Ganesha Prayers

[The Ganesha Experience]

Ganesha Prayers

Lord Ganesha is one of the most prominent deities in Hinduism. Ganesha has the unique distinction that his name is always invoked before any other God’s name in any prayer service. Legend has it that Lord Ganesha received this distinction as a blessing from his parents, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Lord Ganesha is designated as the chief of all of Lord Shiva’s ganas – hence his name, Ganesha.

Ganesha Prayers of supplication are requests, pleadings or entreaties presented to the Deity in the spirit of personal surrender and loving devotion. Something specific is being asked for, a specific problem is being laid at the Lord’s Holy Feet. Such supplications to the one-tusked Lord are given unconditionally, with full trust that He will do what is best for us, though not necessarily what we might think is best.

Ganesha Prayers for prosperity is based on the word, gam, which is the beej mantra for Lord Ganesha. We ask for good fortune and many blessings and wishes for our current and future life-times. We bow in homage to Lord Ganesha who protects us with long lives of health and happiness.

The Ganesha Gayatris are prayers to Lord Ganesha that are composed in the 24-syllable meter of the original Gayatri Mantra. Several variations of the Gayatri can be composed by invoking the various descriptive names of Ganesha in the appropriate place(s) of the original mantra….

…..”We pray to the supreme and perfect male who is omnipresent. We meditate upon and pray for greater intellect to the Lord with the curved, elephant-shaped trunk. We bow before the one with the single-tusked elephant tooth to illuminate our minds with wisdom”….

As we come to know God Ganesha better, our communication with Him will take on more the spirit of talking with one’s intimates, parents or close friends, and our own spontaneous words may mix freely with formal prayers.

Invocations are chants and prayers by which we “invoke” the presence of the Deity. The God is being called. The God and the devotee are being brought together, in touch. Ganesha Prayers of invocation often sing out the greatness of the Deity, His known attributes and qualities. Vedic rishis and holy sages of olden times were masters of invocation. Ganesha Prayers can be used at any time to make us aware of our being in the mind of Lord Ganesha.