Jaya Devi Arati

The Jaya Devi Arati honors the many forms of the goddess and recognizes that, as seekers, we experience Goddess Shakti in our lives through the boundless grace of the Guru.

On the Siddha Yoga path, this evocative and joyful arati is sung to a melody composed by Gurumayi Chidvilasananda.

This arati is especially popular in South India. It is dedicated to the goddess in the form of Lalita, “the playful one,” and Tripurambe, “mother 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 singing this arati to the goddess—especially while performing the waving of light that is the ritual known as arati—we recognize and celebrate this deity’s divine qualities and evoke these same qualities within ourselves.