गणेश चतुर्थी पूजा

When & why

The worship of Ganesha — the remover of obstacles and the god of new beginnings and wisdom — on Ganesh Chaturthi, the fourth tithi of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada (which falls between late August and mid-September). The midday (madhyahna) period is held the most auspicious for the puja, since Ganesha is said to have been born then. A new clay murti is installed with Prana Pratishtha, worshipped daily — domestic observances run for 1½, 3, 5, 7, or 11 days — and then carried in procession for visarjana, immersion in water, traditionally on Anant Chaturdashi. The same shodashopachara worship is also offered to Ganesha at the start of any other puja or new venture.

Samagri checklist

Sankalpa

Before the puja

• शुद्धिPurification

  Bathe and wear clean clothes. Sit on an āsana facing east or north, with the puja space wiped clean. Sprinkle a little water over the samagri and over yourself, do ācamana (sip water three times), and steady the breath before beginning.

• संकल्पSankalpa

  Take a little akshat and water in the right palm and silently make the Sankalpa — the dedication of the puja: your gotra and name, the place, today's tithi and nakshatra, and the intention for which the puja is performed. Release the water at the close of the dedication.

• प्राण-प्रतिष्ठाPrana Pratishtha

  Install the murti on the chowki and perform Prana Pratishtha — invoking the living presence of Ganesha into the new image, touching its heart and eyes with akshat and a flower while the invocation is recited.

  When this appliesPrana Pratishtha is performed when a new clay or metal murti is being installed; for a permanent home-shrine image, a brief re-invocation each day is enough.

The sixteen upacharas

1. 1

   Step 1

   ध्यान · आवाहनMeditation & Invocation

   Meditate on Ganesha — elephant-headed, large-bodied, holding the noose, the goad, and a bowl of modak — and recite the invocation shloka before inviting his presence into the murti.

   Mantra

   वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटिसमप्रभ । निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा ॥

   vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakoṭi-samaprabha | nirvighnaṁ kuru me deva sarvakāryeṣu sarvadā ||

   O curved-trunked and mighty-bodied one, radiant as a million suns — make all my undertakings free of obstacles, always, O Lord.

   Transliteration is under scholarly review — treat as provisional.

2. 2

   Step 2

   आसनSeat

   Offer a seat — symbolically, a few akshat (unbroken rice grains) or flowers placed before the image, requesting the deity to be seated.

3. 3

   Step 3

   पाद्यWater for the feet

   Offer pādya — a few drops of clean water at the feet of the image, as water to wash the feet of an honoured guest.

4. 4

   Step 4

   अर्घ्यArghya

   Offer arghya — water mixed with akshat and a flower, poured from a small vessel or conch as a respectful offering for the hands.

5. 5

   Step 5

   आचमनWater to sip

   Offer ācamanīya — a small spoonful of clean water, as water for the deity to sip.

6. 6

   Step 6

   मधुपर्कHoney-curd-ghee

   Offer madhuparka — a small portion of honey, curd, and ghee mixed together, the traditional sweet welcome for a revered guest.

7. 7

   Step 7

   स्नानBathing

   Bathe the murti with panchamrita — milk, curd, ghee, honey, and sugar — and then with clean water. A clay murti meant for immersion is bathed only lightly, with a sprinkle.

8. 8

   Step 8

   वस्त्रVesture

   Offer fresh cloth — a small clean piece of cotton or cloth placed at the base of the image.

9. 9

   Step 9

   यज्ञोपवीतSacred thread

   Offer a fresh sacred thread (yajñopavīta), placed across the shoulder of the image — customarily offered to male deities.

10. 10

    Step 10

    गन्धSandalwood paste

    Apply gandha — fragrant sandalwood paste — as a small mark on the forehead of the image, with the ring finger.

11. 11

    Step 11

    पुष्प · अर्चनाFlowers & Name-archana

    Offer red flowers — especially red hibiscus — and durva grass, customarily in sprigs of twenty-one, one at a time, while reciting the name-mantra of Ganapati. Durva is the offering most particular to Ganesha.

    Mantra

    ॐ गं गणपतये नमः

    oṁ gaṁ gaṇapataye namaḥ

    Om — with the seed-syllable gaṁ, salutations to Ganapati.

    Transliteration is under scholarly review — treat as provisional.

12. 12

    Step 12

    धूपIncense

    Light incense (dhūpa or an agarbatti) and offer it, circling it gently before the image.

13. 13

    Step 13

    दीपLamp

    Light a ghee or oil lamp and offer it before the image, then set it to the right.

14. 14

    Step 14

    नैवेद्यFood offering

    Offer modak — held to be Ganesha's favourite, customarily twenty-one — with laddu and seasonal fruit, placed on a clean dish.

15. 15

    Step 15

    ताम्बूलBetel & areca

    Offer tāmbūla — betel leaves with a piece of areca nut, a clove, and a cardamom.

16. 16

    Step 16

    नीराजन · आरतीCamphor Aarti

    Conclude the worship with the aarti — light camphor, circle it clockwise before the image, and sing the deity's aarti. The puja proper ends here; what follows is the closing.

Closing the puja

• प्रदक्षिणाPradakshina

  Circumambulate the image clockwise three times, holding a flower — or, if the image is large and fixed, turn yourself clockwise in place. Then bow.

  Mantra

  यानि कानि च पापानि जन्मान्तरकृतानि च । तानि तानि विनश्यन्तु प्रदक्षिणपदे पदे ॥

  yāni kāni ca pāpāni janmāntara-kṛtāni ca | tāni tāni vinaśyantu pradakṣiṇa-pade pade ||

  Whatever sins have been committed, in this birth or in former births — may they all be destroyed, step by step, with every circumambulation.

  Transliteration is under scholarly review — treat as provisional.

• क्षमा-प्रार्थनाKshama-prarthana

  Bow with folded hands and offer the Kshama-prarthana — a request that the deity forgive any shortfall of mantra, of rite, or of devotion during the puja, and accept it as complete.

  Mantra

  मन्त्रहीनं क्रियाहीनं भक्तिहीनं सुरेश्वर । यत्पूजितं मया देव परिपूर्णं तदस्तु मे ॥

  mantrahīnaṁ kriyāhīnaṁ bhaktihīnaṁ sureśvara | yat pūjitaṁ mayā deva paripūrṇaṁ tad astu me ||

  O Lord of the gods — whatever I have worshipped here lacking in mantra, lacking in proper rite, lacking in devotion — let it, O Lord, become complete by your grace.

  Transliteration is under scholarly review — treat as provisional.

• विसर्जनVisarjana

  At the end of the observance, the murti is carried in procession and immersed in water (visarjana), with a prayer asking Ganesha to return the following year. The akshat and flowers of the daily worship are immersed with it.

  When this appliesVisarjana is done on the chosen final day — for many households on Anant Chaturdashi, the tenth day after Chaturthi. A permanent home-shrine image is not immersed.

Read within the puja

After the puja

• Ganesh Aarti
• Ganesh Chalisa
• Jaap — Om Gan Ganapataye Namah
• Ganesh Chaturthi

Regional & family variants

• Midday muhurat

  The madhyahna (midday) period of Ganesh Chaturthi is held the most auspicious for the puja, as Ganesha is said to have been born during it. The exact window is read from a panchang for the day and place.

• The moon-sighting custom

  Tradition holds that the moon should not be looked at on Ganesh Chaturthi — a custom tied to the Puranic episode of the Syamantaka jewel, in which a sight of the moon that day brought a false accusation. Households that sight it inadvertently recite a verse of expiation. This is a widely-kept belief rather than a step of the puja.

• Duration and the clay murti

  Domestic observances run for 1½, 3, 5, 7, or 11 days by family custom. An unbaked-clay murti, which dissolves cleanly in water, is the traditional and environmentally sound choice for visarjana.

Sources