Ekveera Devi Aarti

By the BhaktiRas Editorial Team · Updated 14 July 2026

The Ekveera Devi Aarti is one of the most-sung Marathi aartis of coastal and western Maharashtra. Its best-known form opens with Yei Ho Ekvira Devi Maze Mauli Ye, a call to the goddess of the Karla hills to come and accept the devotee’s lamp. Ekvira Aai is the family deity (kuldevi) of the Agri, Koli, Pathare Prabhu and CKP communities, and this short aarti is what families recite at her Karla shrine and at home.

Ekveera Devi Aarti Lyrics (English)

Meaning & Significance

This aarti is a direct, personal address to Ekvira Aai rather than a formal Sanskrit stotra. The words are plain Marathi, the tone is that of a child speaking to its mother, and the recurring line Yei ho Ekvira Devi maze mauli ye simply means “Come, Ekvira Devi, come, my Mother.” Because the language is everyday spoken Marathi, generations have learned it by ear at the Karla shrine.

The imagery is rooted in Ekvira’s identity: she lives at Karla in the hills, she wears a bright yellow saree, and she rides a tiger, marking her as a form of the fierce Mother Goddess. Waving the lamp to her name is treated as the act that turns an ordinary day into a festival, which is why the aarti compares her presence to a daily Diwali for those who worship her.

How Do You Perform the Aarti?

1. Light the lamp — Prepare a brass or silver aarti plate with a ghee or oil wick, a little kumkum, and a few flowers before an image or photo of Ekvira Aai.
2. Begin with the refrain — Start by singing the opening line, inviting the goddess with the words Yei ho Ekvira Devi maze mauli ye, holding the lit lamp in your right hand.
3. Circle the lamp — Move the lamp in slow clockwise circles before the deity through each verse, keeping the rhythm steady so others can join the singing.
4. Sing all three verses — Carry on through the verses about her home at Karla, her yellow saree, her tiger, and her reign, returning to the refrain between them.
5. Close with the lamp offering — Finish by presenting the flame to the goddess, then let devotees warm their palms over it and touch their eyes as a blessing.

What Are the Benefits of Singing This Aarti?

Devotees sing the Ekveera Aarti for the closeness and protection of the Mother Goddess, and for the calm that a shared daily prayer brings to a household.

• Feeling of the Mother's presence: The aarti is written as a call to Ekvira to come near, so reciting it is meant to make the goddess feel present and attentive to the family that sings it.
• A simple daily practice: Because it is short and in plain Marathi, the aarti is easy for children and elders alike to learn, which keeps a regular devotional habit alive at home.
• Bond with the kuldevi: For the Agri, Koli, Pathare Prabhu and CKP families whose kuldevi is Ekvira, singing this aarti maintains a living link to their family deity between visits to Karla.
• A settled, festive mood: The refrain's image of every day as a Diwali is meant to lift the singer's mood and turn the evening lamp into a small celebration.

Who Wrote This Aarti?

The Ekveera Devi Aarti is a traditional Marathi devotional composition and its author is not recorded. Like most aartis of Maharashtra, it was passed down orally at the shrine and in homes long before it was printed, so no single poet is credited. It belongs to the broad tradition of Marathi devi-aartis sung in the Karla region and among Ekvira’s kuldevi communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

॥ जय एकवीरा आई ॥