Dwimukha Ganapathi Mantra
ॐ द्विमुखगणपतये नमःIn Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.
Who Dwimukha Ganapathi is
Dwimukha Ganapathi is the two-faced manifestation of Ganesha recorded in the Mudgala Purāṇa’s list of thirty-two forms. The dual visage—one countenance turned forward, one turned behind—embodies the capacity to hold two directions, two moments, or two opposing claims within a single regard. Iconographic verses describe either two faces upon one elephant head or, in some accounts, two trunks as well; the decisive mark remains the second pair of eyes that see what the first cannot. The dhyana gives him a greenish-blue complexion, a red robe and a jewelled crown, and he holds his tusk, a noose, a goad and a pot filled with gems, yet none of these define him; the name dvi-mukha itself states the duality without metaphor. Tradition approaches this form when a decision must be weighed without partiality to either side.
The Double Regard
The Mudgala Purāṇa, the first text to list the thirty-two names of Ganesha, does not tell a separate story for this form. The meditation verses that describe each of the thirty-two come from the Śrītattvanidhi, a nineteenth-century compilation. There Dwimukha, “the two-faced”, is pictured with a greenish-blue complexion, wearing a red robe and a jewelled crown, and holding his tusk, a noose, a goad and a pot filled with gems. The form takes its meaning from the name itself: two faces held within a single regard. For this reason devotional tradition approaches him when a choice lies between two courses of equal weight, seeking the stillness in which both sides can be seen together without collapsing into either.
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
- द्विमुखगणपतये
- dvimukhagaṇapataye — to the two-faced Ganapati
- नमः
- namaḥ — salutation
More Dwimukha Ganapathi mantras
Dwimukha Ganapathi Dhyana Shloka
The verse recited to picture the deity before japa.
- स्वदन्तपाशाङ्कुशरत्नपात्रं
- svadantapāśāṅkuśaratnapātraṃ — his own tusk, the noose, the goad and a jewelled vessel
- करैर्
- karair — in his hands
- दधानो
- dadhāno — holding
- हरिनीलगात्रः
- harinīlagātraḥ — bluish-green of body
- रक्तांशुको
- raktāṃśuko — clad in red
- रत्नकिरीटमाली
- ratnakirīṭamālī — wearing a jewelled crown and garland
- भूत्यै
- bhūtyai — for well-being
- सदा
- sadā — always
- मे
- me — for me
- द्विमुखो
- dvimukho — two-faced
- गणेशः
- gaṇeśaḥ — Gaṇeśa
Source: Dhyāna śloka of this form in the Śrītattvanidhi's thirty-two Gaṇapati forms (no. 27 in the Stotranidhi list). Stotranidhi and Drik Panchang agree letter for letter. The verse has no finite verb; ‘may he be’ is understood.
The syllable people get wrong
The opening syllable dvi of the name is commonly spoken as an English “dwee” with a lengthened vowel, or else collapsed into a plain “di” that loses the labial glide entirely. Tradition requires a short, distinct v-glide immediately after the d, so that the sound remains dvi and does not drift toward either foreign diphthong or simplified dental.
When Dwimukha 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.