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Ganpati Staphna or Performing PoojaHow to Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi

We the Trustees of GaneshChaturthi.com strongly suggest that you go forEco Friendly GaneshaIdols. Click the link for more information.

How to do Pooja of Lord Ganesha on Ganesh Chaturthi Clickhereto find the Ganesh Chaturthi Check List or the Pooja SamagriGanesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi is one of the most colorful and widely celebrated festivals inIndia. Large numbers of people observe Ganesha Chaturthi poojas at home.Here is an explanation on how to perform Ganesha pooja and Staphna at home as mentioned in Hinduscriptures. Ganesha pooja on the Chaturthi day is usually performed as per the Muhurat. Please see themuhurat timings on the main page of this website by clickinghere.

The pooja can be led by any one of the family members and others should join.God worship is enjoyed byeveryone. Pooja means the traditional ceremony by which God is worshipped. However, the devotion isthe indispensable part of any pooja, by which, even simple gestures and poojas are like sacred rituals.

Before entering the shrine room, all the attendees should take bath, dress in clean clothes and bring asmall offering of flowers or fruits. Generally fruits offered are bananas, mangos, sweet limes,pomegranates and jackfruit.

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Firstly, Prepare the kalash: take a kalash and fill it with clean drinking water, add to the water 1 supari,Rs. 1, 25 paise coins, haldi and kumkum, some attar (perfume oil), place 5 paan leaves, and finally thecoconut. Decorate the coconut and the paan leaves with haldi and kumkum.Next, prepare the sthaan where Ganpati will sit. Do that by spreading a handful of kacha rice grains onthe place. Over the rice grains, place one supaari and put haldi and kumkum on the supari. Over that

place some dakshina.Reciting "Ganpati Bappa Moriya", we must place the Ganpati Idol over thispreparation.The worship begins with the "Sthapana" (establishment) of the idol. Next step is to invoke Ganesha intothe image. This is known as pran-prathishta. The Pran Prathista mantra in Sanskrit to be invoked is foundin the Rig Veda and is part of Ganesh Suktha. Then recite the following mantra:ganananh tva ganapatim havamahe kavim kavinam - upamashravastamam |jyeshhtharajam brahmanan.h brahmanaspata A nah shrivnvannutibhih sida sadanam ||(Rig Veda 2.23.1)ni shhu sida ganapate ganeshhu tvamahurvipratamam kavinam |

na rite tvat.h kriyate kinchanare mahamarkam maghavan.h chitramarcha || (Rig Veda 10.112.9)We invoke You, O Ganapati of the ganas (Lord Shiva attendants), Who are Brahmana-spati of thebrahmas (prayers), the wisest among the wise, Who abound in treasure beyond all measure, the mostbrilliant one. Do listen to our prayers, come with Your blessings and assurances of protection into ourhome, and be seated. (Rig Veda 2.23.1)Sit down among the worshippers, O Ganapati, the best sage among the sages. Without You nothing canbe done here or far. Accept with honor, O wealthy One, our great and variegated hymns of praise. (RigVeda 10.112.9)

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Once the Idol has been stapith, you must spread 5 paan leaves (the number of the paan leaves dependon the number of days you are keeping Ganpati). Over each of the paan leaf, keep 1 supari each, thenput haldi and kumkum, after that place the five different fruits, one over each paan leaf. Having done that,place 1 akhrot, 1 badaam, and 1 khareek each on each paan leaf.

You are now ready for lifting the cover of Ganesh Ji. (If you bring Ganpati home one day prior, we coverHim with decorative vastra). You can life the vastra now chanting Ganpati Bappa Moriya!After lifting the vastra, you must remove the black dhaaga. Clean the Murti with a dry paint brush.

PLEASE NOTE: WASHING GOD'S HANDS AND LEGS IS SYMBOLIC. DO NOT ACTUALLY DO THESAME. SIMILIARLY FOR ABHISHEKH WITH MILK, NECTAR, CURD SHOULD NOT BE DONE ONTHE MURTI (IDOL).

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Offer Him the shringar in form of the Mukut, Mala/Maitri, Bracelets, Vastra For Murti. Put a garland offresh flowers over Ganpati Bappa.Offer and put on His forehead, haldi, pinjar, abhil, gulal, ashtagandh and sindhoor. Also offer His vahan,undhir mama, the Mouse.Offer Ganpati Bappa and undhir mama (mouse), the prasad which is His favourite, the Modaks. Therecipe for the Modaks can be foundhere. These can be made at home or can also be bought from out.For people residing out of India, you can find a very easy recipe on our website on the link mentionedabove.Keep a red pooja dhaga next to Ganpati Bappa, this can later be tied on hands of all family membersafter the First Aarti.Once the 'Pranpratishtha' is done, then you need to light the lamp and incense sticks to please the 'God;.After this you have to perform the ' Shhodashopachara ', which are 16 forms of paying tribute to ShreeGanesha. (This ritual is usually performed by the priests, you can skip this.) Here you offer 21 Druva grass blades, 21 Modakas, and Flowers to Ganesha. You need to apply a Tikkaof red Sandalwood paste on the forehead of the Deity and keep the coconut along with the idol.Offer 21 blades of Druva Grass.Offer 21 modaksOffer red flowersApply a tilak using red Sandalwood paste.Break the coconut or just keep it along with the idol. You can also keep fried grains. (The food of the rat

the vehicle of Ganesha).

The number 21 signifies - the five organs of perception, five organs of action, five vital airs (pranas), fiveelements, and the mind.Using a Diya wick, make and light the Akhand Jyot (the diya), and the aarti thaali is to be lit which canhave the agarbattis, dhoop, (insense and fragrance) and camphor tablets to be lit during AartiThe Shahad and khadi shakar should be offered to GanpatiOne can also offer chandan nowKeep the prasad you have prepared in front of Ganesh Ji, sprinkle with ganga jalYou can also recite the108 salutationsdedicated to Lord Ganesha or read the Ganesha Upanishad orjust simply pray.You are ready for the Aarti! You can sing Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh and Sukh Karta Dukh Harta. After the Aarti, the family members should gather in front of Ganesh Ji, keep a coconut next to Him andsay, "Dear Ganesh Ji, we welcome you to our home. In our offer of prayers, incase we have committedany mistakes, knowingly or unknowingly, kindly forgive us. We pray on behalf of all of us to make thisChaturthi a blessed one. Keep us all happy and healthy always". You are welcome to add your prayershere. PLEASE NOTE: It is essential to ask for forgiveness at this time while placing the coconut. On theday of the visarjan, this coconut should also be immersed in the water. You can also tape-record this entire Staphna for your memory with the Mini DV cassettes.

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Thereafter, all of the family members bow down to Ganesha and ask for Gods blessings to fulfill all their

desire.While performing Ganesha Pooja at home, you can always be flexible. The strict rituals are meant for

Vedic priests. All you need to be careful is to perform the pujas with a clean body and clean mind.What is more important is devotion not the ritual.Try to be simple. Concentrate on your prayers not on decoration and other ritualistic details.

Pooja ExplainationHindu Rituals involve the Pancha/Five Upacharas/offerings. They arenamely;Gandham (Fragrance) in the form of white or red Sandalwood paste,

Dhupam (Lighting of Incense Sticks),

Deepam (Lighting of Oil or ghee Lamps)

Naivedyam (Sanctified Offerings of fruits, sweetmeats etc.) and Modakand Motichoor Ladoos

Pushpam (Pushpa-Flowers). The Hibiscus or the Shoe flower is a favoriteof the Lord. Dhurva Grass malas are also quite popular.

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Coconut for Vinayaka ChaturthiBefore beginning any pooja, these materials should be kept handy. Take abath, cleanse yourself and then stand with folded hands in front of the deityand offer all the above. Wet whole coconut (peeled off the exterior husk)but with a small stalk of husk on the top symbolizes the Bramhin or purest

offering to the Lord. Breaking of this coconut or the act ofChadur

Thenga means that we smash our egos in front of the Lord and submit

our soft white inner self at his feet.

What items are favorites of the Lord:

Modak for Ganesh Chaturthi-Vinayakar Chavithi

Modak: The Lord Ganesha has a special liking for the sweet dumplings- Modak/Kozhukattai and Laddoo.

Ganeshas mother Parvati made tasty modaks for Her son, hence he is especially fond of them. Read

HEREhow to make home-made Modaks.

Durva: (Three blade grass, Trefoil) is also offered to Ganesh. There are many interesting facts relating to

why Durva is offered. Once Ganesha destroyed a demon called Analan, by swallowing him. The

demon went inside and burnt the 14 worlds situated inside Ganesha, thus causing enormous heat.Ganesha searched for Durva Grass and wore it as a garland to nullify the heat inside. Durva is asubstance known to create heat and by the principles of two negatives make things positive, the heat wasquenched. Durva/Dhurva Grass is therefore used as a supreme offering in Ganesha Puja. Make a dhurvagarland by combining several dhurvas together and tying them in a mala/garland for the Lord.

Shoe flower/Hibiscus: First of all, the red color of the flower is a personal favorite of the Lord and then

the Hibiscus-Shoe flower-Red in color is Ganeshas favorite

5 petals of the Hibiscus denotes the warding of negative energy and the welcome of the positive energy

into the Universe. On a more practical level, it is the seasonal flower of the Bhadrapad month of themonsoons, hence our ancients have advocated this particular flower. Especially the color red is highlyauspicious.

Rules to pluck flowers and offer to the Lord:

Always pluck flowers only after your bath.

Do not pick flowers fallen on the ground (except Parijat).

Do not offer Nirmalya (reused flowers), flowers that have already been offered by others.

Do not throw/fling flowers on the idol. Offer them with both your open palms at his feet.

What it the Angaaraka Ganesh Chathurthi ?

The fourth thithi of each moon phase is known as Chathurthi. Chathur = four. 24 to 25 Chathurthis occur

each year. When the Chathurthi thithi occurs on a Tuesday, its known as Angaaraka Chathurthi in

recognition of Sri Angaaraka, the Vaara(weekly- Mars-Chevvaai-Mangal) devata for Tuesday whoperformed special pooja for Lord Ganesh.

When praying to Lord Vignaharta, the following stuti should be sung.

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Ganesha Stuti (Praises to the Lord Ganesha) Agajanana padmarkam gajananam aharnisham Anekdantham bhaktanam yekadantham upasmaheth ||1|| Vakratunda mahakaya koti surya samarprabhaNirvignam kurume deva sarvakareyeshu sarvada ||2|| Pranamya shirasa devam gouri puthram vinayakamBhakthavasam smarenithyam aayuhkaamartha sidhaye ||3|| Gajananam bhootha ganadhi sevithamKapitha jambo phala sara bhakshitam ||4|| Umasutham shokha vinashkaranam Namami vigneshwarapada pankajam ||5||

Aarti

Om jai Jagdish hareSwami jai Jagdish hareBhakt jano ke sankatDas jano ke sankat

Kshan men door kareOm jai Jagdish hare

Jo dhiave phal paveDukh bin se man ka

Swami dukh bin se man kaSukh sampati ghar aveSukh sampati ghar ave

Kasht mite tan kaOm jai Jagdish hare

Mat pita tum mereSharan padun main kiski

Swami sharan padun main kiskiTum bin aur na dooja

Prabhu bin aur na doojaAas karun main jiskiOm jai Jagdish hare

Tum puran Parmatam

Tum AntaryamiSwami tum Antaryami

Par Brahm ParmeshwarPar Brahm Parmeshwar

Tum sabke swamiOm jai Jagdish hare

Tum karuna ke sagarTum palan karta

Swami tum palan kartaMain sevak tum swamiMain sevak tum swami

Kripa karo Bharta

Om jai Jagdish hare

Tum ho ek agocharSab ke pranpati

Swami sab ke pranpatiKis vidh milun GosainKis vidh milun DyaluTum ko main gumtiOm jai Jagdish hare

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Deen bandhu dukh hartaThakur tum mere

Swami Thakur tum mereApne haath uthaoApni sharani lagaoDwar pada hoon tereOm jai Jagdish hare

Vishay vikar mitaoPaap haro Deva

Swami paap haro DevaShradha bhakti badaoShradha prem badao

Santan ki sevaOm jai Jagdish hare

Om jai Jagdish hareSwami jai Jagdish hareBhakt jano ke sankatDas jano ke sankat

Kshan men door kareOm jai Jagdish hare

Additional Information:

When/If offering Bhog to Gajanan, please do not put onion, garlic and ginger in the food. This canbe eaten or served as Preeti Bhojan and Maha Prasad among the Family Members.

Visarjan Procedure Details can be foundhere.

I wish you and your family a very Blessed Chaturthi!

Ganesha bless you with immense Happiness, Peace and Health!

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