This chant is a very powerful mantra which is chanted to invoke Lord Ganesha, also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka.
Vinayaka is the Lord of Good Fortune who provides success, abundance, prosperity, and fortune. He is the Lord of Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles of both spiritual and material kinds. Interestingly, Vinayaka also places obstacles in the path of those who need to be checked.
Lord Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, at the time of the Gupta Period (Golden Age of India), although he inherited attributes from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. Ganesha was properly included among the 5 primary deities of Smartism (Smarta Sampradaya) in the 9th century.
A sect of devotees named the Ganapatya arose, who identified the Remover of Obstacles as the supreme deity.
Iconography
Iconic representations of Lord Ganesha show considerable variation. Maybe due to the cause that his form developing in time from that of a simple elephant in earliest depictions to Lord Ganesh we know today, generally having the head of an elephant and a large rotund belly.
Vinayaka is commonly depicted with 4 arms, although the number may vary from 2 to 16. When in the 4-armed configuration, Lord Vinayaka usually holds his own broken tusk in his lower-right hand and a laddoo sweet in his lower-left hand which he tastes with his trunk. A goad or an axe is held in the right upper hand and a noose is held in the left upper hand.
In the contemporary variation, the lower-right hand does not hold the broken tusk but is turned into the viewer in a gesture of protection and bravery (the abhaya mudra).
Each item carries it’s own important spiritual meaning and they (and the number of arms used to carry them) may vary to include a water lily, mace, discus, rosary (used for counting mantras), a bowl of sweets, musical instrument, staff or spear, depending on the specific symbology intended by the artist.
Vinayaka Mantra lyrics:
Om shreem hreem kleem klowm,
Gum ganapathaye,
Vara varatha sarvajanamay,
Vasamanaya swaha,
Ekadantaya vidmahe,
Vakratundaya dheemahi,
Tanno danti prachodayat.
Ganesh Gayatri mantra lyrics in Sanskrit:
“OM Ekadantaya Vidmahe
Vakkratundaya Dheemahi
Tanno Danti Prachodayat”
Translation and meaning in English:
”We devote our thoughts to the One Tusked Lord
We meditate upon Him who has a Curved trunk
We bow before the one with the single-tusked elephant tooth to illuminate our minds with wisdom.”
Chanting Maha Ganapati Mool mantra benefits:
It is believed that this mantra needs to be chanted with a correct pronunciation before starting any new project as it will help to eliminate any obstacles and hindrances and gives success in one’s efforts.
Also, this Sanskrit mantra generates a sonic field in and around the body of the practitioner and the energy produced is capable of warding off unfavorable forces and strengthens amid other things, the nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the immune system and even the circulatory systems.
