Lord Siva

Reasons why we do a Karpoor Arati at the end of the Ritual?

Many of us follow rituals but do not understand the significance of the rituals. Often this lack of knowledge and blind adherence to rituals leads to distortion of the rituals where the letter of the scripture rather than the spirit of the scripture is followed . This lack of understanding also leads to outburts such as

” Does God need a temple to be present ,Is he not present everywhere and hence I will no longer visit a temple “

” Does God specifically have a form and does he need to be worshipped in Idol form “

The second question has been dealt with in detail in many debates over the centuries between the proponents of the Nirguna marga ( Formless god ) and Saguna marga ( God with form ) and is too huge to cover in one post. Also one will needs to understand a lot of underlying material before attempting that. The first question is something that can be dealt with in parts.

Satellite transmission is present everywhere but dont you need an Antenna to enjoy your cable subscription.

Water flows everywhere but only after passing through the pipe does it reach your house.

Energy is present everywhere but only after underoing a thermal/fission/hydro electric conversion that you finally tap into that energy.

The day you reach Buddhahood and are capable of seeing god everywhere (Mind you …You should no longer show any difference between your own and others. Even in your enemy’s face you should be able to see the face of God. ) When you reach that exalted state you can visualize god as formless. This is why the Rishis formulated a system of scientific worship of the divine energy by collecting it in Ancient temples . This knowledge was well preserved for many centuries but now is being slowly lost.

This post is an attempt to explain the basis behind the rituals. Many a time blind reasons are invented as knee jerk reactions to repeated questioning. The reasoning also has to make sense when thought with a scientific mind.

In this series with the first post we look at ” Why do we perform a Karpoor Aarati at the end of worship “.

Karpoor is Camphor better known as

Botanical name: Cinnamomum camphora
Family: Lauraceae
English name: Camphor tree
Hindi name: Kapur, Karpura

Camphor is derived from the leaves and stems of Cinnamonum Camphora tree where the oil is deposited as a thick waxy oily subtance . The leaves and stems of the plants are distilled and the extract forms Karpoor.The tree itself is evergeen by nature and survives in any season . Camphor has many healing properties and this article from the Journal of Ethnopharmacology studied the many uses of Camphor in Anti oxidative properties.


Uses of Camphor

Stimulates the circulatory and nervous system, Bitter and aromatic herb that combats inflammation and eases spasms and pain. Camphor is reported to enhance digestion and to kill internal parasites.

It has definite antiseptic, spasmolytic (in bronchial tubes), anti-irritant, carminative, circulatory, as well as analeptic properties. Although the smell stimulates the cold receptors in the mucus membranes, it does not have a direct decongestive effect.

Internal use
It is used in very low concentrations to fight inflammation and problems with circulation, as well encouraging decongestion in the respiratory tract.
In Ayurvedic medicine, camphor is reported to combat respiratory complaints, sinusitis, eye complaints, epilepsy, gout, pain experienced during menstruation, insomnia, flatulence, and rheumatism.
External use
The Chinese use camphor as an inhalant to revive people from faints and other unconscious states, for various skin diseases and to treat wounds.
It is commonly used as an ointment or liniment to treat sprains, joint and muscle pain, as balm for chapped lips, cold sores, as an inhalant to relieve nasal, bronchial, or upper respiratory congestion.
Camphor can also be used to treat rheumatic pains and muscle sprains.
If you notice the various uses of Camphor it deals with clearing the respiratory tract and also skin and lung complaints.

Reasons why we do a Karpoor Arati at the end of the Ritual.

1.You would have noticed the various beneficial effects of Camphor by reading the above paragraph.So it helps clear the atmosphere around the Idol and does bring health benefits.

2.The health benefits are only a bonus. Notice the flame of Camphor and the way it burns. Camphor burns without leaving residue . In yoga we represent various faculties of the human body and mind with various substances. For example the Coconut is a representative of the human head and ego.By breaking the Coconut we symbolize our giving up of ego.

3.Same way the Camphor represents the various desires or tendencies of a human being.By burning the smokeless and residueless Camphor we are praying to the Divine lord to burn away these tendencies and lead us to the true light.

4.The garba griha or Sanctum Sanctorum where the Idol was placed usually used to be dark in ancient times. There would be the flickering of lamps of course nearby . The Karpoor arati if you notice is a movement of the plate containing the camphor around the deity. If this is done in a rythmic manner it would start with the feet and reach the head of the deity and never above the head. As the light of the Arati falls on the deity each limb of the deity would be illuminated.

In fact the proper way of Worship means worshipping the limbs of the deity as well.If you remember the long pujas done for any deity, there will be a sequence where the limbs are worshipped.

‘Netram Pujayami -I worship the eyes “

“Padam Pujayami-I worship the feet”

And so on the sequence goes.

5.The arati is the culminating sequence in Puja and utilizes Agni the great purifier to symbolize the purification of our tendencies and surrender to god.

6. Agni is a great carrier of energy and there are three representative Agni’s in the human body. Agni always helps digest things .

Jathara Agni-Digestive fire symbolized by the digestive enzymes in the body-Helps digest food.

Jnana Agni-Present in the brain symbolized by the neurons-Helps digest things or learn things.

Netra Agni- Present as vision in both the eyes-Helps digest the visual input from the world.

Gita Chapter 15 Verse 14

aham vaisvanaro bhutva
praninam deham asritah
pranapana-samayuktah
pacamy annam catur-vidham

SYNONYMS

aham–I; vaisvanarah–by My plenary portion as the digesting fire; bhutva–becoming; praninam–of all living entities; deham–body; asritah–situated; prana–outgoing air; apana–down-going air; samayuktah–keep balance; pacami–digest; annam–foodstuff; catuh-vidham–four kinds of.

TRANSLATION

I am the fire of digestion in every living body, and I am the air of life, outgoing and incoming, by which I digest the four kinds of foodstuff.

By the act of holding our hands to the Arati we are transferring the energy of the Idol through the medium of fire into the fire of our eyes. We cannot directly transfer the fire to either Jathara agni or Jnana agni.The next time you behold an arati being performed hopefully you will be reminded of the meaning behind this ritual.

True yoga is in making every step of our life a part of the divine.

May the Light of that Sat-Chid-Ananda -Brahma shine on all of us.

Ganapati

Saibaba

Biggest Statue of Saibaba

This Statue of Sai Baba is located in Machlipatnam a Coastal Town in Andhra Pradesh. The Height of the Statue is 54ft i.e about 6 storey High. If we compare the shops next to the Sai Baba Statue, we will understand the true height of the statue.

The two Lion faces of Baba's Thrown are the entrance to the Mandir. An additional floor is under Construction. Five Snake Heads are covering his head & appearing as Baba's Crown.

Machlipatnam being a Costal Town has good rains & i think this is Baba's way to take bath by Creating Rain.

Reiki

A Brief Overview

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy."

A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results.

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery.

An amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class. This ability is passed on during an "attunement" given by a Reiki master and allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" to improve one's health and enhance the quality of life.

Its use is not dependent on one's intellectual capacity or spiritual development and therefore is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught to thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds.

While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to learn and use Reiki. In fact, Reiki is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not. Because Reiki comes from God, many people find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion rather than having only an intellectual concept of it.

While Reiki is not a religion, it is still important to live and act in a way that promotes harmony with others. Dr. Mikao Usui, the founder of the Reiki system of natural healing, recommended that one practice certain simple ethical ideals to promote peace and harmony, which are nearly universal across all cultures.




During a meditation several years after developing Reiki, Dr. Usui decided to add the Reiki Ideals to the practice of Reiki. The Ideals came in part from the five prinicples of the Meiji emperor of Japan whom Dr. Usui admired. The Ideals were developed to add spiritual balance to Usui Reiki. Their purpose is to help people realize that healing the spirit by consciously deciding to improve oneself is a necessary part of the Reiki healing experience. In order for the Reiki healing energies to have lasting results, the client must accept responsibility for her or his healing and take an active part in it. Therefore, the Usui system of Reiki is more than the use of the Reiki energy. It must also include an active commitment to improve oneself in order for it to be a complete system. The ideals are both guidelines for living a gracious life and virtues worthy of practice for their inherent value.

The secret art of inviting happiness
The miraculous medicine of all diseases
Just for today, do not anger
Do not worry and be filled with gratitude
Devote yourself to your work. Be kind to people.
Every morning and evening, join your hands in prayer.
Pray these words to your heart
and chant these words with your mouth
Usui Reiki Treatment for the improvement of body and mind
The founder , Usui Mikao

Namaste

Baba Darshan

Lord Ganesha

Akshardham Temple

Akshardham Temple

Akshardham Temple