śrī gaṇeśāṣṭakam

• śrīgaṇeśāṣṭakameight verses to Shri Ganesha
• vyāsakṛtammade by Vyasa

anvaya śrīgaṇeśāṣṭakam vyāsakṛtam

chandas Prose, the title

• gaṇapatiparivāramwhose attendants are the leaders of the ganas
• cārukeyūrahāramwho wears fine armlets and a necklace
• giridharavarasāramthe best strength of the mountain lord
• yoginīcakracāramwho moves in the circle of the yoginis
• bhavabhayaparihāramwho takes away the fear of worldly life
• duḥkhadāridryadūramwho keeps sorrow and poverty far off
• gaṇapatimGanapati
• abhivandeI bow to
• vakratuṇḍāvatāramwho came down as Vakratunda

anvaya gaṇapatiparivāram cārukeyūrahāram giridharavarasāram yoginīcakracāram bhavabhayaparihāram duḥkhadāridryadūram vakratuṇḍāvatāram gaṇapatim abhivande

chandas Mālinī, 15 syllables in each of 4 pādas

vakratuṇḍa Vakratunda — He of the curving trunk. In the Mudgala Purana this is the first of his eight descents, taken to overcome the demon of envy.

giridhara the mountain lord — Giridhara, one who bears a mountain, most often names Krishna. Here it most likely means Shiva of Kailasa, whose strength his son is.

yoginīcakra the circle of the yoginis — The ring of goddesses who attend the Great Mother in tantric worship, drawn as a circle around her.

• akhilamalavināśamwho destroys every impurity
• pāṇināin his hand
• hastapāśamwho holds a noose
• kanakagirinikāśamlike a mountain of gold
• sūryakoṭiprakāśamas bright as ten million suns
• bhajaworship
• bhavagirināśamwho wears down the mountain of worldly life
• mālatītīravāsamwho lives on the bank of the Malati
• gaṇapatimGanapati
• abhivandeI bow to
• mānaseon the lake of the mind
• rājahaṃsamthe royal swan

anvaya akhilamalavināśam pāṇinā hastapāśam kanakagirinikāśam sūryakoṭiprakāśam bhavagirināśam mālatītīravāsam bhaja mānase rājahaṃsam gaṇapatim abhivande

chandas Mālinī, 15 syllables in each of 4 pādas

mānasa the lake of the mind — Manasa is the mind, and also Lake Manasa in the Himalaya, where the royal swans are said to live. He is at home in the mind as the swan is at home on that lake.

note The Malati is named as if it were a river beside his shrine. The verse gives no more about the place.

• vividhamaṇimayūkhaiḥwith the light of many kinds of jewels
• śobhamānamshining
• vidūraiḥfar-reaching
• kanakaracitacitramworked in gold and bright
• kaṇṭhadeśeat his throat
• vicitrama wonder to see
• dadhatiwho wears
• vimalahārama spotless necklace
• sarvadāalways
• yatnasāramfinely made
• gaṇapatimGanapati
• abhivandeI bow to
• vakratuṇḍāvatāramwho came down as Vakratunda

anvaya kaṇṭhadeśe sarvadā vividhamaṇimayūkhaiḥ vidūraiḥ śobhamānam kanakaracitacitram vicitram yatnasāram vimalahāram dadhati vakratuṇḍāvatāram gaṇapatim abhivande

chandas Mālinī, 15 syllables in each of 4 pādas

• duritagajaman elephant against wrongdoing
• amandamtireless
• vāruṇīmVaruni
• caand
• evaalso
• vedamthe Veda
• viditamknown as
• akhilanādamevery sound
• nṛtyamthe dance
• ānandakandamthe root of joy
• dadhatiwho wears
• śaśisuvaktramthe moon, with a lovely face
• caand
• aṅkuśamthe goad
• yaḥwho
• viśeṣamas only he can
• gaṇapatimGanapati
• abhivandeI bow to
• sarvadāalways
• ānandakandamthe root of joy

anvaya yaḥ amandam duritagajam vāruṇīm ca eva vedam akhilanādam nṛtyam ānandakandam viditam śaśisuvaktram ca aṅkuśam viśeṣam dadhati sarvadā ānandakandam gaṇapatim abhivande

chandas Mālinī, 15 syllables in each of 4 pādas

note The wording of this verse is hard to construe as printed, so the meaning keeps close to the words as they stand. Varuni is the power of Varuna, lord of the waters.

• trinayanayutaphālewhose forehead has a third eye
• śobhamāneshining
• viśālebroad
• mukuṭamaṇisuḍhālelovely with the jewels of his crown
• mauktikānāmof pearls
• caand
• jālewith a net
• dhavalakusumamālewith a garland of white flowers
• yasyawhose
• śīrṣṇaḥhead
• satāleswaying in time
• gaṇapatimGanapati
• abhivandeI bow to
• sarvadāalways
• cakrapāṇimwho holds the discus in his hand

anvaya yasya śīrṣṇaḥ trinayanayutaphāle śobhamāne viśāle mukuṭamaṇisuḍhāle mauktikānām ca jāle dhavalakusumamāle satāle [tam] cakrapāṇim gaṇapatim sarvadā abhivande

chandas Mālinī, 15 syllables in each of 4 pādas

cakrapāṇi who holds the discus in his hand — A name usually given to Vishnu. Several of Ganapati's forms carry the discus too, among the weapons in his many hands.

• vapuṣiin form
• mahatigreat
• rūpamthe shape
• pīṭhama seat
• ādaufirst
• sudīpambright
• tadupariabove it
• rasakoṇama six-cornered figure
• tasyathat
• caand
• ūrdhvamabove
• trikoṇama triangle
• gajamitadalapadmama lotus with as many petals as the elephants of the directions
• saṃsthitamset there
• cāruchadmamunder a fine canopy
• gaṇapatimGanapati
• abhivandeI bow to
• kalpavṛkṣasyaof wishing trees
• vṛndeamong a grove

anvaya mahati vapuṣi rūpam ādau sudīpam pīṭham tadupari rasakoṇam tasya ca ūrdhvam trikoṇam gajamitadalapadmam cāruchadmam saṃsthitam kalpavṛkṣasya vṛnde gaṇapatim abhivande

chandas Mālinī, 15 syllables in each of 4 pādas

rasakoṇa a six-cornered figure — Rasa, taste, stands for six, the number of tastes. The six-cornered star and the triangle are drawn in Ganapati's yantra.

gajamita as many as the elephants of the directions — Eight elephants hold up the eight quarters of the sky, so the lotus has eight petals.

note The verse describes the yantra, the drawn figure in which he is worshipped, built up layer on layer. The grove of wishing trees is where his meditation verses place him, on an island of jewels.

• varadaviśadaśastamwhich gives boons, bright and praised
• dakṣiṇamright
• yasyawhose
• hastamhand
• sadayamkind
• abhayadamwhich gives safety
• tamhim
• cintayeI think of
• cittasaṃsthamseated in my mind
• śabalakuṭilaśuṇḍamwhose trunk is mottled and curving
• caand
• ekatuṇḍamwith one face
• dvituṇḍamwith two
• gaṇapatimGanapati
• abhivandeI bow to
• sarvadāalways
• vakratuṇḍamVakratunda

anvaya yasya dakṣiṇam hastam varadaviśadaśastam sadayam abhayadam [asti] tam cittasaṃstham cintaye śabalakuṭilaśuṇḍam ekatuṇḍam ca dvituṇḍam vakratuṇḍam gaṇapatim sarvadā abhivande

chandas Mālinī, 15 syllables in each of 4 pādas

note One face and two: he is worshipped both in his usual form and as Dvimukha, the two-faced Ganapati of the thirty-two forms.

• kalpadrumādhaḥunder the wishing tree
• sthitakāmadhenumbeside whom the wish-cow stands
• cintāmaṇimthe wishing gem
• dakṣiṇapāṇiśuṇḍamin his right hand and his trunk
• bibhrāṇamholding
• atyadbhutacitrarūpamwhose form is wonderful and full of colour
• yaḥwhoever
• pūjayetworships
• tasyahis
• samastasiddhiḥis every success

anvaya kalpadrumādhaḥ sthitakāmadhenum dakṣiṇapāṇiśuṇḍam cintāmaṇim bibhrāṇam atyadbhutacitrarūpam [tam] yaḥ pūjayet tasya samastasiddhiḥ

chandas Upajāti, 11 syllables in each of 4 pādas; here every line is Indravajrā

cintāmaṇi the wishing gem — The jewel that gives whatever its holder thinks of. With the wishing tree and the wish-cow it makes three pictures of the same gift.

• phalaśrutiḥthe account of what they give

anvaya phalaśrutiḥ

chandas Prose, a heading

• vyāsāṣṭakameight verses by Vyasa
• idamthese
• puṇyamholy
• gaṇeśastavanamin praise of Ganesha
• nṛṇāmfor people
• paṭhatāmwho read them
• duḥkhanāśāyaput an end to sorrow
• vidyāmlearning
• saśriyamwith wealth
• aśnutegains

anvaya idam puṇyam gaṇeśastavanam vyāsāṣṭakam paṭhatām nṛṇām duḥkhanāśāya [bhavati] [pāṭhakaḥ] saśriyam vidyām aśnute

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