When it is sung
Sung at the opening of a puja across north India, because Ganesha is invoked before any undertaking; on Wednesdays, which are his day; on every Sankashti Chaturthi; and through the ten days of Ganesh Chaturthi, 14 to 25 September 2026. It is the aarti most Hindi-speaking children learn first.
- Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganpati sthapana
- Anant Chaturdashi
Ganesh visarjan
Full text, with meaning
Each line of the verse, with its romanisation beneath and what the verse says after it.
Tek (the refrain)
जय गणेश जय गणेश जय गणेश देवा।
Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Deva
माता जाकी पार्वती पिता महादेवा॥ जय गणेश०॥
Mata jaki Parvati, pita Mahadeva
Meaning
Victory to Ganesh, victory to Ganesh, victory to lord Ganesh — whose mother is Parvati and whose father is Mahadev. Every verse returns to this couplet; in most homes it is sung twice each time.
Verse 1
एकदन्त दयावन्त चार भुजा धारी।
Ekdant dayavant, chaar bhuja dhari
मस्तक सिन्दूर सोहे मूसे की सवारी॥ जय गणेश०॥
Mastak sindoor sohe, moose ki savari
Meaning
One-tusked and compassionate, four-armed; vermilion shines on his forehead, and his mount is a mouse. The whole iconography in two lines — including the joke that the god of removing obstacles rides the smallest animal in the house.
Verse 2
अन्धन को आँख देत कोढ़िन को काया।
Andhan ko aankh det, kodhin ko kaya
बाँझन को पुत्र देत निर्धन को माया॥ जय गणेश०॥
Baanjhan ko putra det, nirdhan ko maya
Meaning
He gives eyes to the blind and a whole body to the leper; a son to the childless and wealth to the poor. This is the verse people are actually singing for. It names four ordinary griefs and answers each one plainly, without theology.
Verse 3
लड्डुअन को भोग लगे सन्त करें सेवा।
Ladduan ko bhog lage, sant karein seva
पान चढ़ें फूल चढ़ें और चढ़ें मेवा॥ जय गणेश०॥
Paan chadhe, phool chadhe, aur chadhe meva
Meaning
Laddoos are offered to him and the devout serve him; betel leaf is offered, flowers are offered, and dry fruit too. The list is what is on the plate in front of the singer at that moment.
Verse 4 (closing)
दीनन की लाज राखो शम्भु-सुतवारी।
Deenan ki laaj rakho, Shambhu-sutvari
कामना को पूरा करो जग बलिहारी॥ जय गणेश०॥
Kamna ko poora karo, jag balihari
Meaning
Keep the dignity of the poor, son of Shambhu — I offer myself to you. Fulfil our wishes; the whole world is devoted to you. Laaj is honour or face: the request is not for riches but not to be shamed.
About this aarti
This is the Ganesh aarti of the Hindi belt, as Sukhkarta Dukhharta is the Ganesh aarti of Maharashtra. Where the Marathi text is a formal composition by Samarth Ramdas with a named raga, Jai Ganesh Deva is an anonymous folk aarti in plain Khari Boli — short lines, one image each, a refrain a child can hold. That is why it is the first aarti most north Indian families teach.
Its structure is a miniature of how an aarti works. The refrain establishes who he is by parentage. Verse 1 describes him. Verse 2 says what he does for people. Verse 3 lists what is being offered in return. Verse 4 asks. Praise, portrait, gift, offering, request — in five couplets.
The second verse is the reason it endures. “Andhan ko aankh det” — eyes to the blind, a body to the leper, a son to the barren, money to the poor — names the four things people in a village actually feared, and promises each will be answered. It is sung as a list of favours, but it is also a list of who was in the room.
Because Ganesha is worshipped first in any ceremony, this aarti opens wedding pujas, housewarmings, Diwali evenings and shop openings as well as Ganesh Chaturthi itself. In many homes it is followed by the deity-specific aarti and then Om Jai Jagdish Hare to close.
A note on the text
The text follows the Gita Press Shri Aarti Sangrah, the standard printed collection, from the scanned copy cited below, with scanning errors corrected against the same copy: the scan reads “बाझन” for बाँझन, “निर्धा” for निर्धन and “लडदुअन कौ” for लड्डुअन को. Other printings, including the Aarti Chalisa Sangrah also cited, order the verses differently (offering before form) and add a closing signature line, सूरश्याम शरण आये सुफल कीजे सेवा, attributing the text to the poet Sur Shyam; the Gita Press edition carries no signature. Both orders are sung; the sequence here is the Gita Press one.
Sources
- Shri Aarti Sangrah (Gita Press edition) — scanned copy, Internet Archive
- Aarti Chalisa Sangrah — scanned copy, Internet Archive (variant text)
These texts are in the public domain. The verse is reproduced from the cited source; the English meaning and the background notes on this page are original writing.