FAQ On Lord Ganesh Part 1
June 19, 2007
1) Why do people in most Hindu households commence all auspicious events by first chanting Lord Ganesh’s holy name?
The other name of Lord Ganesh is Vighnaharta or the Destroyer of Obstacles. Whether the obstacles are in context with the materialistic world or a devotee’s desire to progress on the spiritual path, everything is taken care of by chanting Om Ganapateya Namah.Lord Ganesh is also called Vighnesh (Vighna + ish = Vighnesh). Here the obstacle is being trapped by the 360 (raja-tama) and 108 (sattva) frequencies. Ish is derived from i + sh – ikshate means to look at and sh- shamayate means to cool. So ish is the one who destroys the heat generated by these 360 and 108 frequencies.People normally associate fasting on Sankashti as removing the Sankat (obstacle) from their lives in terms of their sufferings in this world, but the truth is, it removes the ill effects of frequencies which block the Nadis. There is a vidhi (method) in doing the fast and it is completed by paying respects to Lord Soma or Chandramaji (The Moon).
2) What is the importance of Sankashti?
The day marked as Sankashti appears every month in the Hindu calendar. People fast throughout the day and eat in the evening after the moonrise. Most people understand Sankashti as a ritual to please Lord Ganesh so that He removes all the hurdles and crisis (Sankat) that one faces in life. This is the mundane point of view. There are 360 different frequencies that are emitted from the core of the earth. These surround the body and thus slow down the body processes. This is a ’sankat’. In the dark fortnight of the Hindu lunar month, these 360 frequencies are more active. This obstructs the flow of energy in the nadis (channels) in the body. Sankashti is performed to overcome this crisis. Lord Ganesh controls these 360 frequencies. Hence by His worship one is released from the bondage of these frequencies.
On this day, devotees fast all day. In the evening, Lord Ganesh’s Aarti is performed and He is offered Naivaidya. This is not a vowed religious observance like others performed throughout the day and night. It is an observance composed of five prahars (one prahar is a period of about three hours), four during the day and one at night. According to the ritual, a meal should be taken at moonrise. Thus that meal becomes a part of the ritual and is not partaken of to end the fast. At moonrise, Lord Soma - The Moon God is sprinkled with sandalwood paste (Gandha), flowers, consecrated rice and sweetmeat. This statement must be creating a doubt among my readers that why is the Moon God prayed especially when on Ganesh Chaturthi people are told not to look at the Moon.There is an incident mentioned in the Puranas that one day when Lord Ganesh was returning home from a feast at Lord Kuber’s house, He tripped and fell. Since the Lord had eaten well, his stomach burst open and its contents fell out. Seeing this, the Moon laughed. The Lord tied his stomach with a snake and cursed the Moon, that if people saw the moon on Chaturthi day, they would be accused of theft.The Moon regretted this outburst and performed various austerities to please the Lord. Since the Moon was already been cursed, it could not be reversed so Lord Ganesh reduced its intensity and said, “On Sankashti, no devotees will consume their meals until they offer their prayers to You.”
©Nayna Chakrabarty, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
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66 Responses to “FAQ On Lord Ganesh Part 1”
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Can you tell me the process of performing pooja on this day. I mean I have heard that on the wooden bench (paath) you make a picture of the Moon with rice etc. Can you enlighten please
Dear Varsha,
Thanks for writing in.You will find your answers in our post – How To Worship Lord Ganesh-An In-Depth Understanding Of Rituals During Ganesh Chaturthi
http://nayna.in/blog/divine-grace/how-to-worship-lord-ganesh-an-in-depth-understanding-of-rituals-during-ganesh-chaturthi/
I want to know how to worship the LORD GANESHA
To know some important thing about LORD GANESHA
Hello Saurabh,
The following link has all the answers to your questions.
http://nayna.in/blog/divine-grace/how-to-worship-lord-ganesh-an-in-depth-understanding-of-rituals-during-ganesh-chaturthi/
i want to know what food do we consume on a tuesday fast and what time of the day
Hi Shailaja,
Thanks for writing in. I am assuming by tuesday fast you mean that you fast every tuesday and this is not related to Sankarshti or Angarika either. Usually during fast people eat fruits, milk and milk products. Some eat boiled potatoes or chips, nuts and dry fruits. Some people avoid salt and while others avoid all kinds of spices. Some eat tapioca (sabudana) either soaked in milk or sauted in the form of khichdi.
The fast is usually carried out for the whole day so if you are planning to fast then it has to be for the entire day. This again I am assuming that you are not asking about Sankarshti. If you need further clarifications then do write in again. We will be happy to clarify all your questions.
Thanks for clearing my doubts also how do i find the monthly dates(assuming)for Sakarshti…..also besides worshipping Lord Ganesha the way it is explained what other rituals do we need ti observe.Also what is the significance of thursday fasting and what are the rituals one should observe that day.Thanks.
Hi again Shailaja,
We are glad to be of some help. Sankarshti takes place once in every month. This month it was 19th sept- yesterday. You will find the details in any panchang or Hindu calender. It will also include the time of moonrise.
I am not aware of specific fasts done on Thursdays. As you know people fast for various reasons and to numerous deities. If you have any specific deity in mind, then you will have to share with us.
how do we observe the fast for godess Lakshmi and on which day.thanks.
Hi again Shailaja,
Follow this link to read about all the important days when Laxmi Puja/Pujan is conducted.
http://nayna.in/blog/divine-grace/laxmi-devi-vara-lakshmi-vrata-fasts-observed-to-seek-goddess-laxmi%e2%80%99s-blessings/
Most fasts are observed by eating fruits, milk and milk products.
i am thinking of fasting for ganeshji on wednesday for 21 wednesdays ,so should i keep for 21 chaturthis or simply 21 wednesdays. plz advise.
Hello Rohini,
Thank you for writing in. Wednesdays are not related to Lord Ganesh. It is Tuesday. Some also believe it to be Saturday. On Wednesday, Lord Ganesh is said to take the form of Lord Vishnu. I do not know your reason for fasting and also how you have concluded to the number of days as 21. If some one has advised you to do this then it will be best to find out from them.
Personally, if you plan to keep your devotion towards Lord Ganesh staunchly, then you should do the sankarshti fasts properly including Angarika. Apart from that, do your daily prayers with sincerity. Lord Ganesh doesn’t ask much from his devotees just honest, pure devotion.
Best of Luck
actually i want to do ganeshji fast for delay in marriage so plz advice which one to keep & for how many weeks .plz advice
Hi Again Rohini,
Please note that we are only devotees of the Lord. We share information so that we can all be in His Grace. So for your marriage delays it is best that you consult someone more appropriate who understands the birth charts.
Maybe I am speaking out of turn, but people should not fast just to gain something in return but do it because they want to be close to the Lord. But then this is what our beliefs are. The decision lies with you, Rohini.
Hello,
1/ I have been fasting Sankashti for 5 months now as per the suggested moon dates, but I had a question as some other fasts allow you to eat fruits or drink water or else in Sankashti do I fast straight with out a drop of water till the precribed time or else.
2/ I have heard that there are positions of keeping the Lord Ganesh’s Idol in the house could you please explain what are those positions or directions or corners that we can have Lord Ganesh be placed.
3/ What is the number of times that we can chant ” Om GanGanpati Namah” is 108 times or 360 times.
I do daily in the morning when driving to work 108 times is this right?
I highly appreciate your answers and any advices that you could provide.
Thanks
Jay
Hi Jay,
Usually during fast people eat fruits, milk and milk products. Some eat boiled potatoes or chips, nuts and dry fruits. Some people avoid salt and while others avoid all kinds of spices. Some eat tapioca (sabudana) either soaked in milk or sauted in the form of khichdi. You can eat any of these.
The idol is usually placed in the east.
Thirdly, there are no specific numbers for doing Japa. You can do as many times you want. If you are using a japa mala then it is easier as each mala has 108 beads.
Hello Nayna,
I thank you very much for your guidance.
But I have one more question,
I reside in Canada and our moon rise times mostly after 8 in the winter season and due to that in the fall/winter evenings you can not see the moon, if we are lucky to see one that will be around 2 or 3am what would ne your suggestion for breaking the fast with out looking at the moon.
Should I break the fast as per the described Toronto moon rise time?
Please advice as I have been doing that…..I follow the moon rise time and add another 1/2 hr just in case if I see the moon, but it never happens.
Thanks for clearing my doubts…
Best regards
Jay
Hi again Jay,
Following the panchang is the best like you do. See the time of moonrise, offer lighted diya, few rice grains, incense and sweetmeat, (flower if possible). Do Lord Chandra Dev’s aarti and then you can have the prasad and have your meal.
Feel free to write in anytime you like. We will try our best to help you out in every way possible.
Hello Nayna,
Thanks.
May the Almighty bless you and your good work.
Jay
Thanks Jay.
which day should we do fatsing for lord ganesh
Hi Preeya,
Thanks for writing in. Tuesdays are considered to be the day of Lord Ganesh. So you can choose to fast on this day.
Best Of Luck
hi,
During sankashti fast i will not eat anything till moon rise but i will be drinking water, can anyone tell me wether i can drink water or not
Hi Rashmi,
Thanks for writing in. You can drink water. It depends on you totally, how you want to complete your fast. Some eat fruits and some decide to go without food and water.
Good Luck
Hello,
Anyone has calender for 2009 Sankashti Chaturthi
Hello Kalpana,
Here is the link to the 2009 Sankasthi Chaturthi Dates
http://nayna.in/blog/divine-grace/2009-sankashti-chaturthi-dates/
While I understand prayers should be done with devotion.
For ensuring that the prayers are done the right way, what should be the material from which the Ganpati Idol is to be sculpted, for daily prayers and what Idol should be worshiped on the Sankashti Chaturthi Dates.
Excuse the ignorance.
Please guide with options on various materials.
Rgds
Hello Jagdish,
Thanks for writing in. Idols are ideally made of mud and straws. This mud is accumulated from the banks of the holy rivers like Ganga and Yamuna. But modernization has its drawbacks and this mud is now replaced with plaster of paris and other synthentic polymers. But there is nothing to be alarmed about. The devotion takes care of everything.
If you want to feel at rest about the material used in the idol that you have then you can ask a priest to do the Pranpathista ritual. A learned priest with his powerful mantras and the correct vedic rituals will purify any idol made of any type of material.
Regarding your second question- there is no special idol exclusive just for Sankarshti. You can pray to His Vignaharta form or Siddhivinayak form.
Feel free to write in anytime without any hestitation. We will try our best to share whatever little knowledge we have.
Thanks for your response, I seek some more information.
A) On the day of Sankatshti (apart from fasting, is there any kind of Mantra/or any book to be read to break the fast) will it be possible to be guided on a a detailed ritual/prayers to be done upon breaking of the fast.
B) Regarding the Pranpathista ritual of an Idol, can you recommend any learned priest, I am based in Dubai, UAE. Further we perform/Pray in front of Ganpati (Silver Idol) which I would wish to continue, should we now get a Pranpathista done of this Idol, now as you will agree Silver gets Tarnished, hence the same is cleaned with Silvo polish, hope this does not wrong doing. Await yr feedback.
Rgds
Hello again Jagdish,
We have a post on Lord Ganesh’s mantra. It contains a lot of significant mantras that can be useful in everyday living. Apart from that there is Atharvashirsha prayer that can be read regularly as well.
Regarding the second half of your questions on a learned priest in Dubai, I haven’t a clue about that. You can get Pranpatishta done to the current silver idol that you are praying to. But in the event you can’t, it is not a problem.
You can simply make Panchamrut and give the Lord a bath, then offer Him fresh fragrant flowers, incense, some fruits and sweatmeats. Shuddhi or purification is also done by giving the Lord such a Panchamrut bath. More details on this is available in our post http://nayna.in/blog/divine-grace/how-to-worship-lord-ganesh-an-in-depth-understanding-of-rituals-during-ganesh-chaturthi/
Many recommend to avoid polishing an idol with chemicals. If you believe that the Pran is in that idol then you cannot put additives and chemicals on Him. Bathing the Lord daily with milk and water is usually preferred.
Hope this info helps.
Thanks, May i request to re-clarify my first question does one have to read any book or recite any prayers to break the fast on Sankashti fast day.
what is the procedure to break the fast.
rgds
Hello again Jagdish,
There is no specific book that one reads for Sankashti. There are various mantras that one can recite while offering prayers which as I have mentioned is already listed in our previous post.
We are only devotees, we are not qualified to give mantras to anyone because that will make us someone in authority. The list of mantras and explanations in our post will give you an idea. The one you feel will be easy to recite and remember, you can chant that.
Good Luck
Hi Nayna,
I would like to know whether it is ok if i offer the coconuts to the Lord in a Ganesh temple and then carry out the rest of the ritual at my home on a sankashti day?
Regards,
Debashree
Hi Debashri,
Yes sure. You can do whatever your heart pleases. Just remember there are rare occasions when people go wrong in their devotion.
Hello,
I would like to know about different kinds of fasting of Ganesh jee . I really don’t have any idea and different people are giving me different ideas. I want to do fasing for Ganesg Jee and don’t wanna do totally in a wrong way . Please advice me the right way do fasing . Actually my husband has promised to do special puja in one special ganesh temple of our home town. Its been almost 5 years he has kept his promises, we are far away from home now and we will do that puja when we will go back home but until that time we both want to take fasting and pray from here .It would be very kind of you if you advice me in detail how to do fasing and what we have to do .
Thank you so much !
Dear Sabi,
Thank you for writing in. Please note, Lord Ganesh doesn’t really ask His devotees to fast. People fast to please the Lord to get some material benefits for their penance. You and your husband can pray sincerely to your Lord Ganesh’s idol at home and offer the same things that you would have offered at the temple. For example- a garland of fresh, red hibiscus flower, 21 clean and fresh durba blades. You can dip the durba in red chandan paste and offer and do the same for the garland.
Instead of buying readymade sweets from the shop, you can make sweets like halwa, besan or boondi laddoo or rice kheer at home and offer Him. Along with that You can also offer a coconut, freshly cut seasonal fruits and dates. Light some wonderfully fragrant incense sticks, diyas and do His aarti. Do this regularly and you will find a lot of change in your life. You will feel at peace and blessed. There is no right way or wrong way to do things that comes out in devotion. If you are a true devotee, you will automatically know what the Lord wishes and likes. You just need to follow the voice in your heart.
If you want to do the Sankarshti fast then you can read the article that is already published in this post. Feel free to write in again. We will try our best to help you out to the best of our limited abilities.
Dear Nayna,
I am so pleased to hear from you , Thank you so much for the advice . Actually my husband had promised to do that puja when his wishes will come true and he got what he has wished for . Now he just wanted to do his puja as he promised . But I think for now every Tuesday we will worship as you have adviced , same time we are not being selfish coz god is always with us and we have been praying all the time . I have a small black statue of Ganesh jee . I hope we will find him in our prayers and he will understand our problems not being able to go to same temple and do same kind of puja for a while.
My husband is having some health problems and people are saying it’s because of the promise he haven’t fullfill till now . That’s what made me so worried and was trying to find the ways to reach god .
Beside Puja I am thinking to take fast and my friend is saying Chaturthi is the day to begining the fasting . It would be very helpful if you could let me know how to start the first day of fasting ?and she also said there is special kind of puja to end the fasting too which she did after taking fasing for 2 years.Will be waiting for your reply .
Thank you so much ! I really appericiated for your mail .
.
Hello again Sabi,
You don’t have to wait till Tuesday to do these prayers. You can do this daily. Regarding the fast that your friend has suggested. Which Chaturthi is she talking of? Sankarsht Chaturthi or Vinayak Chaturthi. Angarika Chaturthi is coming next month on 12th May. Maybe you can fast on that day.
Kindly don’t think negatively about your husband’s health. He could just be ailing due to various reasons. Please don’t jump to conclusions on what people tell you. Good time and bad times come and go, holding on to your faith in Lord will help you overcome anything.
Dear Nayna ,
Thank you for everything ! I am feeling kind of peace within me .
Best regards,
Sabi
Hi,
Could you tell me what is the difference between Vinayaki Chaturthi and Angarakhi.
April 28th was marked as Vinayaki Chaturthi but it was also a tuesday.Then why was it not Angarakhi on that day.I checked this on the siddhivinayk offical web site.
Thank you.
Jai shree gajanana!!
Hi Sheetal,
Vinayak Chaturthi, Kalaasthami, Shivratri takes place every month, you can check that in any panchang or calender. The positioning of these Chaturthi is based on the positioning of the Mars, Earth and Moon. Their alignment or non alignments decides on whether its is Angarika or not.
Hi Nayna,
Thank you for your reply.Ok so I understand that only if the planets are aligned in a particular postition and that alignment falls on a Tuesday then its Angarikha correct.
In the year 2009 there are two days which will experience such postitioning on Tuesday i.e May 12th and Sept 8th.
Thank You
Jai Gajanana
Yes sheetal, there are always two Angarika Sankashti every year. You can refer to our previous post which lists the Sankarshti dates for 2009.
Is going to temple most necessary when one is obtaining tuesday fast. Due to my busy schedule, i never get time to go to Lord Ganeshas temple. But i pray & chant Ganeshjis mantras at home & in the morning light up diyas. Please suggest me..
Hello Rajashree,
As long as you do your prayers, Jaaps/chants, there is no compulsion to visit the temples on the day of your fast. You can offer the deity at home the same things that you would have offered at the temple- garland of hibiscus flower or even loose flowers, coconut, durva, sweets etc. Light incense sticks and with lighted five wicks dipeed in clarified butter or ghee (pancha pradeep) and camphor (kapur) you can do the aarti.
Good Luck
Hi Nayna,
Thanks for your reply..Your informations will help me to perform the aarti in much more better way. Really thanks a lot.
Rgds,
Rajashree
“Om Shree Ganeshaya Namah”
Hello again Rajashree,
We have posts on Mantras of Lord Ganesh with explanations in English, Atharvashirsa prayer and also an article on understanding the significance of performing aarti. You can search for these posts in the search box of the blog itself, or notice them at the end of the articles in similar posts.
Here is a link to one of them http://nayna.in/blog/divine-grace/mantra-for-auspicious-beginning-and-the-significance-of-performing-aarti/
If you have any questions, feel free to write in again.
Good Luck
Hi Nayna !!
Thanks again. Every details provided by you was really helpfull to me.
Thanks,
Rajashree
“Om Shree Ganeshaya Namah”
Please inform me Sankasti date for June 2009
Hello Vidya,
Kindly follow this link http://nayna.in/blog/divine-grace/2009-sankashti-chaturthi-dates/ for the entire year’s Sankarshti dates.
I stay abroad, and may not have the posibility to get the three blade grass, to offer Lord Ganesh.What could I use as a substitute?
Sorry Prika, but there is no substitute for Durva/ the three blade grass. If there is grass in the park, maybe you can ask the authorities that you need few blades for a religious occassion. You can easily pluck the ones that have three blades from the top without disturbing the roots of the grass. Durva has special significance so there is no replacement for it. Read its significance here http://nayna.in/blog/divine-grace/faq-on-lord-ganesh-part-2/
Hope this helps.
Hi Nayna,
I found this site very informative. I would like to know how panchamrut is prepared? is there any ratio for the 5 ingradients?
Hi Rashmi,
The ingrediants are milk, curd, honey, sugar and ghee. There is no fixed ratio, it depends on how many people you will be serving to. Usually make sure the sugar and honey are a little more than the others. Make sure this mixture is blended smoothly and not kept aside for too long. As the milk is raw and used unboiled, it tends to get spoiled easily.
Hope it helps. You can also take a look at our other post where Ganesh puja vidhi is explained in detail. You can search this blog for Ganesh mantras, meaning of mantras, Gauri Pujan, aarti and how to sing along with the aarti (words of aarti)
http://nayna.in/blog/divine-grace/how-to-worship-lord-ganesh-an-in-depth-understanding-of-rituals-during-ganesh-chaturthi/
hello nayna !
on sankashti i take sabudana in daytime and after moonrise i will have meals . is it the correct process and one more thing ,i prepare sabudana in 1 way and my in-law in other . so i exactly want to know how to prepare sabudana particularly on sankashti
Hi Mrinaline,
There is no right way or wrong way to prepare sabudana. But as you want to be sure, you can add the following ingrediants to your sabudana preparation like boiled potatoes, peanuts or cashew, grated coconut, salt, pepper, squeeze lemon juice to it and use a little ghee to prepare this combination of food. Personally, I don’t recommend anyone fasting to add spices to their food. But its your personal choice.
Hope this helps…
THANKS NAYNA !
sorry but u didnt mention anything abt the diet , having sabudana at daytime and meals after moonrise , is it correct or whole day we shouldnt eat anything and have sabudana after moonrise ,plz let me know
Hi again Mrinaline,
Please read the article again. Here is the extract – “On this day, devotees fast all day. In the evening, Lord Ganesh’s Aarti is performed and He is offered Naivaidya. It is an observance composed of five prahars (one prahar is a period of about three hours), four during the day and one at night. According to the ritual, a meal should be taken at moonrise.”
If you choose to fast all day and eat sabudana, that’s your choice. If you are offering sabudana as Naivaidya then you can eat that after moonrise. Usually, people open the fast eating the Naivaidya offered to Lord Ganesh.
Dear Nayna,
I have finished two sankashti’s and have to finish 21 and then do udyapan. I have read that angarika chathurthi is equal to 21 fasts. Does it mean that I have to do udyapan on Feb 2nd 2010 or is it after finishing 21 sankashti over 21 months. Kindly guide.
Also the procedure to do udyapan after finishing sankashti 21 times. Thanking you for guiding me so beautifully through this website.
Hello Deepti,
Thanks for writing in. Unfortunately, I am not aware of what is Udyapan, why it is done, its connection with Sankashti and what are the rituals involved. You will have to get this information from the person who has suggested that you do this.
Good Luck
Hi,
I am in US, CST time zone. Should I fast according to the Indian time or US time?
I plan on not having even water the whole day, like in shivratri. Do I have to break the fast at moonrise?
Please be kind to answer at the earliest, as Sankashti has begun in India.
Regards,
Hello Milan,
You will have to fast according to your time zone. How you choose to fast is your personal choice- with or without food and water.
Please re-read our post on Sankasti to understand the meaning correctly. It is mandatory to open the fast by paying respects to Chandra Dev or Moon God.
I don’t understand by what you mean that Sankasti has started in India? Sankasti for the month of Feb 2010 is already over on the 2nd of Feb and it was Angarika. Even Ganesh Jayanti was over in Jan. So what fast are you talking about?
We have a post that lists all the dates of sankasti for 2010. Kindly go through those dates and compare it with the central time zone and fast accordingly.
I was told Feb 18th was sankasti, is it the same as putra ganpati vrata?
Dear Nayna,
Thank you for your post. I am new to this, and was just told that if I keep a fast on Feb 18th which is a big Ganpati day, it will help in easing of obstacles.
I was also told it was sankashti, but when I checked online on what was special about feb 18th 2010, it said it was Putra Ganpati day, so could you please help me out either ways, by letting me know how to go about it.
Thank you very very much for your kind help.
Regards,
Milans
Hello again Milan,
18th Feb 2010 is Vinayak Chaturthi but this takes place every month, just like Shiv ratri. I am not aware of what putra ganapati vrata is. But I am sure of the Sankasti dates that is posted on this blog. But they are according to Indian panchang. You will have to look for your time zone timings for moon rise.
You will have to consult the person who has told you to keep such a fast. But please note that 18th Feb is NOT sankasti.
Good Luck