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Ganesh mantra: Om Gam Ganapataye Namah, Ganesh Gayatri and Vakratunda
Ganesha is invoked first — before any puja, journey, exam or new venture — as the remover of obstacles. These are the three texts used for that invocation.
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah: the Ganesh beej mantra
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah
Source: Ganapati Atharvashirsha, verse 7, which explains the seed syllable gam.
Meaning: "Om, gam — salutation to Ganapati, lord of the ganas." Gam is Ganesha's seed syllable.
When it is chanted: Before beginning any work, and 108 times on Wednesdays and on Sankashti Chaturthi.
Ganesh Gayatri mantra
ॐ एकदन्ताय विद्महे वक्रतुण्डाय धीमहि ।
तन्नो दन्तिः प्रचोदयात् ॥
Om Ekadantaya Vidmahe Vakratundaya Dhimahi
Tanno Dantih Prachodayat
Source: Ganapati Atharvashirsha, verse 8; Om is added in recitation.
Meaning: "May we know the one-tusked; may we meditate on the one with the curved trunk. May the tusked one inspire us."
When it is chanted: In daily worship, and as part of the Ganapati Atharvashirsha.
Vakratunda Mahakaya: the Ganesh shloka
वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटिसमप्रभ ।
निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा ॥
Vakratunda Mahakaya Suryakotisamaprabha
Nirvighnam Kuru Me Deva Sarvakaryeshu Sarvada
Source: A traditional invocation; no scriptural source for it could be confirmed.
Meaning: "O god with the curved trunk and the great body, radiant as a crore suns: keep every undertaking of mine free of obstacles, always."
When it is chanted: Said at the start of study, puja or a new piece of work; it is the first shloka many children learn.
How to chant a Ganesha mantra
- Keep to one mantra; changing mantras every few days is the commonest way a practice fades.
- Sit at the same time each day, after a bath if you can, facing east or north.
- Chant on a mala of 108 beads — one mala is the customary measure — and turn the mala at the larger meru bead rather than crossing it.
- Say the words clearly, at a pace you can keep; attention matters more than speed.
- The traditional time for Ganesha is Wednesday; any day is fine for a daily practice.
Mantra practice belongs to a tradition of devotion and reflection. It is not a substitute for medical, legal or financial help, and no mantra comes with a promised result.
108 names of Ganesha
The traditional list of Ganesha's 108 names, each with its transliteration and meaning, numbered as it is recited.
Ganesha mantra: common questions
Why is Ganesha worshipped first?
In Puranic tradition Ganesha is Vighnaharta, the remover of obstacles, and receives the first offering of every ritual so that what follows can proceed without hindrance.
How many times should a Ganesha mantra be chanted?
One mala of 108 is the customary daily measure. Some keep a larger vow, such as eleven malas, or a number completed over forty days; follow your own teacher's or family's practice where it differs.