Various supplications

Ganesh Chalisa

Jai Jai vandana bhuvana | nandana gauri ganesha ||
dukha dvandvana phandana harana | sundara suvana mahesha ||

 

Glory, Glory, all glory to you, O Ganesha; the whole world pays homage to you, for you are the joy of Gauri and the charming son of Shiva. You are the remover of all pairs of opposites (such as joy and sadness, birth and death, attraction and repulsion, etc.) and liberators of these.

 

Jayati sambhu-suta gauri-nandana | vighna harana nasana bhava-phandana ||
jai gananayaka janasukha dayaka | vishva vinayaka buddhi-vidhayaka ||

 

Glory to you, O son of Shambu and joy of Gauri; you are the destroyer of all obstacles and liberators of all from the cycle of birth and death. Glory to you, O guide of Shiva's henchmen, the guarantor of happiness for all your worshipers, teachers of all and the operator of the mind!

 

Eka radana gaja badana virajata | vakratunda suchi sumda susajata ||
tilaka tripunda bhala sasi sohata | chabi sakhi sura nara muni mana mohata ||

 

O Ganesh (Vakratunda), shiny is the only tusk that you have in your elephant face and is well decorated your holy body; the crescent-shaped triple mark on your forehead is as beautiful as the moon, and the celestials, people, and ascetics who saw your kindness can not write that spell.

 

Ura mani-mala sarohuna lochana | ratna mukuta sira socha vimochana ||
kara kuthara suchi subhaga trishulam | modaka bhoga sugandhita phulam ||

 

On your breast is a wreath of jewels, in your eyes the beauty is the fully-bloomed lotus and on your head there are a lot of gemstones. You free your followers from fear and swing a sacred ax and have a nice trident in hand. Sweet Laddus among the delicacies and fragrant flowers among the flowers are your favorites.

 

Sundara pitambara tana sajita | charana paduka muni mana rajita ||
dhani shiva-suvana bhuvana sukha data | gauri-lalana sadanana bharata ||

 

Blessed are you, O brother of Karttikeya and beloved son of Shiva and Gauri; dressed in a beautiful yellow silk dress and wearing a pair of wooden sandals, everything at your feet is adorned with gems, you are the source of all the blessings in the world.

 

Riddhi siddhi tava chamvara sudharahim | mushaka vahana sohita dvarahim ||
tava mahima ko varne par | janma charitra vichitra tumhara ||

 

In prosperity as well as in success, royal fronds (Chowries) wipe over you (as if they were Chowrie-Burdars) and your mount, the mouse, gives you splendor at your door. Since the story of your life is so foreign and mysterious, who can dare to describe your grandeur, which goes beyond any narrative?

 

Eka asura shiva rupa bavanai | gaurihim chalana hetu tavam avai ||
yaha karana te shri shiva-pyari | nija tana-maila murti rachi dari ||

 

A demon, disguised as Shiva, often deceived Gauri; to thwart his purpose, Gauri, the beloved wife of Shiva, created a divine figure from the scales of her body.

 

So nija suta kari griha rakhavare | dvarapala sama tehim baithare ||
jabahim svayam shri shiva taham aye | binu pahichana jana nahim paye ||

 

Asking her son to keep watch she stationed him at the door of the palace, like a door guard. When Shiva himself arrived there, he was not recognized and denied access to the house.

 

Puchyo shiva ho kinake lala | bolata bhe tuma vachana rasala ||
main hum gauri-suta suni lijai | age paga na bhavana hita dijai ||

 

Shiva asked, «Tell me who your father is?». With a voice sweet as honey, you answered, «Listen, sir, I am Gauri's son; Do not you dare to go one step beyond this point».

 

Avahim matu bhuji taba jao | balaka se jani bata baRhao ||
chalana chahyo shiva bachana na manyo | taba hvai kruddha yuddha tuma thanyo ||

 

«Oh my Lord! Let me get my mother's permission before I let you go inside. Fighting with a mere journeyman like me will be without success». Not listening at your behest, Shiva tried to push into the house, which angered you so much that you have become mad and have knocked down the Gautlet.

 

Tatkshana nahi kachu sambhu bicharyo | gahi trishula bhula vasa maryo ||
Srisha phula sama sira kati gayau | chata uRi lopa gagana maham bhayau ||

 

In a fit of rage, Shiva picked up his trident and flung him on you, driven by deception. Your head, delicate as the Sirisha flower, was severed and immediately rose to the sky where it disappeared.

 

Gayo sambhu jaba bhavana mamjhari | jaham baithi giriraja-kumari ||
puche shiva nija mana mushakaye | kahahu sati suta kaham te jaye ||

 

When Shiva happily went in, where Gauri, daughter of the mountain king, sat, he asked with a smile: «Tell me, Sati, how could you give birth to a son?»

 

Khulige bheda katha suni sari | giri vikala giriraja dulari ||
kiyo na bhala svami aba jao | lao sisa jaham se pao ||

 

By listening to the whole episode, the puzzle was cleared up. Gauri, daughter of the great mountain king (celebrated for immobility), was so moved and disturbed that she fell to the ground and said, «You have done me a great deal of ill-fame, my lord; go now and get the severed head of my son from where you find him».

 

Chalyo vishnu samga shiva vijnani | milyo na so hastihim sira ani ||
dhaRa upara sthita kara dinhyom | prana-vayu samchalana kinhyom ||

 

Shiva, expert in all skills, took his leave, accompanied by Vishnu, but they failed to find their head, so they brought an elephant head and put it on the body and breathed life into it.

 

Shri ganeshashiva nama dharayo | vidya buddhi amara payo
bhe prabhu prathama pujya sukhadayaka | vighna vinashaka buddhi vidhayaka ||

 

It was Lord Shiva who called Docj Shri Ganesha and blessed you with knowledge, wisdom, and immortality. You, O Lord, are the first among those who are worshiped; you bring joy to the believers, destroying all obstacles and causing the functioning of the intellect.

 

Prathamahim nama leta tava joi | jaga kaham sakala sidha hoi ||
sumirahim tumahim milahim sukha nana | binu tava kripa na kahum kalyana ||

 

Who remembers you so that he finds all his tasks in the world before starting any mission. The good memory of your name brings all happiness; without your forgiving grace, there is no safety and no well-being around the world.

 

Tumharahim sapa bhayo jaga amkita | bhadavam chauthi chandra akalamkita ||
Jabahim pariksha shiva tuhim linha | pradakshina prithvi kahi dinha ||

 

Folded by you, the moon face was clouded with the black reflection of the earth, as it appears on the fourth day of the bright half of the Bhadrapada, where no one would dare to look at it. When Shiva wanted to test your strength and intelligence, he asked you to circle the earth.

 

Sadmukha chalyo mayura uRai | baithi rache tuma sahaja upai ||
rama nama mahi para likhi anka | kinha pradakshina taji mana shanka ||

 

While Satmukha (your brother Karttikeya) went flying with his peacock, you adapted to a lighter path without stirring you; you scribbled the name of Rama on the floor and it, giving up all concerns, circled around.

 

Shri pithu-matu-charana dhari linhyo | ta kaham sata pradakshina kinhyo ||
prithvi parikrama phala payo | asa lakhi surana sumana varsayo ||

 

With extreme devotion you have clasped the feet of your parents and then surrounded these seven times. So you were rewarded with the fruit of circling the earth, a feat that caused the gods to rain flowers on you.

 

«sundaradasa» ram ke chera | durvasa ashrama dhari dera ||
virachyo shri ganesha chalisa | shiva purana varnita yogisha ||

 

While living in the hermitage of the sage Durvasa, Sundaradasa, a devotee of Rama, composed this hymn to Ganesha in forty verses, just as most of the Adepts had done in the Shiva Purana.

 

Nitya gajanana jo guna gavata | griha vasi sumati parama sukha pavata ||
jana-dhana-dhanya suvana sukha dayaka | dehim sakala subha shri gananayaka ||

 

The sages who sing the glory of Ganesha daily are blessed with highest bliss. The lord of Shiva's henchmen blessing his worshipers with wealth, offspring, and fortune bestows on them all auspicious objects.

 

 

(Doha)

Shri ganesa yaha chalisa, patha karai dhari dhyana | nita nava mamgala moda lahi || milai jagata sammana ||

 

Whoever repeats this hymn with sincerity, is blessed with all happiness and generous gifts, both with the new, which increases more and more, as well as with great honor.

 

 

Prayer in the morning

Prâtar namami gananatham ashesha haetam brahmadi
deva varadam sakala agamadyam
dharma artha kama phaladam bhava-moksha haetam
vachama agocharan anadim ananta-rupam

 

In the morning, I meditate on Lord Ganesha with this prayer: O my Lord Ganesha! You are the source of this whole universe of living things and inanimate matter. You have blessed Brahma and celestial beings by fulfilling their wishes. You are determined by the Vedas and the scriptures. You are the provider of Dharma (virtue), Artha (prosperity), Kama (love) and Moksha (liberation) for your worshipers. You are beyond generation and mind. You are the eternal and infinite truth. I greet you!

 

Pratar namani kamalapatim ugra viryam
nanavatara niratam nijarakshanaya
kshirabdivasam amaradhipa bandham aesham
papapaham ripuharam bhava-mukti haetam

 

I meditate on Lord Mahavishnu, the husband of Mahalakshmi ꟷ the goddess of wealth ꟷ the almighty lord incarnated again and again for the protection of the good and the destruction of the evil. I meditate on Lord Vishnu, whose abode is the ocean of milk, the human heart, one that frees us from the fetters of karma and rebirth. I wholeheartedly present my morning greetings to Lord Vishnu.

 

Pratar namami girijapatam indumaulim
vyaghra jina vritamuda tadayam nandjae
nara yanaendra varadam surasiddha justam
sarpam trishula damarun dadhatam purarim

 

I meditate on Lord Shiva in my morning prayers, the spouse of Shakti, the one adorned with a crescent on his forehead; the one who is clothed with the tiger-skin; one whose spiritual fire-eye burns Kama to ashes; one in which Vishnu, Indra, and other celestial beings have announced that he is gives great blessings. The Lord, who has serpents as his ornaments, trident and drum as his weapons; the one who destroyed the demon Tripura; I greet this Parashiva again and again. May he make me happy.

 

Pratar Namami dina natham aghapaharam
gadandhakara haram uttama loka vandyam
vedatrayatmaka mudasta surari nayam
jnanaika haetam urushaktim udarabharam

 

Every morning I offer my greetings to the sun god, who dispels the darkness from this world through his light; he destroys our sins and blesses us. He is conciliatory about it by the inhabitants of the sky and the other great Lokas. He is the embodiment of pure knowledge and extraordinary bravery and strength. I greet him again and again. May he make me happy.

 

Pratar namami girijam bhavabhuti haetam
samsara sindhu parapara tarim trinaetram
tattvadi karana mudsta surari nayam
mayenayim suramun indra nutam suraeshim

 

I meditate on the goddess Girija-Shakti ꟷ the daughter of Mount Himalaya. She is the source of the highest wealth of Lord Shiva. She is the Divine Mother who leads us across the ocean of rebirth. She is Mahamaya, the remover of the delusion or deception. She is the embodiment of the pure knowledge of Brahman. She is the highest goddess, the Devi, soothed by Devas and sages. I pay homage to the Divine Mother. May she bless me.

 

 

Different invocations

Prayer to Ganapati

OM suklam baradharam vishnum
Sashi varnam chatur bhujam
Prasanna vadanam dhyayet
Sarva vighnopa shantaye

 

OM, dressed in white and everything penetrating.
O moon-colored with four shoulders,
with a smiling face, very complacent,
we meditate on you,
so you remove all obstacles.

 

 

Invocation of Lord Ganapati

Om gananam tva ganapating havamahe
kavinkavi namupa mashra vastamam
jyeshtharajam brahmanam brahmanaspata
anah shrinvan nutibhih shidasadanam

 

May we worship Ganapati,
the protector of the noble people,
the best poet,
most honored,
the greatest ruler and the treasure of all knowledge.
O Ganapati ! Please listen to us and
bring your seat into our hearts.

 

 

Prayer for the incense-offering

dashangam guggulo petam
sugandham sumano haram
aghreyah-sarva devanam
dhupo-yam prati grihyatam

 

O Lord! Here I bring incense,
made from sweetly scented herbs.
It's meant for the Devas.
Please accept this.

 

 

Different things

Ajam nirvikalpam nira karamakam nira nandam anandam davate puranam |
param nirgunam nirvishesham nireham param brahma rupam ganesham bhajaim ||

 

O Lord, you are unborn, formless and absolute; you are beyond bliss, and again bliss itself ꟷ the one and the infinite. You are the highest, without attribution, profiling and desire. You are truly the supreme Brahman. To you, O Lord, we offer our worship.

 

Gunatit manam chidananda rupam chidabashkam sarvgam giangamiam |
muni dhayya makash rupam paraisham para brahmarûpam ganesham bhajaim ||

 

Your nature is beyond attribution. You are the embodiment of intelligence and bliss, the brilliant mind, the all-pervasive, the goal of knowledge. You are the object of meditation for the wise, formless and omnipresent as space. You are the supreme god, the supreme Brahman. To you, O Lord, we offer our worship.

 

Jagat karanam karan gian rupam suradim sukhadim Gunesham Ganesham |
jagatvaya panim vishvandhyam suresham param brahmarupam ganesham bhajaim ||

 

You are the cause of the world, the original knowledge, the origin of the gods, the origin of bliss, the Lord of Gunas, the Lord of the heavenly Hosts. You pervade the universe and are worshiped by all. You are the Lord of the gods, you are truly the supreme Brahman. To you, O Lord, we offer our worship.

 

Om shrîm hrîm klim ganeshvaraya
brahmarupa charavae
sarva siddhi pradaeshaya
vighneshaya namo namaha

 

Greetings to the supreme Lord Ganesha. You are Brahman. You are the guarantor of all siddhis. O Vighnesha, remover of all obstacles, greeted you again and again!

 

 

Esoteric worship

At the beginning of the 9th century, Shankaracharya accurately reported on the Hindu six main branches (Shanmata). The branch of Ganesh worshipers who consider this deity as the highest is known as the Ganapatya branch. Of course, all these different branches were considered Orthodox, that is, they are in harmony with the teachings of the Vedas.

 

The Ganapatya include other gods in their rituals, but they consider these other gods as part of Ganesh. For example, they thought to the holy body of Ganesh that the navel consists of Brahma, his face is Vishnu, his eyes are Rudra, his right side is Surya, his left side is Shakti. He is the sound of OM, he is the lord of the five elements.

 

Over time, the Ganapatya divided into six branches, which were characterized by certain rituals, addressed in various Ganesh forms. The first three branches strictly follow the Vedic rules: these are the Navanitaganapatya, the Suvarnaganapatya, the Santanaganapatya.

 

The other three branches are esoteric and worship the following Ganesh forms:

 

➳ Maha Ganapati, the great Ganapati; his color is red, he has ten arms and he carries the goddess sitting on his left leg. Maha Ganapati is the esoteric form of Ganesh, who seems to be the most represented.

➳ Haridra Ganapati with four arms and three eyes; its color is turmeric-yellow.

➳ Ucchista Ganapati, red, sitting in the lotus position (Padmasana); He hugs the naked Nila Sarasvati, a goddess of a beautiful blue color. The worshipers of Ucchista Ganapati follow very esoteric practices (path of the right hand) that are forbidden in other branches.

 

These sects (cultural branches) are said to be esoteric because their followers are adepts of tantric practices.