vighneśvara aṣṭottara śata nāma stotram

• vināyakaḥthe one who leads, and who has no one over him
• vighnarājaḥthe king of obstacles
• gaurīputraḥthe son of Gauri
• gaṇeśvaraḥthe lord of the ganas
• skandāgrajaḥborn before Skanda
• avyayaḥnever running out
• pūtaḥclean
• dakṣaḥdeft
• adhyakṣaḥpresiding
• dvijapriyaḥdear to the twice-born

anvaya vināyakaḥ vighnarājaḥ gaurīputraḥ gaṇeśvaraḥ skandāgrajaḥ avyayaḥ pūtaḥ dakṣaḥ adhyakṣaḥ dvijapriyaḥ

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

note The hundred and eight names of Vighneshvara, strung into verse. The last verses say who first said them and what to do with them.

• agnigarvacchitwho broke the pride of fire
• indraśrīpradaḥwho gave Indra his fortune
• vāṇīpradaḥthe giver of speech
• avyayaḥnever running out
• sarvasiddhipradaḥthe giver of every success
• śarvatanayaḥthe son of Sharva
• śarvarīpriyaḥthe one who loves the night

anvaya agnigarvacchit indraśrīpradaḥ vāṇīpradaḥ avyayaḥ sarvasiddhipradaḥ śarvatanayaḥ śarvarīpriyaḥ

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

note Other copies read agnigarbhacchid, who cut open the womb that held fire.

• sarvātmakaḥthe self of everything
• sṛṣṭikartāthe maker of all that is made
• devaḥthe god
• anekārcitaḥwhom many have worshipped
• śivaḥthe kindly one
• śuddhaḥthe pure one
• buddhipriyaḥwho loves good sense
• śāntaḥthe quiet one
• brahmacārīthe keeper of the student's vow
• gajānanaḥthe elephant-faced

anvaya sarvātmakaḥ sṛṣṭikartā devaḥ anekārcitaḥ śivaḥ śuddhaḥ buddhipriyaḥ śāntaḥ brahmacārī gajānanaḥ

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

• dvaimātreyaḥthe child of two mothers
• munistutyaḥpraised by the sages
• bhaktavighnavināśanaḥthe destroyer of the obstacles of those who love him
• ekadantaḥthe one-tusked
• caturbāhuḥthe four-armed
• caturaḥthe clever one
• śaktisaṃyutaḥthe one joined with his Shakti

anvaya dvaimātreyaḥ munistutyaḥ bhaktavighnavināśanaḥ ekadantaḥ caturbāhuḥ caturaḥ śaktisaṃyutaḥ

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

• lambodaraḥthe hanging-bellied
• śūrpakarṇaḥwhose ears are winnowing baskets
• haraḥHara
• brahmaviduttamaḥthe best of those who know Brahman
• kālaḥtime itself
• grahapatiḥthe lord of the planets
• kāmīthe one who wants, and is wanted
• somasūryāgnilocanaḥwhose eyes are moon, sun and fire

anvaya lambodaraḥ śūrpakarṇaḥ haraḥ brahmaviduttamaḥ kālaḥ grahapatiḥ kāmī somasūryāgnilocanaḥ

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

note Where this copy reads haraḥ and kālaḥ, the other recension of the same hymn reads hariḥ and kāvyaḥ.

• pāśāṅkuśadharaḥwho holds the noose and the goad
• caṇḍaḥthe fierce one
• guṇātītaḥpast the three strands of nature
• nirañjanaḥwithout a smudge on him
• akalmaṣaḥwithout a stain
• svayaṃsiddhaḥcome to his own perfection
• siddhārcitapadāmbujaḥwhose lotus feet the perfected worship

anvaya pāśāṅkuśadharaḥ caṇḍaḥ guṇātītaḥ nirañjanaḥ akalmaṣaḥ svayaṃsiddhaḥ siddhārcitapadāmbujaḥ

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

• bījapūraphalāsaktaḥfond of the citron
• varadaḥthe giver of boons
• śāśvataḥthe one who does not end
• kṛtīthe one who gets things done
• vidvatpriyaḥdear to the learned
• vītabhayaḥwhom fear has left
• gadīthe one with the mace
• cakrīthe one with the disc
• ikṣucāpadhṛtwho carries the sugar-cane bow

anvaya bījapūraphalāsaktaḥ varadaḥ śāśvataḥ kṛtī vidvatpriyaḥ vītabhayaḥ gadī cakrī ikṣucāpadhṛt

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

• śrīdaḥthe giver of fortune
• ajaḥthe unborn
• utpalakaraḥwith a lotus in his hand
• śrīpatiḥthe lord of fortune
• stutiharṣitaḥdelighted by praise
• kulādribhettāwho split the mountain of his line
• jaṭilaḥwith matted hair
• kalikalmaṣanāśanaḥwho wipes out the stain of the Kali age

anvaya śrīdaḥ ajaḥ utpalakaraḥ śrīpatiḥ stutiharṣitaḥ kulādribhettā jaṭilaḥ kalikalmaṣanāśanaḥ

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

• candracūḍāmaṇiḥwith the moon for a crest jewel
• kāntaḥthe lovely one
• pāpahārīwho carries wrongdoing away
• samāhitaḥwhose mind is gathered
• āśritaśrīkaraḥwho makes those who come to him prosper
• saumyaḥthe gentle one
• bhaktavāñchitadāyakaḥwho gives his devotees what they long for

anvaya candracūḍāmaṇiḥ kāntaḥ pāpahārī samāhitaḥ āśritaśrīkaraḥ saumyaḥ bhaktavāñchitadāyakaḥ

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

note aśrita is printed for āśrita.

• śāntaḥthe quiet one
• kaivalyasukhadaḥwho gives the happiness of freedom
• saccidānandavigrahaḥwhose body is being, awareness and joy
• jñānīthe one who knows
• dayāyutaḥfull of kindness
• dāntaḥwith himself in hand
• brahmadveṣavivarjitaḥin whom there is no hatred of the sacred

anvaya śāntaḥ kaivalyasukhadaḥ saccidānandavigrahaḥ jñānī dayāyutaḥ dāntaḥ brahmadveṣavivarjitaḥ

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

kaivalya freedom — Kaivalya is being wholly oneself, with nothing else mixed in.

• pramattadaityabhayadaḥwho puts fear into reckless demons
• śrīkaṇṭhaḥShrikantha
• vibudheśvaraḥthe lord of the wise ones
• ramārcitaḥworshipped by Rama
• nidhiḥthe store of treasure
• nāgarājayajñopavītavānwhose sacred thread is the king of snakes

anvaya pramattadaityabhayadaḥ śrīkaṇṭhaḥ vibudheśvaraḥ ramārcitaḥ nidhiḥ nāgarājayajñopavītavān

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

śrīkaṇṭhaḥ Shrikantha — The one with the beautiful throat, a name of Shiva, given here to the son.

• sthūlakaṇṭhaḥthe thick-throated
• svayaṅkartāwho makes himself
• sāmaghoṣapriyaḥwho loves the sound of the Saman
• paraḥthe supreme
• sthūlatuṇḍaḥthe thick-trunked
• agraṇīḥthe one who goes in front
• dhīraḥthe steady one
• vāgīśaḥthe lord of speech
• siddhidāyakaḥthe giver of success

anvaya sthūlakaṇṭhaḥ svayaṅkartā sāmaghoṣapriyaḥ paraḥ sthūlatuṇḍaḥ agraṇīḥ dhīraḥ vāgīśaḥ siddhidāyakaḥ

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

• dūrvābilvapriyaḥwho loves durva grass and bilva leaves
• avyaktamūrtiḥwhose form is not shown
• adbhutamūrtimānwhose form is a wonder
• śailendratanujotsaṅgakhelanotsukamānasaḥwhose heart is set on playing in the lap of the mountain king's daughter

anvaya dūrvābilvapriyaḥ avyaktamūrtiḥ adbhutamūrtimān śailendratanujotsaṅgakhelanotsukamānasaḥ

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

utsaṅga the lap — The lap a child is held in. Two names in a row make him formless and then a child at play.

• svalāvaṇyasudhāsārajitamanmathavigrahaḥwhose beauty, a flood of nectar, has outdone the god of desire
• samastajagadādhāraḥwho holds up the whole world
• māyīwho wields maya
• mūṣakavāhanaḥwho rides a mouse

anvaya svalāvaṇyasudhāsārajitamanmathavigrahaḥ samastajagadādhāraḥ māyī mūṣakavāhanaḥ

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

• hṛṣṭaḥglad
• tuṣṭaḥcontented
• prasannātmāclear and kind in himself
• sarvasiddhipradāyakaḥthe giver of every success
• aṣṭottaraśatenawith the hundred and eight
• evamin this way
• nāmnāmof names
• vighneśvaramVighneshvara
• vibhumthe mighty

anvaya hṛṣṭaḥ tuṣṭaḥ prasannātmā sarvasiddhipradāyakaḥ evam nāmnām aṣṭottaraśatena vibhum vighneśvaram

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

note The names end in the middle of this verse, and the sentence that began with them runs on into the next.

• tuṣṭāvapraised
• śaṅkaraḥShankara
• putramhis son
• tripuramTripura
• hantumto destroy
• udyataḥsetting out
• yaḥwhoever
• pūjayetworships
• anenawith this
• evaitself
• bhaktyāwith devotion
• siddhivināyakamSiddhivinayaka

anvaya tripuram hantum udyataḥ śaṅkaraḥ putram tuṣṭāva yaḥ anena eva bhaktyā siddhivināyakam pūjayet

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

tripuram Tripura — The three flying cities of the asuras, burned by Shiva with a single arrow. The story goes that his chariot broke down first because he had not saluted his son, which is why the hymn is placed here.

note This recension names the speaker: the hymn is Shiva's, said before the battle.

• dūrvādalaiḥwith blades of durva
• bilvapatraiḥwith bilva leaves
• puṣpaiḥwith flowers
• vāor
• candanākṣataiḥwith sandal and unbroken rice
• sarvānall
• kāmānthe things he wants
• avāpnotihe gets
• sarvavighnaiḥfrom every obstacle
• pramucyatehe is let loose

anvaya dūrvādalaiḥ bilvapatraiḥ puṣpaiḥ vā candanākṣataiḥ [saḥ] sarvān kāmān avāpnoti sarvavighnaiḥ pramucyate

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

akṣata unbroken rice — Whole rice grains, offered because what is unhurt is fit to give. The word means exactly that: not broken.

note The offerings named are deliberately small: grass, a leaf, a flower, a little sandal and rice.