Veera Ganapathi Mantra
ॐ वीरगणपतये नमःIn Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.
Who Veera Ganapathi is
Veera Ganapathi is the warrior manifestation of the elephant-faced god, counted among the thirty-two forms in the Mudgala Purana. He is depicted with sixteen arms, each holding a distinct weapon—bow, arrow, discus, sword, trident, mace, goad, noose, hammer, mace of another type, spear, battle-axe, and further instruments of war—while his face remains composed. The many arms signify completeness of readiness, not agitation. His colour is given as deep red, the hue of the sky before a storm, yet the eyes hold no turbulence. In the visual grammar of the tradition he embodies courage that does not rely on anger, the collected strength that meets opposition without loss of inward stillness. Contemplation of this form turns upon the steadiness required when force must be answered.
Sixteen Arms Held Ready
No separate legend of Veera Ganapathi is found in the sources. He is known, like most of the thirty-two forms, through his dhyana verse and the image described in the Śrītattvanidhi. That image is a warrior’s: red in colour, with sixteen arms, in a commanding pose. His hands hold the vetāla, the arrow and the bow, the wheel, the sword, the club, the hammer, the mace, the goad, the serpent-noose, the spear, the plough and the axe, among other weapons. When the dhyana is recited, the weapons are visualised one by one, so that the meditator holds the whole figure in mind at once. Devotees turn to this form for courage when they face opposition, contemplating a strength that has every necessary means ready.
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
- वीर
- vīra — heroic
- गणपतये
- gaṇapataye — to the lord of the ganas
- नमः
- namaḥ — salutation
More Veera Ganapathi mantras
Veera Ganapathi Dhyana Shloka
The verse recited to picture the deity before japa.
- वेतालशक्तिशरकार्मुकचक्रखड्गखट्वाङ्गमुद्गरगदाङ्कुशनागपाशान्
- vetālaśaktiśarakārmukacakrakhaḍgakhaṭvāṅgamudgaragadāṅkuśanāgapāśān — a vetāla (spirit figure), spear (śakti), arrow, bow, discus, sword, khaṭvāṅga (skull-topped staff), hammer, mace, goad and serpent-noose
- शूलं
- śūlaṃ — trident
- च
- ca — and
- कुन्तपरशुं
- kuntaparaśuṃ — lance and axe
- ध्वजम्
- dhvajam — banner
- उद्वहन्तं
- udvahantaṃ — carrying
- वीरं
- vīraṃ — the valiant
- गणेशम्
- gaṇeśam — Gaṇeśa
- अरुणं
- aruṇaṃ — red in colour
- सततं
- satataṃ — constantly
- स्मरामि
- smarāmi — I remember, meditate on
Source: Śrītattvanidhi (which attributes it to the Mudgala Purāṇa), dhyāna of Veera Ganapathi, no. 4 of the 32 forms
The syllable people get wrong
The long vowel ī in vīra must be held for a full phonetic measure. It is frequently shortened to a brief i, yielding “vira” and stripping the name of its sense of expansive heroism. The r that follows is a single retroflex flap; it should not be doubled or rolled into a trill foreign to the Sanskrit form.
When Veera 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.