Ganesh Vandana Lyrics - English, Hindi & Telugu Languages With Meaning

As already mentioned by me in a previous article "How to perform Puja", the worship of God starts with prayers of Lord Ganesha who is the lord of obstacles. So, I will tell here what are the hymns or slokas that need to be recited for Ganesh Stuti in your daily puja.

The following Five Hymns or slokas are the most popularly read or recited at the start of any daily puja in most of the homes. It is being presented in all the three versions of Hindi, Telugu, and English languages respectively with their meanings also for your ready reference.


Sloka no.1

शुक्लाम्बर धरम , विष्णुम् , शशिवर्णं , चतुर्भुजम |
प्रसन्न वदनम् ध्यायेत् सर्व विघ्नोपशान्तये ||

శుక్లాంబరధరం విష్ణుం శశివర్ణం చతుర్భుజమ్
ప్రసన్న వదనం ధ్యాయేత్ సర్వ విఘ్నోప శాంతయే

Suklaambara dharam, Vishnum, sashivarnam, chaturbhujam
prasanna vadanam dhyaayEt sarva vighnOpa shaantayE

Meaning of above hymn:- 
I am bowing to the All-pervasive God who is wearing pure white clothes, who bears moon-like complexion, who has four shoulders and whose face is very pleasing. I bow to Him for protection from all obstacles.


Sloka no.2

वक्रतुण्डं महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभः |
निर्विघ्नम् कुरुमेदेव सर्व कार्येषु सर्वदा ||

వక్రతుండ మహాకాయ సూర్యకోటి సమప్రభః
నిర్విఘ్నం కురుమేదేవ సర్వకార్యేషు సర్వదా

vakra tunda mahaa kaaya, suryakOti sama prabha
nirvighnam kurumE dEva sarva kaaryEshu sarvadaa

Meaning of above hymn:-
Oh God bearing curved trunk and large body, with a glow equal to one crore Suns!
please bless all my works (projects) free from all obstacles at all times.


3) Ganesh Stuti (Names in praise of Ganesh):-

ओम नमो श्री विघ्नेशाय नमः
ओम नमो श्री विनायकाय नमः
ओम नमो श्री एकदन्ताय नमः
ओम नमो श्री गजाननाय नमः
ओम नमो श्री गणेशाय नमः

ఓం నమో శ్రీ విఘ్నేశాయ నమః ,
ఓం నమో శ్రీ వినాయకాయ నమః,
ఓం నమో శ్రీ ఏకదంతాయ నమః ,
ఓం నమో శ్రీ గజాననాయ నమః ,
ఓం నమో శ్రీ గణేశాయ నమః !

Om namo shri VighnEshaaya namaha
Om namo shri Vinaayakaaya namaha
Om namo shri Ekadantaaya namaha
Om namo shri Gajaananaaya namaha
Om namo shri GaNEshaaya namaha

Meaning of above names of God:-
I bow to you, O Lord of Obstacles
I bow to you, O Leader of Obstacles
I bow to you, O Lord with Single Tusk
I bow to you, O Lord with elephant face
I bow to you, O Lord of all GaNa-s ( A "gaNa" is an attendant of God who performs or oversees a certain field of work )

4) Ganesh Stuti
One more hymn appeasing Lord Ganesha is as follows:

विघ्नेश्वराय, वरदाय, सुरप्रियाय, 
लम्बोदराय, सकलाय, जगतजिताय | 
नागाननाय, श्रुतियज्ञ विभूषिताय,
गौरीसुताय, गण नाथ नमो नमस्ते || 

విఘ్నేశ్వరాయ, వరదాయ, సురప్రియాయ,
లంబోదరాయ, సకలాయ, జగత్ జితాయ |
నాగాననాయ, శృతి యజ్ఞ విభూషితాయ,
గౌరీ సుతాయ, గణ నాథ నమో నమస్తే ||    

vighnEshvarAya, varaDAyA, surapriyAya,
lambODarAya, sakaLAya, jagat jitAya | 
naagAnanAya, shruti yajna vibhooSitAya,
Gouri sutAya, gaNa nAtha namO namastE ||


Meaning of Above Hymn:

Oh Lord of all Obstacles, Bestower of Boons, Beloved of Angels,
Giant-sized belly holder, master of all arts, winner of all beings with his benevolence,
Elephant-Faced, and adorned with knowledge of Vedas and yajnas,
Son of Gouri, Lord of all GaNas, I bow to Thee.


So, these are the most popular prayer slokas for worshiping Ganesha and for appeasing him to obtain his blessings.



For those interested in the Guru Stuti or the worship of the tree of teachers/ preachers, you may visit this Link.

I am further sharing here one more link to a great musical rendering  "Vaathapi gaNapathim bhajE" which is in praise of Lord Ganesha by one great Tamil musician/ composer "Muthuswamy Dikshitar" and presented in a very great classical style by the famous South Indian singer "Yesudas" for a blissful enjoyment by you at this link:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOk0Y7T6UNc

To know more about the festival of Ganesh Chauth and how to perform it, you may like to view this article.

How to Do Puja or Worship at Home

Puja is the worship of God and involves sixteen services, according to our Vedic texts and shastras. Among these sixteen services, some are repeated (like arghyam, padyam, and achamanam). So, I omit some of those repetitions during my daily worship. 

So, here are some simple steps to perform your daily puja at home.

1. Arghyam: Offering water to the idols’ hands.
2. Paadyam: Offering water to the idols’ feet.
3. Snaanam: Pouring or sprinkling water over the idols’ bodies.
4. Aachamanam: Offering water to God’s mouth three times.
5. Stotram: Paying obeisance to one’s mother, father, teachers, and the Lord of Obstacles; reciting Vishnu’s 24 names; and chanting basic hymns praising the Almighty God.
6. Dhoopam: Lighting sandalwood sticks and wafting them around the idols.
7. Deepam: Using your right hand to show the oil lamps' light to God.
8. Naivedyam: Offering fruits and food to God.
9. Aachamanam: Washing God’s hands, mouth, and feet, then offering water to God to drink.
10. Mangala Haarati: Lighting camphor or showing the lit oil lamps around the Gods while reciting the Mangala haarati slokas. 

After performing daily puja for many years, I have shortlisted the procedure above and would now like to share a detailed account of my experiences performing puja at home, following these steps. Any novice can easily follow these tips and personalize the process using these simple suggestions.

For example, you can skip steps that feel inconvenient, such as sprinkling water, wearing silk, or reciting numerous slokas or hymns.

Puja Materials

• An idol of God/Goddess or Photos/Images
• Lamp holder (either bronze, steel, or of any metal)
• Oil for lighting the lights
• Wicks and Matchbox
• Flowers (optional)
• Incense sticks (Agarbatti) and Camphor (camphor is optional)
• One or two small Metal Pots/vessels and Spoons (preferably copper or silver) filled with water for performing puja.
• A plate or wide bowl for dropping water into it as if offering to God or washing God's hands and feet. (The water is shown to God and then dropped into the bowl/plate) 
• Naivedyam

Preparations for Starting the Puja

Before starting puja or worshiping God, one must get oneself clean and pure by bathing and wearing pure and clean clothes. This keeps your body and mind cool and well-prepared for meditation.

Dress for Puja

In our Orthodox tradition, a silk dress is often reserved for puja. Afterward, it is stored in a sacred place for future use, so it does not need to be washed daily. It can be washed weekly or dry-cleaned every two weeks or once a month, since it is worn for only about an hour during the daily puja.

If you are not used to wearing silk, do not worry. You can wear any clothes that are washed daily and kept in a clean place, separate from other dresses. Wash them at night before bed and wear them in the morning for puja.

Select a Clean, Good Place for Worship

Remember these guidelines for keeping your place of worship clean:

Keep the area where you place your deity clean. You can set your deity in a peaceful room, preferably in a corner or, if available, in a dedicated puja room. Keep the space tidy by wiping it with a wet or dry cloth or using a small broom reserved for this purpose. Ideally, place your deity facing East or North, and sit to the deity’s right for ease of worship. If your home’s layout makes this difficult, simply explain the situation to God and place the deity wherever it is convenient.

How to Perform  Daily Puja at Home

• Clean the place of worship before beginning Puja. The idols may be cleaned periodically.
• Sit beside the place of God on a wooden plank or mat, but not directly in front of Him.
• Sprinkle a few drops of water around the place of Puja and on the puja materials.
• Before worship, light an oil lamp, or deepam, according to Hindu customs. Lamps are generally made of brass or panchaloha metal. Keep them simple and small to prevent smoke. Wash and clean them about once a week to keep them neat.
• Change the cotton vattulu (or wicks) daily, and fill the lamp holder with oil to no more than 60% capacity to prevent spilling or overflowing. Then light it with a matchstick.
• You may place two lamps on either side of God.
• If you light a single lamp, combine two wicks into one. The combined wick represents a family or the bond between a man and a woman. This is believed to bring harmony and happiness to the family.
• After lighting the lamps, sprinkle water over the idols as if bathing the Gods. Puja resembles the daily activities of your own life: getting up early, washing and bathing, wearing new clothes, and then eating. In the same way, you wash God's hands, legs, and body, dress Him (offer a flower instead of clothes), and offer prayers and food.
• Keep a separate glass or small vessel of water and an empty plate/bowl nearby. Use a small copper or metal spoon, a mango leaf, or a flower to offer water to God, then drop it into the plate to symbolize a bath. Instead of clothes, you can offer flowers as if dressing God.
• After bathing the idols and placing one or two flowers, chant or recite hymns and slokas (for Lord Ganesha, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Parvati, and Shiva. First of all, recite the guru stuthi, paying respects to your mother, father, and the teachers in your family lineage. Begin by offering salutations to your mother, then father, and the guru of your oldest ancestors, and end with your present guru.
• Recite the 24 Keshava Namas in order, followed by the Vishnu Stuti and Lakshmi Stuti slokas. 

• 
  
• Then, recite hymns and slokas in praise of God, known as stothram. Read or recite as many as your available time and family traditions allow. Puja books are available at shops selling puja materials. Or, you can recite/ copy down from my articles (available by clicking the Faith/Festivals button at the top of my Blog). 
• If you can afford it, you may also worship with flowers.
• After completing the worship and prayers, light the incense sticks and wave them before your Gods.
• Then, with your right hand, wave the lamps’ light before God.
• Now, offer food and fruits by holding them in your right hand before God's mouth, as if feeding Him.
• Finally, light the camphor and recite aarti lines or songs.
• Your puja is now complete. You can take the prasadam and offer it to your family members as well.
• Those who chant the Gayatri mantra daily will first perform the Gayatri puja while standing or sitting facing the Sun, and then begin the puja.

Benefits of Doing Puja or Worship

You may ask about the benefits of performing puja. My answer is that it brings us happiness and satisfaction.

Performing puja brings us happiness and peace of mind. It gives us a sense of satisfaction, relief, and joy. It is like meditation: for a while, we free our minds from tension and experience tranquillity and peace.

It can improve your health and brainpower, helping you concentrate. This brings happiness and can lead to success in all your endeavors. You can face and solve your problems peacefully.

So, performing puja is always good for your life.

Superman Returns - "Arvind Kejriwal" of Delhi

Wow, Arvind Kejriwal!!!
What a great miracle! You have done it once again. You proved to the world that you are a great miracle in yourself. You are the Hero of Delhi...their Heart...Their Superman!!!

Emerging with a thumping majority of 67 out of 70 is not an ordinary task. It is possible only for a  Superman like you. It shows how dearer you are to the Delhites. The entire Delhi wants you to lead them. The 3 seats you missed may have gone only because of some hesitation or the state of the indecisiveness of some of the people. So it is clearly 100% vote for you. So, the entire Delhi stands for you - one and only you "Arvind Kejriwal".

Now it is time for you and your party to perform. You should stand up to the hopes and expectations of the Delhites.

Your thumping return shows how great expectations and hopes they are placing on you. It is a kind of "Superman Returns" to save them from their problems.

They are not disappointed by past incidents that took place during your party's past short regime. They did not lose hope. They decided to give a chance to you and your party to perform and prove.

So, it is time for shedding all those childish attitudes and become more serious. AAP should take it more seriously and strive hard to keep the confidence they have regained from their people. They should think seriously and act with good workable solutions at each and every task.

Delhi people are known for their elite intelligence. They are more capable and intelligent in making decisions. So when they voted Aam Aadmi Party to power, and that too in spite of their failure in their first chance, it means that Delhiites were able to see something special in AAP-  some qualities which are acceptable and good for them and which can lead them to better life.

So, Aam Aadmi Party should do it with even more responsibility and care and should live up to their expectations. They should try to discuss each and every aspect clearly and act with more intelligence and smartness. No silly childish acts anymore. Every act should be an act of a grown up and serious person. They should find out workable solutions for each act and no random responses anymore.

Once they are able to prove that they can do things seriously and prudently, they can win more confidence and support from people. Then, they may try to spread their wings towards other states like Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Kashmir, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu also slowly.

So, perform well and wish you all the best- "Arvind Kejriwal" and AAP.