गणेश चतुर्थी पूजा विधि

The Shiva Purana tradition tells that before her bath Parvati shaped a boy from the paste on her skin, gave him life, set him at the door and told him to let no one in. When Shiva returned, the boy stopped him too. A fight followed and the boy's head was cut off. Seeing Parvati's grief and anger, Shiva had the head of the first creature found to the north, an elephant, joined to the boy's body and brought him back to life.

The gods then accepted the boy as lord of the ganas and gave the boon that he would be worshipped first in every auspicious act. That is why he is called Ganapati, Ganesha and Vighnaharta, the remover of obstacles. Popular belief holds that he appeared in the middle part of the day, and so the puja of this festival is done at madhyahna.

There is one more thing hidden in the story. Parvati shaped Ganesha from a paste much like clay, and in this festival too we shape him from earth and worship him, and at the end that earth dissolves in water and goes back to the ground. That is why a clay murti is held to be closest to the spirit of this festival.

For the home take a murti of natural, unbaked clay, called shadu in Maharashtra. Such a murti dissolves in water by itself and its earth can go into a pot or garden. A plaster of Paris murti stays undissolved in water for a very long time, and harsh chemical paints foul the water, so avoid it. The revised guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board also favour murtis of natural clay and natural colours, and say that plaster of Paris murtis should be banned. When buying, ask the seller what the murti is made of and how it is coloured. An unpainted murti, or one coloured with natural turmeric, red ochre or flowers, is best.

Keep it small. The murti should be small enough for one person to lift comfortably and to go fully under water in a household bucket or tub. The tradition finds no fault in a small murti; the worth of the puja lies in the feeling, not the size. A seated murti with a modak in the hand and a mouse nearby is very common in homes. Many homes prefer one whose trunk turns to the left, but every family has its own preference.

See that the murti is not broken or chipped. In many homes it is brought in on the day of the sthapana or the day before, and some families keep its face covered with a clean cloth on the way. Those who wish can shape a small murti at home from clean clay with the children; this is fully accepted, and a lovely thing for children to do.

For the sthapana: the clay murti, a low stool or wooden board, a red or yellow cloth, a little rice for the heap under the murti, a kalash, mango leaves, a coconut, a betel nut, a coin, kalawa (the red sacred thread), Ganga water, and banana leaves, flowers and cloth for decoration. Avoid thermocol and plastic decoration, which is only rubbish after the visarjan.

For the puja: a ghee lamp, incense, camphor, roli, kumkum, turmeric, sandal paste, akshat (unbroken rice), a sacred thread (janeu), a red cloth or a length of kalawa, red flowers and hibiscus, a marigold garland, twenty-one durva, shami leaves if you can find them, betel leaves, cloves and cardamom, milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar for panchamrit, seasonal fruit, bananas, jaggery, a coconut, modak and laddoos. With these an asana, a lota of water, a bell and the aarti plate.

For the visarjan: a clean bucket or tub, clean water, and a flowerpot or corner of the garden to take the dissolved clay. If you cannot gather everything, do not worry. The murti, a lamp, water, a few flowers, durva and jaggery or any sweet are enough for a complete puja.

Ganesh Chaturthi is kept on the day on which Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi falls in the madhyahna. Madhyahna here is the third fifth of the day: divide the day from sunrise to sunset into five equal parts, and the third part is the madhyahna. The sthapana and the main puja are done within it.

The date box on this page shows that day and the madhyahna window for New Delhi. Sunrise and sunset change with the place, so for another city open the panchang for that day. Have everything ready beforehand, so that nothing has to be looked for once the puja begins. If for some reason the puja cannot be done in that window, do it with faith whenever you can that day.

1. Preparing: clean the house and the place of worship the day before. On the morning of Chaturthi bathe, put on clean clothes and sprinkle Ganga water over the place.

2. The place: in the north-east (ishan) corner of the house or in the puja room, choose a spot where the murti will be safe for as many days as it stays, with no curtain near the lamp. Spread the red or yellow cloth on the stool and put a small heap of rice on it. Sit on your asana facing east or north.

3. Bringing him in: welcome the murti at the door of the house, call out 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' and set it with respect on the heap of rice on the stool. If the face is covered, uncover it now. Set the prepared kalash beside the stool to the right.

4. Lamp and vow: light the ghee lamp, then take water, akshat and a flower in your hand and make the sankalp (vow) in your own words: your name, your gotra if you know it, and 'I install Ganapati on Ganesh Chaturthi and worship him for the welfare of my family.' Then let the water fall to the ground. Without a priest, a sincere vow in your own language is complete.

5. Inviting him, and pranapratishtha: the formal pranapratishtha with mantras is done by a priest. Without a priest, fold your hands and pray inwardly to Ganapati to dwell in this murti for as long as it stays in the house, and chant 'ॐ गं गणपतये नमः' (Om Gam Ganapataye Namah) eleven or twenty-one times. Those who know it also say the verse beginning 'Vakratunda Mahakaya…'. In many families this simple invitation is itself accepted.

6. Shodashopachara: the word means service in sixteen ways, as one would fully honour a dear guest. In short the order is: invitation (avahana), a seat (asana), water for the feet (padya), water for the hands (arghya), water to sip (achamana), bath (snana), clothes (vastra), sacred thread, sandal paste, flowers, incense, lamp, food (naivedya), betel leaf (tambula), circling and bowing, and flowers offered with folded hands (pushpanjali). The list changes a little between traditions. Every step is set out on our 'Shodashopachara Puja Vidhi' page; when time is short there is also the 'Panchopachara Puja Vidhi', which keeps only sandal paste, flowers, incense, lamp and food.

7. About the bath: do not pour water or panchamrit over a clay murti, or it will begin to melt. Sprinkle a few drops of water with a flower or durva. If you wish to give a panchamrit bath, it can be given to a betel nut placed nearby, since regarding a betel nut as Ganesha is a common custom in puja.

8. Offerings: put on a tilak of roli, sandal paste and akshat, offer the red cloth or kalawa, place the sacred thread, put on the marigold garland and offer red flowers. Then offer the twenty-one durva; the custom is written out separately below. By tradition tulsi is usually not offered in Ganesha's puja; the twenty-one-leaf puja of this Chaturthi is held to be the exception, with a tulsi leaf among the leaves, though some families leave it out too. With each offering say 'Om Gam Ganapataye Namah'.

9. Food: set out modak, laddoos, jaggery, bananas and seasonal fruit and ask him to accept them. Place betel leaf, cloves and cardamom and a coin as dakshina.

10. Recitation: as you are able, recite the Ganesh Chalisa or the Sankat Nashan Ganesh Stotra; those with time may also read the Ganesh Sahasranama. All three are in this library. Tell the children the story of his appearing above and the Syamantaka story below.

11. Aarti and prasad: sing the aarti 'Jai Ganesh Deva', ring the bell, then fold your hands and ask forgiveness for any slip. Give the prasad first to the children and any guests, then to everyone.

12. That night: keep in mind the custom of not looking at the moon, and tell the children about it gently. Watch the lamp, and do not leave the place of worship empty with the flame burning; keep the murti safe from wind, the fan and running children.

Durva, the common creeping grass, is held to be Ganesha's dearest offering. A story told among the people says that Ganesha swallowed an asura named Analasura, and the burning in his belly would not ease by any means; then the sages offered him durva and the burning went away. The story comes in different forms, but its message is that durva is cool, simple and found everywhere: the deity does not need a grand gift.

Take tender blades of durva from a clean place and wash them. The custom of offering twenty-one is widespread: in many homes in small bunches of two or three, in many others each one with a name of Ganesha or with 'Om Gam Ganapataye Namah'. Place them on or near the head, as is the custom in many homes. On a clay murti do not lay wet durva; wipe it first. If you cannot find twenty-one, offer however many you have, with faith.

The very word modak is tied to joy (moda), and Ganesha with a modak in his hand is his most familiar form. A shell of rice flour filled with coconut and jaggery and steamed is the ukadiche modak of Maharashtra; in the south the close cousins of this sweet are called kozhukattai or kudumu; in many places it is also fried or made of khoya. Many homes offer twenty-one modak. It is good if you can make them at home; otherwise modak from a shop, laddoos or jaggery are just as acceptable. People with diabetes can take a very small portion of the prasad; the worth of the offering is in the feeling, not the taste.

By tradition the moon is not looked at on the night of Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi, and so in several places this tithi is also called Kalank Chaturthi. It is believed that seeing the moon on this night can bring a false accusation, called mithya dosh. A folk story lies behind this: seeing Ganesha stumble with his heavy belly and his modak, the moon laughed, and was cursed that whoever saw him would be blamed. When the moon asked forgiveness, the curse was limited to this one tithi. The story has many forms, but its heart is one: it is not right to laugh at anyone's looks.

The story of the Syamantaka jewel is told alongside it. The Sun gave his devotee Satrajit a divine jewel called Syamantaka. One day Satrajit's brother Prasena wore the jewel into the forest, where a lion killed him; then Jambavan, king of the bears, killed the lion and kept the jewel in his cave. When Prasena did not return, word spread in Dwaraka that Krishna had killed him for the jewel.

To clear himself of this false charge Krishna went into the forest himself. Following the tracks he reached Jambavan's cave, and there they fought for many days. In the end Jambavan recognised Krishna and gave him the jewel along with his daughter Jambavati. Krishna returned the jewel to Satrajit; Satrajit was ashamed and gave his daughter Satyabhama to Krishna in marriage. In the Bhagavata and the Vishnu Purana this comes as a story of the jewel and the false charge. The link with the Chaturthi moon is added by the katha tradition of the Vinayaka vrat: by that telling Krishna had seen the moon of that Chaturthi, and that is why he had to bear the charge.

If the moon is seen by accident there is nothing to be afraid of. The tradition's answer is simple: read or hear this same Syamantaka story, bow to Ganesha and chant 'Om Gam Ganapataye Namah'. The Bhagavata too closes this episode by saying that reciting, hearing or remembering it drives away ill fame. Some homes also read the verse beginning 'Simhah Prasenam Avadhit…', which your family priest can give you. In many homes in the south, hearing this story after the day's puja is itself the custom. Do not let it become a cause of fear; its message is that a false charge can fall on anyone, and that the answer to it, as with Krishna, is to stay calm and go and find the truth.

How many days Ganapati stays depends on the family's custom or what the family can manage; there is no single rule. In the day-and-a-half custom Ganapati comes on Chaturthi and leaves the next day; many homes follow this. In the three-, five- or seven-day custom that many days are counted from the day of the sthapana. In many parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka Gauri is also worshipped in these same days, and in many Maharashtrian homes Ganapati leaves together with Gauri.

The ten-day custom closes on Anant Chaturdashi, which is Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturdashi; public pandals mostly follow it. Depending on how one counts, some call it ten days and some eleven. The date box on this page shows only the day of the sthapana, not of the visarjan; look up in the panchang whichever day your family's custom gives.

For as long as Ganapati is in the home, do a simple puja morning and evening: lamp, incense, durva, flowers, food, 'Om Gam Ganapataye Namah' and the aarti. On some day recite the Ganesh Chalisa or the Sankat Nashan Ganesh Stotra. Keep the food of the house sattvik. In a year when illness, travel or some other reason makes a long stay impossible, many families shorten it; Ganapati is called with love, and does not come as a burden.

The uttarpuja is the last puja before the farewell. Only after it is the murti moved from its place. It does not need a priest; any member of the household can do it.

1. Preparing: on the day of the visarjan, bathe and sit at the place of worship. Fill a clean bucket or tub with enough clean water to cover the murti fully, and set it in a courtyard, a veranda or somewhere it can stay undisturbed for a day.

2. The uttarpuja: light the lamp and incense, then worship with the panchopachara, the five offerings: sandal paste, flowers, incense, lamp and food. Offer durva and set out modak or any sweet.

3. Aarti and forgiveness: all the family together sing the aarti 'Jai Ganesh Deva'. Then fold your hands, ask forgiveness for any slip in those days of worship and say whatever wish is in your heart.

4. The prayer of farewell: take akshat in your hand and pray: Ganapati, you have been our guest these days; go now to your own abode and come again next year. Let the akshat fall on the murti. In many homes the murti is then moved very slightly, and this is taken as the sign of farewell. In some Marathi homes a little food such as curd and poha is also tied up and kept alongside for the journey.

5. The visarjan: take off the flowers, the garland, the cloth and whatever is not clay. Calling out 'Ganpati Bappa Morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar ya' (come again soon next year), lower the murti slowly into the water with both hands.

6. Let it dissolve: a small clay murti dissolves in anything from a few hours to a day. You can stir the water gently by hand from time to time. Keep the children near, so that they can see how the earth goes back to the earth.

7. The water and clay: pour the dissolved clay and water into flowerpots or the garden, not into a drain or sink. Some homes sow a seed in that same clay. Put the flowers and durva you took off into compost, or bury them in the soil. Pour the kalash water on the plants, share the coconut as prasad and keep the kalash's betel nut and coin in the shrine.

Families who wish to immerse outside should first see what the city administration has arranged. Many cities build artificial ponds in these days, and immersing there is also a complete visarjan; in some places immersion in a river or lake is barred as well. The water of a river, lake or well is drinking water for many; no tradition says that Ganapati is pleased by fouling the Ganga or the Yamuna.

Lower only the clay murti into the water. Keep plastic bags, thermocol, decorations, cloth, garlands and prasad apart, and put them in the rubbish or compost. Keep the flowers apart as well. Do not go far into the water, keep children on the bank, and those who cannot swim should say their farewell from the bank. In crowds, drums and processions take special care of the elderly and of children. Many pandits and families today also hold that a visarjan in a bucket at home is as complete as one in a river, since water is one element.

What can be simplified: a betel nut or a picture can stand in for a murti. If the sixteen offerings are not possible, do the five (panchopachara). However many durva you find in place of twenty-one, and jaggery or any sweet in place of modak. If two pujas a day are not possible, do one. The short day-and-a-half custom is a complete puja too.

What happens without a priest: the home sthapana, the vow, the shodashopachara, the aarti, the uttarpuja and the visarjan can all be done by any member of the household. The method above is written for that. A priest is needed for the formal pranapratishtha with mantras, for a havan and for Vedic rites; if one is available and the family wishes, have them done by the priest, who will follow their own method.

The fast: the Ganesh Chaturthi fast is not compulsory; it is left to one's faith. Some eat nothing, or take only fruit and milk, until the puja and break the fast with the prasad. The ill, pregnant or nursing women, the elderly, children and anyone on medicines should not keep a waterless or full fast; a doctor's advice comes first.

During periods, the traditional view is that a woman does not touch the murti or the puja materials; another member of the household does the puja while she sits nearby, joins the aarti and bows in her heart. Today many families and scholars hold that devotion knows no such bar. Follow your family's custom and your own heart.

In Maharashtra it is the greatest household and public festival of the year. Lokmanya Tilak promoted its public form late in the nineteenth century to bring people together, and the tradition of pandals has run from then on. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana it is called Vinayaka Chavithi; there the custom is a puja with twenty-one kinds of leaves and hearing the Syamantaka story after the puja. In Tamil Nadu it is Vinayagar Chaturthi, in Karnataka Gauri and Ganesha are worshipped one after the other, and in the homes of Goa and the Konkan Chaturthi or Chavath is the greatest family festival. In north India it was earlier mainly a household puja; now the custom of sthapana and visarjan has grown there too.

By tradition the Ganesh Chaturthi puja is done for the removal of obstacles, for wisdom, for good beginnings and for peace in the home. But the festival's greatest lesson lies in its farewell. The one we called and adorned with so much love, we ourselves lower into the water, and the earth goes back to the earth. It teaches that forms come and go and the feeling remains. It is a practice of faith and restraint, not a promise of results.

On the day of the sthapana, in the daily puja and at the uttarpuja, Ganesha's aarti 'Jai Ganesh Deva' is sung; its full text is in this library. In the homes of Maharashtra the Marathi aarti 'Sukhkarta Dukhharta' is also sung. Do the aarti with a ghee or camphor lamp and the bell, then pass your hands over the flame and touch them to your eyes and head, call out 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' and share the modak as prasad.