śrī gaṇeśa mantraprabhāva stutiḥ

• omOm
• itias
• ādaufirst
• vedavidaḥthe knowers of the Veda
• yamwhom
• pravadantisay
• brahmādyāḥBrahma and the other gods
• yamto whom
• lokavidhānewhen making the worlds
• praṇamantibow
• yaḥwho
• antaryāmīthe inner ruler
• prāṇigaṇānāmof all that breathe
• hṛdayasthaḥliving in the hearts
• tamthat
• vighneśamlord of obstacles
• duḥkhavināśamwho destroys sorrow
• kalayāmiI hold in mind

anvaya vedavidaḥ yam ādau om iti pravadanti brahmādyāḥ lokavidhāne yam praṇamanti yaḥ prāṇigaṇānām hṛdayasthaḥ antaryāmī tam duḥkhavināśam vighneśam kalayāmi

chandas Moric, 22 beats to the line in the shape of Mattamayūra; a long syllable often stands in for two short ones

mantraprabhāva the power of the mantra — The hymn is built on the mantra om gam ganapataye namah. Each verse opens with its next syllable in order and says what that syllable does.

antaryāmī the inner ruler — The self that guides every creature from within, as the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad teaches.

• gaṅgāgaurīśaṅkarasantoṣakavṛttamwhose ways delight Ganga, Gauri and Shankara
• gandharvālīgītacaritramwhose deeds rows of gandharvas sing
• supavitramwholly pure
• yaḥwho
• devānāmof the gods
• ādiḥthe first
• anādiḥwithout beginning
• jagadīśaḥlord of the world
• tamthat
• vighneśamlord of obstacles
• duḥkhavināśamwho destroys sorrow
• kalayāmiI hold in mind

anvaya yaḥ devānām ādiḥ anādiḥ jagadīśaḥ gaṅgāgaurīśaṅkarasantoṣakavṛttam gandharvālīgītacaritram supavitram tam duḥkhavināśam vighneśam kalayāmi

chandas Moric, 22 beats to the line in the shape of Mattamayūra; a long syllable often stands in for two short ones

note The verse for gam, which rings in its first word, gaṅgā.

• gacchetwill reach
• siddhimsuccess
• yanmanujāpīone who repeats his mantra
• kāryāṇāmin his work
• gantāwill get
• pāramacross
• saṃsṛtisindhoḥthe ocean of worldly life
• yadvettāone who knows him
• garvagrantheḥthe knot of pride
• yaḥwho
• kilatruly
• bhettācuts through
• gaṇarājaḥthe king of the ganas
• tamthat
• vighneśamlord of obstacles
• duḥkhavināśamwho destroys sorrow
• kalayāmiI hold in mind

anvaya yanmanujāpī kāryāṇām siddhim gacchet yadvettā saṃsṛtisindhoḥ pāram gantā yaḥ gaṇarājaḥ kila garvagrantheḥ bhettā tam duḥkhavināśam vighneśam kalayāmi

chandas Moric, 22 beats to the line in the shape of Mattamayūra; a long syllable often stands in for two short ones

note The verse for ga. All three lines open on the sound: gacchet, gantā, garva.

chandas Moric, 22 beats to the line in the shape of Mattamayūra; a long syllable often stands in for two short ones

bīja seed syllable — A one-syllable mantra that holds a god's power the way a seed holds a tree.

ātharvaṇa the Atharvana — The Ganapati Atharvashirsha, the Upanishad of the Atharva Veda that sets out his mantra.

note This should be the verse for na, the fourth syllable of the mantra, which seems to be hidden in the damaged first word. māthvaraṇa in the third line is a printing slip for mātharvaṇa, as the metre shows.

• padbhyāmat the two feet
• padmaśrīmadahṛdbhyāmwhich take the pride out of the lotus's beauty
• pratyūṣeat dawn
• mūlādhārāmbhoruhabhāsvadbhānubhyāmwhich are bright suns to the lotus at the root of the spine
• yogīthe yogi
• yasyawhose
• pratyahamevery day
• ajapārpaṇadakṣaḥskilled in offering the unspoken prayer of the breath
• tamthat
• vighneśamlord of obstacles
• duḥkhavināśamwho destroys sorrow
• kalayāmiI hold in mind

anvaya yasya padmaśrīmadahṛdbhyām mūlādhārāmbhoruhabhāsvadbhānubhyām padbhyām yogī pratyaham pratyūṣe ajapārpaṇadakṣaḥ [bhavati] tam duḥkhavināśam vighneśam kalayāmi

chandas Moric, 22 beats to the line in the shape of Mattamayūra; a long syllable often stands in for two short ones

mūlādhāra the lotus at the root of the spine — The lowest of the lotuses of yoga. Ganapati is the god seated there.

ajapā the unspoken prayer of the breath — The breath itself, counted as 21,600 breaths a day and offered as a prayer that is never said aloud. The first share of it goes to Ganapati.

note The verse for pa.

• tattvamthe truth
• yasyawhose
• śrutiguruvākyaiḥfrom scripture and the teacher's words
• adhigatyahaving learned
• jñānīthe knower
• prārabdhānubhavāntewhen the karma already in motion has run its course
• nijadhāmato his true home
• śāntāvidyaḥwith ignorance put to rest
• tatkṛtabodhaḥawakened by him
• svayamof himself
• īyātgoes
• tamthat
• vighneśamlord of obstacles
• duḥkhavināśamwho destroys sorrow
• kalayāmiI hold in mind

anvaya jñānī yasya tattvam śrutiguruvākyaiḥ adhigatya śāntāvidyaḥ tatkṛtabodhaḥ prārabdhānubhavānte svayam nijadhāma īyāt tam duḥkhavināśam vighneśam kalayāmi

chandas Moric, 22 beats to the line in the shape of Mattamayūra; a long syllable often stands in for two short ones

prārabdha the karma already in motion — The part of past karma that has already begun to bear fruit, like an arrow already shot. Even one who knows the truth lives it out before the body falls.

note The verse for ta.

• yeall
• yethe
• bhogāḥgood things of life
• lokahitārthāḥthat serve the world's welfare
• sapumārthāḥtogether with the aims of life
• yeall
• yethe
• yogāḥyogas
• sādhyasulokāḥthat win the good worlds
• sukṛtārthāḥthe goal of good deeds
• tethey
• sarveall
• syuḥcome
• yanmanujapataḥwho repeat his mantra
• puruṣāṇāmto people
• tamthat
• vighneśamlord of obstacles
• duḥkhavināśamwho destroys sorrow
• kalayāmiI hold in mind

anvaya ye ye lokahitārthāḥ sapumārthāḥ bhogāḥ ye ye sādhyasulokāḥ sukṛtārthāḥ yogāḥ te sarve yanmanujapataḥ puruṣāṇām syuḥ tam duḥkhavināśam vighneśam kalayāmi

chandas Moric, 22 beats to the line in the shape of Mattamayūra; a long syllable often stands in for two short ones

note The verse for ye.

• natvābowing
• nityamevery day
• yasyawhose
• padābjamlotus feet
• muhuḥagain and again
• arthīone who comes asking
• nirdvaitātmākhaṇḍasukhaḥwhose self knows no second and whose joy is unbroken
• syātbecomes
• hatamohaḥrid of delusion
• kāmānwhat he wishes for
• prāpnotigets
• itithat
• kimwhat
• āścaryamwonder
• idānīmthen
• tamthat
• vighneśamlord of obstacles
• duḥkhavināśamwho destroys sorrow
• kalayāmiI hold in mind

anvaya arthī yasya padābjam nityam muhuḥ natvā hatamohaḥ nirdvaitātmākhaṇḍasukhaḥ syāt kāmān prāpnoti iti idānīm kim āścaryam tam duḥkhavināśam vighneśam kalayāmi

chandas Moric, 22 beats to the line in the shape of Mattamayūra; a long syllable often stands in for two short ones

note The verse for na. Freedom is the greater gift, so the smaller ones follow as a matter of course.

• mastaprodyaccandrakiśoramon whose head the young moon rises
• karivaktramwhose face is an elephant's
• pustākṣasrakpāśasṛṇīsphītakarābjamwhose lotus hands are full with a book, a rosary, the noose and the goad
• śūrpaśrotramwhose ears are like winnowing fans
• sundaragātramwhose body is beautiful
• śivaputramShiva's son
• tamthat
• vighneśamlord of obstacles
• duḥkhavināśamwho destroys sorrow
• kalayāmiI hold in mind

anvaya mastaprodyaccandrakiśoram karivaktram pustākṣasrakpāśasṛṇīsphītakarābjam śūrpaśrotram sundaragātram śivaputram tam duḥkhavināśam vighneśam kalayāmi

chandas Moric, 22 beats to the line in the shape of Mattamayūra; a long syllable often stands in for two short ones

note The verse for mah, the last syllable of the mantra. It closes with a picture of him to meditate on.

• siddhāntārthāmfull of settled teaching
• siddhigaṇeśastutimhymn to Siddhi Ganesha
• enāmthis
• subrahmaṇyāhvayasūryuktāmspoken by the learned man named Subrahmanya
• anuyuktāmwell put together
• uktvāreciting
• śrutvāor hearing
• apekṣitakāryamthe work he has in hand
• nirvighnamwith no obstacle
• muktvāshedding
• mohamdelusion
• bodhamawakening
• upeyātcomes to
• tadbhaktaḥhis devotee

anvaya tadbhaktaḥ siddhāntārthām subrahmaṇyāhvayasūryuktām anuyuktām enām siddhigaṇeśastutim uktvā śrutvā apekṣitakāryam nirvighnam [sādhayet] moham muktvā bodham upeyāt

chandas Moric, 22 beats to the line in the shape of Mattamayūra; a long syllable often stands in for two short ones

siddhigaṇeśa Siddhi Ganesha — Ganesha as giver of success, often shown with Siddhi, his consort of that name.