śrī gaṇeśa maṃtrapuṣpāṃjalī maṃtra

• oṃOm
• yajñenawith the sacrifice
• yajñamto the sacrifice
• ayajantasacrificed
• devāḥthe gods
• tānithose
• dharmāṇilaws
• prathamānithe first
• āsanwere
• tethey
• haindeed
• nākamthe vault of heaven
• mahimānaḥthe great ones
• sacantareached
• yatrawhere
• pūrvethe ancient
• sādhyāḥSadhyas
• santiare
• devāḥgods

anvaya oṃ devāḥ yajñena yajñam ayajanta tāni prathamāni dharmāṇi āsan te mahimānaḥ ha nākam sacanta yatra pūrve sādhyāḥ devāḥ santi

chandas Irregular as printed: a Triṣṭubh verse, with Om added and the lines broken in the middle of a quarter

dharmāṇi laws — The first ways of doing things, fixed by that first sacrifice and followed ever since.

nākam the vault of heaven — Naka is the sky above the sky, where there is no pain. The word is read as na-aka, without grief.

sādhyāḥ the Sadhyas — An older order of gods, spoken of as being there before the gods we name.

note The mantrapushpanjali is the handful of flowers offered at the close of worship, held in folded hands while these verses are said. It opens with the last verse of the Purusha Sukta, Rig Veda 10.90.16. tani is printed for tāni, and mahimāna : and sādhyā : carry a stray space before the visarga.

• oṃOm
• rājādhirājāyato the king over kings
• prasahyaby main force
• sāhineto the one who overcomes
• namaḥsalutation
• vayamwe
• vaiśravaṇāyato Vaishravana
• kurmahemake
• saḥhe
• memy
• kāmānthe things wished for
• kāmakāmāyato one who wishes for wishes
• mahyamto me
• kāmeśvaraḥthe lord of what is wished for
• vaiśravaṇaḥVaishravana
• dadātumay he give
• kuberāyato Kubera
• vaiśravaṇāyato Vaishravana
• mahārājāyato the great king
• namaḥsalutation

anvaya oṃ rājādhirājāya prasahya sāhine vaiśravaṇāya vayam namaḥ kurmahe saḥ kāmakāmāya mahyam me kāmān kāmeśvaraḥ vaiśravaṇaḥ dadātu kuberāya vaiśravaṇāya mahārājāya namaḥ

chandas Prose, a Vedic formula

vaiśravaṇa Vaishravana — Kubera, son of Vishravas, keeper of the treasures and king of the north.

note This is the Kubera mantra, from the Taittiriya Aranyaka, a prayer to the keeper of treasures for what one wishes. sa masa is printed for sa me, and kāmeśrvaro for kāmeśvaro.

• oṃOm
• svastimay it be well
• sāmrājyamimperial rule
• bhaujyamthe enjoyment of it
• svārājyamrule of oneself
• vairājyamrule over others
• pārameṣṭhyamthe standing of the highest
• rājyamkingship
• mahārājyamgreat kingship
• ādhipatyamlordship over all
• ayamthis one
• samantaparyāyīone who has gone all the way round
• syātmay he be
• sārvabhaumaḥlord of the whole earth
• sārvāyuṣaḥliving out the whole of life
• āntātto the end
• āparārdhātof the far half of time
• pṛthivyaiof the earth
• samudraparyantāyāḥas far as the sea
• ekarāṭsole ruler
• itiso
• taton that
• apitoo
• eṣaḥthis
• ślokaḥverse
• abhigītaḥis sung
• marutaḥthe Maruts
• pariveṣṭāraḥas attendants
• maruttasyaof Marutta
• avasanlived
• gṛhein the house

anvaya oṃ svasti sāmrājyam bhaujyam svārājyam vairājyam pārameṣṭhyam rājyam mahārājyam ādhipatyam ayam samantaparyāyī sārvabhaumaḥ sārvāyuṣaḥ āparārdhāt āntāt samudraparyantāyāḥ pṛthivyai ekarāṭ syāt iti tat api eṣaḥ ślokaḥ abhigītaḥ marutaḥ maruttasya gṛhe pariveṣṭāraḥ avasan

chandas Prose, from the Aitareya Brahmana

svārājyam rule of oneself — Svarajya is being one’s own master. The list runs from ruling others to ruling oneself and back again, each word a different reach of power.

maruttasya of Marutta — A king of old whose sacrifice was so great that the Maruts themselves waited on him and the All-gods sat in his court. He is held up as the measure of a full reign.

ekarāṭ sole ruler — Eka-raj, the one who rules with no second. It is the last and largest word in the list.

note This passage is the old blessing said over a king. A line is printed twice in the source, from vairājyaṃ to ādhipatyamayaṃ; it is read once. marūtasya is printed for maruttasya. The verse it introduces ends at the start of the next block.

• āvikṣitasyaof the son of Avikshit
• kāmapreḥwho moved men to desire
• viśvedevāḥthe All-gods
• sabhāsadaḥsat in the assembly
• itiso ends the verse
• ekadantāyaof the one-tusked
• vidmahewe know
• vakratuṇḍāyaon the curving trunk
• dhīmahiwe set our minds
• tatmay that
• naḥus
• dantīthe tusked one
• pracodayātdrive on
• mantrapuṣpāñjalimthe handful of flowers offered with mantras
• samarpayāmiI offer

anvaya kāmapreḥ āvikṣitasya viśvedevāḥ sabhāsadaḥ iti ekadantāya vidmahe vakratuṇḍāya dhīmahi tat dantī naḥ pracodayāt mantrapuṣpāñjalim samarpayāmi

chandas Irregular block: the close of the verse on Marutta, the Ganesha Gayatri, and the closing offering

dhīmahi we set our minds — The same word stands at the heart of the Gayatri itself. What follows it is always the request that the mind be driven on.

añjali a handful — The anjali is the cup made by putting both palms together. The flowers are held there through all the verses and released at the last line.

note The verse on Marutta closes with iti. Then comes the Ganesha Gayatri, said before the flowers are let go. ekadaṃtāyavighmahe is printed as one word; it is read ekadantāya vidmahe. viśrvedevā: is printed for viśvedevāḥ.