Ganesha

Common devotional hymn corpus

गजाननं भूतगणादिसेवितम्

I meditate upon the elephant-faced lord adored by hosts of beings…

Traditional — Ganapati bija mantra, widely attested in Puranic and Tantric worship

ॐ गं गणपतये नमः

Om, Gam, salutations to Ganapati — a seed-syllable invocation calling on Ganesha as lord of all assemblies/categories of existence.

Traditional dhyana verse, popularly recited before starting any work

वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ । निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा ॥

O curved-trunked, mighty-bodied one, radiant as a million suns — make all my undertakings free of obstacles, always, O Lord.

Traditional — Sankatanashana Ganesha Stotram, attributed to the Narada Purana

प्रणम्य शिरसा देवं गौरीपुत्रं विनायकम् । भक्तावासं स्मरेन्नित्यमायुष्कामार्थसिद्धये ॥

Bowing the head to the god Vinayaka, son of Gauri, one should remember him daily — the refuge of devotees — for long life, fulfillment of desires, and success in one's aims.

Ganesha Pancharatnam, attr. Adi Shankaracharya

मुदाकरात्तमोदकं सदा विमुक्तिसाधकं कलाधरावतंसकं विलासिलोकरक्षकम् । अनायकैकनायकं विनाशितेभदैत्यकं नताशुभाशुनाशकं नमामि तं विनायकम् ॥

I bow to Vinayaka — who joyfully holds a sweet in his hand, who ever grants liberation, who wears the crescent moon as an ornament, who protects the world in its play; the one leader of the leaderless, destroyer of the elephant-demon, who swiftly dissolves the misfortunes of those who bow to him.