Why Worship Is Avoided at Home During Evening Aarti in Temples

Unveiling the Spiritual Belief Behind This Common Hindu Practice

In many Hindu households, it's customary to pause personal worship during the evening aarti conducted at temples. This practice is rooted in the belief that divine energy is most potent during temple aarti, and devotees should mentally align with it rather than perform parallel rituals at home. It reflects unity in devotion and reverence for the temple's central spiritual role.

Sandhya Aarti has special importance in Hinduism, which is performed every day at sunset. The atmosphere in temples is filled with spiritual energy due to the ringing of bells, blowing of conches and the light of lamps. But according to a traditional belief, when Sandhya Aarti is being performed in temples, Puja or Aarti is not performed in homes at that time. What is the belief and sentiment behind this?

According to religious scholars, the time of Sandhya Aarti is the moment of balance of cosmic energy. It is believed that when Aarti is being performed in a temple, the energy of the entire area is concentrated in that Aarti. In such a situation, if a person performs Aarti in his home at the same time, the effect of his worship may be reduced or he is unable to connect with the divinity of the temple Aarti.

At the time of Sandhya Aarti, a special kind of "wind" or energy flows in the atmosphere, which is considered as 'shubh vaayu'. The full benefit of this energy can be obtained only when a person participates in the temple aarti with devotion or remains away from worship at that time.

The priests of the local temples say that “The temple aarti is a form of collective worship, which is done for the entire community. When that aarti is being performed, the devotees should listen to the temple aarti with concentration, concentrate on it, and not do a separate worship at home.