Bhakta Ganapathi Mantra
ॐ भक्तगणपतये नमःIn Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.
Who Bhakta Ganapathi is
Bhakti Ganapathi, named Bhakta Ganapati, the Ganapati of the devotees, in the dhyāna verses of the thirty-two forms, is the form of Ganesha turned toward those who worship him in devotion. Among the thirty-two meditative forms, his dhyāna verse shows him holding a coconut, a mango, a banana and a bowl of pāyasa sweetened with jaggery. These are ordinary household offerings, not the weapons of battle or the emblems of royal grant. His complexion is described as that of the autumn moon, his gaze quiet and inward. In the sequence of the thirty-two he stands apart as the face of the deity turned wholly toward interior remembrance, where attention rests in affectionate steadiness rather than in outer display or petition for change.
The Ganapati of the Devotees
Bhakti Ganapathi has no legend of his own. The thirty-two forms of Ganapati are known as a series of dhyāna verses, each describing one form for contemplation. The series is transmitted through the Śrītattvanidhi, a nineteenth-century work from Mysore, though it is popularly attributed to the Mudgala Purana. In that series this form is named Bhakta Ganapati, the Ganapati of the devotees. His verse describes him holding a coconut, a mango, a banana and a bowl of pāyasa sweetened with jaggery, his body the colour of the autumn moon, and it closes with the words bhaje bhakta-gaṇādhipam, “I worship Bhakta Ganapati.” The offerings in his hands are the things a household brings to worship, and the form is contemplated as the one who receives what is given in devotion.
The mantra, in six scripts
The name mantra, and the form most devotees chant daily. No initiation is required — it is open to anyone, including a parent chanting for a child.
- ॐ
- oṃ — the sacred syllable
- भक्तगणपतये
- bhaktagaṇapataye — to Ganapati of the devotees
- नमः
- namaḥ — salutation
More Bhakta Ganapathi mantras
Bhakta Ganapathi Dhyana Shloka
The verse recited to picture the deity before japa.
- नारिकेलाम्रकदलीगुडपायसधारिणम्
- nārikelāmrakadalīguḍapāyasadhāriṇam — holding coconut, mango, banana, jaggery and pāyasa (sweet milk-rice)
- शरच्चन्द्राभवपुषं
- śaraccandrābhavapuṣaṃ — whose body has the radiance of the autumn moon
- भजे
- bhaje — I worship
- भक्तगणाधिपम्
- bhaktagaṇādhipam — Bhakta Gaṇādhipa, the Lord of the gaṇas of the devotees
Source: Śrītattvanidhi (which attributes it to the Mudgala Purāṇa), dhyāna of Bhakta Ganapathi, no. 3 of the 32 forms
The syllable people get wrong
The opening syllable bha in bhakta requires a light, audible aspiration after the labial stop. It is commonly flattened to an unaspirated ba, producing “Bakta.” The conjunct kt that follows must be kept as one cluster, not separated into ka-ta.
When Bhakta Ganapathi is chanted
Weekday. Tuesday
Questions
Have your chart read before you decide
Chanting is yours to do, and free. But which deity your situation calls for — and whether a mantra alone is the right response — depends on your chart. Sometimes it is; sometimes it is not.
- Over 30 years in the Guru–Sishya Parampara, from the age of five
- He reads every chart himself — 60 minutes, one to one, never delegated
- Charts are read only between sunrise and sunset, following tradition
Related
How to Chant
Mala, counts, timing and the mistakes that apply to any mantra.
Ganapathi Mula Mantra
The foundational mantra. Chanted at the start of any undertaking.
Vidya Ganapathi Mantra
For study, examinations and retention of what is learned.
Ganapathi Homa
The fire ritual, performed for you and telecast live.
Chanting is yours to do. Some things are performed for you.
Where a matter carries real weight, devotees sponsor the homa alongside their own practice. Performed for you and any family members you name, at our Yagna Ashram, in your name and gotra, on a muhurta calculated from your chart, and telecast live so you can watch it done for you.