Ganesha Ashtakam
गणेशाष्टकम् in English · English
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✦ Meaning
The Ganesha Ashtakam, from the Ganesha Purana, is a profound eight-verse hymn that praises Ganesha not merely as a deity but as Para-Brahman — the supreme Reality from whom all beings, gods, elements, worlds and even obstacles arise. Each verse opens with 'Yatah' ('from whom') and closes with the refrain 'Sada tam ganesham namamo bhajamah' — 'We ever bow to and worship that Ganesha.' Its closing verse promises prosperity here and liberation hereafter to whoever recites it daily with devotion.
Origin & Story
Ganesha Purana · Unknown (traditional; from the Ganesha Purana) · Puranic
This Ashtakam appears in the Ganesha Purana as a hymn of praise to Ganesha as the Supreme Brahman. Rather than dwelling on his iconographic form, it sweeps through the whole of creation — beings and gods, elements and oceans, beasts and birds, even Shesha and the heavenly worlds, and obstacles, grief and desire themselves — declaring that all of it arises 'yatah', from Ganesha, and ending each verse by bowing to and worshipping him as the source of all.
✦ As told in scripture
Tradition holds that this Ashtakam, by praising Ganesha as Para-Brahman itself, is among the most spiritually potent of Ganesha hymns: its own closing verse declares that one who recites it daily with devotion attains both worldly prosperity and final liberation, for in it the Lord himself has been praised.
Complete Text with Meaning
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Yato'nanta-shakter ananta-shcha jiva Yato nirgunad aprameya gunaste Yato bhati sarvam tridha bhedabhinnam Sada tam ganesham namamo bhajamah
Meaning:From whom, of infinite power, arise the infinite living beings; from whom, the attributeless, come the immeasurable qualities of creation; by whom all this, divided into its three-fold distinctions, shines forth — to that Ganesha we ever bow and offer worship.
Yata-shchavirasij jagat sarvam etat Tathabjasano vishvago vishvagopta Tathendradayo devasangha manushyah Sada tam ganesham namamo bhajamah
Meaning:From whom this whole universe came into being, and likewise the lotus-seated Brahma, the all-pervading protector Vishnu, and Indra with the hosts of gods and human beings — to that Ganesha we ever bow and offer worship.
Yato vahnibhanu bhavo bhurjalam cha Yatah sagara-shchandrama vyoma vayuh Yatah sthavara jangama vriksha-sanghah Sada tam ganesham namamo bhajamah
Meaning:From whom come fire and sun, creation, earth and water; from whom the oceans, the moon, the sky and the wind; from whom the unmoving and moving beings and all the trees — to that Ganesha we ever bow and offer worship.
Yato danavah kinnara yaksha-sangha Yata-shcharana varanah shvapada-shcha Yatah pakshikita yato virudha-shcha Sada tam ganesham namamo bhajamah
Meaning:From whom come the danavas, kinnaras and hosts of yakshas; from whom the charanas, the elephants and the beasts of prey; from whom the birds and insects, and from whom the creepers — to that Ganesha we ever bow and offer worship.
Yato buddhir ajnana-nasho mumukshoh Yatah sampado bhakta-santoshikah syuh Yato vighnanasho yatah karyasiddhih Sada tam ganesham namamo bhajamah
Meaning:From whom come intellect and the destruction of ignorance for the seeker of liberation; from whom come the riches that bring contentment to devotees; from whom comes the removal of obstacles and the accomplishment of every task — to that Ganesha we ever bow and offer worship.
Yatah putra-sampad yato vanchhitartho Yato'bhakta-vighnas tathaneka-rupah Yatah shoka-mohau yatah kama eva Sada tam ganesham namamo bhajamah
Meaning:From whom comes the blessing of children and the fulfilment of desires; from whom come the many forms of obstacles for the faithless; from whom come grief and delusion, and desire itself — to that Ganesha we ever bow and offer worship.
Yato'nanta-shaktih sa shesho babhuva Dharadharane'neka-rupe cha shaktah Yato'nekadha svarga-loka hi nanah Sada tam ganesham namamo bhajamah
Meaning:From whom Shesha, of boundless strength, came to be, able in his many forms to bear the earth; from whom arose the heavenly worlds in their endless variety — to that Ganesha we ever bow and offer worship.
Yato vedavacho vikuntha manobhih Sada neti netiti yatta grinanti Parabrahma-rupam chidananda-bhutam Sada tam ganesham namamo bhajamah
Meaning:From whom the words of the Veda turn back, baffled along with the mind, ever singing 'not this, not this' (neti neti) — that one of the form of the Supreme Brahman, being of pure consciousness and bliss — to that Ganesha we ever bow and offer worship.
Punash chedam ashtakam bhaktiyukto Pathedyo naro bhaktibhavena nityam Iha shri-samriddhim paratrapi muktim Labhed bhaktiyuktah stuto yena devah
Meaning:And the person who, full of devotion, recites this octet daily with a loving heart, attains the blessing of prosperity here and liberation hereafter — for by it the Lord himself has been praised.
Word-by-Word Meaning
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Benefits of Chanting गणेशाष्टकम्
Reveals Ganesha as Para-Brahman, the supreme source of all creation — a hymn of deep Vedantic devotion
Cultivates wisdom and the destruction of ignorance, as verse five explicitly states
Invokes the removal of obstacles (vighna-nasha) and the accomplishment of every task (karya-siddhi)
Its closing verse promises prosperity (shri-samriddhi) in this world and liberation (mukti) hereafter
Steadies and elevates the mind through the contemplative 'neti neti' vision of the eighth verse
Recited for devotion, wisdom and success on Ganesh Chaturthi, Sankashti and during daily worship
Suitable as a daily parayana (recitation) for seekers of both worldly welfare and liberation
How to Chant गणेशाष्टकम्
Sit before an image of Lord Ganesha, light a lamp and offer durva grass, red flowers and modak. Recite the eight verses with devotion and contemplation, dwelling on the meaning of each 'Yatah' (from whom) and bowing inwardly at the refrain 'Sada tam ganesham namamo bhajamah'. Conclude with the phala-shruti verse. It may be recited once daily as parayana for prosperity and liberation.
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