Sankatahara Ganapati
Sankatahara Ganapati is the last of the 32 forms of Lord Ganapati. Lord Ganesha is one of the most popular Hindu God worshipped in India and is believed to be the remover of all obstacles in the lives of his devotees.
In this form , the lord is depicted as having four hands. Sankatahara Ganapati means the dispeller of sorrow. It is believed that worshipping this form of Lord Ganapati will remove the sorrows of his devotees and lead them to prosperity.
Ganapati as a whole is attributed to removing the obstacles in the lives of devotees. That is the reason to choose him as prathama poojita, meaning the first one to be worshipped. So that, any task undertaken can move ahead without any obstacles.
Sankatahara Ganapati Mantra and its translation:
balarkarunakamtirvame balam vahannamke
lasadimdivarahastam
gauramgim ratnashobhadhyam
dakshemkushavaradanam
vamepashamcapayasampatram
nilamshukalasamanah
pithe padmarune tishthan
samkataharanah payatsamkatapugedgajanano nityam
He has four arms. He is effulgent like the rising red sun (Red in Color). He has his wife (shakti) – who is carrying a beautiful lotus, glowing with radiance and bejeweled – sitting on his left lap. He is carrying in one of his right hand a hook (Ankusha) and with the other bestowing boon (varada). He is carrying in one of his left hand a rope(noose) and with the other a vessel brimming with sweet soup (Payasam). He is seated on a Red Lotus and wearing a blue robe.
According to another version, the varada gesture and vessel of Payasam is replaced by the broken tusk and the rose-apple fruit.
Sankatahara Ganapathi Dhyana Mantra