Sant Ravidas Ji Ki Aarti
श्री रविदास आरती (नामु तेरो आरती मजनु मुरारे)
What is the Sant Ravidas Ji Ki Aarti?
Ravidas Aarti Sant Ravidas Ji Ki Aarti is the devotional hymn Naam Tero Aarti Majan Murare, composed by Bhagat Ravidas, teaching that remembering God's Name is itself the truest form of worship.
The best known aarti linked with Guru Ravidas is Naam Tero Aarti Majan Murare, a hymn he composed himself. It is preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib (Ang 694, Raag Dhanasari) and is sung widely on Ravidas Jayanti and in Ravidassia sangats. In it Ravidas sets aside the lamp, sandalwood and flowers of ritual worship and offers only the divine Name.
Sant Ravidas Aarti Lyrics (English)
Roman transliteration for easy chanting. Tap “Meaning” under any verse for the English translation.
Refrain
Naam tero aarti majan murare
Hari ke naam binu jhoothe sagal pasaare
Naam tero aasano naam tero ursa, naam tera kesaro le chhitkaare
Naam tera ambhula naam tero chandano ghasi, jape naam le tujhahi kau chaare
Meaning
Your Name is my prayer seat and my grinding stone, and Your Name is the saffron I scatter as an offering. Your Name is the water and the sandal paste; chanting it is the only thing I place before You.
Naam tera deeva naam tero baati, naam tero telu le maahi pasaare
Naam tere ki joti lagaayi, bhaio ujiaaro bhavan saglaare
Meaning
Your Name is the clay lamp, the wick and the oil poured into it. When the flame of Your Name is lit, its light fills every dwelling.
Naam tero taaga naam phool maala, bhaar athaarah sagal joothaare
Tero kiya tujhahi kiya arpau, naam tera tuhi chavar dholaare
Meaning
Your Name is the thread and the garland of flowers; all the world's offerings are already used and impure. What can I give You that is not already Yours? Your own Name is the fan I wave over You.
Das athaa athsathe chaare khaani, ihai vartani hai sagal sansaare
Kahai Ravidas naam tero aarti, sat naam hai hari bhog tuhaare
Meaning
The eighteen Puranas, the sixty-eight sacred places and the four sources of life run their course through this whole creation. Ravidas says Your Name alone is my aarti; the True Name is the offering I lay before You.
Meaning & Significance
This aarti turns the usual ritual on its head. Instead of describing a tray of lamps, incense and flowers waved before an image, Ravidas names each of those items and then replaces it with the divine Name. The prayer mat, the sandal paste, the lamp, the oil, the garland and the fly-whisk all dissolve into one thing: remembrance of God.
The refrain carries the whole argument. Without the Name, says Ravidas, every outward display is hollow. Because God is formless and already owns everything, the devotee has nothing material worth offering back. The only true gift is a mind fixed on the Name. That message, plain and direct, is why the hymn became central to the Ravidassia and wider Bhakti tradition and why it sits in the Guru Granth Sahib.
How Do You Perform This Aarti?
- Sit facing the image or portrait of Guru Ravidas — or simply sit quietly if none is present, since the hymn itself teaches inward worship.
- Light a lamp or diya — as the verses describe the lamp of the Name, though the focus stays on the words, not the flame.
- Recite the refrain first — Naam tero aarti majan murare, then sing the four verses in order at a steady, unhurried pace.
- Reflect on each line — letting the meaning register rather than rushing, since the aarti is about attention, not ritual speed.
- Close by bowing — and sitting in silence for a moment, keeping the Name in mind as the verses ask.
What Are the Benefits of Singing This Aarti?
Devotees sing it to steady the mind on God’s Name and to carry Ravidas’s teaching of simple, inward devotion into daily practice.
- Inward focus: The words pull attention away from outward display and toward remembrance, which many find calming and grounding.
- Equality of worship: Ravidas taught that sincere devotion needs no wealth or ritual, so the aarti is open to anyone regardless of background.
- Connection to Ravidas Jayanti: Singing it links the devotee to the community gatherings held on Magha Purnima and in Ravidassia sabhas through the year.
- A simple daily practice: Because it needs no elaborate setup, it fits easily into a short morning or evening routine.
Who Wrote This Aarti?
This aarti was composed by Sant Ravidas himself, the fifteenth to sixteenth century Bhakti poet and saint from the Banaras region. Forty of his hymns, including this one, were included in the Guru Granth Sahib, where it appears in Raag Dhanasari on Ang 694. Ravidas is revered across the Ravidassia, Sikh and wider Sant traditions, and his verses consistently reject caste barriers and empty ritual in favour of direct devotion to the formless divine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Sant Ravidas Ji Ki Aarti?
It is the hymn Naam Tero Aarti Majan Murare, composed by Bhagat Ravidas, which teaches that remembering God's Name is itself the truest form of worship.
Where does this aarti come from?
It is Ravidas's own composition and is preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib on Ang 694 in Raag Dhanasari, making it a shared Bhakti and Gurbani text.
When is the Ravidas aarti sung?
It is sung most on Ravidas Jayanti, which falls on Magha Purnima, and in Ravidassia sangats through the year, as well as in daily personal devotion.
Who is worshipped in this aarti?
Ravidas addresses the formless God, called Murari and Hari in the verses, and offers the divine Name in place of every ritual item.
What is the main message of the aarti?
That outward ritual without inner devotion is empty, and that a mind fixed on God's Name is the only offering that truly matters.
॥ कहै रविदासु नामु तेरो आरती ॥