Archana: Udayasthamana Pooja (Bhagavathi)

What is an Udayasthamana Pooja?

“Udaya” literally means “rise” or “rising,” but here it refers to the sunrise early in the morning. Similarly, “asthamana” means “sunset in the evening.” Together, the word “udayasthamana” stands for the period from morning to evening. Various worships are conducted in temples right through the day, from morning to night (that is, during the period referred to as udayasthamana), and these are termed commonly as the Udayasthamana Pooja.

Many ritualistic worships of different kinds form part of this pooja conducted from morning to night, of which the archana can be called the principal one. Here, the Udayasthamana Pooja is done for Goddess Bhagavathi.

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. 

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 Udayasthamana Pooja.

How do devotees do the Udayasthamana Pooja and what are the benefits of doing it?

Devotees participate with full devotion in the Udayasthamana Pooja, which consists of a series of worships offered to the deity throughout the day, including rituals like the abhishekam, archana, alankaram and aarti. Sincere prayers offered throughout the day will please Mother Goddess Bhagavathi immensely and fill the devotees’ lives with positive energies. This will help remove the difficulties from their lives and relieve them from sorrow.