Is it to awaken the Lord? But the Lord never sleeps. Is it for the Lord to know that we have come? He does not need to be told, since he knows everything. Is it a way to ask permission to enter your riding? It’s a homecoming and, therefore, the entrance does not need permission. The Lord welcomes us at all times. So why are we ringing the bell?
The sound of the bell produces what is considered auspicious sound. It produces the Om, the universal name of the Lord. There must be auspiciousness inside and out, to obtain the vision of the Lord which is auspicious.
Even when performing ritual aarati, we ring the bell. Sometimes it is accompanied by the auspicious sounds of conch shell and other musical instruments. Another importance of playing the bell, the snail and other instruments is that they have helped to stifle any noise and unfavorable or irrelevant comments that could disturb or distract the faithful in their devotional zeal, concentration and their inner peace.
At the beginning of daily ritual worship (pooja), the bell rings and Chanting:
Aagamaarthamtu devaanaam
gamanaarthamtu rakshasaam
Kurve ghantaaravam tatra
devataahvaahna lakshanam
I ring this bell indicating
the invocation of divinity,
So that virtuous and noble forces
enter (my home and heart);
and the demonic and evil
forces from within and without, depart.
