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Thus fire has become an essential part of all Hindu and Buddhist rituals. Lamps (deepas) are lighted during a puja and waved clockwise in front of the image with the right hand, first around its head, then around its central portion, and finally around its feet. The left hand of the person conducting the puja usually holds a small bell that is rung continuously while the lamp is being waved.
Fire was worshipped in ancient India as the God Agni, and today fire is a primary symbol of divine energy. In lighting the flame in front of the image the devotee acknowledges the sacred supremacy of the God or Goddess. Various vegetable oils may be used in deepas, but the most auspicious fuel is the ghee of the cow, or clarified butter.
Most lamps are brass, and many are sculpted with sacred symbols relevant to the deity being worshipped. In Buddhism, butter lamps are used at the altar. Camphor, known locally as karpura, is processed from the pitch of the tree. When lighted, it has the unique property of creating a bright, cool flame that leaves no residue or ash. It is usually placed in a flat tray known as an arati.
After being waved in front of the image, the arati is customarily brought close to the devotees so that they may put their hands into the fire and then touch their eyelids or the tops of their heads with their fingertips, an action with great symbolic value. The fragrant flame represents the brilliant presence of the deity.
Contact with the fire is believed to purify and elevate the devotee’s soul, allowing it to merge with the magnificence of the Divine; at the same time, the energy of unknowable deity is transformed and channeled into palpable connection with the devotee. The arati puja and the darshan (the moment of visually recognizing and being recognized by God) are the most important acts in Hindu worship.
Brass Diyas (ritual lamps) are the symbol of goodness and auspiciousness, lit before everyday worship in front of the deity for performing Aarti. To obtain the best possible results from a Brass Diya, light the lamp in the north or northeast direction. This is believed to attract wealth in your life. If you desire to have a rich and healthy life, place a brass Diya facing east. To remove negative energies from your house, you can place a brass Diya near a water vessel or Urli.
We have a huge, growing collection of traditional Indian Diyas such as Annam lamps, Deepalakshmi lamps, hanging lamps, Gajalakshmi lamps, multi-wick lamps, and lamps with Ganesha, Lakshmi, and other Hindu gods and goddesses.
Lighting a lamp in the evening before the deities and Tulsi Maharani is considered to be very auspicious. It is the symbol of light over darkness (ignorance) and good over evil. When we offer a ghee lamp with devotion, we submit our false ego and purify ourselves with the causeless mercy of the Lord. It is an expression of our love toward Him.
Lighting a ghee lamp is a message of hope and light in life. By using a ghee lamp at home, one invites health, wealth, and prosperity. Lighting a ghee lamp at home invites positivity and helps in getting rid of all the negative energy in the house. Ghee lamps attract sattvik vibrations. As everybody knows, Diwali is celebrated by lighting diyas and lamps.
This signifies the victory of good over evil. As per Vastu Shastra, people believe that the ghee or oil in a diya signifies negativity in one’s mind and the wicks symbolize the Atma or soul. By lighting the diya, he dispels the negativity from the mind and soul. This clears up space for positive thoughts to enter.
Light
a lamp both in the morning and evening. Lighting diyas in the evenings is an
age-old Hindu tradition that is believed to remove or keep off negative
energies from entering the house. The lighting of incense sticks, dhoop, and
the diya signifies the presence of fire element (Agni tattva).
As
soon as the fire is lit, darkness flees away inside the heart of the devotee if
the lighting of the lamp is practiced every day. Once in the early morning,
better between 4:30 AM to 5:00 AM in the Brahmi muhurtham, if not possible,
then before 7.00 am followed by puja. In the evening also before 7.00 PM. After
which you have to allow God to rest.
