A verse or a short composition in Guru Granth Sahib.
Literally, a ceremony of waving a lamp in front of an image while singing hymns of praise; a Hindu religious ritual of worship.
Regarding ‘Arti,’ it is also said that once the celebrated Panjabi actor Balraj Sahni asked the famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore [Nobel Laureate], you have already composed a national song for the country [India], why don’t you write a global song, common for all of humanity? Tagore replied that a song even greater in scope than a global song, written for the entire creation, had already been composed in the sixteenth century by Guru Nanak in the form of ‘Arti.’ Tagore has also translated ‘Arti’ in the Bengali language.
Jasbir Kesar, Caria Sodhani Dharti Lukai, Punjabi Tribune, Chandigarh, 13 November 2019, page 7.
According to the Hindu belief, worshipping an idol of a deity or a revered personality by rotating the lamps in a circular motion is called ‘Arti.’ These lamps, numbering from one to hundred, are lit and rotated four times up and down in a circular motion in front of the feet, twice in front of the navel, once in front of the face, and seven times in front of the whole body.
Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, Mahan Kosh, Bhasha Vibhag Punjab, Patiala, 2006, page 104.
In the Sikh tradition, the importance of the Sabad related to ‘Arti’ can also be gauged from the vars
A heroic poetic form, similar to a ballad, written in stanzas
so daru ārtī gavīai ammrit vele jāpu ucārā. -Var 1 Pauri 38
rātī kīrati sohilā kari ārtī parsādu vaḍande. -Var 6 Pauri 3
rāti ārtī sohilā māiā vic udāsu rahāiā. -Var 26 Pauri 6
Some Sabads by a few Bhagats
The fifteen saint-poets whose contributions are recorded in Guru Granth Sahib.
Bhagat Ravidas, nāmu tero ārtī majanu murāre. -Guru Granth Sahib 694
Bhagat Sain, dhūp dīp ghrit sāji ārtī. -Guru Granth Sahib 695
Bhagat Kabir, lehu ārtī ho purakh niranjan satigur pūjahu bhāī. -Guru Granth Sahib 1350
All these Sabads have a similar theme: “For the Sikhs of the Guru, the praise of Vahiguru (a synonym of the Divine in Sikh parlance) alone is the paraphernalia, that is, the incense, lamps, purified butter, and flowers, required for Arti. For a successful life, they ask for all things, whether material or spiritual, from Vahiguru alone, and not from any deity. In its entirety, Arti in Guru Granth Sahib inspires a seeker to move away from the ritualistic worship of deities and emphasises on serving Vahiguru through remembrance, and encourages one to remain dependent only on the timeless Being.”
Bhai Joginder Singh Talwara, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Bodh, part 1, Bani Biura, Singh Brothers, Amritsar, 2004, page 33.
In the ‘Amrit Kirtan’ Pothi (a collection of verses from Guru Granth Sahib and other sources) and certain other prayer books, some other Sabads are published along with the above Sabads under the title ‘Arti.’ There is no uniformity in their number. The following Sabads are included in the ‘Amrit Kirtan’ Pothi:
Kukar Ram Kau (editor), Ammrit Kirtan, Khalsa Brothers, Amritsar, 2011, page 835-838.
gagan mai thālu ravi candu dīpak bane tārikā manḍal janak motī. -Guru Granth Sahib 13
nāmu tero ārtī majanu murāre. -Guru Granth Sahib 694
dhūp dīp ghrit sāji ārtī. -Guru Granth Sahib 695
sunn sandhiā terī dev devākar adhapati ādi samāī. -Guru Granth Sahib 1350
gopāl terā ārtā.
This Sabad by Bhagat Dhanna is not related to ‘Arti.’ It seems, the confusion arose by assuming the word ‘Arta’ (afflicted, troubled, distressed person) to be a masculine form of ‘Arti.’
yāte prasanni bhae hai mahāṁ muni devan ke tap mai sukh pāvai. -Dasam Granth, Ukat Bilas Chand 54
he ravi he sasi he karunānidhi merī abai bianatī suni lījai. -Dasam Granth, Krishan Avtar Chand 1900
pāi gahe jab te tumare tab te koū āṁkh tare nahīṁ ānyo. -Dasam Granth, Ram Avtar Chand 863
sagal duār kaü chāḍi kai gahio tuhāro duār. -Dasam Granth, Ram Avtar Chand 864
chatr chakkr varatī chatr chakkr bhugate. -Dasam Grath. -Dasam Granth, Jap Chand 199
At Sri Darbar Sahib (also known as Sri Harimandar Sahib and popular as Golden Temple), Amritsar, the following Sabads are sung:
This description is based on the Sabads recited on 15 December, 2019 at Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar.
gagan mai thālu ravi candu dīpak bane tārikā manḍal janak motī. -Guru Granth Sahib 13
nāmu tero ārtī majanu murāre. -Guru Granth Sahib 694
dhūp dīp ghrit sāji ārtī. -Guru Granth Sahib 695
sunn sandhiā terī dev devākar adhapati ādi samāī. -Guru Granth Sahib 1350
gopāl terā ārtā.
This Sabad by Bhagat Dhanna is not related to ‘Arti.’ It seems, the confusion arose by assuming the word ‘Arta’ (afflicted, troubled, distressed person) to be a masculine form of ‘Arti.’
pāi gahe jab te tumare tab te koū āṁkh tare nahīṁ ānyo. -Dasam Granth, Ram Avtar Chand 863
sagal duār kaü chāḍi kai gahio tuhāro duār. -Dasam Granth, Ram Avtar Chand 864
Thus there are different versions of what one may call ‘Arti.’ The first is the original Sabad by Guru Nanak Sahib that appears in Guru Granth Sahib. The second and third versions, as mentioned above, are found in the ‘Amrit Kirtan’ Pothi and sung at Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, respectively. There is no information available regarding when and how these multiple versions were made to the original form of ‘Arti.’
