The act of waving lamps (camphor or
ghee wick) in front of the deity accompanied
by mantras or songs eulogising the deity is
called mangalaaraartrikam or Aarati as it is
known now. The lamp is a mere flicker in
comparison to the self-luminous Lord, hence
the mantra says- na tatra sooryO bhaati na
chandra taarakam, nEmaa vidyutO bhaanti
kutOyamagnihi…. Which means that neither
the light of sun or moon or lightining can
reveal the true glory of Lord, then of what
use is this lamp. This is a symbolic act to
‘show’ the Supreme glory of the Lord to the devotee. Also while camphor burns to reveal
the glory of Lord, it emits a pleasant perfume
even while it sacrifices itself. In our spiritual
progress, even as we serve the Lord and
society, we should willingly sacrifice ourselves
and all we have, to spread the “perfume” of
love to all. Just as the camphor or wick burns
itself out so too the devotee should lose all
ego and individuality in order to have the
vision of the Lord In most parts of India, aarati is done
accompanied by collective singing of the
glories of Lord accompanied by musical and
rhythmical instruments. This act of collective
chanting and singing purges a devotee deeper
into Godliness.