- śrīgaṇanāthastotramthe hymn to Shri Gananatha
anvaya śrīgaṇanāthastotram
chandas Prose, the title
- garbhaḥthe child in the womb
- uvācasaid
anvaya garbhaḥ uvāca
chandas Prose, the speaker's line
garbha the child in the womb — An old belief, told in the Garbha Upanishad, is that the unborn child remembers its past births and longs to be free of them. The hymn is that child's prayer.
anāthānāṃ praṇāthāya vighneśāya namo namaḥ || 1 ||
- namaḥsalutation
- teto you
- gaṇanāthāyalord of the ganas
- brahmaṇeBrahman
- brahmarūpiṇewhose form is Brahman
- anāthānāmof those who have no one to protect them
- praṇāthāyathe protector
- vighneśāyato the lord of obstacles
- namaḥI bow
- namaḥagain
anvaya gaṇanāthāya brahmaṇe brahmarūpiṇe te namaḥ anāthānām praṇāthāya vighneśāya namaḥ namaḥ
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
anādaye pareśāya cādipūjyāya te namaḥ || 2 ||
- jyeṣṭharājāyathe eldest king
- devāyathe god
- devadeveśamūrtayewhose form is the lord of the god of gods
- anādayewho have no beginning
- pareśāyathe highest lord
- caand
- ādipūjyāyawho are worshipped first
- teto you
- namaḥsalutation
anvaya jyeṣṭharājāya devāya devadeveśamūrtaye anādaye pareśāya ādipūjyāya ca te namaḥ
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
ādipūjya worshipped first — Every rite begins with Ganapati, before any other god is called.
- sarvapūjyāyawhom should worship
- sarveṣāmall
- sarvarūpāyawhose form is everything
- teto you
- namaḥsalutation
anvaya sarveṣām sarvapūjyāya sarvarūpāya te namaḥ
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), the first half of verse 3
- sarvādayethe beginning of all
- parabrahmanO highest Brahman
- sarveśāyalord of all
- namaḥI bow
- namaḥagain
anvaya parabrahman sarvādaye sarveśāya namaḥ namaḥ
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), the second half of verse 3
gajamastakadhārāya gajeśāya namo namaḥ || 4 ||
- gajākārasvarūpāyawhose own form has the shape of an elephant
- gajākāramayāyawho are made of that shape
- teto you
- gajamastakadhārāyawho bear an elephant's head
- gajeśāyathe lord of elephants
- namaḥI bow
- namaḥagain
anvaya gajākārasvarūpāya gajākāramayāya gajamastakadhārāya gajeśāya te namaḥ namaḥ
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
gaja elephant — Ganapatya teaching also reads gaja as a word: ga, that into which all things go, and ja, that from which they are born. So the elephant form points to Brahman itself.
ādimadhyāntahīnāya tvādimadhyāntagāya te || 5 ||
- ādimadhyāntabhāvāyawho are the beginning, the middle and the end
- svānandapatayelord of Svananda
- namaḥsalutation
- ādimadhyāntahīnāyawho have no beginning, middle or end
- tuand yet
- ādimadhyāntagāyawho move through beginning, middle and end
- teto you
anvaya ādimadhyāntabhāvāya ādimadhyāntahīnāya tu ādimadhyāntagāya svānandapataye te namaḥ
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
siddhibuddhimayāyaiva brahmeśāya namo namaḥ || 6 ||
- siddhibuddhipradātrewho gives success and understanding
- caand
- siddhibuddhivihāriṇewho takes his delight with Siddhi and Buddhi
- siddhibuddhimayāyawho is made of success and understanding
- evahimself
- brahmeśāyato the lord of Brahman
- namaḥI bow
- namaḥagain
anvaya siddhibuddhipradātre siddhibuddhivihāriṇe ca siddhibuddhimayāya eva brahmeśāya namaḥ namaḥ
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
note Siddhi and Buddhi are his two consorts, and also the gifts of success and understanding. The verse uses the pair three times, in three senses.
māyināṃ māyayā nātha mohadāya namo namaḥ || 7 ||
- śivāyawho are Shiva
- śaktayeShakti
- caand
- evaalso
- viṣṇaveVishnu
- bhānurūpiṇewhose form is the sun
- māyināmthe masters of maya
- māyayāby your maya
- nāthaO lord
- mohadāyawho bewilder
- namaḥI bow
- namaḥagain
anvaya śivāya śaktaye viṣṇave ca eva bhānurūpiṇe nātha māyayā māyinām mohadāya namaḥ namaḥ
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
note Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu and the Sun are the other four of the five gods worshipped together in the Smarta home. The verse says Ganapati is all of them.
yoginaḥ śāntimāpannā atastvāṃ praṇamāmyaham || 8 ||
- kimhow
- staumican I praise
- tvāmyou
- gaṇādhīśaO lord of the ganas
- yatrabefore whom
- vedādayaḥthe Vedas and the rest
- aparefall short
- yoginaḥyogis
- śāntimstillness
- āpannāḥsink into
- ataḥso
- tvāmto you
- praṇamāmibow
- ahamI
anvaya gaṇādhīśa yatra vedādayaḥ apare yoginaḥ śāntim āpannāḥ tvām kim staumi ataḥ aham tvām praṇamāmi
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
janmamṛtyuvihīnaṃ vai kuruṣva te padapriyam || 9 ||
- rakṣasave
- māmme
- garbhaduḥkhātfrom the suffering of the womb
- tvamyou
- tvāmto you
- evaalone
- śaraṇāgatamwho have come for shelter
- janmamṛtyuvihīnamfree of birth and death
- vaisurely
- kuruṣvamake
- teyour
- padapriyamone who loves feet
anvaya tvām eva śaraṇāgatam mām tvam garbhaduḥkhāt rakṣa te padapriyam [mām] vai janmamṛtyuvihīnam kuruṣva
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas