Ganesh’s Secret Power

Ganesh is obviously one of the most popular Hindu deities around. Throughout the world, people recognize his likeness: the big belly, the little mouse…and of course, the elephant head (a little hard to miss that one).

He is the master of knowledge and wisdom, the guardian of beauty and compassion. And of course, the remover of obstacles- both internal and external. The son of Shiva and the goddess Parvati, Ganesha’s job is to protect and bring both material and spiritual success to his followers.

Not only that, but according to Vedic legends, Ganesh was the scribe for the Vedas, and wrote them with his tusks. This makes Ganesh even more important, because he was an integral part in the creation of one of the most important Hindu texts ever.

SEE ALSO: The 5 Most Popular Hindu Gods

His Mantra

It’s long been known that there are many mantras within Hinduism; after all, Hindus believe that words had an important role to play in the formation of the universe, and therefore they have significant spiritual power. There are literally thousands of mantras, with each of the gods claiming their own unique chants. Each of them has their own “maha mantra”, or great mantra, that specifically invokes their presence in a situation or circumstance.

Lord Ganesh’s is Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha.

A loose translation might be:

Om = The sound of the universe
Gam = The secret power sound of Ganesh. It is his “seed syllable” or bija mantra.
Ganapataye = Another name of Ganesh, the remover of obstacles.
Namaha = Ganesh, the main god.

The pronunciation is also pretty easy:
Om = ohm or aum
Gam = Somewhere between “gahm” and “gum”. In some dialects it is “guhng”.
Ganapataye = gah-nah-paht-ah-yeh
Namaha – nah-mah-hah

Repetition of this mantra over and over again brings peace, and is designed to help remove anything that might be blocking your progress.

His Secret Power

If you notice, the part of the mantra Gam has a special significance. That is, it carries a certain weight that is more important than the others.

This is known as his “seed” syllable. Bija (seed syllables) connect with deep parts of our spiritual selves and help to bring forth qualities we didn’t know we had. They are the vehicles of esoteric transmission and transformation.

This is the secret power of Ganesh! His mantra is designed to subtly influence you to such an extent as to bring about change you didn’t even know was possible. Each of the gods have their own seed syllables, and many chants and words in Hinduism have Bijas. In fact, the entire Sanskrit language is said to have a subtle spiritual effect on a person due to its phrasing.

So the next time you hear this chant, or even think about Ganesh, remember: you know that there’s a secret power that many people aren’t even aware of!