Ganesha Anga Puja Mantra: Worshipping Each Limb of Lord Ganesha
Ganesha Anga Puja Mantra - Sanskrit Text
ॐ गणेश्वराय नमः - पादौ पूजयामि ।
ॐ विघ्नराजाय नमः - जानुनी पूजयामि ।
ॐ आखुवाहनाय नमः - ऊरूः पूजयामि ।
ॐ हेरम्बाय नमः - कटिं पूजयामि ।
ॐ कामारिसूनवे नमः - नाभिं पूजयामि ।
ॐ लम्बोदराय नमः - उदरं पूजयामि ।
ॐ गौरीसुताय नमः - स्तनौ पूजयामि ।
ॐ गणनाथाय नमः - हृदयं पूजयामि ।
ॐ स्थूलकण्ठाय नमः - कण्ठं पूजयामि ।
ॐ पाशहस्ताय नमः - स्कन्धौ पूजयामि ।
ॐ गजवक्त्राय नमः - हस्तान् पूजयामि ।
ॐ स्कन्दाग्रजाय नमः - वक्त्रं पूजयामि ।
ॐ विघ्नराजाय नमः - ललाटं पूजयामि ।
ॐ सर्वेश्वराय नमः - शिरः पूजयामि ।
ॐ गणाधिपताय नमः - सर्वाङ्गाणि पूजयामि ॥
Transliteration (Roman/IAST)
oṃ gaṇeśvarāya namaḥ - pādau pūjayāmi |
oṃ vighnarājāya namaḥ - jānunī pūjayāmi |
oṃ ākhuvāhanāya namaḥ - ūrūḥ pūjayāmi |
oṃ herambāya namaḥ - kaṭiṃ pūjayāmi |
oṃ kāmāri-sūnave namaḥ - nābhiṃ pūjayāmi |
oṃ lambodarāya namaḥ - udaraṃ pūjayāmi |
oṃ gaurīsutāya namaḥ - stanau pūjayāmi |
oṃ gaṇanāthāya namaḥ - hṛdayaṃ pūjayāmi |
oṃ sthūlakaṇṭhāya namaḥ - kaṇṭhaṃ pūjayāmi |
oṃ pāśahastāya namaḥ - skandhau pūjayāmi |
oṃ gajavaktrāya namaḥ - hastān pūjayāmi |
oṃ skandāgrajāya namaḥ - vaktraṃ pūjayāmi |
oṃ vighnarājāya namaḥ - lalāṭaṃ pūjayāmi |
oṃ sarveśvarāya namaḥ - śiraḥ pūjayāmi |
oṃ gaṇādhipatāya namaḥ - sarvāṅgāṇi pūjayāmi ||
Meaning
This is an anga-puja - a worship of the deity limb by limb. With each line the worshipper salutes Ganesha by one of his many names and offers worship to the corresponding part of his form:
"Om, salutations to Ganeshvara (Lord of the ganas); I worship the feet. To Vighnaraja (King of obstacles); I worship the knees. To Akhuvahana (he whose mount is the mouse) - the thighs. To Heramba (the protector of the weak) - the waist. To the son of Kamari (Shiva, foe of Kama) - the navel. To Lambodara (the large-bellied) - the belly. To Gaurisuta (son of Gauri) - the chest. To Gananatha (Lord of hosts) - the heart. To Sthulakantha (the thick-necked) - the throat. To Pashahasta (he who holds the noose) - the shoulders. To Gajavaktra (the elephant-faced) - the hands. To Skandagraja (elder brother of Skanda) - the face. To Vighnaraja - the forehead. To Sarveshvara (Lord of all) - the head. To Ganadhipati (chief of the ganas); I worship all the limbs together."
About this Mantra
The Anga Puja (also called anga-pooja or avayava-puja) is a recognised stage in the formal worship of a deity. Rather than worshipping the murti as a single whole, the devotee honours each part of the divine form in turn - feet, knees, thighs, waist, navel, belly, chest, heart, throat, shoulders, hands, face, forehead, head, and finally the whole body. Each limb is paired with a distinct name of Ganesha, so the rite is also a meditation on his many aspects: from the playful Akhuvahana riding his mouse to the cosmic Sarveshvara, Lord of all. This Ganapati anga-puja is widely used in Ganesh Chaturthi puja and in daily shodashopachara (sixteen-step) worship.
Significance & Spiritual Benefits
Worshipping the deity limb by limb trains the mind to dwell on the complete divine form and prevents the wandering that comes with abstract worship. As the devotee names each limb, attention and devotion move slowly over the entire image, deepening concentration and bhakti. Traditionally the rite is believed to invite the deity's full presence into the murti and to bestow the specific grace associated with each name - protection (Heramba), removal of obstacles (Vighnaraja), abundance (Lambodara), and lordship over circumstances (Sarveshvara). Performed with care it brings a settled, sanctified atmosphere to the whole puja.
Astrological Relevance
In jyotisha the human body and its limbs are mapped onto the twelve houses and the planets - the head to the 1st house and the Sun/lagna, the throat and face to the 2nd, the chest and heart to the 4th, and so on. An anga-puja that consecrates the deity from feet to head mirrors this body-cosmos correspondence and is therefore considered especially powerful for bodily health and for strengthening the lagna (ascendant) and its lord. Ganesha himself is invoked for Budha (Mercury) and Ketu, and his many names recited here - Lord of obstacles, of hosts, of all - make the rite a comprehensive vighna-harana. Devotees facing scattered, recurring problems across different areas of life perform anga-puja so that grace touches "every limb" of their concerns, not just one.
How to Chant (Vidhi)
Anga-puja is performed during a seated puja before a Ganesha idol or image. After invocation (avahana) and the initial offerings, take flowers, akshata (unbroken rice) or sandal paste, and with each line touch or offer to the corresponding limb of the murti while reciting the name and "pujayami." Proceed in order from the feet upward to the head, ending with "sarvangani pujayami" (I worship all the limbs). Keep a calm, devotional mind throughout. The rite is typically followed by offering of durva, modak and aarti.
Best Day & Time
Ganesh Chaturthi and every Chaturthi tithi (Sankashti and Vinayaka Chaturthi) are the most auspicious occasions. Wednesday, Mercury's day, is also favourable. Anga-puja is performed as part of the main daytime or morning puja rather than as a standalone chant.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is anga-puja?
Anga-puja is the ritual worship of a deity limb by limb - each part of the divine form is honoured with a specific name of the deity. It is a standard component of formal Hindu puja.
Why does each line use a different name of Ganesha?
Each limb is paired with a name that reflects one of Ganesha's aspects, turning the rite into a meditation on his many qualities - protector, obstacle-remover, Lord of hosts, the elephant-faced one, and so on.
Can I perform Ganesha anga-puja at home?
Yes. It is commonly performed at home during Ganesh Chaturthi and daily puja. Recite each line while offering flowers or akshata to the corresponding part of the idol, moving from the feet to the head.
Consecrating Ganesha limb by limb, breath by breath
The Ganesha Anga Puja is one of the most contemplative elements of a Ganapati worship session, requiring the practitioner to slow the mind and bring undivided attention to each part of the deity's sacred form in turn. Each mantra in the sequence invokes a different name of Vinayaka while directing reverence to a specific limb - from the lotus feet that grace the earth to the crown that reaches toward the heavens - and in doing so, it transforms the act of offering into an act of inner visualization. The practice has roots in the broader Tantric tradition of anga-nyasa and anga-puja found across Shaiva, Shakta, and Vaishnava streams, where touching or consecrating the limbs of a deity is understood to gradually awaken corresponding qualities within the practitioner's own body and awareness.
On Ganesh Chaturthi and on the Wednesday puja that devoted Ganesha worshippers observe weekly, the Anga Puja mantra sequence is considered an especially auspicious offering. In the Jyotish tradition, anga-puja to Ganesha is associated with harmonizing the energies of Ketu and Mercury - the planet of spiritual release and the planet of mental dexterity - suggesting that this careful, limb-by-limb worship simultaneously grounds the scattered mind and sharpens its focus. Devotees believe that performing this ritual with genuine presence, rather than mechanical speed, cultivates the same quality of wholeness and integration that Ganesha himself embodies: the great and the humble, the cosmic and the intimate, held together without contradiction.