How to Pray to the Hindu God Ganesh

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: August 30, 2022 References Approved

The Hindu God Ganesha is revered by Hindus round the world by old and young alike! He is believed to grant wishes, bestow favor, and help improve your wealth or job prospects. However, before you ask Ganesha for his favor, you need to prepare yourself to worship him and to offer him your respect and reverence. Luckily, it is not hard to gather what you need to worship Ganesha. If you do so properly, Ganesha will bestow his favor upon you.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Preparing Yourself to Worship Lord Ganesha

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Learn about Lord Ganesha. Ganesha is a Hindu god with an elephant head and human body. Ganesha is extremely popular among the vast majority of the Hindu world. He is perhaps the top deity in hindu belief.
- Ganesha is associated with prosperity, good fortune, and wisdom.
- Many people worship Ganesha because they believe he his benevolence will help improve their physical position in the world.
- Ganesha is the deity associated with removing obstacles in your life.^{[1]
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2
Buy a photograph or an idol of Lord Ganesha. An idol or photograph of Ganesha will help bring you closer to him. This is the first step in worshiping Ganesha, without it, you will be unable to move forward.
- Order one online.
- Visit your local religious store.
- Ask a family member if they have an extra. ^{[2]
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3
Gather other items you'll need to gain Ganesha's favor. Ganesha is very fond of sweet treats, the color red, sweet smelling scents, and more. Before you begin to worship Ganesha, you need to gather all of these items so that you'll be able to do it properly.
- Prepare sweet treats to offer Ganesha.
- Find some sweet smelling fragrances, like incense or fresh flowers, to have around when you worship Ganesha.
- Talk to others in your community to see if they want to join you or bring offerings to Ganesha.
4
Study the photo or idol of Lord Ganesha. Take a little time to study the photo or idol of Lord Ganesha. Try to remember everything from large features like his trunk to small tattoos on his body and the ornate jewelry he wears. The goal here is that you'll be able to recreate his image in your mind. You'll be unable to move forward worshiping him if you can't visualize him in your mind's eye.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Worshipping Lord Ganesha

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Light your diya. Diya is a brass oil lamp that might have the image of Ganesha on it. However, there are many variants of diyas. Feel free to pick which ever you believe will win Ganesha's favor. Before you start your (puja) worship, you should light the diya.
2
Offer ladoos, modaks, or other treats to Ganesha. Ladoos and modaks are sweet treats and are Ganesha's favorite sweets. Offering these treats to Ganesha will help bring his benevolence upon you. You can prepare your own or purchase them if available in your area.
- Modaks are sweet dumplings. They consist of rice flour, coconut, and cane sugar.
- Ladoos are treats made of flour. Often times, Ganesha is pictured holding a bowl of ladoos in his left hand.
- Ganesha also likes other treats like bananas.^{[3]
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Cover your head with a dupatta (scarf, stole) if you're a lady. A dupatta is a scarf or a stole. If you're a woman, you should wear a scarf or stole to show your deference to Lord Ganesha. Covering your head will help bring his benevolence upon you.
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Burn incense as an offering. Procure some dhoop (dhoop bati) incense. Dhoop is a specific type of frank incense used in the worship of Hindu deities. The dhoop helps to purify the home and person and as a preparation for devotion. Also consider other forms of creating scent and aromas that might be pleasing to Lord Ganesha:
- Hibiscus flowers.
- Garlands.
- Rouli and Mouli.^{[4]
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Put garland on the photo or around the neck of the idol. Putting garland on the photo or the neck of the island will win more favor rom Ganesha. Ganesha especially likes garlands made of erukku flowers, a flower native to India. ^{[5]
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Repeat one of Ganesha's mantras. Saying one of Ganesha's mantras is one of the best ways of worshiping Ganesha. Repeating a mantra will help bring you closer to Ganesha as he will provide blessings on you. As a result, repeating mantras will bring you closer to your goals in life. Consider:
- The Shaktivinayak Mantra. Repeat: “Om Hreeng Greeng Hreeng.” This should sooth you and bring you closer to Ganesha.
- The Vakratunda Mahakaya Shlok Mantra. Say: “Vakra-Tunndda Maha-Kaaya Surya-Kotti Samaprabha Nirvighnam Kuru Me Deva Sarva-Kaaryeshu Sarvadaa.”
- Siddhi Vinayak Mantra. “Om Namo Siddhi Vinayakaya Sarva Kaarya Kartrey Sarva Vignha Prashamnay Sarvarjaya Vashyakarnaya Sarvajan Sarvastree Purush Aakarshanaya Shreeng Om Swaha.”
- There are many other mantras you can say to Ganesh. Talk to your guru or spiritual leader for more.
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Close your eyes and summon the image of Lord Ganesha in your mind. Summoning him in your mind is the way you will create a direct connection with him. You'll want to do this in a relaxed state, so make sure to:
- Relax yourself and put other thoughts out of your head.
- Take a deep breath.
- Think about the image of Lord Ganesha.
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Speak to Lord Ganesha, once you've visualized him. Now that you've summoned him in your mind, it's your chance to speak to him and share with him your problems, challenges, hopes, and more. Make sure to:
- Approach him in a relaxed manor.
- Speak to him in his right ear.
- Be assured of the personal connection between you and Lord Ganesha.
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Apply tilak to the idol, yourself, and to others in attendance. Apply tilak to Ganesha's forehead. Then apply it to your own forehead, and to others who are also in attendance worshipping Ganesha. Tilak is a red vermilion powder.^{[6]
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Offer the "prasadam" to those who do attended the Puja. Prasadam are sweet treats that are associated with the sweetness of divine favor. Once you are done worshipping Ganesha, everyone will receive a prasadam. Prasadam vary depending on what is available and what people brought and prepared.^{[8]
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Community Q&A

Question

If Ganesha is associated with prosperity, good fortune, and wisdom, why are most of the Hindus poor?

Community Answer

Richness comes from the internal mind. When we pray we are looking for internal peace and prosperity, not material wealth.
Question

Is it possible to just vent to Ganesh without asking questions? Will he listen?

Maulin Agrawal

Community Answer

Of course! Ganesha is a very benevolent god and he will most certainly listen to you!
Question

My elder son is very depressed and doesn't want to work. He also gets angry quickly. I want to pray to Ganesha.

Community Answer

You should. Ganesha is certainly the proper god to ask help from in such a circumstance.