On the fourth floor of the Jain Center of America, a family waits to do the aarti ceremony in the Dadawadi Temple. A father, his wife and two children: an older daughter who seems to understand more of her surroundings than her little brother. They are greeted by a greying, short man known as Shah, who works at the temple and leads them through the ritual.
The Dadawadi Temple is boxy in shape. A tall and impressive marble carving of the Himalayas takes up the back wall, with images placed in its crevices. A poster of the mountain range creates a picturesque background for the large installment. The focus of the room and the aarti is in the middle of the temple, where an image sits cross-legged, in an open white marble shrine. The deity is Shri Jin Kushal Suri Ji Maharaj, a figure in the Kharatagach sect of Svetambara Jains. The deity is barely a foot in height, and sits behind a marble basin with footprints imprinted on it.
A bell is bolted to the high ceiling and hangs down just enough so a fully extended arm can reach it. Upon entering, the father rings the bell—just once—the sound echoing off the skylight windows that reveal a dark but clear night sky. The initial tone is the preface to bhakti—the atmosphere is cleared for worship. As the tone echoes off the high ceiling, an ambiance of preparation and devotion sets in.
Shah has prepared the ghee and three wicks for the family’s aarti lamp, he hands the father the tray and stands his post, raising his arm to reach the bell. Shah is not tall, and his arm must fully extend to reach the bell. His hand grasps the bell’s ringer and begins to move it in a distinct rhythm.
Within seconds, the song begins.
1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4. The bell reverberates and clangs so loud that Shah, the mother and the father must raise their singing voices above its noise. Hindi song fills the room and the bell becomes background noise.
The ringing is significant, however. It is constant throughout the entire aarti. It accompanies the song and focuses the aarti as a prayer and song to God. The Jain aarti involves several elements: the ghee, the lamps, the tray and its clockwise motion, the song. But the bell is the life-blood of the ceremony. The focus and devotion of bhakti has a completion in mind: the completion of the clockwise circle, the end of the song. The bell is the soundtrack to the devotees’ worship, and it will not cease until completion. As long as the bell rings, the flame moves.
1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4. Shah’s arm must be tired, but he continues. The father hands the tray to his wife, who hands the tray to me. As I move my arms clockwise, I see the father stand behind Shah, they are both still singing on beat. His hand covers Shah’s and then at the perfect moment Shah steps forward, and the man is ringing the bell in his place. Not a beat is missed. Shah takes the tray from me and waves the flame.
Shah continues to sing, as does the man and his wife. She looks back at a plaque in Hindi on the wall occasionally, the lyrics are complex—there are several verses. Her husband’s eyes are closed, and he knows the lyrics. His devotion is revealed in the movement of his wrist, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4.
The song is a prayer of devotion and respect to the deity who attained liberation in his life. The family sings and worships not for blessing or material gain but instead to honor and hopefully someday emulate his life.
The song ends. Shah waves the flame clockwise in front of the image one last time, as the bell’s rhythm finishes the aarti. The last note lingers in the air; the bell swings slightly from the ceiling. The ceremony is over, and the man now stands as still as the silence that has filled the temple.
The Jain Center of America is located at 43-11 Ithaca Street in Elmhurst, New York. The temple is open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily, with a time set aside for aarti from 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.