haridrā gaṇeśa kavacam

• śrīgaṇeśāyato Shri Ganesha
• namaḥsalutation

anvaya śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ

chandas Prose, the opening salutation

hāridra of turmeric — Haridra Ganapati is the form the colour of turmeric, worshipped in an image made of it. This armour belongs to that form.

note From the Vishvasara Tantra, spoken by Shiva to Parvati. A kavacha names a form of the god for each part of the body, and is worn as much as recited.

• īśvaraḥIshvara
• uvācasaid
• śṛṇulisten
• vakṣyāmiI shall tell
• kavacamthe armour
• sarvasiddhikaramwhich brings every success
• priyemy love
• paṭhitvāby reciting
• pāṭhayitvāby having it recited
• caand
• mucyateone is let loose
• sarvasaṅkaṭātfrom every trouble

anvaya īśvaraḥ uvāca priye śṛṇu sarvasiddhikaram kavacam vakṣyāmi paṭhitvā pāṭhayitvā ca sarvasaṅkaṭāt mucyate

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

pāṭhayitvā by having it recited — The verb is causative: the good comes both to the one who says it and to the one who has it said for him.

• ajñātvāwithout knowing
• kavacamthe armour
• deviO goddess
• gaṇeśasyaof Ganesha
• manumthe mantra
• japetchants
• siddhiḥsuccess
• nanot
• jāyatearises
• tasyafor him
• kalpakoṭiśataiḥin a hundred crores of ages
• apieven

anvaya devi [yaḥ] kavacam ajñātvā gaṇeśasya manum japet tasya kalpakoṭiśataiḥ api siddhiḥ na jāyate

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

kalpa an age — A kalpa is one day of Brahma. A hundred crores of them is a way of saying never.

• oṃOm
• āmodaḥAmoda
• caand
• śiraḥthe head
• pātumay he guard
• pramodaḥPramoda
• caand
• śikhopariabove, at the crown-lock
• sammodaḥSammoda
• bhrūyugeat the pair of eyebrows
• pātumay he guard
• bhrūmadhyebetween the eyebrows
• caand
• gaṇādhipaḥthe lord of the ganas

anvaya oṃ āmodaḥ ca śiraḥ pātu pramodaḥ ca śikhopari sammodaḥ bhrūyuge pātu gaṇādhipaḥ ca bhrūmadhye

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

āmoda pramoda sammoda Amoda, Pramoda, Sammoda — Three attendants of Ganesha whose names all mean gladness, one rising above the other.

note The armour starts at the top of the head and works down, a form of the god to each part.

• gaṇākrīḍaḥGanakrida, who plays with his ganas
• netrayugmamthe two eyes
• nāsāyāmat the nose
• gaṇanāyakaḥGananayaka, the leader of the ganas
• gaṇakrīḍānvitaḥthe one who comes with his ganas at play
• pātumay he guard
• vadaneat the face
• sarvasiddhayeso that everything may come out right

anvaya gaṇākrīḍaḥ netrayugmam gaṇanāyakaḥ nāsāyām gaṇakrīḍānvitaḥ vadane sarvasiddhaye pātu

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

• jihvāyāmat the tongue
• sumukhaḥSumukha, the fair-faced
• pātumay he guard
• grīvāyāmat the neck
• durmukhaḥDurmukha, hard of face
• sadāalways
• vighneśaḥVighnesha
• hṛdayeat the heart
• pātumay he guard
• vighnanāthaḥVighnanatha
• caand
• vakṣasiat the chest

anvaya jihvāyām sumukhaḥ pātu grīvāyām durmukhaḥ sadā vighneśaḥ hṛdaye pātu vighnanāthaḥ ca vakṣasi

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

note The fair face is set at the tongue and the hard face at the neck, which is where speech is made and where it is held back.

• gaṇānāmof the ganas
• nāyakaḥthe leader
• pātumay he guard
• bāhuyugmamthe two arms
• sadāalways
• mamamy
• vighnakartāthe maker of obstacles
• caand
• hiindeed
• udareat the belly
• vighnahartāthe one who takes obstacles away
• caand
• liṅgakeat the organ of generation

anvaya gaṇānām nāyakaḥ sadā mama bāhuyugmam pātu vighnakartā ca hi udare vighnahartā ca liṅgake

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

vighnakartā the maker of obstacles — He is asked to guard as the one who puts obstacles in the way, since what he raises he can also hold off.

• gajavaktraḥGajavaktra, the elephant-faced
• kaṭīdeśeat the hips
• ekadantaḥEkadanta, the one-tusked
• nitambakeat the seat
• lambodaraḥLambodara, the hanging-bellied
• sadāalways
• pātumay he guard
• guhyadeśeat the private parts
• mamamy
• aruṇaḥthe red one

anvaya gajavaktraḥ kaṭīdeśe ekadantaḥ nitambake aruṇaḥ lambodaraḥ sadā mama guhyadeśe pātu

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

• vyālayajñopavītīwhose sacred thread is a snake
• māmme
• pātumay he guard
• pādayugeat the two feet
• sadāalways
• jāpakaḥthe reciter
• sarvadāat all times
• pātumay he guard
• jānujaṅgheat the knees and shanks
• gaṇādhipaḥGanadhipa

anvaya vyālayajñopavītī mām sadā pādayuge pātu jāpakaḥ gaṇādhipaḥ sarvadā jānujaṅghe pātu

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

jāpakaḥ the reciter — The god is called the one who does the japa. What the worshipper is doing is given back to him as his own.

• hāridraḥHaridra, the turmeric-coloured
• sarvadāat all times
• pātumay he guard
• sarvāṅgeat every limb
• gaṇanāyakaḥthe leader of the ganas
• yaḥwhoever
• idamthis
• prapaṭhetrecites
• nityamdaily
• gaṇeśasyaof Ganesha
• maheśvariO great goddess

anvaya hāridraḥ gaṇanāyakaḥ sarvadā sarvāṅge pātu maheśvari yaḥ gaṇeśasya idam nityam prapaṭhet

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

note The list of limbs ends here and the account of what the armour does begins, running on through the next four verses.

• kavacamthe armour
• sarvasiddhākhyamcalled the one in which everything is achieved
• sarvavighnavināśanamwhich destroys every obstacle
• sarvasiddhikaramwhich brings every success
• sākṣātoutright
• sarvapāpavimocanamwhich lets a man loose from every wrong

anvaya sarvasiddhākhyam sarvavighnavināśanam sākṣāt sarvasiddhikaram sarvapāpavimocanam kavacam

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

• sarvasampatpradamwhich gives every kind of wealth
• sākṣātoutright
• sarvaduḥkhavimokṣaṇamwhich sets a man free of every sorrow
• sarvāpattipraśamanamwhich quiets every misfortune
• sarvaśatrukṣayaṅkaramwhich wears down every enemy

anvaya sākṣāt sarvasampatpradam sarvaduḥkhavimokṣaṇam sarvāpattipraśamanam sarvaśatrukṣayaṅkaram

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

• grahapīḍāthe trouble the planets bring
• jvarāḥfevers
• rogāḥsicknesses
• yewhich
• caand
• anyeothers
• guhyakādayaḥguhyakas and their kind
• paṭhanātfrom reciting
• dhāraṇātfrom wearing
• evaitself
• nāśamdestruction
• āyantithey come to
• tatkṣaṇātthat very moment

anvaya grahapīḍā jvarāḥ rogāḥ ye ca anye guhyakādayaḥ paṭhanāt dhāraṇāt eva tatkṣaṇāt nāśam āyanti

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

guhyaka guhyakas — Hidden beings who keep the treasures of the earth, counted with the yakshas.

dhāraṇāt from wearing — The armour is written out and worn on the body, which is why wearing it counts as much as saying it.

• dhanadhānyakaramwhich brings money and grain
• deviO goddess
• kavacamthe armour
• surapūjitamworshipped by the gods
• samamequal
• nanot
• astithere is
• maheśāniO great queen
• trailokyein the three worlds
• kavacasyato the armour
• caand

anvaya devi kavacam dhanadhānyakaram surapūjitam maheśāni trailokye ca kavacasya samam na asti

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

• hāridrasyaof Haridra
• mahādeviO great goddess
• vighnarājasyaof the king of obstacles
• bhūtaleon the face of the earth
• kimwhat use
• anyaiḥof other
• asadālāpaiḥidle talk
• yatrain which
• āyuḥa life
• vyayatāmspending away
• iyātwould go to

anvaya mahādevi bhūtale hāridrasya vighnarājasya [kavacasya samam na asti] anyaiḥ asadālāpaiḥ kim yatra āyuḥ vyayatām iyāt

chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

asadālāpa idle talk — Asat-alapa is talk about what is not worth talking about. The verse ends by dismissing everything else as a way of spending a life.

• itihere ends
• viśvasāratantrein the Vishvasara Tantra
• haridrāgaṇeśakavacamthe Haridra Ganesha armour
• sampūrṇamcomplete

anvaya iti viśvasāratantre haridrāgaṇeśakavacam sampūrṇam

chandas Prose, the colophon

viśvasāratantra the Vishvasara Tantra — A tantra that gathers material on many deities. Several well-known kavachas come from it.