Jaya Devi Āratī

In Honor of Navaratri 2018

Navaratri, which means “nine nights,” is a festival in which the Goddess, the primordial Shakti, is worshipped throughout India.

The evocative and joyful Jaya Devi Arati is sung in Shree Muktananda Ashram during Navaratri, to a melody composed by Gurumayi. The arati honors the many forms of the Goddess and recognizes that, as seekers, we experience Shakti in our lives through the boundless grace of the Guru.

This Jaya Devi Arati is especially popular in South India. It is dedicated to the Goddess in the form of Lalita, “the playful one,” and Tripurasundari, “the beautiful one of the three cities”—a reference to the divine Shakti as the principle of pure Consciousness underlying the three states of awareness (waking, dreaming, and deep sleep). In the Jaya Devi Arati, the Goddess is called Amba, “mother,” the creator of all. She is also celebrated as the force that transcends the forms of the world and leads spiritual seekers to the final attainment—an enduring union with God.

By performing arati to the Goddess during this auspicious time, we recognize and celebrate her divine qualities and evoke these same qualities within ourselves.