The Ganesha Pancharatnam (“the five gems of Ganesha”) is a short Sanskrit hymn of five verses to Ganesha, followed by a sixth verse naming its benefit. It begins muda karatta-modakam, “who joyfully holds a modaka in his hand”,, and the first verse ends namami tam vinayakam, “I bow to Vinayaka”. Its metre is the pancha-chamara, a sixteen-syllable line in which short and long syllables alternate, the same swinging rhythm as the Shiva Tandava Stotram. That rhythm, and the long compounds, make it a pleasure to chant aloud.
The colophon in the old printed editions names it as the work of Shankara Bhagavatpada, the pupil of Govinda Bhagavatpada, which is how the tradition identifies Adi Shankara. Scholars are less sure that all the hymns credited to him are his, so this page says “attributed to Shankara” and not more. It is among the most widely learned Ganesha hymns, often taught to children, and is chanted on Chaturthi days and on Ganesh Chaturthi.
On this page you will find all six verses in Devanagari with transliteration and a plain meaning, the small differences between the old prints and common recitation, and a note on how the text was checked. For the festival, see Ganesh Chaturthi and its puja guide.
The text, transliteration and meaning
Verse 1
मुदा करात्तमोदकं सदा विमुक्तिसाधकं ।
कलाधरावतंसकं विलासिलोकरक्षकम् ।
अनायकैकनायकं विनाशितेभदैत्यकं ।
नताशुभाशुनाशकं नमामि तं विनायकम् ॥
Muda karattamodakam sada vimuktisadhakam
Kaladharavatamsakam vilasilokarakshakam
Anayakaikanayakam vinashitebhadaityakam
Natashubhashunashakam namami tam vinayakam
MeaningI bow to Vinayaka, who joyfully holds a sweet modaka in his hand, who is always a means to liberation, who wears the crescent moon as his crown and delights and protects the playful world. He has no master above him, yet he is the one master of all. He destroyed the elephant-demon, and he quickly destroys the troubles of those who bow to him.
Verse 2
नतेतरातिभीकरं नवोदितार्कभास्वरं ।
नमत्सुरारिनिर्जरं नताधिकापदुद्धरम् ।
सुरेश्वरं निधीश्वरं गजेश्वरं गणेश्वरं ।
महेश्वरं तमाश्रये परात्परं निरन्तरम् ॥
Natetaratibhikaram navoditarkabhasvaram
Namatsurarinirjaram natadhikapaduddharam
Sureshvaram nidhishvaram gajeshvaram ganeshvaram
Maheshvaram tamashraye paratparam nirantaram
MeaningHe is fearsome to those who do not bow, and as bright as the newly risen sun. The gods, and even the enemies of the gods, bow to him, and he lifts up those who bow from great misfortune. He is lord of the gods, of treasures, of elephants and of the hosts of attendants, the great lord. I take refuge always in him, who is higher than the highest.
Verse 3
समस्तलोकशङ्करं निरस्तदैत्यकुञ्जरं ।
दरेतरोदरं वरं वरेभवक्त्रमक्षरम् ।
कृपाकरं क्षमाकरं मुदाकरं यशस्करं ।
मनस्करं नमस्कृतां नमस्करोमि भास्वरम् ॥
Samastalokashankaram nirastadaityakunjaram
Daretarodaram varam varebhavaktramaksharam
Kripakaram kshamakaram mudakaram yashaskaram
Manaskaram namaskritam namaskaromi bhasvaram
MeaningHe brings well-being to all the worlds and has cast down the elephant-like demons. His belly is large, he is excellent, with the face of a noble elephant, and he does not decay. He is a source of compassion, forgiveness, joy and fame, and he gladdens minds. I bow to the radiant one, who is honoured by all who bow.
Verse 4
अकिञ्चनार्तिमार्जनं चिरन्तनोक्तिभाजनं ।
पुरारिपूर्वनन्दनं सुरारिगर्वचर्वणम् ।
प्रपञ्चनाशभीषणं धनञ्जयादिभूषणं ।
कपोलदानवारणं भजे पुराणवारणम् ॥
Akinchanartimarjanam chirantanoktibhajanam
Puraripurvanandanam surarigarvacharvanam
Prapanchanashabhishanam dhananjayadibhushanam
Kapoladanavaranam bhaje puranavaranam
MeaningHe wipes away the sorrow of the poor and is the one whom ancient words of praise describe. He is the first-born son of Shiva, the destroyer of cities, and he crushes the pride of the gods' enemies. He is fearful at the dissolution of the world and is adorned with Dhananjaya and others (understood as serpents). His temples run with the juice of rut. I worship the ancient elephant.
Verse 5
नितान्तकान्तदन्तकान्तिमन्तकान्तकात्मजम् ।
अचिन्त्यरूपमन्तहीनमन्तरायकृन्तनम् ।
हृदन्तरे निरन्तरं वसन्तमेव योगिनां ।
तमेकदन्तमेव तं विचिन्तयामि सन्ततम् ॥
Nitantakantadantakantimantakantakatmajam
Achintyarupamantahinamantarayakrintanam
Hridantare nirantaram vasantameva yoginam
Tamekadantameva tam vichintayami santatam
MeaningHis tusk shines with a most lovely gleam, and he is the son of Shiva, the destroyer of Death. His form is beyond thought, he has no end, and he cuts away obstacles. He lives without a break in the hearts of yogis. I meditate always on him, the one-tusked.
Verse 6 (the benefit verse)
महागणेशपञ्चरत्नमादरेण योऽन्वहं ।
प्रजल्पति प्रभातके हृदि स्मरन् गणेश्वरम् ।
अरोगतामदोषतां सुसाहितीं सुपुत्रतां ।
समाहितायुरष्टभूतिमभ्युपैति सोऽचिरात् ॥
Mahaganeshapancharatnamadarena yo'nvaham
Prajalpati prabhatake hridi smaran ganeshvaram
Arogatamadoshatam susahitim suputratam
Samahitayurashtabhutimabhyupaiti so'chirat
MeaningWhoever recites this great Ganesha Pancharatnam each day at dawn with respect, remembering the lord of the hosts, quickly gains, the text says, freedom from illness and fault, good learning, good sons, a settled long life and the eight kinds of prosperity.
Text: Shankaracharya-viracitani stotrani, part 1 (Srirangam, 1910), pages 1 to 2, checked against the Brihat Stotra Ratnakara, part 1 (1953), pages 98 to 99. Transliteration is simplified; meanings are our own.
Where the old prints and common recitation differ
The two old prints we read agree with each other in almost every word and differ from common recitation in a few places. Both readings are given here.
Verse 1, second line. The 1910 print reads vilasi-loka-rakshakam (“protector of the playful world”). The 1953 print reads vilasi-loka-ranjakam (“delighter of the playful world”). Many books give vilasa-loka-rakshakam, “protector of the world of play”. This page follows the 1910 print.
Verse 1, first line. The prints separate the words as muda karatta-modakam. Many books join them as mudakarattamodakam. Only the spacing differs.
Verse 6, fourth line. Both prints read samahita-yur-ashta-bhutim, “a settled life and the eight kinds of prosperity”, where many books and recordings have samihita-yur-ashta-bhutim, “the life one desires and the eight prosperities”. The two are one letter apart, and both give a clear sense.
What the hymn says about Ganesha
The verses use many of Ganesha’s traditional titles in a short space. He is Vinayaka, “the one without a leader”, and the verse plays on this: he has no master, yet he is the master of all (anayakaika-nayaka). He carries the modaka sweet, wears the crescent moon, and has the face of an elephant with one tusk (ekadanta). He is the son of Shiva, here called the destroyer of cities (Purari) and the destroyer of Death (Antakantaka). He removes obstacles (antaraya-krintana) and lives in the hearts of yogis.
Verses 1, 3 and 4 also mention destroying demons, in particular an elephant-demon. The stories behind these lines vary among the Puranas, and the hymn only alludes to them. Read in the larger picture, the hymn asks for protection from misfortune and obstacles, and honours Ganesha as at once playful, compassionate and awesome.
The sixth verse is the usual closing verse of a stotra, naming the benefit. It is the hymn’s own statement, and tradition’s, and is not a promise. If you are ill or worried about work, please also see a doctor or a trusted adviser.
When and how it is recited
The Ganesha Pancharatnam is recited at dawn, as the sixth verse says, and by many families before beginning study or a new task. It is chanted on Ganesh Chaturthi and on Sankashti Chaturthi, the fourth day after the full moon, when the fast is broken after moonrise (see the Sankashti Chaturthi guide and the vrat vidhi), and on Wednesdays, which are associated with Ganesha in some households. It takes about two minutes. There is no fixed number of repetitions.
Other Ganesha texts on this site are the Ganesh Mantra, the Ganapati Atharvashirsha and the Ganesh Aarti.
Pronunciation notes
Each line has sixteen syllables, alternating short and long, so say the first syllable lightly and the second a little longer: mu-DAA ka-RAAT-ta mo-DA-kam. A syllable before a double consonant is long, so kar-at-ta and hrid-an-ta-re have a pause before the doubled sound. The vowel ṛ in hṛdantare is said like ri in “river”. The sound sh is as in “shine”; ch as in “church”; and the ng of shankara is as in “sing”. The word bhāsvaram has a breathy bh and a clear sv.
How the text on this page is sourced
The Devanagari follows the proofread transcription on Sanskrit Wikisource of Shankaracharya-viracitani stotrani, part 1 (Srirangam, 1910), which is a scanned old printing, and we looked at the page images of that print. We compared it with the proofread transcription of the Brihat Stotra Ratnakara, part 1 (1953), and with its page images. The separate typed Wikisource page differs from both in two words (vilasa-loka-rakshakam and samihita), so it was not used as the base. The three witnesses and the two readings that differ are listed in the section above.
Related mantras and pages
- Ganesh Mantra: four short mantras and verses for Ganesha
- Ganapati Atharvashirsha: the Upanishad-style hymn to Ganapati
- Ganesh Aarti: the aarti sung before Ganesha
- Ganesh Chaturthi: the festival of Ganesha, with dates for your city
- Ganesh Chaturthi puja: how the puja is performed
- Sankashti Chaturthi: the monthly Chaturthi vrat
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the Ganesha Pancharatnam?
It is a Sanskrit hymn of five verses to Ganesha, followed by a sixth verse giving its benefit, that begins 'muda karatta-modakam'. The name means 'the five gems of Ganesha'.
↳ Who wrote the Ganesha Pancharatnam?
The old printed editions give it to Shankara Bhagavatpada, which tradition identifies with Adi Shankara. Scholars are less sure that every hymn credited to him is his, so this page says it is attributed to him.
↳ When should the Ganesha Pancharatnam be recited?
Tradition gives the dawn, as the sixth verse says. Many people also chant it on Ganesh Chaturthi, on Sankashti Chaturthi and before a new task or study. There is no fixed number of repetitions.
↳ Why does the last verse differ in some books?
Some books read 'samihitayur' (the desired life span) where the old prints read 'samahitayur' (a settled life span). Both give a clear sense. This page follows the printed editions and notes the other reading.
↳ What does 'vinayaka' mean?
It is a name of Ganesha that is often explained as 'the one without a leader' or 'the remover', in the sense of one who leads others away from obstacles. The hymn plays on the first sense in the line that calls him the one master who has no master.