The Magic of Attending Mangala-Arati

A Godbrother of mine very wisely said that if you attend mangala-arati, magic will happen in your day. Mangala-arati means "auspicious welcoming ceremony for the Lord." It is to be conducted no later than one-and-a-half hours before sunrise. In ISKCON temples around the world it is celebrated every day at 4:30 A.M. It is our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, who taught us to perform mangala-arati. He writes in his purport to Nectar of Instruction, verse 3:

"In this Krishna consciousness movement we require everyone to rise early in the morning, by four A.M., and attend mangala-arati, or morning worship."

So whether one lives in a temple or lives at home, those who are following the principles of Krishna consciousness rise every day no later than four A.M. and celebrate mangala-arati. Mangala-arati is such an important part of our Krishna conscious life that we can judge our level of advancement in Krishna consciousness simply by how we experience mangala-arati. In this connection Srila Prabhupada explains in a Bhagavad-gita lecture he gave in London on 26 August 1973:

"So the test is within our hand. If during mangala-arati we feel laziness, that means I'm not yet spiritually advanced. And if one feels enthused, 'Now it is time for mangala-arati, let me stand up, let me do this,' then it is spiritual. Anyone can test."

So everyone who is serious to awaken the dormant love of God within their hearts should rise no later than 4 A.M. and exuberantly celebrate mangala-arati.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Mangala-Arati at ISKCON Austin--9 February 2013

Sankarshan Das performing Mangala-Arati at ISKCON Austin

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Who is My Real Friend and Real Enemy?

In this material world, who is my real friend, and who is my real enemy?

Amit Gupta

Delhi, India

Answer: Who Helps You Remember or Forget Krishna

Your real friend is the person who helps you remember Krishna, and your real enemy is that person who helps you forget Krishna.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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