गौरीप्रिय तनूजाय गणेशायास्तु मङ्गलम् ॥ 1 ॥
- गजाननाय (gajānanāya)to the elephant-faced one
- गाङ्गेयसहजाय (gāṅgeyasahajāya)to the brother of Ganga's son
- सदात्मने (sadātmane)to the one whose being never changes
- गौरीप्रियतनूजाय (gaurīpriyatanūjāya)to the dear son of Gauri
- गणेशाय (gaṇeśāya)to Ganesha
- अस्तु (astu)may there be
- मङ्गलम् (maṅgalam)good fortune
anvaya गजाननाय गाङ्गेयसहजाय सदात्मने गौरीप्रियतनूजाय गणेशाय मङ्गलम् अस्तु
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
मङ्गलम् good fortune — In a mangala hymn the good is wished upon the deity rather than asked for. The one who says it is carried along by the wish.
गाङ्गेयसहजाय to the brother of Ganga's son — Ganga's son is Kartikeya, whom she received and raised; he and Ganesha are brothers.
note Each of the eight verses ends with the same words, अस्तु मङ्गलम्, so the whole hymn is one long blessing.
नन्द्यादि गणनाथाय नायकायास्तु मङ्गलम् ॥ 2 ॥
- नागयज्ञोपवीताय (nāgayajñopavītāya)to the one whose sacred thread is a snake
- नतविघ्नविनाशिने (natavighnavināśine)to the one who destroys the obstacles of those who bow
- नन्द्यादिगणनाथाय (nandyādigaṇanāthāya)to the lord of the ganas, Nandi and the rest
- नायकाय (nāyakāya)to the one who leads
- अस्तु (astu)may there be
- मङ्गलम् (maṅgalam)good fortune
anvaya नागयज्ञोपवीताय नतविघ्नविनाशिने नन्द्यादिगणनाथाय नायकाय मङ्गलम् अस्तु
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
यज्ञोपवीत the sacred thread — The cord worn over the left shoulder. On Ganesha it is a live snake, as it is on his father.
note Every word in this verse begins with न, and the next one with a vowel sound; the hymn works its way down the alphabet verse by verse.
ईशानप्रेमपात्राय नायकायास्तु मङ्गलम् ॥ 3 ॥
- इभवक्त्राय (ibhavaktrāya)to the one with an elephant's face
- च (ca)and
- इन्द्रादिवन्दिताय (indrādivanditāya)to the one Indra and the other gods bow to
- चिदात्मने (cidātmane)to the one whose very self is awareness
- ईशानप्रेमपात्राय (īśānapremapātrāya)to the one who holds Shiva's love
- नायकाय (nāyakāya)to the one who leads
- अस्तु (astu)may there be
- मङ्गलम् (maṅgalam)good fortune
anvaya इभवक्त्राय च इन्द्रादिवन्दिताय चिदात्मने ईशानप्रेमपात्राय नायकाय मङ्गलम् अस्तु
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
प्रेमपात्र the one who holds love — A patra is a vessel. To call someone the vessel of another's love is to say the love is poured into him and stays there.
सुरबृन्द निषेव्याय चेष्टदायास्तु मङ्गलम् ॥ 4 ॥
- सुमुखाय (sumukhāya)to the fair-faced one
- सुशुण्डाग्रात् (suśuṇḍāgrāt)with the end of his fine trunk
- क्षिप्तामृतघटाय (kṣiptāmṛtaghaṭāya)to the one who tips the pot of nectar
- च (ca)and
- सुरबृन्दनिषेव्याय (surabṛndaniṣevyāya)to the one the gathered gods serve
- च (ca)and
- इष्टदाय (iṣṭadāya)to the giver of what is wished for
- अस्तु (astu)may there be
- मङ्गलम् (maṅgalam)good fortune
anvaya सुमुखाय सुशुण्डाग्रात् क्षिप्तामृतघटाय च सुरबृन्दनिषेव्याय च इष्टदाय मङ्गलम् अस्तु
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
note The picture is of the trunk lifted and the pot turned over, so that the nectar pours.
चरणावनतानन्ततारणायास्तु मङ्गलम् ॥ 5 ॥
- चतुर्भुजाय (caturbhujāya)to the four-armed one
- चन्द्रार्धविलसन्मस्तकाय (candrārdhavilasanmastakāya)on whose head the half moon shines
- च (ca)and
- चरणावनतानन्ततारणाय (caraṇāvanatānantatāraṇāya)to the one who carries across the countless people bowed at his feet
- अस्तु (astu)may there be
- मङ्गलम् (maṅgalam)good fortune
anvaya चतुर्भुजाय च चन्द्रार्धविलसन्मस्तकाय चरणावनतानन्ततारणाय मङ्गलम् अस्तु
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
अनन्त countless — The word can go with the people, countless as they are, or with what they are carried over, the crossing that has no far bank. Both readings are old.
विरूपाक्ष सुतायास्तु मङ्गलम् ॥ 6 ॥
- वक्रतुण्डाय (vakratuṇḍāya)to the one with the curving trunk
- वटवे (vaṭave)to the young student
- वन्याय (vanyāya)to the one of the woods
- वरदाय (varadāya)to the giver of boons
- च (ca)and
- विरूपाक्षसुताय (virūpākṣasutāya)to the son of the one whose eyes are three
- अस्तु (astu)may there be
- मङ्गलम् (maṅgalam)good fortune
anvaya वक्रतुण्डाय वटवे वन्याय वरदाय च विरूपाक्षसुताय मङ्गलम् अस्तु
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
वटवे to the young student — A vatu is a boy under a teacher, still keeping the vow of study. Ganesha is pictured this way in his brahmachari form.
विरूपाक्ष whose eyes are three — A name of Shiva: eyes of an odd number, the third one in the forehead.
note The last line is printed short of the metre; a word appears to have dropped out before मङ्गलम्.
प्रकृष्टा पापनाशाय फलदायास्तु मङ्गलम् ॥ 7 ॥
- प्रमोदमोदरूपाय (pramodamodarūpāya)to the one whose form is gladness and delight
- सिद्धिविज्ञानरूपिणे (siddhivijñānarūpiṇe)to the one who takes the form of success and deep knowing
- प्रकृष्टपापनाशाय (prakṛṣṭapāpanāśāya)to the one who wipes out heaped-up wrongs
- फलदाय (phaladāya)to the giver of fruit
- अस्तु (astu)may there be
- मङ्गलम् (maṅgalam)good fortune
anvaya प्रमोदमोदरूपाय सिद्धिविज्ञानरूपिणे प्रकृष्टपापनाशाय फलदाय मङ्गलम् अस्तु
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
प्रमोदमोद gladness and delight — Moda and Pramoda are also the names of two of Ganesha's attendants, so the line says he is what they stand for.
note प्रकृष्टा पापनाशाय is printed with a break; it is read प्रकृष्टपापनाशाय.
मङ्गलं विघ्नराजाय विघहर्त्रेस्तु मङ्गलम् ॥ 8 ॥
श्लोकाष्टकमिदं पुण्यं मङ्गलप्रद मादरात् ।
पठितव्यं प्रयत्नेन सर्वविघ्ननिवृत्तये ॥
- मङ्गलम् (maṅgalam)good fortune
- गणनाथाय (gaṇanāthāya)to the lord of the ganas
- हरसूनवे (harasūnave)to the son of Hara
- विघ्नराजाय (vighnarājāya)to the king of obstacles
- विघ्नहर्त्रे (vighnahartre)to the one who takes obstacles away
- अस्तु (astu)may there be
- श्लोकाष्टकम् (ślokāṣṭakam)the set of eight verses
- इदम् (idam)this
- पुण्यम् (puṇyam)holy
- मङ्गलप्रदम् (maṅgalapradam)which brings good fortune
- आदरात् (ādarāt)with respect
- पठितव्यम् (paṭhitavyam)should be recited
- प्रयत्नेन (prayatnena)with care
- सर्वविघ्ननिवृत्तये (sarvavighnanivṛttaye)so that every obstacle falls away
anvaya गणनाथाय हरसूनवे विघ्नराजाय विघ्नहर्त्रे मङ्गलम् अस्तु इदम् पुण्यम् मङ्गलप्रदम् श्लोकाष्टकम् आदरात् प्रयत्नेन सर्वविघ्ननिवृत्तये पठितव्यम्
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
हरसूनवे to the son of Hara — Hara, the one who carries away, is Shiva. The name sits next to विघ्नहर्तृ in the same verse, so father and son are both named as takers-away.
note The printing runs words together: विघहर्त्रेस्तु is read विघ्नहर्त्रे अस्तु, and मङ्गलप्रद मादरात् is मङ्गलप्रदम् आदरात्. The closing couplet is the hymn's own instruction for use.
