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 (light and sound ceremony)will consist generally of the recitation of 108 names of the archetype. There can also be archanas involving 1000 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 altar 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.
Lord Shiva is pure consciousness. He represents the soul, the very core of a being. Scriptures regard him as one among the holy trinities, the three supreme Gods, among the pantheon of divine beings. These Gods take care of the three core activities of creation, sustenance and destruction and thus govern the universe. Of these, Shiva is the God of destruction. Shiva does destroy, but only to transform and elevate. He is the only God who is referred to as “Mahadeva,” the great God or the Lord of the Gods. Being also the ruler of three powerful planets (the Sun, Jupiter and Saturn) who exercise strong control over our lives, Shiva can be said to lord over our very destinies.
This ceremony is done for propitiating Shiva and involves performance of an archana to him along with doing Poojas. This ritual is begun on the day of the devotee’s birth star and is continued in his or her name on each of the days of the birth star continuously for a year; that is, on all 13 birth star days of a year, so that blessings keep on accruing to the devotee throughout the period and subsequently too.
Performing this worship and offering prayers to Shiva can get for the devotees the complete blessings of the Lord and can help in overcoming difficulties and leading a good life with happiness.
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