Shivabalayogi Arthi

Will Swamiji please explain the arthi?

Swamiji: The arthi contains the essence of your bhakti or prayer, be the bhakti directed toward God or the Guru. In other words, it is the praise of the Lord. Everyone while performing the arthi is offering his love to the divine. The climax of any prayer is the arthi…

What is the significance of the flame that we wave during the arthi?

Swamiji: Fire, to begin with, purifies everything. During the time that we were at the program doing meditation and singing bhajans, there might have been innumerable negative thoughts in our minds. These thoughts are destroyed by the fire during the arthi. In addition, when the fire is waved around the Guru, the fire absorbs the positive vibrations from the aura of the Guru and of God, and at the end of the arthi we all absorb those positive divine vibrations. First you give all that negativity to the Guru, and then you take the divine vibrations into yourself.

Can you perform the arthi to Sri Swamiji’s picture when he is not present? Is camphor particularly good to use? Do you perform the arthi when you start the program?

Swamiji: The arthi is only sung at the end of the program, but the waving of the fire is done both before and after the program. You can use a candle or oil, but camphor is better if you have some. But you have to have a picture in front of you when you do the arthi and offer the fire. If you do not have a picture then you must do it in all four directions, because God is everywhere.

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Aarthi ki jai balayogi ki

Shivabalayogi namo namah swami

Parvathamma ka raja dularay
Sathyaraju namo namah swami

Beautiful son of Parvattama, Sathyaraju, we bow to you.

Jai jagadishwara, jaya sideshwara
Dhyanbmagna swami, namo namah swami

Hail to Lord of the Universe, hail master of Powers, constantly in dhyaan, we bow before Swami!

Atma nivasi, gatha gatha wasi
Aradhya deva namo namah swami

Residing in the soul, constantly residing there, we worship you O Swami!

Kasta nivaraka, he jagapalaka
He karuna myeh namo namah swami

Remover of pain, guardian of the universe who bestows sympathy, we before Swami!

Jai shiva shankara, jai abhayankara
Jai gangadhara namo namah swami

Hail Shiva, Giver of Joy, hail to You who gives fearlessness, Hail bearer of the Ganges, we bow before Swami!

Jaya jnaneshwara, jaya bimeshwara
Qmkareshwara namo namah swami

Hai master of knowledge, hail Lord of strength, great creator of all, we bow before Swami!

Om jai jagadisha hare,
Swami jai jagadisha hare,
Swami jai Bholanath hare,
Swamij jai Raghunath hare,
Swami Shivabalayogi hare,
OM JAI JAGADISH HARE…