As a homeschool family, separated from proper devotional association to a degree, we are doing our best to come up with exercises that are fun and informative for our kids to learn all that we can teach them. Our next project will be a "lapbook" about the arati. I am hoping that maybe some very knowledgable devotees can provide us with simplified answers to some questions. I say "simplified" because this is just an introduction for my 4 & 6 year-old children and they aren't ready for the very in depth details....yet. So, please, if you can help, we would be so grateful!Questions:1. Why do we perform arati?2. When do we perform arati?3. What are the qualities of a pujari?4. In what activities should devotees present during each arati be engaged?5. Are there specific prayers to sing for each arati?6. What are the big NO-NO's during the arati?7. In what order to we address each personality at the alter?Thank you so much for any assistance you can provide!Haribol!
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Hare Krishna dear Jamie Huntt Mataji, please accept my humble obeisances! all glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Very good service You are doing! i think Your book will be used by lots of Devotees also!
and it is true, dear Devotees, lets try to help her!
You told to answer simple but does it mean also short or with 3-4 sentences...?
1. Because Krishna loves nice smell of insects, He loves beautiful flowers, He loves to drink clean water then use cloth.
Fire we offer in order to attract His vision and pray to Him: "please, Krishna, notice me! please, accept me as Your servant and child!" :-)
2. we try to perform Arati early in the morning when Krishna wakes up and wants to go to feed His calves in the fields.
3. pujari should be respectful to elders. He should take bath and wear dhoti and chadar. Because Krishna loves when we wear Vaishnava clothes. He Himseslf also always wears dhoti and chadar. And pujari should decorate his body with Tilak. In order to make happy Krishna.
4. (this question i did not understood properly)
5. We sing songs which were sang by our grand fathers like Srila Prabhupada, His Guru,...
6. During the Arati we have to try to dance with hold hands and moving legs from right to left from left to right.
By doing so we say to Krishna: my dear Krishna, please, look at me, please accept me as Your servant!"
But we have to try not to miss Arati, or just stand not dancing and singing.
7. For example, first we show flower to our Gurudev, then to Srila Prabhupada then we offer it to Lord Gouranga saying: "please my dear Lord Gouranga, accept this flower!"
Then we offer it to Lord Nityananda saying: "please my dear Lord Nityananda accept this flower!"
Then to Pancha Tattva photo, then to Lord Narasimha and Prahlada Maharaja.
Then to Guru Parampara starting with 6 Goswamis.
Then to Srila Prabhupada saying: please my dear Param Guru Srila Prabhupada, accept this flower!
Then to our Diksha Guru.
Then turn back and offer it to all Vaishnavas in the Temple room.
Replies
Hare Krishna dear Jamie Huntt Mataji, please accept my humble obeisances! all glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Very good service You are doing! i think Your book will be used by lots of Devotees also!
and it is true, dear Devotees, lets try to help her!
You told to answer simple but does it mean also short or with 3-4 sentences...?
1. Because Krishna loves nice smell of insects, He loves beautiful flowers, He loves to drink clean water then use cloth.
Fire we offer in order to attract His vision and pray to Him: "please, Krishna, notice me! please, accept me as Your servant and child!" :-)
2. we try to perform Arati early in the morning when Krishna wakes up and wants to go to feed His calves in the fields.
3. pujari should be respectful to elders. He should take bath and wear dhoti and chadar. Because Krishna loves when we wear Vaishnava clothes. He Himseslf also always wears dhoti and chadar. And pujari should decorate his body with Tilak. In order to make happy Krishna.
4. (this question i did not understood properly)
5. We sing songs which were sang by our grand fathers like Srila Prabhupada, His Guru,...
6. During the Arati we have to try to dance with hold hands and moving legs from right to left from left to right.
By doing so we say to Krishna: my dear Krishna, please, look at me, please accept me as Your servant!"
But we have to try not to miss Arati, or just stand not dancing and singing.
7. For example, first we show flower to our Gurudev, then to Srila Prabhupada then we offer it to Lord Gouranga saying: "please my dear Lord Gouranga, accept this flower!"
Then we offer it to Lord Nityananda saying: "please my dear Lord Nityananda accept this flower!"
Then to Pancha Tattva photo, then to Lord Narasimha and Prahlada Maharaja.
Then to Guru Parampara starting with 6 Goswamis.
Then to Srila Prabhupada saying: please my dear Param Guru Srila Prabhupada, accept this flower!
Then to our Diksha Guru.
Then turn back and offer it to all Vaishnavas in the Temple room.
Your servant,
Haribol Mataji,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Thank you so much for your help! I will keep posting on our progress.
Hare Krsna!
Your servant,
Jamie