gaurīpriya tanūjāya gaṇeśāyāstu maṅgalam || 1 ||
- gajānanāyato the elephant-faced one
- gāṅgeyasahajāyato the brother of Ganga's son
- sadātmaneto the one whose being never changes
- gaurīpriyatanūjāyato the dear son of Gauri
- gaṇeśāyato Ganesha
- astumay there be
- maṅgalamgood fortune
anvaya gajānanāya gāṅgeyasahajāya sadātmane gaurīpriyatanūjāya gaṇeśāya maṅgalam astu
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
maṅgalam 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.
gāṅgeyasahajāya 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, astu maṅgalam, so the whole hymn is one long blessing.
nandyādi gaṇanāthāya nāyakāyāstu maṅgalam || 2 ||
- nāgayajñopavītāyato the one whose sacred thread is a snake
- natavighnavināśineto the one who destroys the obstacles of those who bow
- nandyādigaṇanāthāyato the lord of the ganas, Nandi and the rest
- nāyakāyato the one who leads
- astumay there be
- maṅgalamgood fortune
anvaya nāgayajñopavītāya natavighnavināśine nandyādigaṇanāthāya nāyakāya maṅgalam astu
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
yajñopavīta 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 na, and the next one with a vowel sound; the hymn works its way down the alphabet verse by verse.
īśānapremapātrāya nāyakāyāstu maṅgalam || 3 ||
- ibhavaktrāyato the one with an elephant's face
- caand
- indrādivanditāyato the one Indra and the other gods bow to
- cidātmaneto the one whose very self is awareness
- īśānapremapātrāyato the one who holds Shiva's love
- nāyakāyato the one who leads
- astumay there be
- maṅgalamgood fortune
anvaya ibhavaktrāya ca indrādivanditāya cidātmane īśānapremapātrāya nāyakāya maṅgalam astu
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
premapātra 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.
surabṛnda niṣevyāya ceṣṭadāyāstu maṅgalam || 4 ||
- sumukhāyato the fair-faced one
- suśuṇḍāgrātwith the end of his fine trunk
- kṣiptāmṛtaghaṭāyato the one who tips the pot of nectar
- caand
- surabṛndaniṣevyāyato the one the gathered gods serve
- caand
- iṣṭadāyato the giver of what is wished for
- astumay there be
- maṅgalamgood fortune
anvaya sumukhāya suśuṇḍāgrāt kṣiptāmṛtaghaṭāya ca surabṛndaniṣevyāya ca iṣṭadāya maṅgalam astu
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.
caraṇāvanatānantatāraṇāyāstu maṅgalam || 5 ||
- caturbhujāyato the four-armed one
- candrārdhavilasanmastakāyaon whose head the half moon shines
- caand
- caraṇāvanatānantatāraṇāyato the one who carries across the countless people bowed at his feet
- astumay there be
- maṅgalamgood fortune
anvaya caturbhujāya ca candrārdhavilasanmastakāya caraṇāvanatānantatāraṇāya maṅgalam astu
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
ananta 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.
virūpākṣa sutāyāstu maṅgalam || 6 ||
- vakratuṇḍāyato the one with the curving trunk
- vaṭaveto the young student
- vanyāyato the one of the woods
- varadāyato the giver of boons
- caand
- virūpākṣasutāyato the son of the one whose eyes are three
- astumay there be
- maṅgalamgood fortune
anvaya vakratuṇḍāya vaṭave vanyāya varadāya ca virūpākṣasutāya maṅgalam astu
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
vaṭave 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.
virūpākṣa 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 maṅgalam.
prakṛṣṭā pāpanāśāya phaladāyāstu maṅgalam || 7 ||
- pramodamodarūpāyato the one whose form is gladness and delight
- siddhivijñānarūpiṇeto the one who takes the form of success and deep knowing
- prakṛṣṭapāpanāśāyato the one who wipes out heaped-up wrongs
- phaladāyato the giver of fruit
- astumay there be
- maṅgalamgood fortune
anvaya pramodamodarūpāya siddhivijñānarūpiṇe prakṛṣṭapāpanāśāya phaladāya maṅgalam astu
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
pramodamoda 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 prakṛṣṭā pāpanāśāya is printed with a break; it is read prakṛṣṭapāpanāśāya.
maṅgalaṃ vighnarājāya vighahartrestu maṅgalam || 8 ||
ślokāṣṭakamidaṃ puṇyaṃ maṅgalaprada mādarāt |
paṭhitavyaṃ prayatnena sarvavighnanivṛttaye ||
- maṅgalamgood fortune
- gaṇanāthāyato the lord of the ganas
- harasūnaveto the son of Hara
- vighnarājāyato the king of obstacles
- vighnahartreto the one who takes obstacles away
- astumay there be
- ślokāṣṭakamthe set of eight verses
- idamthis
- puṇyamholy
- maṅgalapradamwhich brings good fortune
- ādarātwith respect
- paṭhitavyamshould be recited
- prayatnenawith care
- sarvavighnanivṛttayeso that every obstacle falls away
anvaya gaṇanāthāya harasūnave vighnarājāya vighnahartre maṅgalam astu idam puṇyam maṅgalapradam ślokāṣṭakam ādarāt prayatnena sarvavighnanivṛttaye paṭhitavyam
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
harasūnave 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: vighahartrestu is read vighnahartre astu, and maṅgalaprada mādarāt is maṅgalapradam ādarāt. The closing couplet is the hymn's own instruction for use.