শ্ৰীগণেশায নমঃ ॥
মুদাকৰাত্তমোদকং সদাৱিমুক্তিসাধকং কলাধৰাৱতংসকং ৱিলাসিলোকৰক্ষকম্ ।
অনাযকৈকনাযকং ৱিনাশিতেভদৈত্যকং নতাশুভাশুনাশকং নমামি তং ৱিনাযকম্ ॥ ১॥
- শ্ৰীগণেশপঞ্চৰত্নস্তোত্ৰম্ (śrīgaṇeśapañcaratnastotram)the hymn of five gems to Shri Ganesha
- শ্ৰীগণেশায (śrīgaṇeśāya)to Shri Ganesha
- নমঃ (namaḥ)salutations
- মুদাকৰাত্তমোদকম্ (mudākarāttamodakam)who happily holds a modak in his hand
- সদাৱিমুক্তিসাধকম্ (sadāvimuktisādhakam)who always leads to liberation
- কলাধৰাৱতংসকম্ (kalādharāvataṃsakam)who wears the moon as an ornament
- ৱিলাসিলোকৰক্ষকম্ (vilāsilokarakṣakam)who protects the world that is his play
- অনাযকৈকনাযকম্ (anāyakaikanāyakam)the one leader of those who have no leader
- ৱিনাশিতেভদৈত্যকম্ (vināśitebhadaityakam)who destroyed the elephant demon
- নতাশুভাশুনাশকম্ (natāśubhāśunāśakam)who quickly ends the misfortunes of those who bow
- নমামি (namāmi)I bow to
- তম্ (tam)that
- ৱিনাযকম্ (vināyakam)Vinayaka
anvaya শ্ৰীগণেশপঞ্চৰত্নস্তোত্ৰম্ শ্ৰীগণেশায নমঃ মুদাকৰাত্তমোদকম্ সদাৱিমুক্তিসাধকম্ কলাধৰাৱতংসকম্ ৱিলাসিলোকৰক্ষকম্ অনাযকৈকনাযকম্ ৱিনাশিতেভদৈত্যকম্ নতাশুভাশুনাশকম্ তম্ ৱিনাযকম্ [অহম্] নমামি
chandas Pañcacāmara, 16 syllables in each of 4 pādas, short and long syllables alternating
মোদক the sweet dumpling he loves — Rice dough filled with coconut and jaggery. It is the offering most closely tied to Ganesha, and the first thing this hymn places in his hand.
অনাযকৈকনাযকম্ the one leader of the leaderless — A play on Vinayaka, the word that ends the verse: vi-nayaka, the leader with no one above him, is also the leader of those who have no one.
ৱিনাশিতেভদৈত্যকম্ who killed the elephant demon — Usually identified with Gajamukhasura, the elephant-headed demon Ganesha defeats with his broken tusk.
note Adi Shankaracharya's hymn opens with Ganesha as a child might picture him, happy with a sweet in his hand, and within the same verse calls him the giver of liberation. The quick, even beat of the metre makes it easy to sing, and this first verse is the part most people know by heart.
সুৰেশ্ৱৰং নিধীশ্ৱৰং গজেশ্ৱৰং গণেশ্ৱৰং মহেশ্ৱৰং তমাশ্ৰযে পৰাত্পৰং নিৰন্তৰম্ ॥ ২॥
- নতেতৰাতিভীকৰম্ (natetarātibhīkaram)terrifying to those who will not bow
- নৱোদিতাৰ্কভাস্ৱৰম্ (navoditārkabhāsvaram)bright as the newly risen sun
- নমত্সুৰাৰিনিৰ্জৰম্ (namatsurārinirjaram)to whom gods and demons bow
- নতাধিকাপদুদ্ধৰম্ (natādhikāpaduddharam)who lifts those who bow out of their worst troubles
- সুৰেশ্ৱৰম্ (sureśvaram)lord of the gods
- নিধীশ্ৱৰম্ (nidhīśvaram)lord of treasures
- গজেশ্ৱৰম্ (gajeśvaram)lord of elephants
- গণেশ্ৱৰম্ (gaṇeśvaram)lord of the ganas
- মহেশ্ৱৰম্ (maheśvaram)the great lord
- তম্ (tam)him
- আশ্ৰযে (āśraye)I take refuge in
- পৰাত্পৰম্ (parātparam)higher than the highest
- নিৰন্তৰম্ (nirantaram)always
anvaya নতেতৰাতিভীকৰম্ নৱোদিতাৰ্কভাস্ৱৰম্ নমত্সুৰাৰিনিৰ্জৰম্ নতাধিকাপদুদ্ধৰম্ সুৰেশ্ৱৰম্ নিধীশ্ৱৰম্ গজেশ্ৱৰম্ গণেশ্ৱৰম্ মহেশ্ৱৰম্ পৰাত্পৰম্ তম্ [অহম্] নিৰন্তৰম্ আশ্ৰযে
chandas Pañcacāmara, 16 syllables in each of 4 pādas, short and long syllables alternating
নতেতৰ those other than the ones who bow — He is fearsome only to those who refuse to bow. To those who do, the same line says, he is the one who lifts them out of trouble.
নিধীশ্ৱৰম্ lord of treasures — Nidhi is treasure. The same title is given to Kubera, the lord of wealth.
note The second half of the verse is five titles in a row, each ending in ishvara, lord: of the gods, of treasures, of elephants, of the ganas, and the great lord. Chains of matching sounds like this run through all of Shankara's hymns.
কৃপাকৰং ক্ষমাকৰং মুদাকৰং যশস্কৰং মনস্কৰং নমস্কৃতাং নমস্কৰোমি ভাস্ৱৰম্ ॥ ৩॥
- সমস্তলোকশঙ্কৰম্ (samastalokaśaṅkaram)who brings good to all the worlds
- নিৰস্তদৈত্যকুঞ্জৰম্ (nirastadaityakuñjaram)who drove off the elephant demon
- দৰেতৰোদৰম্ (daretarodaram)whose belly is anything but small
- ৱৰম্ (varam)the best
- ৱৰেভৱক্ত্ৰম্ (varebhavaktram)with the face of a noble elephant
- অক্ষৰম্ (akṣaram)imperishable
- কৃপাকৰম্ (kṛpākaram)source of compassion
- ক্ষমাকৰম্ (kṣamākaram)source of forgiveness
- মুদাকৰম্ (mudākaram)source of joy
- যশস্কৰম্ (yaśaskaram)who gives fame
- মনস্কৰম্ (manaskaram)who gives a clear mind
- নমস্কৃতাম্ (namaskṛtām)to those who bow to him
- নমস্কৰোমি (namaskaromi)I bow to
- ভাস্ৱৰম্ (bhāsvaram)the radiant one
anvaya সমস্তলোকশঙ্কৰম্ নিৰস্তদৈত্যকুঞ্জৰম্ দৰেতৰোদৰম্ ৱৰম্ ৱৰেভৱক্ত্ৰম্ অক্ষৰম্ নমস্কৃতাম্ কৃপাকৰম্ ক্ষমাকৰম্ মুদাকৰম্ যশস্কৰম্ মনস্কৰম্ ভাস্ৱৰম্ [অহম্] নমস্কৰোমি
chandas Pañcacāmara, 16 syllables in each of 4 pādas, short and long syllables alternating
দৰেতৰোদৰম্ whose belly is other than small — Dara-itara, 'other than small', is a roundabout way of saying his belly is huge, and it keeps the rhyme of the line going.
আকৰ a mine, a source — Kripakaram, kshamakaram, mudakaram: a mine of mercy, of forgiveness, of joy. Each title is something he gives out.
note The second half is a run of rhyming titles, kṛpākaram, kṣamākaram, mudākaram, yaśaskaram, manaskaram, that ends on namaskaromi, 'I bow'. Each title is something Ganesha gives, and the line closes with the singer's reply: a bow.
প্ৰপঞ্চনাশভীষণং ধনঞ্জযাদিভূষণং কপোলদানৱাৰণং ভজে পুৰাণৱাৰণম্ ॥ ৪॥
- অকিঞ্চনাৰ্তিমাৰ্জনম্ (akiñcanārtimārjanam)who wipes away the pain of the poor
- চিৰন্তনোক্তিভাজনম্ (cirantanoktibhājanam)of whom the ancient scriptures speak
- পুৰাৰিপূৰ্ৱনন্দনম্ (purāripūrvanandanam)the elder son of Shiva, enemy of the three cities
- সুৰাৰিগৰ্ৱচৰ্ৱণম্ (surārigarvacarvaṇam)who crushes the pride of the demons
- প্ৰপঞ্চনাশভীষণম্ (prapañcanāśabhīṣaṇam)fearsome at the dissolution of the world
- ধনঞ্জযাদিভূষণম্ (dhanañjayādibhūṣaṇam)adorned with serpents such as Dhananjaya
- কপোলদানৱাৰণম্ (kapoladānavāraṇam)the elephant with mada flowing on his cheeks
- ভজে (bhaje)I worship
- পুৰাণৱাৰণম্ (purāṇavāraṇam)the ancient elephant
anvaya অকিঞ্চনাৰ্তিমাৰ্জনম্ চিৰন্তনোক্তিভাজনম্ পুৰাৰিপূৰ্ৱনন্দনম্ সুৰাৰিগৰ্ৱচৰ্ৱণম্ প্ৰপঞ্চনাশভীষণম্ ধনঞ্জযাদিভূষণম্ কপোলদানৱাৰণম্ পুৰাণৱাৰণম্ [অহম্] ভজে
chandas Pañcacāmara, 16 syllables in each of 4 pādas, short and long syllables alternating
পুৰাৰিপূৰ্ৱনন্দনম্ the first-born son of Shiva — Purari, 'enemy of the cities', is Shiva, who destroyed the three flying cities of the asuras. Purva-nandana, 'the earlier son', marks Ganesha as the elder.
ধনঞ্জয a great serpent — Here Dhananjaya is the name of a naga, and has nothing to do with Arjuna. Like his father, Ganesha wears snakes as ornaments.
কপোলদান the flow on his cheeks — Dana is the mada fluid of an elephant in its prime. It marks him as a mighty tusker.
note The verse runs from comfort for the poor to the end of the world itself, and closes on 'the ancient elephant', a name that makes the familiar god as old as time.
হৃদন্তৰে নিৰন্তৰং ৱসন্তমেৱ যোগিনাং তমেকদন্তমেৱ তং ৱিচিন্তযামি সন্ততম্ ॥ ৫॥
- নিতান্তকান্তদন্তকান্তিমন্তম্ (nitāntakāntadantakāntimantam)whose tusk shines with a beauty beyond compare
- অন্তকান্তকাত্মজম্ (antakāntakātmajam)the son of Shiva, who put an end to Death
- অচিন্ত্যৰূপম্ (acintyarūpam)whose form is beyond imagining
- অন্তহীনম্ (antahīnam)without end
- অন্তৰাযকৃন্তনম্ (antarāyakṛntanam)who cuts through obstacles
- হৃদন্তৰে (hṛdantare)within the heart
- নিৰন্তৰম্ (nirantaram)without a break
- ৱসন্তম্ (vasantam)dwelling
- এৱ (eva)indeed
- যোগিনাম্ (yoginām)of the yogis
- তম্ (tam)him
- একদন্তম্ (ekadantam)the single-tusked one
- এৱ (eva)alone
- তম্ (tam)him
- ৱিচিন্তযামি (vicintayāmi)I meditate on
- সন্ততম্ (santatam)constantly
anvaya নিতান্তকান্তদন্তকান্তিমন্তম্ অন্তকান্তকাত্মজম্ অচিন্ত্যৰূপম্ অন্তহীনম্ অন্তৰাযকৃন্তনম্ যোগিনাম্ হৃদন্তৰে নিৰন্তৰম্ ৱসন্তম্ এৱ তম্ একদন্তম্ এৱ তম্ [অহম্] সন্ততম্ ৱিচিন্তযামি
chandas Pañcacāmara, 16 syllables in each of 4 pādas, short and long syllables alternating
অন্তকান্তক the ender of the ender — Antaka, 'the one who ends', is Death. Shiva is called Antakantaka because he stopped Death to save his young devotee Markandeya.
একদন্তম্ the single-tusked one — He has only one whole tusk. In one well-known telling he broke off the other and used it as a pen to write down the Mahabharata as Vyasa spoke it.
note Almost every word here carries the sound anta: kānta, danta, antaka, antahīna, antarāya, hṛdantare, nirantaram, vasantam. Shankara builds the whole verse on that one sound, moving from the shining tusk to the heart of the yogi.
অৰোগতামদোষতাং সুসাহিতীং সুপুত্ৰতাং সমাহিতাযুৰষ্টভূতিমভ্যুপৈতি সোঽচিৰাত্ ॥ ৬॥
- মহাগণেশপঞ্চৰত্নম্ (mahāgaṇeśapañcaratnam)these five gems for the great Ganesha
- আদৰেণ (ādareṇa)with devotion
- যঃ (yaḥ)whoever
- অন্ৱহম্ (anvaham)every day
- প্ৰজল্পতি (prajalpati)recites
- প্ৰভাতকে (prabhātake)in the early morning
- হৃদি (hṛdi)in the heart
- স্মৰন্ (smaran)remembering
- গণেশ্ৱৰম্ (gaṇeśvaram)the lord of the ganas
- অৰোগতাম্ (arogatām)good health
- অদোষতাম্ (adoṣatām)freedom from faults
- সুসাহিতীম্ (susāhitīm)a gift for words and learning
- সুপুত্ৰতাম্ (suputratām)good children
- সমাহিতাযুঃ (samāhitāyuḥ)a long and settled life
- অষ্টভূতিম্ (aṣṭabhūtim)the eight kinds of prosperity
- অভ্যুপৈতি (abhyupaiti)gains
- সঃ (saḥ)that person
- অচিৰাত্ (acirāt)before long
anvaya যঃ গণেশ্ৱৰম্ হৃদি স্মৰন্ প্ৰভাতকে অন্ৱহম্ আদৰেণ মহাগণেশপঞ্চৰত্নম্ প্ৰজল্পতি সঃ অচিৰাত্ অৰোগতাম্ অদোষতাম্ সুসাহিতীম্ সুপুত্ৰতাম্ সমাহিতাযুঃ অষ্টভূতিম্ অভ্যুপৈতি
chandas Pañcacāmara, 16 syllables in each of 4 pādas, short and long syllables alternating
অষ্টভূতিম্ the eightfold prosperity — Often read as the eight siddhis, powers such as becoming very small or very light at will. Some take it simply as every kind of wealth.
সুসাহিতীম্ skill with words — Sahiti is literature, the gift of saying things well.
note The phalashruti. It asks for a morning habit: say the five verses with Ganesha in mind. What it promises is a good life in plain terms: health, a clean character, a way with words, good children and a long, steady life.
- ইতি (iti)so ends
- শ্ৰীশঙ্কৰভগৱতঃ (śrīśaṅkarabhagavataḥ)of the revered Shankara
- কৃতৌ (kṛtau)among the works
- শ্ৰীগণেশপঞ্চৰত্নস্তোত্ৰম্ (śrīgaṇeśapañcaratnastotram)the hymn of five gems to Shri Ganesha
- সম্পূৰ্ণম্ (sampūrṇam)is complete
anvaya ইতি শ্ৰীশঙ্কৰভগৱতঃ কৃতৌ শ্ৰীগণেশপঞ্চৰত্নস্তোত্ৰম্ সম্পূৰ্ণম্