kaṭhābhīṣṭavidyārpakaṃ dantayugmaṃ kaviṃ buddhināthaṃ kavīnāṃ namāmi||
- catuḥṣaṣṭikoṭayākhyavidyāpradamwho gave the sixty-four crore branches of learning
- tvāmyou
- surācāryavidyāpradānāpadānamamong whose deeds is the giving of learning to the teacher of the gods
- kaṭhābhīṣṭavidyārpakamwho gave Katha the learning he longed for
- dantayugmamwith your pair of tusks
- kavimthe poet
- buddhināthamthe lord of the intelligence
- kavīnāmof poets
- namāmiI bow to
anvaya catuḥṣaṣṭikoṭayākhyavidyāpradam surācāryavidyāpradānāpadānam kaṭhābhīṣṭavidyārpakam dantayugmam kavīnām buddhinātham kavim tvām namāmi
chandas Irregular as printed: Bhujaṅgaprayāta, 12 syllables to a pāda, with two slips in the first line
surācārya the teacher of the gods — Brihaspati, whose learning is itself said to have come from Ganapati.
kaṭha Katha — The teacher whose school of the Yajur Veda carries his name, and after whom the Katha Upanishad is called.
note The refrain closes every verse of the eight, and it is the whole point of the hymn: what is asked of Ganapati here is not wealth or safety but the power to make poetry. The verse names a pair of tusks, though he is more often called the one-tusked. The first line is printed catu: for catuḥ and koṭayā for koṭyā, which throws the metre out by a syllable.
prabhuṃ dakṣiṇāsyasya vidyāpradaṃ tvāṃ kaviṃ buddhināthaṃ kavīnāṃ namāmi||
- svanāthamyour own master
- pradhānamthe first cause
- mahāvighnanāthamthe great lord of obstacles
- nijecchāvisṛṣṭāṇḍavṛndeśanāthamlord of the lords of the crowd of world-eggs sent out by your own wish
- prabhumthe master
- dakṣiṇāsyasyato the south-facing one
- vidyāpradamwho gave learning
- tvāmyou
- kavimthe poet
- buddhināthamthe lord of the intelligence
- kavīnāmof poets
- namāmiI bow to
anvaya svanātham pradhānam mahāvighnanātham nijecchāvisṛṣṭāṇḍavṛndeśanātham prabhum dakṣiṇāsyasya vidyāpradam kavīnām buddhinātham kavim tvām namāmi
chandas Bhujaṅgaprayāta, 12 syllables in each of 4 pādas
dakṣiṇāsya the south-facing one — Dakshinamurti, Shiva seated facing south as the silent teacher.
pradhāna the first cause — In the Samkhya reckoning, the unformed ground from which everything else unfolds.
note The third name is printed mahāvighannāthaṃ, with the conjunct broken; the word is mahāvighnanāthaṃ.
mahāśāktadīkṣāguruṃ śreṣṭhadaṃ tvāṃ kaviṃ buddhināthaṃ kavīnāṃ namāmi||
- vibhoall-pervading one
- vyāsaśiṣyādividyāviśiṣṭapriyānekavidyāpradātāramwho gave many kinds of learning to Vyasa’s pupils and others
- ādyamthe first of all
- mahāśāktadīkṣāgurumteacher of the great Shakta initiation
- śreṣṭhadamgiver of the best
- tvāmyou
- kavimthe poet
- buddhināthamthe lord of the intelligence
- kavīnāmof poets
- namāmiI bow to
anvaya vibho vyāsaśiṣyādividyāviśiṣṭapriyānekavidyāpradātāram ādyam mahāśāktadīkṣāgurum śreṣṭhadam kavīnām buddhinātham kavim tvām namāmi
chandas Bhujaṅgaprayāta, 12 syllables in each of 4 pādas
diśantaṃ ca sūryāya vidyārahasyaṃ kaviṃ buddhināthaṃ kavīnāṃ namāmi||
- vidhātreto Brahma the maker
- trayīmukhyavedānthe chief Vedas, the three
- caand
- yogamyoga
- mahāviṣṇaveto the great Vishnu
- caand
- āgamānthe agamas
- śaṃkarāyato Shankara
- diśantamwho gave
- caand
- sūryāyato Surya
- vidyārahasyamthe secret of learning
- kavimthe poet
- buddhināthamthe lord of the intelligence
- kavīnāmof poets
- namāmiI bow to
anvaya vidhātre trayīmukhyavedān ca mahāviṣṇave yogam śaṃkarāya ca āgamān sūryāya ca vidyārahasyam diśantam kavīnām buddhinātham kavim namāmi
chandas Bhujaṅgaprayāta, 12 syllables in each of 4 pādas
āgama the agamas — The tantric scriptures, counted apart from the Vedas and taught, the verse says, to Shiva himself.
note The whole verse is a list of who was taught what. Each of the great gods is put in the position of a pupil, and Ganapati in the position of the one who hands the learning down.
nijajñānaśaktyā sametaṃ purāṇaṃ kaviṃ buddhināthaṃ kavīnāṃ namāmi||
- mahābuddhiputrāyato the son of the greatly wise
- caand
- ekamone
- purāṇampurana
- diśantamwho gave
- gajāsyasyaof the elephant-faced one
- māhātmyayuktamfilled with the greatness
- nijajñānaśaktyāwith the power of your own knowledge
- sametamjoined
- purāṇamthe purana
- kavimthe poet
- buddhināthamthe lord of the intelligence
- kavīnāmof poets
- namāmiI bow to
anvaya mahābuddhiputrāya ca gajāsyasya māhātmyayuktam ekam purāṇam nijajñānaśaktyā sametam purāṇam diśantam kavīnām buddhinātham kavim namāmi
chandas Bhujaṅgaprayāta, 12 syllables in each of 4 pādas
note The purana meant is the one whose subject is Ganapati's own greatness.
surastomakāyaṃ gaṇaughādhināthaṃ kaviṃ buddhināthaṃ kavīnāṃ namāmi||
- trayīśīrṣasāramthe heart of the head of the three Vedas
- rucānekamāramlovelier in his light than many gods of love
- ramābuddhidāramwhose wives are Rama and Buddhi
- paramsupreme
- brahmapārampast the far shore of brahman
- surastomakāyamwhose body is the whole host of gods
- gaṇaughādhināthamoverlord of the flocks of ganas
- kavimthe poet
- buddhināthamthe lord of the intelligence
- kavīnāmof poets
- namāmiI bow to
anvaya trayīśīrṣasāram rucānekamāram ramābuddhidāram param brahmapāram surastomakāyam gaṇaughādhinātham kavīnām buddhinātham kavim namāmi
chandas Bhujaṅgaprayāta, 12 syllables in each of 4 pādas
trayīśīrṣa the head of the three Vedas — The end part of the Veda, the Upanishads, which are spoken of as its head.
dharānandalokādivāsapriyaṃ tvāṃ kaviṃ buddhināthaṃ kavīnāṃ namāmi||
- cidānandarūpamwhose form is awareness and joy
- munidhyeyarūpamwhose form the sages meditate on
- guṇātītambeyond the three strands
- īśamthe lord
- sureśamlord of gods
- gaṇeśamGanesha
- dharānandalokādivāsapriyamwho loves to dwell on the earth, in the world of bliss and in every world
- tvāmyou
- kavimthe poet
- buddhināthamthe lord of the intelligence
- kavīnāmof poets
- namāmiI bow to
anvaya cidānandarūpam munidhyeyarūpam guṇātītam īśam sureśam gaṇeśam dharānandalokādivāsapriyam kavīnām buddhinātham kavim tvām namāmi
chandas Bhujaṅgaprayāta, 12 syllables in each of 4 pādas
mahāvākyasaṃdohatātparyamūrti kaviṃ buddhināthaṃ kavīnāṃ namāmi||
- anekapratāramwho carries many across
- suraktābjahāramwearing a garland of red lotuses
- paramsupreme
- nirguṇamfree of the strands
- viśvasadbrahmarūpamwhose form is the true brahman that the world is
- mahāvākyasaṃdohatātparyamūrtiwhose body is all that the great sayings mean
- kavimthe poet
- buddhināthamthe lord of the intelligence
- kavīnāmof poets
- namāmiI bow to
anvaya anekapratāram suraktābjahāram param nirguṇam viśvasadbrahmarūpam mahāvākyasaṃdohatātparyamūrti kavīnām buddhinātham kavim namāmi
chandas Bhujaṅgaprayāta, 12 syllables in each of 4 pādas
mahāvākya the great sayings — The few short Upanishadic sentences, such as that you are that, in which the whole teaching is held.
kavitvaṃ suvākyārthamatyadbhutaṃ te labhante prasādād gaṇeśasya muktim||
- idamthis
- yethose who
- tuindeed
- kavyaṣṭakamoctet of the poet
- bhaktiyuktāḥwith devotion
- trisaṃdhyamat the three turns of the day
- paṭhanterecite
- gajāsyamthe elephant-faced one
- smarantaḥholding in mind
- kavitvampoetry
- suvākyārthamspeech of good meaning
- atyadbhutamwonderful
- tethey
- labhanteare given
- prasādātby the grace
- gaṇeśasyaof Ganesha
- muktimrelease
anvaya ye tu bhaktiyuktāḥ gajāsyam smarantaḥ trisaṃdhyam idam kavyaṣṭakam paṭhante te atyadbhutam kavitvam suvākyārtham gaṇeśasya prasādāt muktim labhante
chandas Bhujaṅgaprayāta, 12 syllables in each of 4 pādas
- itihere ends
- śrī vālmīki kṛtamade by Shri Valmiki
- śrīgaṇeśa stotrathe hymn to Shri Ganesha
- saṃpūrṇamcomplete
anvaya iti śrī vālmīki kṛta śrīgaṇeśa stotra saṃpūrṇam
chandas Prose, the colophon
vālmīki Valmiki — The poet of the Ramayana, called the first poet. The colophon gives him this octet, which is a poet's prayer for the power to write.