Why do we?

Ring the bell in a temple? Is it to wake up the God? But God never sleeps. Is it to let him know we have come? He does not need to be told. He is all-knowing. Is it a way of seeking permission to enter its precincts? But going to the temple is like homecoming. No permission for entering it is needed. God welcomes us all the times. Then why do we ring the bell? That’s because ringing the bell produces an auspicious sound of “AUM”; The primordial sound. There should be auspiciousness within and without, to gain to gain the vision of God who is all-auspiciousness. Even while doing the ritualistic Aarti we ring the bell. It is sometimes accompanied by the blowing of conch and other musical instruments. An added significance of ringing the bell, conch and other instruments is that they help drown any inauspicious or irrelevant noises and comments that might disturb or distract the worshippers in their devotional ardor, concentration and inner peace.

~Vimalananda and Radhika Krishna Kumar