গণেশ পঞ্চরত্নম্

• শ্রীগণেশপঞ্চরত্নস্তোত্রম্ (śrīgaṇeśapañcaratnastotram)the hymn of five gems to Shri Ganesha
• শ্রীগণেশায (śrīgaṇeśāya)to Shri Ganesha
• নমঃ (namaḥ)salutations
• মুদাকরাত্তমোদকম্ (mudākarāttamodakam)who happily holds a modak in his hand
• সদাবিমুক্তিসাধকম্ (sadāvimuktisādhakam)who always leads to liberation
• কলাধরাবতংসকম্ (kalādharāvataṃsakam)who wears the moon as an ornament
• বিলাসিলোকরক্ষকম্ (vilāsilokarakṣakam)who protects the world that is his play
• অনাযকৈকনাযকম্ (anāyakaikanāyakam)the one leader of those who have no leader
• বিনাশিতেভদৈত্যকম্ (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
• বিনাযকম্ (vināyakam)Vinayaka

anvaya শ্রীগণেশপঞ্চরত্নস্তোত্রম্ শ্রীগণেশায নমঃ মুদাকরাত্তমোদকম্ সদাবিমুক্তিসাধকম্ কলাধরাবতংসকম্ বিলাসিলোকরক্ষকম্ অনাযকৈকনাযকম্ বিনাশিতেভদৈত্যকম্ নতাশুভাশুনাশকম্ তম্ বিনাযকম্ [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.

বিনাশিতেভদৈত্যকম্ 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.

• নতেতরাতিভীকরম্ (natetarātibhīkaram)terrifying to those who will not bow
• নবোদিতার্কভাস্বরম্ (navoditārkabhāsvaram)bright as the newly risen sun
• নমত্সুরারিনির্জরম্ (namatsurārinirjaram)to whom gods and demons bow
• নতাধিকাপদুদ্ধরম্ (natādhikāpaduddharam)who lifts those who bow out of their worst troubles
• সুরেশ্বরম্ (sureśvaram)lord of the gods
• নিধীশ্বরম্ (nidhīśvaram)lord of treasures
• গজেশ্বরম্ (gajeśvaram)lord of elephants
• গণেশ্বরম্ (gaṇeśvaram)lord of the ganas
• মহেশ্বরম্ (maheśvaram)the great lord
• তম্ (tam)him
• আশ্রযে (āśraye)I take refuge in
• পরাত্পরম্ (parātparam)higher than the highest
• নিরন্তরম্ (nirantaram)always

anvaya নতেতরাতিভীকরম্ নবোদিতার্কভাস্বরম্ নমত্সুরারিনির্জরম্ নতাধিকাপদুদ্ধরম্ সুরেশ্বরম্ নিধীশ্বরম্ গজেশ্বরম্ গণেশ্বরম্ মহেশ্বরম্ পরাত্পরম্ তম্ [অহম্] নিরন্তরম্ আশ্রযে

chandas Pañcacāmara, 16 syllables in each of 4 pādas, short and long syllables alternating

নতেতর 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.

নিধীশ্বরম্ 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.

• সমস্তলোকশঙ্করম্ (samastalokaśaṅkaram)who brings good to all the worlds
• নিরস্তদৈত্যকুঞ্জরম্ (nirastadaityakuñjaram)who drove off the elephant demon
• দরেতরোদরম্ (daretarodaram)whose belly is anything but small
• বরম্ (varam)the best
• বরেভবক্ত্রম্ (varebhavaktram)with the face of a noble elephant
• অক্ষরম্ (akṣaram)imperishable
• কৃপাকরম্ (kṛpākaram)source of compassion
• ক্ষমাকরম্ (kṣamākaram)source of forgiveness
• মুদাকরম্ (mudākaram)source of joy
• যশস্করম্ (yaśaskaram)who gives fame
• মনস্করম্ (manaskaram)who gives a clear mind
• নমস্কৃতাম্ (namaskṛtām)to those who bow to him
• নমস্করোমি (namaskaromi)I bow to
• ভাস্বরম্ (bhāsvaram)the radiant one

anvaya সমস্তলোকশঙ্করম্ নিরস্তদৈত্যকুঞ্জরম্ দরেতরোদরম্ বরম্ বরেভবক্ত্রম্ অক্ষরম্ নমস্কৃতাম্ কৃপাকরম্ ক্ষমাকরম্ মুদাকরম্ যশস্করম্ মনস্করম্ ভাস্বরম্ [অহম্] নমস্করোমি

chandas Pañcacāmara, 16 syllables in each of 4 pādas, short and long syllables alternating

দরেতরোদরম্ 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.

আকর 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.

• অকিঞ্চনার্তিমার্জনম্ (akiñcanārtimārjanam)who wipes away the pain of the poor
• চিরন্তনোক্তিভাজনম্ (cirantanoktibhājanam)of whom the ancient scriptures speak
• পুরারিপূর্বনন্দনম্ (purāripūrvanandanam)the elder son of Shiva, enemy of the three cities
• সুরারিগর্বচর্বণম্ (surārigarvacarvaṇam)who crushes the pride of the demons
• প্রপঞ্চনাশভীষণম্ (prapañcanāśabhīṣaṇam)fearsome at the dissolution of the world
• ধনঞ্জযাদিভূষণম্ (dhanañjayādibhūṣaṇam)adorned with serpents such as Dhananjaya
• কপোলদানবারণম্ (kapoladānavāraṇam)the elephant with mada flowing on his cheeks
• ভজে (bhaje)I worship
• পুরাণবারণম্ (purāṇavāraṇam)the ancient elephant

anvaya অকিঞ্চনার্তিমার্জনম্ চিরন্তনোক্তিভাজনম্ পুরারিপূর্বনন্দনম্ সুরারিগর্বচর্বণম্ প্রপঞ্চনাশভীষণম্ ধনঞ্জযাদিভূষণম্ কপোলদানবারণম্ পুরাণবারণম্ [অহম্] ভজে

chandas Pañcacāmara, 16 syllables in each of 4 pādas, short and long syllables alternating

পুরারিপূর্বনন্দনম্ 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.

• নিতান্তকান্তদন্তকান্তিমন্তম্ (nitāntakāntadantakāntimantam)whose tusk shines with a beauty beyond compare
• অন্তকান্তকাত্মজম্ (antakāntakātmajam)the son of Shiva, who put an end to Death
• অচিন্ত্যরূপম্ (acintyarūpam)whose form is beyond imagining
• অন্তহীনম্ (antahīnam)without end
• অন্তরাযকৃন্তনম্ (antarāyakṛntanam)who cuts through obstacles
• হৃদন্তরে (hṛdantare)within the heart
• নিরন্তরম্ (nirantaram)without a break
• বসন্তম্ (vasantam)dwelling
• এব (eva)indeed
• যোগিনাম্ (yoginām)of the yogis
• তম্ (tam)him
• একদন্তম্ (ekadantam)the single-tusked one
• এব (eva)alone
• তম্ (tam)him
• বিচিন্তযামি (vicintayāmi)I meditate on
• সন্ততম্ (santatam)constantly

anvaya নিতান্তকান্তদন্তকান্তিমন্তম্ অন্তকান্তকাত্মজম্ অচিন্ত্যরূপম্ অন্তহীনম্ অন্তরাযকৃন্তনম্ যোগিনাম্ হৃদন্তরে নিরন্তরম্ বসন্তম্ এব তম্ একদন্তম্ এব তম্ [অহম্] সন্ততম্ বিচিন্তযামি

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.

• মহাগণেশপঞ্চরত্নম্ (mahāgaṇeśapañcaratnam)these five gems for the great Ganesha
• আদরেণ (ādareṇa)with devotion
• যঃ (yaḥ)whoever
• অন্বহম্ (anvaham)every day
• প্রজল্পতি (prajalpati)recites
• প্রভাতকে (prabhātake)in the early morning
• হৃদি (hṛdi)in the heart
• স্মরন্ (smaran)remembering
• গণেশ্বরম্ (gaṇeśvaram)the lord of the ganas
• অরোগতাম্ (arogatām)good health
• অদোষতাম্ (adoṣatām)freedom from faults
• সুসাহিতীম্ (susāhitīm)a gift for words and learning
• সুপুত্রতাম্ (suputratām)good children
• সমাহিতাযুঃ (samāhitāyuḥ)a long and settled life
• অষ্টভূতিম্ (aṣṭabhūtim)the eight kinds of prosperity
• অভ্যুপৈতি (abhyupaiti)gains
• সঃ (saḥ)that person
• অচিরাত্ (acirāt)before long

anvaya যঃ গণেশ্বরম্ হৃদি স্মরন্ প্রভাতকে অন্বহম্ আদরেণ মহাগণেশপঞ্চরত্নম্ প্রজল্পতি সঃ অচিরাত্ অরোগতাম্ অদোষতাম্ সুসাহিতীম্ সুপুত্রতাম্ 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
• শ্রীশঙ্করভগবতঃ (śrīśaṅkarabhagavataḥ)of the revered Shankara
• কৃতৌ (kṛtau)among the works
• শ্রীগণেশপঞ্চরত্নস্তোত্রম্ (śrīgaṇeśapañcaratnastotram)the hymn of five gems to Shri Ganesha
• সম্পূর্ণম্ (sampūrṇam)is complete

anvaya ইতি শ্রীশঙ্করভগবতঃ কৃতৌ শ্রীগণেশপঞ্চরত্নস্তোত্রম্ সম্পূর্ণম্