ગણેશ પઞ્ચરત્નમ્

• શ્રીગણેશપઞ્ચરત્નસ્તોત્રમ્ (śrīgaṇeśapañcaratnastotram)the hymn of five gems to Shri Ganesha
• શ્રીગણેશાય (śrīgaṇeśāya)to Shri Ganesha
• નમઃ (namaḥ)salutations
• મુદાકરાત્તમોદકમ્ (mudākarāttamodakam)who happily holds a modak in his hand
• સદાવિમુક્તિસાધકમ્ (sadāvimuktisādhakam)who always leads to liberation
• કલાધરાવતંસકમ્ (kalādharāvataṃsakam)who wears the moon as an ornament
• વિલાસિલોકરક્ષકમ્ (vilāsilokarakṣakam)who protects the world that is his play
• અનાયકૈકનાયકમ્ (anāyakaikanāyakam)the one leader of those who have no leader
• વિનાશિતેભદૈત્યકમ્ (vināśitebhadaityakam)who destroyed the elephant demon
• નતાશુભાશુનાશકમ્ (natāśubhāśunāśakam)who quickly ends the misfortunes of those who bow
• નમામિ (namāmi)I bow to
• તમ્ (tam)that
• વિનાયકમ્ (vināyakam)Vinayaka

anvaya શ્રીગણેશપઞ્ચરત્નસ્તોત્રમ્ શ્રીગણેશાય નમઃ મુદાકરાત્તમોદકમ્ સદાવિમુક્તિસાધકમ્ કલાધરાવતંસકમ્ વિલાસિલોકરક્ષકમ્ અનાયકૈકનાયકમ્ વિનાશિતેભદૈત્યકમ્ નતાશુભાશુનાશકમ્ તમ્ વિનાયકમ્ [અહમ્] નમામિ

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

મોદક 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.

અનાયકૈકનાયકમ્ 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.

વિનાશિતેભદૈત્યકમ્ 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.

• નતેતરાતિભીકરમ્ (natetarātibhīkaram)terrifying to those who will not bow
• નવોદિતાર્કભાસ્વરમ્ (navoditārkabhāsvaram)bright as the newly risen sun
• નમત્સુરારિનિર્જરમ્ (namatsurārinirjaram)to whom gods and demons bow
• નતાધિકાપદુદ્ધરમ્ (natādhikāpaduddharam)who lifts those who bow out of their worst troubles
• સુરેશ્વરમ્ (sureśvaram)lord of the gods
• નિધીશ્વરમ્ (nidhīśvaram)lord of treasures
• ગજેશ્વરમ્ (gajeśvaram)lord of elephants
• ગણેશ્વરમ્ (gaṇeśvaram)lord of the ganas
• મહેશ્વરમ્ (maheśvaram)the great lord
• તમ્ (tam)him
• આશ્રયે (āśraye)I take refuge in
• પરાત્પરમ્ (parātparam)higher than the highest
• નિરન્તરમ્ (nirantaram)always

anvaya નતેતરાતિભીકરમ્ નવોદિતાર્કભાસ્વરમ્ નમત્સુરારિનિર્જરમ્ નતાધિકાપદુદ્ધરમ્ સુરેશ્વરમ્ નિધીશ્વરમ્ ગજેશ્વરમ્ ગણેશ્વરમ્ મહેશ્વરમ્ પરાત્પરમ્ તમ્ [અહમ્] નિરન્તરમ્ આશ્રયે

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

નતેતર 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.

નિધીશ્વરમ્ 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.

• સમસ્તલોકશઙ્કરમ્ (samastalokaśaṅkaram)who brings good to all the worlds
• નિરસ્તદૈત્યકુઞ્જરમ્ (nirastadaityakuñjaram)who drove off the elephant demon
• દરેતરોદરમ્ (daretarodaram)whose belly is anything but small
• વરમ્ (varam)the best
• વરેભવક્ત્રમ્ (varebhavaktram)with the face of a noble elephant
• અક્ષરમ્ (akṣaram)imperishable
• કૃપાકરમ્ (kṛpākaram)source of compassion
• ક્ષમાકરમ્ (kṣamākaram)source of forgiveness
• મુદાકરમ્ (mudākaram)source of joy
• યશસ્કરમ્ (yaśaskaram)who gives fame
• મનસ્કરમ્ (manaskaram)who gives a clear mind
• નમસ્કૃતામ્ (namaskṛtām)to those who bow to him
• નમસ્કરોમિ (namaskaromi)I bow to
• ભાસ્વરમ્ (bhāsvaram)the radiant one

anvaya સમસ્તલોકશઙ્કરમ્ નિરસ્તદૈત્યકુઞ્જરમ્ દરેતરોદરમ્ વરમ્ વરેભવક્ત્રમ્ અક્ષરમ્ નમસ્કૃતામ્ કૃપાકરમ્ ક્ષમાકરમ્ મુદાકરમ્ યશસ્કરમ્ મનસ્કરમ્ ભાસ્વરમ્ [અહમ્] નમસ્કરોમિ

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

દરેતરોદરમ્ 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.

આકર 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.

• અકિઞ્ચનાર્તિમાર્જનમ્ (akiñcanārtimārjanam)who wipes away the pain of the poor
• ચિરન્તનોક્તિભાજનમ્ (cirantanoktibhājanam)of whom the ancient scriptures speak
• પુરારિપૂર્વનન્દનમ્ (purāripūrvanandanam)the elder son of Shiva, enemy of the three cities
• સુરારિગર્વચર્વણમ્ (surārigarvacarvaṇam)who crushes the pride of the demons
• પ્રપઞ્ચનાશભીષણમ્ (prapañcanāśabhīṣaṇam)fearsome at the dissolution of the world
• ધનઞ્જયાદિભૂષણમ્ (dhanañjayādibhūṣaṇam)adorned with serpents such as Dhananjaya
• કપોલદાનવારણમ્ (kapoladānavāraṇam)the elephant with mada flowing on his cheeks
• ભજે (bhaje)I worship
• પુરાણવારણમ્ (purāṇavāraṇam)the ancient elephant

anvaya અકિઞ્ચનાર્તિમાર્જનમ્ ચિરન્તનોક્તિભાજનમ્ પુરારિપૂર્વનન્દનમ્ સુરારિગર્વચર્વણમ્ પ્રપઞ્ચનાશભીષણમ્ ધનઞ્જયાદિભૂષણમ્ કપોલદાનવારણમ્ પુરાણવારણમ્ [અહમ્] ભજે

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

પુરારિપૂર્વનન્દનમ્ 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.

ધનઞ્જય 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.

કપોલદાન 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.

• નિતાન્તકાન્તદન્તકાન્તિમન્તમ્ (nitāntakāntadantakāntimantam)whose tusk shines with a beauty beyond compare
• અન્તકાન્તકાત્મજમ્ (antakāntakātmajam)the son of Shiva, who put an end to Death
• અચિન્ત્યરૂપમ્ (acintyarūpam)whose form is beyond imagining
• અન્તહીનમ્ (antahīnam)without end
• અન્તરાયકૃન્તનમ્ (antarāyakṛntanam)who cuts through obstacles
• હૃદન્તરે (hṛdantare)within the heart
• નિરન્તરમ્ (nirantaram)without a break
• વસન્તમ્ (vasantam)dwelling
• એવ (eva)indeed
• યોગિનામ્ (yoginām)of the yogis
• તમ્ (tam)him
• એકદન્તમ્ (ekadantam)the single-tusked one
• એવ (eva)alone
• તમ્ (tam)him
• વિચિન્તયામિ (vicintayāmi)I meditate on
• સન્તતમ્ (santatam)constantly

anvaya નિતાન્તકાન્તદન્તકાન્તિમન્તમ્ અન્તકાન્તકાત્મજમ્ અચિન્ત્યરૂપમ્ અન્તહીનમ્ અન્તરાયકૃન્તનમ્ યોગિનામ્ હૃદન્તરે નિરન્તરમ્ વસન્તમ્ એવ તમ્ એકદન્તમ્ એવ તમ્ [અહમ્] સન્તતમ્ વિચિન્તયામિ

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

અન્તકાન્તક 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.

એકદન્તમ્ 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.

• મહાગણેશપઞ્ચરત્નમ્ (mahāgaṇeśapañcaratnam)these five gems for the great Ganesha
• આદરેણ (ādareṇa)with devotion
• યઃ (yaḥ)whoever
• અન્વહમ્ (anvaham)every day
• પ્રજલ્પતિ (prajalpati)recites
• પ્રભાતકે (prabhātake)in the early morning
• હૃદિ (hṛdi)in the heart
• સ્મરન્ (smaran)remembering
• ગણેશ્વરમ્ (gaṇeśvaram)the lord of the ganas
• અરોગતામ્ (arogatām)good health
• અદોષતામ્ (adoṣatām)freedom from faults
• સુસાહિતીમ્ (susāhitīm)a gift for words and learning
• સુપુત્રતામ્ (suputratām)good children
• સમાહિતાયુઃ (samāhitāyuḥ)a long and settled life
• અષ્ટભૂતિમ્ (aṣṭabhūtim)the eight kinds of prosperity
• અભ્યુપૈતિ (abhyupaiti)gains
• સઃ (saḥ)that person
• અચિરાત્ (acirāt)before long

anvaya યઃ ગણેશ્વરમ્ હૃદિ સ્મરન્ પ્રભાતકે અન્વહમ્ આદરેણ મહાગણેશપઞ્ચરત્નમ્ પ્રજલ્પતિ સઃ અચિરાત્ અરોગતામ્ અદોષતામ્ સુસાહિતીમ્ સુપુત્રતામ્ સમાહિતાયુઃ અષ્ટભૂતિમ્ અભ્યુપૈતિ

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

અષ્ટભૂતિમ્ 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.

સુસાહિતીમ્ 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.

• ઇતિ (iti)so ends
• શ્રીશઙ્કરભગવતઃ (śrīśaṅkarabhagavataḥ)of the revered Shankara
• કૃતૌ (kṛtau)among the works
• શ્રીગણેશપઞ્ચરત્નસ્તોત્રમ્ (śrīgaṇeśapañcaratnastotram)the hymn of five gems to Shri Ganesha
• સમ્પૂર્ણમ્ (sampūrṇam)is complete

anvaya ઇતિ શ્રીશઙ્કરભગવતઃ કૃતૌ શ્રીગણેશપઞ્ચરત્નસ્તોત્રમ્ સમ્પૂર્ણમ્