Ganesha Pancharatnam
॥ श्री गणेश पञ्चरत्नम् ॥
What is the Ganesha Pancharatnam?
Ganesha Pancharatnam is a five-verse Sanskrit hymn composed by Adi Shankaracharya in praise of Lord Ganesha, followed by a sixth verse, the phalashruti, that describes the benefits of reciting it.
Ganesha Pancharatnam, the ‘five gems’ of Lord Ganesha, is a short but dazzling hymn attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. Its five verses move in a fast, rolling meter that seems to mimic the sound of anklets and drums, and a closing sixth verse names the rewards of reciting it every morning.
Ganesha Pancharatnam Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
Roman transliteration is shown first with the Devanagari beneath. Tap ‘Meaning’ under any verse for a plain-English explanation.
Mudākarāttamodakaṁ sadā vimuktisādhakaṁ kalādharāvataṁsakaṁ vilāsilokarakṣakaṁ |
Anāyakaikanāyakaṁ vināśitebhadaityakaṁ natāśubhāśunāśakaṁ namāmi taṁ vināyakaṁ
मुदाकरात्तमोदकं सदा विमुक्तिसाधकं कलाधरावतंसकं विलासिलोकरक्षकम् ।
Meaning
I bow to Vinayaka, who joyfully holds a modaka in his hand and always grants the path to liberation. He wears the crescent moon as an ornament and watches over this playful universe. He is the one true leader for those who have none, the destroyer of the elephant demon Gajasura, and the swift remover of every misfortune for those who bow before him.
Natetarātibhīkaraṁ navoditārkabhāsvaraṁ namatsurārinirjaraṁ natādhikāpaduddharam |
Sureśvaraṁ nidhīśvaraṁ gajeśvaraṁ gaṇeśvaraṁ maheśvaraṁ tamāśraye parātparaṁ nirantaram
नतेतरातिभीकरं नवोदितार्कभास्वरं नमत्सुरारिनिर्जरं नताधिकापदुद्धरम् ।
Meaning
I take constant refuge in that supreme Lord, terrifying to those who refuse to bow and radiant as the newly risen sun. He destroys the enemies of the gods and lifts his devotees out of the deepest calamities. He is Lord of the celestials, Lord of wealth, Lord of elephants, Lord of the Ganas, and the great Lord himself.
Samastalokaśaṅkaraṁ nirastadaityakuñjaraṁ daretarodaraṁ varaṁ varebhavaktramakṣaram |
Kṛpākaraṁ kṣamākaraṁ mudākaraṁ yaśaskaraṁ manaskaraṁ namaskṛtāṁ namaskaromi bhāsvaram
समस्तलोकशंकरं निरस्तदैत्यकुञ्जरं दरेतरोदरं वरं वरेभवक्त्रमक्षरम् ।
Meaning
I bow to that radiant Lord who brings well-being to every world, who overcame the elephant demon, whose belly is full and whose form is excellent, whose elephant face is imperishable. He is an ocean of compassion, forgiveness, joy, fame and good disposition to all who prostrate before him.
Akiñcanārtimārjanaṁ cirantanoktibhājanaṁ purāripūrvanandanaṁ surārigarvacarvaṇam |
Prapañcanāśabhīṣaṇaṁ dhanañjayādibhūṣaṇaṁ kapoladānavāraṇaṁ bhaje purāṇavāraṇam
अकिंचनार्तिमार्जनं चिरन्तनोक्तिभाजनं पुरारिपूर्वनन्दनं सुरारिगर्वचर्वणम् ।
Meaning
I worship the ancient elephant Lord who wipes away the suffering of the poor, who lives on in the words of the oldest scriptures, who is the elder son of Shiva, destroyer of Tripura, and who humbles the pride of the gods' enemies. He is fearsome at the dissolution of the worlds, adorned with serpents such as Dhananjaya, with rut flowing gently from his temples.
Nitāntakāntadantakāntimantakāntakātmajaṁ acintyarūpamantahīnamantarāyakṛntanam |
Hṛdantare nirantaraṁ vasantameva yogināṁ tamekadantameva taṁ vicintayāmi santatam
नितान्तकान्तदन्तकान्तिमन्तकान्तकात्मजं अचिन्त्यरूपमन्तहीनमन्तरायकृन्तनम् ।
Meaning
I constantly meditate on the one-tusked Lord, whose lovely tusk shines with brilliance, who is the son of Shiva, destroyer of Yama's power, whose form lies beyond thought and whose being has no end. He cuts through every obstacle and dwells always in the heart of those who practise yoga.
Phalashruti
Mahāgaṇeśapañcaratnamādareṇa yo’nvahaṁ prajalpati prabhātake hṛdi smaran gaṇeśvaram |
Arogatāmadoṣatāṁ susāhitīṁ suputratāṁ samāhitāyuraṣṭabhūtimabhyupaiti so’cirāt
महागणेशपञ्चरत्नमादरेण योऽन्वहं प्रजल्पति प्रभातके हृदि स्मरन् गणेश्वरम् ।
Meaning
Whoever recites these five gems of the great Ganesha every day with devotion in the early morning, holding the Lord of the Ganas in the heart, soon attains freedom from illness and fault, deep learning, good children, a long and settled life, and the eight forms of prosperity known as Ashtaiswarya.
What Does the Ganesha Pancharatnam Mean?
Ganesha Pancharatnam is built out of qualities rather than a running story. Each verse stacks up epithets, protector of the anxious, destroyer of the elephant demon Gajasura, holder of the crescent moon, lord of the Ganas, until the picture of Ganesha as both playful and immovable comes into focus. Shankaracharya was first a philosopher, and that habit shows here: the verses move from outward form, the modaka, the single tusk, the broad belly, toward the idea that this form is finally beyond ordinary thought.
The fifth verse turns inward, placing Ganesha in the yogi’s own heart rather than in front of him. That shift, from an external deity to one seated within, is the quiet philosophical turn of the whole hymn: worship of a form leads toward something formless. The sixth verse then grounds all of this back in daily life, promising health, learning, family and a long, settled life to whoever keeps the practice going each morning.
How Do You Chant the Ganesha Pancharatnam?
- Bathe and settle – wash and put on clean clothes before you sit, the way the tradition asks for a fresh start each morning
- Sit and steady the breath – find a quiet seat facing east or the rising sun, and let a few slow breaths settle the mind
- Picture Ganesha in the heart – hold a clear mental image of Ganesha at ease, rather than rushing straight into the words
- Chant with attention – recite the five verses aloud or under your breath, keeping pace with the flowing rhythm instead of racing through it
- Close in stillness – sit for a moment after the sixth verse before returning to the day's tasks
What Are the Benefits of Chanting the Ganesha Pancharatnam?
Adi Shankaracharya closes the hymn with its own phalashruti verse, promising these rewards to anyone who recites it each morning with real devotion:
- Steadier health: regular recitation is traditionally said to free the chanter from both physical ailments and the faults of a restless mind
- Clarity in learning: the hymn is linked to progress in study, the arts and clear speech, since Ganesha is invoked here as the source of wisdom
- Everyday abundance: reciters are said to draw material steadiness, prosperity and good children into their lives
- Fewer obstacles, more peace: true to Ganesha's role as remover of obstacles, the hymn is chanted to clear hurdles from one's path and bring a long, settled life
Where Does the Ganesha Pancharatnam Come From?
Adi Shankaracharya, the eighth-century teacher who organized Advaita Vedanta into a coherent school, also left behind a body of shorter devotional stotras alongside his philosophical commentaries. Ganesha Pancharatnam sits within that second body of work. It has no separate scriptural source the way a Vedic suktam does; it is an independent composition, one of several hymns attributed to him addressed to different deities within the panchayatana form of worship that Advaita teachers popularized, where Ganesha is honored alongside Shiva, Vishnu, Devi and Surya.
The hymn is written in the Panchachamara meter, a fast four-foot pattern that gives the lines their rolling, drum-like beat when chanted aloud. That choice of meter, more than any single verse, is why the hymn has stayed a favorite for morning recitation across generations. It is short enough to finish in a few minutes and rhythmic enough to carry a reciter along with little effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed the Ganesha Pancharatnam?
It was composed by Adi Shankaracharya, the eighth-century philosopher-saint who organized the Advaita Vedanta school and also wrote a number of shorter devotional hymns.
What does 'Pancharatnam' mean?
Pancharatnam means 'five gems.' The hymn has five main verses, each treated as a precious gem of devotion describing a different quality of Ganesha, followed by a sixth verse that states the fruit of reciting them.
What does the sixth verse say?
The sixth verse, the phalashruti, says that anyone who recites the hymn every morning with devotion, holding Ganesha in the heart, soon gains freedom from illness and fault, deep learning, good children, a long life, and the eight forms of prosperity called Ashtaiswarya.
What meter is the Ganesha Pancharatnam set in?
It is composed in the Panchachamara meter, a quick four-foot Sanskrit meter that gives the verses their rolling, rhythmic sound when chanted aloud.
When is the best time to recite it?
Tradition places it at dawn, right after waking and before the day's activities begin, and it is especially popular on Wednesdays, on Chaturthi days, and through the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
Is the Ganesha Pancharatnam different from other Ganesha stotras?
Yes. Unlike longer hymns such as the Ganesha Sahasranama, the Pancharatnam is deliberately short, just five descriptive verses plus a closing phalashruti, which is part of why it suits daily recitation rather than occasional or festival-only use.
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः ।