Ganesha
Ganesha nama-mantra
ॐ गणेशाय नमः
Oṁ Gaṇeśāya Namaḥ
Simple reading: Om ga-ne-shaa-ya na-mah
About this mantra
The plainest Ganesha salutation — his own name, whole. Where the bīja Gaṁ is the seed, this is the spoken flower: written as Śrī Gaṇeśāya namaḥ at the head of ledgers, letters, and wedding cards.
Meaning
Om, salutations to Ganesha — Gana-Isha, lord of the hosts. The name itself is a small theology: the elephant-headed one is master of the many — the crowd of energies outside us and the crowd of thoughts within. To say it is to place both crowds, for a moment, under a wiser command than one's own.
When to recite it
Wherever a shorter, simpler remembrance fits — lighting the morning lamp, stepping out of the door, the breath before an interview or exam. Its simplicity makes it the mantra children are given first.
Word by word
- ॐoṁ
- the primordial sound
- गणेशायgaṇeśāya
- to Ganesha, lord of the ganas
- नमःnamaḥ
- I bow, salutations
Source: Traditional nāma-mantra