Original text
ॐ एकदन्ताय विद्महे वक्रतुण्डाय धीमहि । तन्नो दन्ती प्रचोदयात् ॥
Transliteration
Om Ekadantaya Vidmahe Vakratundaya Dhimahi Tanno Danti Prachodayat
What this mantra means
Like the Gayatri Mantra it's patterned after, this mantra follows a three-part structure: an address to the deity by name (Ekadanta, "the one-tusked one," referring to the tusk Ganesha broke off to use as a writing tool for the Mahabharata), a further description (Vakratunda, "the one with the curved trunk"), and a closing request for illumination and guidance.
When it's chanted
This mantra is commonly chanted at the start of any new undertaking — a business, a journey, an exam, a wedding — echoing Ganesha's traditional role as the deity invoked before any other, to clear obstacles before they arise. It's also chanted during Ganesh Chaturthi alongside the Ganesh Chalisa.