Prayer to Ganesha | 5 Tips to Worship Lord Vinayaka at Home

Lord Ganesh is a god with an elephant head over a human body.

He is the most famous among hindu gods and has many names like the Vinayaka, vigneshwara, Ganapathi, etc.

He is considered to be very intelligent and smart enough to overcome any obstacles. Hence, he is sought after for success and growth in every field.

You may try the oracle decks ‘Whispers of Lord Ganesha Cards’ to feel his power.

As per Hindu tradition, he is to be worshiped first (Pratham pujy) before any other prayer or puja starts as per Lord Shiva’s wishes.

After writing on how to worship lord hanuman long ago, it took me a year to write on how to pray to Lord Ganesha.

This is because I wanted to experience the blessings personally before and here are my views.

Lord Ganesh

lord ganesha
Lord Ganesh- He who removes obstacles in your path of success.

He is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. But it is said he was not born but instead, his mother made him out of clay and gave him life.

He was acting as a watchman in his mother’s home diligently.

And when Lord Shiva, the husband of Parvathi, came, he did not allow him to enter.

Lord Shiva tries to convince him, but out of innocence, still, he does not oblige out of sheer love and respect for his mother.

Then out of the rage of being disrespectful to him, Lord Shiva beheads him and burns his head.

Learning this goddess, Parvathi requested to give him life back.

Then Shiva orders to bring the head of any living being in a certain direction and his aides find a dying elephant.

This elephant head is brought to give life to Ganesha’s motionless body.

So Lord Shiva gave him life but with an elephant head fixed to his neck.

If you wish to know more details about Lord Ganesha, his powers, and mantras, then you can go through this  devotional book “Loving Ganesha.”

Who should worship Lord Ganesh

Everyone who believes in Lord Shiva and Parvathi can worship him.

All the Hindus worship him as his idol is found in most temples around the world.

But specifically, Lord Ganesha’s help is required for

  1. Students who are perceiving education.
  2. Those willing to get out of debt.
  3. To improve earnings.
  4. To grow up in a career.
  5. To overcome obstacles in life.
  6. To promote savings

Whenever you see Lord Ganesha’s photo or an idol in any temple, you will find goddesses Saraswathi and Laxmi beside.

This, in a way, indicates that for education, one needs the blessing of Lord Ganesh besides goddess Saraswathi.

So those students perceiving education and are willing to score better and go for higher education should pray to Lord Ganesh.

Also, those with high debt should pray to Ganesha for relief from it.

If one is into business or freelancing type or self-employed, worship to Lord Ganesha helps improve income.

Since he is also with goddess Laxmi, it indicates he helps to overcome poverty.

If politics hinder you in office or career, praying to Lord Ganesha shows ways to move on.

How to worship Lord Ganesha:

1. Put a pic or idol for worship at home or office.

2. By spelling his slok and reciting his mantra  (given below).

3. By offering a dhup or deep and incense sticks.

4. Worship on a Wednesday.

5. Fasting on Tuesday if one is affected by Ketu in the horoscope.

How to pray Lord Ganesha for better income

I knew that praying to Lord Ganesha previously for education and career would lead to success.

But was wondering how to obtain progress in enhancing income and savings. Then an elderly scholar told me a trick, which I am sharing below.

1. Instead of using Ganesh in a sitting posture, put a pic or idol of standing Ganesha. This standing position is said to be for higher income.

2. Then lit a deep with coconut oil and ghee every day before the picture or idol.

3. Offer Jasmin or other flowers during prayer if you can find them around.

4. Spell the vinakaya slok (Shuklam bharadaram.)

Shukla-Ambara-Dharam Vishnum Shashi-Varnam Chatur-Bhujham!
Prasanna-Vadhanam Dhyaayeth Sarva-Vighnopashantaye!

This sloka is for Lord Vishnu and then continues as with the below sloka.

“Agaja-anana-Padma-Arkam Gaja-ananam Aharnisham!”
“Aneka-Dam-Tam Bhaktaanaam Eka-Dantam Upaasmahe!”

Also, one should have the determination to achieve things. Unlike other gods, Vinayaka helps those who make genuine efforts to reach the goal and not lazy ones.

Further, the goals should be honest, justified, and not problematic to others.

The results may not seem to be appearing fast, but they will be gradual in progress. Further, he lets you maintain stability in your development.

That is, if you are trying to generate more income, he will do it gradually. Also, he keeps it consistent and stable, which will give peace of mind.

Besides worshiping Lord Ganesha, one should also worship Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. This will ensure positive benefits without fail.

He seems to be our companion in the long run. He does not leave you in the middle of an experiment.

For students, self-employed, and businessmen, prayer to Ganesha will be fruitful.

Thanks.

Polite request: If you perform the above pooja to Lord Ganesha, you mostly start to reap benefits in a month or two. If so, kindly share your experiences below for the benefit of others.

Leave a comment

  1. He is really GOD OF MIRACLES. Things move for the better and sometimes beyond your comprehension when you truly believe him so faithfully and reverently in your heart. I am his recipient of many miracles and even when things were so depressingly in my life, I never lose sight of thinking and believing in his strength to pull me through and he did so wonderfully. One can only see and feel his presence when one never loses faith in him.

    Reply
      • Worshipping lord ganesha, has to work, we are pure hearted, and not sinners, only the pure hearted, no matter what their actions are, that's when lord ganesh will grant them their wishes.

        We make sure and already know we never are evil.

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  2. I have a picture of Lord Ganesha at home, and I clean it everyday, I have been asking Ganesha for a job every time I clean it. Yesterday, a friend of mine who has a catering business called me and offered me a gig; I would be a waiter at this party with this other waiter whose name is Felipe. After we finished our shift, Felipe offered me a drive home, since it was on the way to his home. All of sudden, we started talking about Ganesha, and he said, look I have Him here in my necklace.
    I could see that that job who had offered me as Ganesha and His blessings. It was a way of Him communicating to me saying “Here son, here is one big little blessing to show you my powers. You have been asking me for a job, I will give it to you and I will show you that I was on your side.”
    As soon as I got home, I thanked Him for this wonderful showing and blessing that He is very powerful, be patient and believe, He will grant your blessing as well.

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  3. I am looking for a job nothing was helping.. So now onwards i will start to pray ganesh with full devotion.. Hope it will work for me
    Om gam ganapatheyai namha

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  4. lord Ganesha gave my children and my family good health
    and prosperity
    I always worship shiva family and lakshmi narayana

    Reply
  5. I truly believe in God Ganesh because I experience all of his greatest blessings
    I hope this website will also benefit those who truly believe in God Ganesh to gain wealth, Om shanti shanti shanti
    I am a ganesha worshiper

    Reply
  6. Thank you Lord ganesha ur always with me…you have blessed me.what all I have been asked you….thanks for everything Lord…what all I have now..it’s all blessed from you..Thank you Lord..hey Lord please full fill my one more dream god…please help me.without you I am nothing..

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  7. My Name is Hans Toussaint, from Haiti Port-au-Prince, so my english is very not good for me Ganesha …… I love you my experience is ‘t verry best.

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  8. my life is very down in this time i have complete my education but no job i have no own money i do not complete any of my wish just my life is blocked in all way what can i do i don’t know please help me what i do

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  9. Love you ganesha
    I never left you from my thoughts
    You are always there in my works
    And I hope this will never change.

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  10. Till now ganesha helped me a lot without asking god,,,but now i m too much depressed..please ganesha what i m asking..please give me..

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    • Ganapa please let my wish come true don’t let it b dream, I really have faith n trust in u.. please prove your still there to remember in my mind n heart.. love you..

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  11. hope this will work this time i really want lord ganesha to help me and i realy appriciate what god has done till now for me… i love him and if he wount help me than it will be very hard to move on from here thank you

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  12. thank you so mch for the information, I LOVE GANAPATHY but all my idol is sitting I will have to buy my shree ganesh standing

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  13. If we do good to other living beings good thing happen to us. If we do bad for others (including animals), bad happens to us. THIS IS LAW OF NATURE. Telling om nama shivaya every second through out our life with pure mind faith and concentration will give mukti surely

    Reply
  14. Useful article, Lord Ganesha is worship first because he is the Vighnaharta or the destroyer of all obstacles.
    Chanting ” #Maha _Ganapati_ Mool _Mantra” will help us to have Success in our Life

    Reply
  15. Tks for sharing the prayer?, iam I devotee of Lord Ganesh n its been six years now ive been fasting for ganesha on every Wednesday, everyday morning prayer I do the arti and recite his 12 names,,n every Wednesday offer fruits flowers n grass, I don’t know what the name of the grass in english,i brought it from Mauritius n growing nicely,do the arti n recete his 12 names,, n very month fast for sankushty pooja as well,,hmm this year my birthday was on a Wednesday,felt bless?,, everything going well for us,,health ok n work as well,,,I do the suryadev pooja in the morning as well n on tuesday I fast for durma Maa, i thanks the Lord for everything ?

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  16. I’ve discovered the great blessings of Lord Ganesha while in a business trip. Then when I moved to my office in Lisbon, Portugal, someone left abandoned a Lord Ganesha statue that I took home to my altar. Every day I pray to Lord Ganesha and I sing his mantras… Life changed so much. As a woman raised in a non hindu country, my discovery of Lord Ganesha as been nothing but a blessing! Praise Lord Ganesha in all his greatness. I deeply thank and praise Him for all the blessings I have received

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    • Hey Catarina, thank you for sharing your story. I am also a Westerner who was not raised with a Hindu tradition. I have considered myself an atheist my entire life. I recently started praying to Lord Ganesha for help as I begin my graduate studies. I don’t know if it is actually helping, but I certainly feel better!

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    • Hey Catarina, what kind of statue of ganesha did you get? Just ganesha on it’s own or with Shiva and Parvati. Also would like to know how you performed the worship too as I’m not familiar with it! Thank you!

      Reply
    • Hi Catherine

      I read about the wonderful blessings you are receiving from Lord Ganesha. I bought his statue and started to worship him recently. I am not sure if I am doing it correctly and would be grateful if you could enlighten me on how to worship him.

      Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

      Regards
      Allan Sim

      Reply
  17. as of now bad time for me and I’d consulted with an astrologer, he prefer me to worship Lord Ganesha and lord hanuman by putting deepam. so now my doubt is how, where and when to worship both the gods while at home or at Temple is OK. which place and what way would be the right one. please clear my doubts and thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • @jeya! You could worship them both at your home by putting deep. Also if you find time and is near to you, you could go to temples.

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  18. Hello,

    I had installed idol of Shri Ganesh ji last two years. This year a baby boy born in the family residing not with me that is why the entire home is non-auspicious and Pandit Ji is saying after Barhi (11 day after birth of baby) I may perform the Puja which is on 10th September, 2016. I want to now know whether idol of Ganapati ji may be installed on any other day ie. on 11th September, 2016 and it may be immersed on 15th September, 2016 after performing 4 days puja. In this way continuity of installing Lord Ganesha will not be broken.
    Please talk to a priest/ pujari and inform as it is urgent if I have to install/ perform puja from 11th to 15th September, 2016.

    Reply
    • DEAR PUJIYA GURUJI,

      I BELONG TO JYESTHA NAKSHATRA VRUSCHIKA RAASI, FROM 3 YEARS I DONOT HAVE PEACE OF MIND . ALL NEGATIVE THOUGHTS ARE COMING IN MY MIND AND I AM UNABLE TO CONCENTRATE ON POOJAS & GOD. I LOVE LORD GANESHA VERY MUCH LIKE ALL OTHER GODS, BUT SO FAR I COULD NOT REMOVE THE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS FULLY FROM MY MIND. I WHOLE HEARTEDLY WANT TO ASK FORGIVENESS FROM LORD GANESHA TO REMOVE ALL NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND DEVELOP GOOD THOUGHTS, PLEASE SUGGEST ANY GOOD MANTRAS TO PLEASE LORD GANESHA AND PRAY FOR ME TO COME OUT OF THIS PROBLEM VERY SOON AND REQUEST GOD TO GIVE ME PEACE OF MIND

      Reply
  19. Hi frndz..I was never a devotee of Lord Ganesh… Infact I just offered prayers to him as I was told the initial prayers shud be done to him. I was in huge debt n also going through a tough time in 2013. On Ganesh chaturthi tht year I offered self made 11 modaks to him n prayed to him with devotion….I could not believe in a span of 3_4 mths he created way for me to clear my huge loan n made me mentally strong. I felt so blessed n vowed to him tht every year I would offer modaks to him made by me… Im now a staunch devotee of Bappa! He is my saviour and friend forever. Im so blessed to hve him in my life………I will suggest to please offer prayers to him with true faith n he will do wonders for u..

    Reply
  20. My online results out, lost in one of the four papers by only few marks. Of the paper which i had lost, All of my friends passed. Feeling depressed. Praying to lord Ganesha and Hanuman. Please pray for any miracle to happen. I feel its entry error.

    Reply
  21. Hi,Iam also a big worshipper of lord ganesha from a toddler,he fullfills our wish we pray for,though he gives as obstacles he stands by us to face it and this mantra is to get his blessing and to come our wish true,here it is
    Om thathpurushaya vidmahe
    vakrathundaya dheemagi
    thanno thandhi prachadhayat
    Let vinayaka give you all his blessing
    Ganapathy bappa boliya

    Reply
  22. Thanks for giving light on how to perform ganesh puja at home in simpler manner. But you wrote, standing ganesha is beneficial for success and good income.
    I studied a lot about this particular topic. But everywhere it is saying that not to keep standing ganapati at home. Its not good sign. And the impact will be really bad.
    Kindly clear my doubt.
    And explain it.
    Thanks again.

    Reply
  23. I think I am really interesting about this ganesha and I also wearing the amulet standing idol of ganesha, actually my religion is not a hinddu but I really too much respect the lord ganesha and I also believe him

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  24. From being an agnostic almost 2 years ago to becoming a true devotee of Lord Hanuman since the past one year and a half my life has seen tremendous changes. Indeed Hanuman Chalisa is very powerful and I chant it at least two times everyday – once in the morning and once in the evening and to my surprise there have been many positive developments in my life since then !!
    I have a small temple in my room where I have installed a glass-framed photo of Panchmukhi Hanumanji where I burn “dhoop” and pray everyday. I am a student and preparing for IAS examination. Having gone through your write-up about “How to worship Lord Ganesha” I have realized its significance in the lives of students who want to achieve greater success in their endeavours. Unfortunately, I was unaware of this fact and never followed any ritual concerning Lord Ganesha. However, I am willing to follow it now and immerse myself in the realms of the power of Lord Ganesha too.
    But before I embark on this religious journey I seek answers to a few questions :
    1) How do I arrange the photos/idols of Lord Hanuman and Lord Ganesha in my temple ? ( Please specify their positions. Suppose if Hanumanji is in the center then where should I place the photo of Ganeshji ? )
    2) I have always been using either “incense sticks” or “fragranced cones” while praying. Is it not the right way and as effective a method as lighting a lamp filled with sesame oil ?
    3) Is a small idol of both the GODS ideal or even photos will do ?
    4) The way we have Hanuman Chalisa for Hanumanji , do we have any such verses, couplets etc for Ganeshji also ? If yes then how could i get them ?
    5) What should be the sequence of my prayers ? Which prayer to recite first ?
    While chanting Hanuman Chalisa I start with ” Shiri Guru Charan Saroj ……….hriday basahu sur voop” followed by Sankatmochan Hanumanastak and ending my prayer with ” OM! shri Hanumate Namaha ! ”
    Is there any particular way to read the prayers regarding Ganeshji too ? Please explain.

    Awaiting a quick response.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • @Kuldeep! Even photos will do. Chant as you like. There is no specific sequence at such height of Kaliyug. Just chanting lord name or any of his mantras is enough as we bring him into our hearts in doing so.

      Reply
    • I really believe in God Ganesh cause I experienced all his greatest blessings
      I hope this website also will be helpful to those who truly believe in God Ganesh

      Reply
    • Hello Kuldeep,

      Very good decision to pray to these Gods. They will always remove what is bad and bring what is good.
      *If you have Sri Hanuman ji in the centre, then put Ganesh ji in front. Ganesh ji is always the first to be worshipped and so He can be placed in front, especially if the murti you have of Him is shorter than the one of Hanuman ji. If not, you can shift Hanuman ji to face the southwest a bit and keep Ganesh in front or more in the middle.
      *And yes you can certainly use pictures.
      *The difference between incense and aarti ( ie the diya with the sesame oil) is one is for sanctifying the air via the dhoop/incense and the other is light to literally and symbolically remove darkness. In Hinduism, the elements are respected since they enable life, and so air, fire, water, earth and space are all considered holy in worship.
      *Yes there are many Chalisas and there is for Ganesh ji as well. This can be found in religious bookstores and also online, both written and in audio form.
      * One of the simplest mantras for Ganesh ji is Om Gam Ganapathiaye Namaha!
      Usually one first invokes the Gods by wlecoming them and giving them a warm and comfortable wlecome, a bath, fresh clothes, food, perfume and the chanting of mantras etc, then praying to them and listening to stories of them, then aarti, incense, ringing bells to encourage positive energy vibrations and bowing or giving namaskar. ( This is a shortened format.) You can equally do all this i your mind too, as long as you do it with love and attention as if it was in ‘real’. Your love and faith in the Gods is what matters most as well as keeping your emotions, thoughts and actions as good as possible. Hopefully this helps you. It’s not confusing, the steps are meant to discipline the mind and focus attention, but if you want to talk to God or do good deeds and dedicate them to the Gods or sing to them etc., they are all beneficial etc.
      You can also ask a pundit for guidance as you’ve done here.

      Reply
  25. Lord ganesh is the most powerful god I have believed , thanks gave me happiness. Lord Ganesh plz bless to all of people who need your blessing . Ganpati bappa morya .

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  26. very interesting article. Otherwise, if in a theme rahu is afflicting, what days of the week should we fast ?
    Best regards

    Reply
  27. Ganesha is the god for learning ,wisdom ,wealth,directions,education,obstacles and most importantly success,If you pray to him then nothing is impossible to achieve.

    Reply
    • @ sangeeta! Try the method and share your experience here. May be you must be noticing better income in a month or so. regards.

      Reply
    • I am respect and interested to ganesha even I was different religion but as for that I also wear ganesha amulet just for honour him

      Reply
  28. For years, I’ve studied the Bhagavad Gita, Garuda Purana, Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. Only recently have I discovered Lord Ganesh. Not for my sake but, for my brother’s sake and his family, I appealed to Lord Krishna to dispatch and authorize Ganesh to fix my brother’s financial problems.

    August was the best month he ever had! Still, there are money drains (health problems) in his family that snatches away even those benefits. So, after I thanked god Krishna and god Ganesh for their help, I not only appealed that they continue but, that Lord Shiva and Vishnu intervene to sweep away those locusts that steal the blessings of Ganesh.

    Without a doubt, god Krishna and god Ganesh will never betray my trust or fail to grant my prayers made on behalf of others. Om.

    Reply
    • Thank you for all of this. It is only within perhaps the last month that my attention has been drawn to Lord G anesha. I love him so much. This has been my delightful discovery, my gift from the Celestial Realm. Namaste, Lavender Moon

      Reply

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