Importance of Aarti in Pushtimarg

BalKrishna

We associate the word Aarti with the glorious darshan of the Lord, a huge gathering of bhaktas before Him in the mandir, loud sounds of bells, gongs and cymbals, and an auspicious ritual of waving fire before the Lord. We also perform aarti to welcome, to honour, to greet revered persons, as a humble gesture. What does this ritual mean? Let us try to understand the origin, the meaning and the various bhaav associated with aarti.
When there is a person we look up to or respect so much that his value becomes greater than the most valuable possession we have, we offer up that very possession to the person, signifying that nothing is as dear to us as him, and could be given up easily for him. The word 'nyochhavar' means- to offer up, give up, surrender or sacrifice and it was done to show regard for someone or to ward off dangers.

In earlier times, when there was no currency, Barter system was practiced. People used to exchange commodities in buying and selling. At that time, food grains, or anna was considered to be the most valuable asset, as it supported life. Wheat symbolised anna. Therefore, the ritual of offering up the 'muthiya' (four small clumps made of wheat dough) began then, which is still continued along with the aarti considering the ancient bhaav. Just after the four 'muthiya' are waved before the Lord and supposed to be thrown in the four directions, the aarti takes place. During aarti, small wicks made of cotton, dipped in ghee arranged in a silver holder are lit and waved before the Lord in clockwise circular motion.
Alternatively, on main Utsavas, an aarti holder is made from wheat dough added with a lot of turmeric powder (haldi), and the ghee-dipped wicks are arranged in it. Haldi is known to be auspicious and has healing powers, besides having a yellow colour that is considered to be felicitous. Therefore, we use haldi on religious occasions. We also use the red coloured kumkum which is made from haldi too; and is thus considered auspicious. Red is also the colour of love, 'anuraag'.
Fire has many great qualities. It is known for its purity, power, magnificence and warmth. Offering up fire before the Lord symbolises His supremacy over all the qualities of fire. Nothing in existence is as beautiful, pure, powerful, magnificent, warm and divine as our beloved Lord.

In terms of Pushtimarg, aarti has a different, profound and beautiful bhaav.
There are four main aartis that take place on a regular seva day. Mangla aarti, Rajbhog aarti, Sandhya aarti and Shayan aarti. There are special aartis on Utsavas whaich are done in addition to the daily four aartis.

Aarti means, the pain felt in separation. Shri Thakurji is the most beautiful, adorable little child seated in Shri Yashodaji’s lap, as well as the most fascinating, youthful and fulfilling beloved of the gopijan. When Shri Thakurji is in the Nandalaya (His home) with Yashodaji and Nadraiji, the gopis cannot be close to Him or spend any time with Him, and thus crave for His company and look for the smallest opportunity to behold their beloved’s lotus face. When Shri Thakurji is away in the woods of Vridavan with His 'gwaa- baal' companions, the gopis meet Him there and Shri Yashodaji misses her dearest child back home, without whom, her day passes with great difficulty and she keeps remembering Him and his charming leelas at home. Although Shri Thakurji is capable of doing many leelas at one time, He intentionally lets His bhaktas feel the longing for Him as when He meets them after a long, painful wait, the joy of union multiplies in leaps and bounds. Shri Harirayji says in the Shikshapatra, “Viprayogastu mahaphalam.. ” It means that the pain felt in ShriThakurji’s separation is the ultimate fruit of Pushti Bhakti. Aapshri explains that at the time of union, the bhakta feels Shri Thakurji just before him or with him, but at the time of separation, Shri Thakurji is felt everywhere, all the time!

The aartis have to be understood keeping both the bhaav in mind. The 'baal-bhaav', that Shri Nand-Yashoda have for Shri Thakurji, and the' kishor-bhaav', with which the Gopijan are bestowed.
Mangla aarti signifies Shri Yashodaji warding off the evil from her beautiful son and joyfully welcoming little Lord Krishna to start His play on another fine morning. The gopijan who come for Shri Thakurji’s darshan in the morning suggest through the burning flames of the aarti, that their hearts have been burning in the same manner in His separation all night. Now, upon having His divine darshan, they offer up that virah-taap (burning pain) in the form of the aarti.

Rajbhog aarti is performed by Shri Yashodaji as she prepares her darling son for a short nap and His journey to the woods with the cows later. She is worried about the well-being of her child and the aarti is a gesture to show that she prays for His safety. The 'kumarika' gopis, who stay in Nandalaya, indicate their pain through the Rajbhog aarti, as even a moment of separation from their beloved seems like ages. They want to keep looking at Him, keep serving Him, keep playing with Him, but they know now, that it would be long before they would be able to see Him again in the evening.

Sandhya aarti is the time when Shri Thakurji returns from the forest with all His companions and the godhan- the cows, and Shri Yashodaji welcomes Him with overwhelming joy. All the 'virah-taap' that was felt during the anosar (the time when direct seva is not possible due to the physical absence of Shri Thakurji), is done away with, upon beholding the mesmerising swaroop of Shri Krishna adorned with the dust of the cows’ feet.

Shayan aarti takes place just before Shri Yashodaji is ready to put her adored child to sleep. She imagines that He would have come across so many people all day, He would have said so many beautiful and sweet things to captivate everyone around Him, He would have charmed everybody with His playful mischief, He would have left everyone enthralled with His beauty and charm; and thus, owing to all this, He must have become vulnerable and prone to unknown dangers. To ward off all troubles, she offers up the mighty and powerful fire before Him. The gopis who have Shri Thakurji’s darshan before He goes to sleep, are in distress too. They would have to wait for the whole dark night to pass before they would be able to see and serve their lover the next morning. For the gopis, who taunt Brahmaji for creating eyelashes that cause a hindrance in beholding their love continuously, the time all night would be hard to elapse. The pain causes their hearts to burn and through the Shayan aarti, they display their inner feeling to their beloved.

There is more detail to the profound bhaav of the aarti explained by Shri Hariraiji, which may be learned only through His grace, and we all pray that one day, we might be the recipients of the grace and understand the intricacies and beauty of Pushtimarg, to serve our Pushti prabhu even better.