[Advaita-l] meaning for certain mantras

[Dr. Yadu Moharir]

Namaste Kartik-Ji:
 
You are correct that folks name their children without knowing the meaning.  
 
As I understand the word "aarati" is derived from "aaraatrika" 
 
which means : 




ArAtrika
n. the light (or the vessel containing it) which is waved at night before an idol ; N. of this ceremony. 

The word is also used that suggests "cessation".
 
If one looks at the whole process of puujaa then one needs to recognize that it's objective is "kaamya", or for gaining some Divine intervention from the deity.  When one performs "aarati" one can see and hopefully all the attributes associated with the specific deity.  It up to performer of the vrataa to use these attributes for his own solutions.  Some time the solutions come from other members of family & friends who came to grace the occasion.  All the compositions of the aarati elaborately provide sometimes subtle as well as direct attributes of the deity.  Thus, one gains the knowledge that was encompassed within the ritual or the saadaka becomes "ONE" with the knowledge expressed in the the composition of aarati.
 
Just like Acharya expressed in his daxiNaamuuri stotra "yas-sAkshAt-kurute prabodha-samaye svAtmAnam-evAdvayaM".
 
Just some thoughts,
 
Regards,
 
Dr. Yadu
 

--- On Fri, 10/10/08, S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com> wrote:

From: S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] meaning for certain mantras
To: advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
Date: Friday, October 10, 2008, 8:06 PM

--- On Fri, 10/10/08, Jaldhar H. Vyas jaldhar at braincells.com> wrote:

 >

There are many mantras that can be used for the aarati. (NOT "aarti",
which means "problem" or "difficulty". One of the names of
the Divine Mother is aarti-hare devii, meaning One who destroyes aarti or
difficulties. Sadly, many girls are being named "Arti" nowadays by
parents who don't know the meaning of the word.)


Regards,
Kartik