Pranava Arati: A Hymn for Om
By Divine Grace, I present an Aarti I penned for SD Revive. It is a devotional and philosophical hymn honoring a few deities of Hinduism. It connects them to Om, also called Omkar or Pranava, implying that all deities are personifications of the Source. This is unity in diversity: the One or Eka manifests as many. Here is my humble offering to the Aarti world:
[Intro]
ārati oṃkāra mūlam
sarva kāraṇa nirūpam
bindu nirākāra rūpam
eka praṇava sampūrṇam
A hymn to Om, the root of all,
One with no form, the cause of all.
Formless in shape, it’s the Dot of creation,
Singular Pranava, it is verily completion.
[Verse 1]
gāyatrī lalitāṃ śrī oṃ
brahma śaṅkara hari oṃ
prakṛtiḥ anantaṃ śrī oṃ
vāyuḥ sūryāgni hara oṃ
(ārati oṃkāra mūlam…)
Gayatri, Lalita, and Sri, from Om they rise,
Brahma, Shankara, and Hari from Om arise.
The limitless Nature, with Om at her core,
Wind, Sun, and Fire, from Om restore.
[Verse 2]
gaṇeśa sumukhaṃ śrī oṃ
prājña amita kṛti oṃ
kumāra mahataṃ śrī oṃ
skanda śanmukha guha oṃ
(ārati oṃkāra mūlam…)
Ganesha, with his cheerful face, is Divine Energy, Om,
Wise and infinite, Kriti is verily Om.
Kumara, the great, is Divine Energy, Om,
Destroyer and six-faced, Guha is Om.
[Verse 3]
rāma kṛṣṇa śeṣam śrī oṃ
ajaḥ śrīdhara hari oṃ
rudra mahēśvaraṃ śrī oṃ
śivaḥ viveka hara oṃ
(ārati oṃkāra mūlam…)
Rama, Krishna, and Sesha are Divine Energy, Om,
Unborn, the holder of Sri, Hari is verily Om.
Rudra and Maheshvara are Divine Energy, Om,
Gracious, the giver of discretion, Hara is Om.
[Verse 4]
śrīdevī vidyām hara oṃ
sudhā śāradā hari oṃ
mokṣa ekatvam jaya oṃ
oṃkāra tat sat gurū oṃ
(ārati oṃkāra mūlam…)
Sri Devi’s wisdom, the remover of ignorance, is Om,
Sharada’s nectar, the remover of distress, is indeed Om.
In Liberation and Divine Union, the victory is Om,
Omkar, That Spiritual Truth; the Guru is Om.
You can sing this Aarti hymn as a soft lullaby for the divine. Or, you can chant it in Anushtup Chanda, a Vedic poetry meter found in scriptures like the Srimad Bhagavad Gita.
om tat sat
Love,
Sri Devi Om
Aarti Lyrics Video
A video of the Pranava Aarti written by me. I got some help composing the tune and background music. And did the lead vocals myself. Don’t consider myself a singer, but I did give it my best! 😊
