Ganesha
Gajananam
गजाननं भूतगणादिसेवितं कपित्थजम्बूफलचारुभक्षणम् । उमासुतं शोकविनाशकारकं नमामि विघ्नेश्वरपादपङ्कजम् ॥
Gajānanaṁ bhūtagaṇādi-sevitaṁ kapittha-jambū-phala-cāru-bhakṣaṇam, umāsutaṁ śoka-vināśa-kārakaṁ namāmi vighneśvara-pāda-paṅkajam
Simple reading: Ga-jaa-na-nam bhoo-ta-ga-naa-di se-vi-tam, ka-pit-tha jam-boo pha-la chaa-ru bhak-sha-nam, u-maa-su-tam sho-ka vi-naa-sha kaa-ra-kam, na-maa-mi vigh-ne-shva-ra paa-da pan-ka-jam
About this mantra
A beloved vandana to the elephant-faced lord — four lines that say what he is, what he eats, whose son he is, and end at his feet.
Meaning
I bow to the lotus feet of the lord of obstacles — elephant-faced, attended by the ganas, delighting in kapittha and jambu fruits, son of Uma, destroyer of sorrow. The epithets are chosen for reassurance: he is easy to please — simple wild fruit delights him — and near at hand, Uma's own child. Sorrow, the verse says, is destroyed not by force but by his remembered presence.
When to recite it
Sung at the opening of pujas and satsangs — its metre invites a group. Fitting before family functions, and through the Ganeshotsav days while the murti is home.
Word by word
- गजाननंgajānanaṁ
- the elephant-faced one
- भूतगणादिसेवितंbhūtagaṇādi-sevitaṁ
- served by the ganas and beings
- कपित्थजम्बूफलचारुभक्षणम्kapittha-jambū-phala-cāru-bhakṣaṇam
- who delights in eating wood-apple and jambu fruit
- उमासुतंumāsutaṁ
- son of Uma (Parvati)
- शोकविनाशकारकंśoka-vināśa-kārakaṁ
- destroyer of sorrow
- नमामिnamāmi
- I bow
- विघ्नेश्वरपादपङ्कजम्vighneśvara-pāda-paṅkajam
- to the lotus feet of the lord of obstacles
Source: Traditional Gaṇeśa vandana (prayer corpus)