śrī gaṇeśa nāmāṣṭakam

• śrīgaṇeśanāmāṣṭakamthe eight names of Shri Ganesha

anvaya śrīgaṇeśanāmāṣṭakam

chandas Prose, the title

nāmāṣṭaka the eight names — Unlike most name-lists this one stops at each name and takes it apart, saying what the syllables mean and why the name fits.

note Vishnu is speaking to Parvati about her own son, and the hymn is as much a piece of word-explaining as it is praise.

• śrīviṣṇuḥShri Vishnu
• uvācasaid

anvaya śrīviṣṇuḥ uvāca

chandas Prose, a speaker's line

note The words in brackets are a Hindi translation printed in the source.

• gaṇeśamGanesha
• ekadantamEkadanta
• caand
• herambamHeramba
• vighnanāyakamVighnanayaka
• lambodaramLambodara
• śūrpakarṇamShurpakarna
• gajavaktramGajavaktra
• guhāgrajamGuhagraja

anvaya gaṇeśam ekadantam ca herambam vighnanāyakam lambodaram śūrpakarṇam gajavaktram guhāgrajam

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

note The eight names are given first as a list; each is then taken up in its own verse.

• nāmāṣṭārthamthe meaning of the eight names
• caand
• putrasyaof your son
• śṛṇuhear
• mātaḥO mother
• harapriyeO dear one of Hara
• stotrāṇāmof hymns
• sārabhūtamthe pith
• caand
• sarvavighnaharamwhich takes every obstacle away
• paramthe best

anvaya mātaḥ harapriye putrasya nāmāṣṭārtham ca śṛṇu [etat] stotrāṇām sārabhūtam ca sarvavighnaharam param

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

• jñānārthavācakaḥstanding for knowledge
• gaḥthe sound ga
• caand
• ṇaḥthe sound na
• caand
• nirvāṇavācakaḥstanding for release
• tayoḥof those two
• īśamthe lord
• paramthe highest
• brahmaBrahman
• gaṇeśamGanesha
• praṇamāmiI bow to
• ahamI

anvaya gaḥ ca jñānārthavācakaḥ ṇaḥ ca nirvāṇavācakaḥ tayoḥ īśam param brahma gaṇeśam aham praṇamāmi

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

nirvāṇa release — Nirvana is a flame going out. Here it stands for the end of the round of birth, which is the other half of what the name holds.

note The hymn reads the name ga-na-isha as knowledge and release with a lord over both.

• ekaśabdaḥthe word one
• pradhānārthaḥmeans what comes first
• dantaḥtusk
• caand
• balavācakaḥstands for strength
• balamstrength
• pradhānamcomes first
• sarvasmātof everything
• ekadantamEkadanta
• namāmiI bow to
• ahamI

anvaya ekaśabdaḥ pradhānārthaḥ dantaḥ ca balavācakaḥ sarvasmāt balam pradhānam [ataḥ] aham ekadantam namāmi

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

• dīnārthavācakaḥstanding for the helpless
• hethe sound he
• caand
• rambaḥthe sound ramba
• pālakavācakaḥstanding for the one who keeps them
• dīnānāmof the helpless
• paripālakamthe keeper
• herambamHeramba
• praṇamāmiI bow to
• ahamI

anvaya dīnārthavācakaḥ he ca rambaḥ pālakavācakaḥ dīnānām paripālakam herambam praṇamāmi aham

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

dīna the helpless — Dina is a person with nothing left to fall back on. It is the word used in Sanskrit for the poor and the beaten.

• vipattivācakaḥstanding for misfortune
• vighnaḥthe word vighna
• nāyakaḥnayaka
• khaṇḍanārthakaḥmeans breaking
• vipatkhaṇḍanakārakamthe one who breaks misfortune apart
• namāmiI bow to
• vighnanāyakamVighnanayaka

anvaya vighnaḥ vipattivācakaḥ nāyakaḥ khaṇḍanārthakaḥ vipatkhaṇḍanakārakam vighnanāyakam namāmi

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

note Nayaka usually means a leader. The hymn takes it in its other sense, from the root that means to break, so that the name says what he does to trouble rather than what he is over.

• viṣṇudattaiḥgiven by Vishnu
• caand
• naivedyaiḥwith offerings of food
• yasyawhose
• lambodaramthe hanging belly
• purālong ago
• pitrāby his father
• dattaiḥgiven
• caand
• vividhaiḥof many kinds
• vandeI bow to
• lambodaramLambodara
• caand
• tamhim

anvaya purā viṣṇudattaiḥ naivedyaiḥ ca pitrā dattaiḥ vividhaiḥ ca yasya lambodaram [abhavat] tam lambodaram ca vande

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

• śūrpākāraushaped like winnowing baskets
• caand
• yatkarṇauwhose two ears
• vighnavāraṇakāraṇauwhich keep obstacles off
• sampadauwealth itself
• jñānarūpauknowledge itself
• caand
• śūrpakarṇamShurpakarna
• namāmiI bow to
• ahamI

anvaya yatkarṇau śūrpākārau ca vighnavāraṇakāraṇau sampadau jñānarūpau ca [tam] śūrpakarṇam aham namāmi

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

śūrpa a winnowing basket — The flat cane tray that lets the chaff blow off and keeps the grain. Ears of that shape keep what is worth keeping.

• viṣṇuprasādapuṣpamthe flower that had been offered to Vishnu
• caand
• yanmūrdhnion whose head
• munidattakamgiven by the sages
• tamhim
• gajendravaktrayuktamwhose face is the face of the best of elephants
• gajavaktramGajavaktra
• namāmiI bow to
• ahamI

anvaya yanmūrdhni munidattakam viṣṇuprasādapuṣpam ca [āsīt] tam gajendravaktrayuktam gajavaktram aham namāmi

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

prasāda what has been offered — Prasada is what is given back after being offered. To put it on someone's head is the plainest blessing there is.

• guhasyaof Guha
• agrebefore
• caand
• jātaḥborn
• ayamthis one
• āvirbhūtaḥappearing
• harālayein Hara's house
• vandeI bow to
• guhāgrajamGuhagraja
• devamthe god
• sarvadevāgrapūjitamwho is worshipped before all the gods

anvaya ayam guhasya agre jātaḥ ca harālaye āvirbhūtaḥ sarvadevāgrapūjitam devam guhāgrajam vande

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

guha Guha — A name of Kartikeya, the one who was hidden. Agraja is the one born first, so the name places the two brothers in order.

• phalaśrutiḥthe account of what it gives

anvaya phalaśrutiḥ

chandas Prose, a heading

• etatthis
• nāmāṣṭakamhymn of eight names
• stotramhymn
• nānārthasamyutamwith all its meanings
• śubhamgood
• trisandhyamat the three turns of the day
• yaḥwhoever
• paṭhetrecites
• nityamevery day
• saḥhe
• sukhīhappy
• sarvataḥon every side
• jayīwinning

anvaya yaḥ etat nānārthasamyutam śubham nāmāṣṭakam stotram nityam trisandhyam paṭhet saḥ sukhī sarvataḥ jayī

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

• tataḥthen
• vighnāḥobstacles
• palāyanterun away
• vainateyātfrom Garuda
• yathāas
• uragāḥsnakes
• gaṇeśvaraprasādenaby the grace of Ganeshvara
• mahājñānīa man of great knowledge
• bhavethe becomes
• dhruvamcertainly

anvaya tataḥ vighnāḥ palāyante yathā vainateyāt uragāḥ gaṇeśvaraprasādena dhruvam mahājñānī bhavet

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

vainateya Garuda — The son of Vinata, the eagle who eats snakes. Nothing scatters faster than a snake at his shadow.

• putrārthīa man who wants a son
• labhategets
• putrama son
• bhāryārthīa man who wants a wife
• vipulāmfine
• striyama woman
• mahājaḍaḥthe dullest of men
• kavīndraḥa prince of poets
• caand
• vidyāvāna man of learning
• caand
• bhavetbecomes
• dhruvamwithout fail

anvaya putrārthī putram labhate bhāryārthī vipulām striyam [labhate] mahājaḍaḥ ca kavīndraḥ vidyāvān ca dhruvam bhavet

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

note The promise made to the dull-witted is the one most often quoted from this hymn.