Dhundhi Ganapathi Mantra
ॐ ढुण्ढिगणपतये नमःIn Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.
Who Dhundhi Ganapathi is
Dhundhi Ganapathi is the seeker-form of Ganesha whose name is formed from the verbal root ḍhuṇḍh, “to search out.” He is counted among the thirty-two forms of Ganesha, whose names are first listed in the Mudgala Purāṇa. The meditation verses describe him as red in complexion, holding a tusk, a rosary, a hatchet and a pot of jewels. The same form is known in Kashi as Ḍhuṇḍhirāja, yet the mantra addresses the universal aspect rather than the local image. The Kāśī-khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa explains the name: he searches out the wishes of his devotees.
The Name Given at Kāśī
The account of this name is given in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa, in its fifty-seventh chapter. There Gaṇeśa is sent to the city of Kāśī to dislodge King Divodāsa, who held it. The Purāṇa explains the name he bears in the city: it is drawn from the root ḍhuṇḍh, “to search out”, because he searches out the wishes of those who come to him. In Kashi he is worshipped as Ḍhuṇḍhirāja Gaṇeśa. Among the thirty-two forms of Ganesha, whose names are first listed in the Mudgala Purāṇa and whose meditation verses are given in the Śrītattvanidhi, Ḍhuṇḍhi Ganapati is pictured as red in complexion, holding a tusk, a rosary, a hatchet and a pot of jewels. The mantra addresses this seeker aspect, the lord who looks for what the devotee is asking.
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
- ढुण्ढिगणपतये
- ḍhuṇḍhigaṇapataye — to Dhundhi Ganapati, the one who is sought out
- नमः
- namaḥ — salutation
More Dhundhi Ganapathi mantras
Dhundhi Ganapathi Dhyana Shloka
The verse recited to picture the deity before japa.
- अक्षमालां
- akṣamālāṃ — a rosary
- कुठारं
- kuṭhāraṃ — an axe
- च
- ca — and
- रत्नपात्रं
- ratnapātraṃ — a jewelled vessel
- स्वदन्तकम्
- svadantakam — his own tusk
- धत्ते
- dhatte — bears
- करैर्
- karair — in his hands
- विघ्नराजो
- vighnarājo — the king of obstacles
- ढुण्ढिनामा
- ḍhuṇḍhināmā — named Ḍhuṇḍhi
- मुदे
- mude — for joy
- ऽस्तु
- 'stu — may he be
- नः
- naḥ — for us
Source: Dhyāna śloka of this form in the Śrītattvanidhi's thirty-two Gaṇapati forms (no. 26 in the traditional list). The printed texts agree (one omits the avagraha in मुदेऽस्तु).
The syllable people get wrong
The name is ḍhuṇḍhi, and both of its consonant groups are retroflex. The opening ḍhu is made with the tongue tip curled back against the roof of the mouth and released with a clear breath; it is commonly said as a dental “dhu” or a bare “du”. The middle cluster is ṇḍh, a retroflex nasal followed by the same aspirated retroflex stop, not the plain English “nd” of “dandy” and not an unaspirated ṇḍ.
When Dhundhi 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.