Urdhva Ganapathi Mantra
ॐ ऊर्ध्वगणपतये नमःIn Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.
Who Urdhva Ganapathi is
Urdhva Ganapathi is one of the thirty-two meditational forms of Ganesha whose dhyana verses are traditionally linked to the Mudgala Purana. The name is built on the Sanskrit ūrdhva, that which is elevated or stands erect. In the Śrītattvanidhi he is golden in colour with eight arms (popular lists give six), and his hands hold his tusk, a flower-arrow, a day lotus, a blue lily, the sugar-cane bow, an ear of paddy and a club. His śakti is seated on his left thigh, and his trunk curves round to embrace her. The name describes the exalted, upright bearing of the form; it does not refer to a raised trunk, which the sources do not describe.
The Golden Form with His Śakti
No separate legend is attached to Urdhva Ganapathi. Like most of the thirty-two forms, he is known through his dhyana verse and the image set out in the Śrītattvanidhi, which describes each form for worship rather than telling its story. The image is that of the god with his consort. He is golden, with eight arms in that text and six in some popular lists, and his hands carry the tusk, a flower-arrow, a day lotus, a blue lily, the sugar-cane bow, an ear of paddy and a club. The goddess sits on his left thigh and his trunk curves round to embrace her. The name ūrdhva, elevated or erect, points to the exalted bearing of the deity as a whole. When the dhyana is recited, attention rests on these details: the golden body, the weapons and flowers, and the goddess held close.
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
- ऊर्ध्वगणपतये
- ūrdhvagaṇapataye — to Urdhva Ganapati
- नमः
- namaḥ — salutation
More Urdhva Ganapathi mantras
Urdhva Ganapathi Dhyana Shloka
The verse recited to picture the deity before japa.
- कल्हारशालिकमलेक्षुकचापबाण
- kalhāraśālikamalekṣukacāpabāṇa — white water-lily, ear of rice, lotus, sugarcane bow and arrow
- दन्तप्ररोहकगदी
- dantaprarohakagadī — and holding the tusk and a mace
- कनकोज्ज्वलाङ्गः
- kanakojjvalāṅgaḥ — with limbs shining like gold
- आलिङ्गनोद्यतकरो
- āliṅganodyatakaro — with a hand raised to embrace
- हरिताङ्गयष्ट्या
- haritāṅgayaṣṭyā — of slender, green-hued form
- देव्या
- devyā — the goddess
- करोतु
- karotu — may he bring about
- शुभम्
- śubham — good, auspiciousness
- ऊर्ध्वगणाधिपो
- ūrdhvagaṇādhipo — Ūrdhva Gaṇādhipa, the uplifted Lord of the gaṇas
- मे
- me — for me
Source: Śrītattvanidhi (which attributes it to the Mudgala Purāṇa), dhyāna of Urdhva Ganapathi, no. 16 of the 32 forms
The syllable people get wrong
The long ū that opens ūrdhva is often shortened to a quick English ‘u’, yielding ‘urdhva’ rather than the required ‘oordhva’. At the same time the conjunct rdhva is commonly flattened to ‘rdha’ or ‘rva’, so the very cluster that carries the name disappears in ordinary recitation.
When Urdhva 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.