī Sarvabhūteṣu Viṣṇumāyeti Śabditā 
Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namo Namaḥ

To the Goddess who abides in all beings and is called Vishnu-Maya, the Lord’s own Maya,
the inscrutable Power pervading in all things.
Salutations to her, salutations to her, salutations again and again.

すべての生きものにあって、遍在神ヴィシュヌのマーヤーと呼ばれている女神、
その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。

 

Yā Devī Sarvabhūteṣu Cetanetyabhidhīyate
Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namo Namaḥ

To the Goddess who is known as consciousness in all things,
Salutations to her, salutations to her, salutations again and again.

すべての生きものにあって、意識として認められる女神、
その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。

 

Yā Devī Sarvabhūteṣu Buddhirūpeṇa Saṃsthitā
Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namo Namaḥ

To the Goddess, who abides in all beings in the form of intelligence,
Salutations to her, salutations to her, salutations again and again.

すべての生きものにあって、知性というかたちで留まる女神、
その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。

 

Yā Devī Sarvabhūteṣu Śaktirūpeṇa Saṃsthitā
Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namo Namaḥ

To the Goddess who abides in all beings in the form of God’s Shakti, power,
Salutations to her, salutations to her, salutations again and again.

すべての生きものにあって、神のシャクティというかたちで留まる女神、
その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。

 

Yā Devī Sarvabhūteṣu Śāntirūpeṇa Saṃsthitā
Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namo Namaḥ

To the Goddess who abides in all beings in the form of peace,
Salutations to her, salutations to her, salutations again and again.

すべての生きものにあって、静寂というかたちで留まる女神、
その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。

 

Yā Devī Sarvabhūteṣu Śraddhārūpeṇa Saṃsthitā
Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namo Namaḥ

To the Goddess who abides in all beings in the form of faith,
Salutations to her, salutations to her, salutations again and again.

すべての生きものにあって、信仰というかたちで留まる女神、
その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。

 

Yā Devī Sarvabhūteṣu Kāntirūpeṇa Saṃsthitā
Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai Namo Namaḥ

To the Goddess who abides in all beings in the form of beauty,
Salutations to her, salutations to her, salutations again and again.

すべての生きものにあって、美というかたちで留まる女神、
その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。

 

Namas Tasyai Namas Tasyai
Namas Tasyai Namo Namaḥ

Salutations to her. Salutations to her,
Salutations again and again.

その方に礼拝いたします。その方に礼拝いたします。
その方に礼拝いたします。

 

* This arati is an excerpt from the TANTROKTAṂ DEVĪ SŪKTAM, which is also an excerpt from a scripture.