What is a puja?
Not a ritual. A conversation with the divine.
Customs & Rituals
The sound is meant to wake your attention, not the deity.
2 min read · Customs & Rituals
The sound is meant to wake your attention, not the deity.
The large bell that hangs at the entrance
of every Hindu temple - and the smaller
bells rung during aarti - are not rung
to announce your presence to the deity.
The bell is rung to tell you that
you have arrived.
The bell is tuned to produce a tone
that reverberates for several seconds
after it is struck. The tradition
says this sound dissolves thought.
For the duration of the reverberation,
the ordinary mental chatter pauses.
You are, briefly, completely present.
During aarti, small bells are rung
continuously. The same principle applies:
the sound keeps attention from wandering.
You cannot think about something else
clearly while a bell is ringing near you.
That is the point.
Let the idea move immediately into prayer or temple ritual.
When you watch the aarti in your sacred video recording, listen for the bells before watching the flame.
Keep the context connected rather than isolated.
Not a ritual. A conversation with the divine.