Ganesh Chaturthi

Chaturthi is dedicated to Lord Ganesha – whether it’s Vinayaka Chaturthi (Shukla Paksha), Sankashti Chaturthi (Krishna Paksha), or the big Ganesh Chaturthi. The core rules are the same.

Here are the traditional dos and don’ts:

DOs

For Puja:

• Wake up early, take a bath and wear clean clothes – red, yellow, or orange are considered auspicious.
• Keep the place of worship clean. Clean the idol/photo, place it on a red cloth, facing east or north.
• Offer Durva grass (21 blades), modak/laddu, red flowers (especially hibiscus), sandalwood, and vermillion. Ganesha loves Durva.
• Chant Ganesh mantra – Om Gan Ganpataye Namah or Vakratunda Mahakaya at least 108 times.
• Do the fasting with satvik food. Fruits, sabudana, peanuts, milk, curd, and sendha namak if you are observing upvas. Keep your mind calm and positive.
• Read or listen to the Chaturthi Vrat Katha.
• Donate food, clothes, or money to needy people if possible. It’s considered very auspicious on this day.
• Do the visarjan/closure with respect. Sprinkle a little water and Akshat at the end, and ask for forgiveness for any mistake in puja.

For Fasting:

• Keep the fast from sunrise to moonrise (for Sankashti) or sunrise to next day (for Vinayaka).
• Break the fast only after seeing the moon and doing moon puja – for Sankashti Chaturthi.

DON’Ts

The most important one:

• Do NOT look at the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi (Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi). It’s called Mithya Dosha or Chauth Chandra – it’s believed to bring false blame/allegations. If you accidentally see it, listen to the Syamantaka Mani story to remove the dosha.

Other don’ts:

• Do not use Tulsi in Ganesha puja. Tulsi is not offered to Ganesha.
• Do not consume onion, garlic, non-veg, alcohol, or tobacco on this day, especially if you are fasting.
• Do not argue, lie, or use harsh words. Keep a brahmacharya and peaceful mindset.
• Do not keep the idol for less than 1.5 days if you have brought Ganpati home. The common durations are 1.5, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days.
• Do not use broken rice, stale flowers, or a broken idol for puja.
• Do not eat after moonrise if you are doing Sankashti fast – do Arghya to the moon first.
• Do not sleep during the day while on vrat, and avoid excessive work.
• For eco-friendly visarjan, do not immerse Plaster of Paris idols in natural water bodies if you have a choice. Use a bucket at home or artificial ponds.