Aarti means the ritual that removes darkness. Ganga Aarti is the light offerings to the Goddess Ganga and the River Ganga. Devotees arrived to participate in the celebration of light.The pandit (priest) lifting the lamp facing towards Ganga. He is circling the lamp around in a clockwise manner
.Chanting mantra in praise of Goddess Ganga:
Glory, glory, all glory to you, O sanctifier of the world; glory to you, O Ganga, the sacred river of the gods. Victory to you, O dweller among Siva's locks ! Your bouncing and rippling waves are incomparably beautiful.The celebration uplifts the spirits. The lamp is celebrated as the mark of victory of good over evil.
O Ganga, your vehicle, the immaculate and sacred crocodile, looks elegant and he who beholds the urn filled with ambrosia in your hand is at once spell-bound. The gold ornaments you are wearing are all studded with precious gems and the diamond necklace on your bosom is absolutely spotless (without any trace of impurity).
Ganesa, Lord of Siva’s faithful follower, is said to be foremost among all the adorable gods, but bathing in the Ganga takes precedence over him.O Goddess, you dwell in Brahma’s kamandalu, the pot made of earth or wood which he carries; but you came down to worship the lotus feet of Visnu, the feet that bestow happiness on all.
You absolved all the sixty thousand sons of Sagara of their sins and made Gangasagara the place of pilgrimage.Having enjoyed all the blessings of life he attains to the supreme state and is delivered from the cycle of birth and death. Blessed are you, O Mother, the celestial stream, the source of all happiness; blessed, all blessed is the confluence of the three rivers, triveni, at Prayaga, the holiest of the holy.
He who regularly remembers the holy stream and observes the stringent rules of such a worship attains to the status of a noble person even if he is wicked. After the Aarti is over, a small boat with an earthen oil lamp (diya) candle, ghee and flowers that's floated down the river. It used for paying respect to Ganga and get blessings from the Goddess Ganga.
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