Archana: Kumkumarchana Thali Charthal Swayamvara and Mangalya Archana

What is an archana?

An archana is a ritual done in praise of a deity. The names, qualities, attributes and greatness of the deity are recited, normally before the idol or picture of the deity, while offerings like flowers are submitted along with. An archana will consist generally of the recitation of 108 names of the archetype. There can also be archanas involving 1008 or even a lakh of names of the God. The ritual begins with a sankalpa, where the names of the sponsors are included as the beneficiaries. It ends with the holy aarti, where lighted camphor is shown to the alter as a final offering, which is then presented to the devotees for their acceptance of the blessings. This sacred Light and Sound Ceremony is performed for inviting divine energies into our lives. It is a simple but effective process for invoking a deity and seeking his or her blessings. 
An archana done with the sacred kumkum is called “Kumkumarchana.” 

What are the Thali Charthal, Swayamvara and Mangalya Archana?

Thali is mangalsutra, the sacred thread that a man wears to a woman at the time of their marriage, to make her his wife. “Charthal” means “offering to or adorning the deity with.”

The Sanskrit word “swayam” means “self,” and “vara” means “groom.” While swayamvara was an ancient practice in which girls themselves chose their husbands, swayamvara here refers to girls doing worship for getting the right boys of their choice as their husbands.  

“Mangalya” is the other name for Mangalsutra, also known as Thali.

In the context of this remedy, the Swayamvara and Mangalya Archana refers to doing the archana with the Swayamvara and Mangalya Mantras, meant for the good of the husbands and the congenial married life. 
  
This worship, consisting of Kumkumarchana, Thali Charthal, Swayamvara and the Mangalya Archana is done to Goddess Bhagavathi. 

What is the importance of Goddess Bhagavathi? 

Bhagavathi is Goddess Shakthi, who combines in herself supreme power and motherly compassion. Known also by many other names, she is the active dynamic principle primarily responsible for all prosperity, and is a generator of fertility, purity and abundance. It is Goddess Bhagavathi who is invoked in this archana worship.

How is this archana worship performed and what are the benefits of doing it?

This worship consists of a series of rituals, like an archana to the Goddess with the bright red holy kumkum, reverentially offering and adorning her with the sacred thali or mangalsutra, and doing the ceremonial archana to her with the chants of the powerful  Swayamvara and Mangalya Mantras, or hymns.   

This is a powerful worship for pleasing the Mother Goddess, and it earns her divine blessings. This will thus prove to be an effective remedy for getting a highly suitable and desired person as the life partner, for an early and smooth marriage, for the good health and long life of the husband and for a very happy and fruitful married life.