अनेकदंतं भक्तानाम् एकदन्तम्-उपास्महे ॥१॥
- अगजाननपद्माकम् (agajānanapadmākam)the sun to the lotus that is Parvati's face
- गजाननम् (gajānanam)the elephant-faced one
- अहर्निशम् (aharniśam)day and night
- अनेकदन्तम् (anekadantam)the giver of many things
- भक्तानाम् (bhaktānām)of those who love him
- एकदन्तम् (ekadantam)the one with a single tusk
- उपास्महे (upāsmahe)we worship
anvaya भक्तानाम् अनेकदन्तम् अगजाननपद्माकम् गजाननम् एकदन्तम् अहर्निशम् उपास्महे
chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
अगजानन the face of Parvati — Agajā is the mountain's daughter, Parvati. Aga is what does not move, the mountain, so agajā is the one born of it.
अनेकदन्तम् the giver of many things — Read as aneka-da, one who gives much. The line sets it against ekadanta, the one tusk, so the same sounds say he gives many things and has a single tusk.
note Printed अगजानन-पद्माकं. The reading usually recited is पद्मार्कं, the sun to that lotus face: as the sun keeps the lotus open, Gajanana keeps his mother's face bright. The meaning here follows that reading.
प्रसन्नवदनं ध्यायेत् सर्व-विघ्नोपशान्तये ॥२॥
- शुक्लाम्बरधरम् (śuklāmbaradharam)wearing white cloth
- विष्णुम् (viṣṇum)the one who reaches everywhere
- शशिवर्णम् (śaśivarṇam)pale as the moon
- चतुर्भुजम् (caturbhujam)with four arms
- प्रसन्नवदनम् (prasannavadanam)with a kind face
- ध्यायेत् (dhyāyet)one should meditate on
- सर्वविघ्नोपशान्तये (sarvavighnopaśāntaye)so that every obstacle is quieted
anvaya सर्वविघ्नोपशान्तये शुक्लाम्बरधरम् शशिवर्णम् चतुर्भुजम् प्रसन्नवदनम् विष्णुम् ध्यायेत्
chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
विष्णुम् the one who reaches everywhere — The name is built on viṣ, to spread through. In a Ganapati set of verses it is read by that sense, so the line stays a prayer to the lord who is present everywhere.
शशिवर्णम् pale as the moon — Śaśin is the moon, named for the hare seen on it.
note This is the śānti verse recited before a reading to quiet obstacles, and it is the standard dhyāna verse of Vishnu as well. It sits in Ganapati collections because Ganapati is the one asked to clear the way.
अविघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्व-कार्येषु सर्वदा ॥३॥
- वक्रतुण्ड (vakratuṇḍa)O curved-trunk one
- महाकाय (mahākāya)O great-bodied one
- कोटिसूर्यसमप्रभ (koṭisūryasamaprabha)O you whose light equals ten million suns
- अविघ्नम् (avighnam)free of obstacles
- कुरु (kuru)make
- मे (me)my
- देव (deva)O god
- सर्वकार्येषु (sarvakāryeṣu)in all my work
- सर्वदा (sarvadā)always
anvaya वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय कोटिसूर्यसमप्रभ देव मे सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा अविघ्नम् कुरु
chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
वक्रतुण्ड O curved-trunk one — Tuṇḍa is the trunk or the snout. The curve of it is the first thing named in most Ganapati verses.
कोटिसूर्यसमप्रभ O you whose light equals ten million suns — A koṭi is ten million. The figure is a way of saying the light has no measure.
note The best known verse of the set, recited at the start of work. Printed अविघ्नं कुरु; many books read निर्विघ्नं कुरु, and both ask for the same thing, that nothing stand in the way. Some texts also read शुभकार्येषु, in every good work, for सर्वकार्येषु.
कपित्थ-जम्बू-फलसार-भक्षकम्।
उमासुतं शोकविनाश-कारणं
नमामि विघ्नेश्वर-पाद-पङ्कजम्॥४॥
- गजाननम् (gajānanam)the elephant-faced one
- भूतगणाधिसेवितम् (bhūtagaṇādhisevitam)waited on by the hosts of beings
- कपित्थजम्बूफलसारभक्षकम् (kapitthajambūphalasārabhakṣakam)who eats the sweet juice of wood apple and rose apple
- उमासुतम् (umāsutam)son of Uma
- शोकविनाशकारणम् (śokavināśakāraṇam)the undoing of sorrow
- नमामि (namāmi)I bow to
- विघ्नेश्वरपादपङ्कजम् (vighneśvarapādapaṅkajam)the lotus feet of the lord of obstacles
anvaya गजाननम् भूतगणाधिसेवितम् कपित्थजम्बूफलसारभक्षकम् उमासुतम् शोकविनाशकारणम् विघ्नेश्वरपादपङ्कजम् नमामि
chandas Vaṃśastha, 12 syllables in each of 4 pādas
कपित्थजम्बूफलसारभक्षकम् who eats the sweetness of wood apple and rose apple — Kapittha is the wood apple and jambū the rose apple, both common temple offerings. Sāra is the juice, the good part of the fruit.
भूतगणाधिसेवितम् waited on by the hosts of beings — The bhūtagaṇas are Shiva's attendant hosts. Ganapati is their leader, which is what the name Gaṇapati says.
note The metre changes here from Anuṣṭubh to Vaṃśastha, which is why this verse is longer to say. The text carried the stray letters जलगाकन after the second line, left over from the source. They belong to no word in the verse and were removed on 18 September 2026. Many books read भूतगणादिसेवितं for भूतगणाधिसेवितं.