Ganesha Invocation for Sadhana

Swamiji in Sri Suktam sadhana recited a ganapati stuti which he does usually as part of yajna. The stuti is made up of multiple shlokas related to Ganapati and even Srimad Bhagavat Gita. However, at one point during a yajna, Swamiji mentioned while chanting the Ganapati stuti that the specific portion he had just recited can be used exclusively even on days one doesn’t feel like chanting Svasti Vachana.

I particularly liked the portion as it includes obeisance to many deities, and its importance has been outlined (IMO) in his memoir:

I was here to practise compassion, and never so much as a mosquito did I ever hurt intentionally. Interestingly, not once was I bitten by a rat, stung by a bee, hornet or wasp, or attacked by any wild animal, and it wasn’t a coincidence. Before the commencement of the sadhana, one of the rituals I had carried out involved praying to various divine energies for their protection. I invoked the gram devata, the protector of that region; the sthan devata, the protective energy of my immediate surroundings; and the vastu devata, the protective energy at the site of the sadhana. The lineage of the sages protects a true seeker, and this is, in fact, the primary purpose of initiation through a mantra.

(The ritual referred by Swamiji could be a more elaborate one; however, the stuti also invokes similar deities in a succinct fashon.)

Considering the above, I memorized the portion during the yajna, and here I’m reproducing the same so others may be benefited:

Om Ganānām tvā ganapati gum havāmahe

(We call upon the ganapati who is the sustainer of all ganas)

Priyānām tvā priyarpati gum havāmahe

(We call upon the one who is the dearest amongst dear ones)

Nidhinām tvā nidhirpati gum havāmahe

(We call upon the one who is the master of all wealth)

Vaso mamāhamajāni garbhadhvammā

Tvam jāsi garbhadhvammā

Om Sriman Mahāganādhipataye namah

(Hey Bhagavan Ganapati, I’m born out of a womb but you are not, therefore my repeated obeisance to you)

Om Lakshminārāyanābhyām namah

(Obeisance to Mother Lakshmi and Bhagavan Narayan)

Umāmaheshwarābhyām namah

(Obeisance to Mother Parvati and Bhagavan Shiva)

Vāni Hiranyagarbhābhyām namah

(Obeisance to the Hiranygarbha – the golden womb out of whom this whole creation sprang forth)

Shachiprandarābhyām namah

(Obeisance to Indra and his wife Sachi)

Mātrapitra Charankamalebhyo namah

(Obeisance to one’s parents)

Ishta Devatābhyo namah

(Obeisance to one’s personal God)

Kul Devatābhyo namah

(Obeisance to the presiding deity of one’s birth lineage)

Grām Devatābhyo namah

(Obeisance to the presiding deity of the village one is currently residing)

Sthān Devatābhyo namah

(Obeisance to the presiding deity of the place one is currently residing)

Vāstu Devatābhyo namah

(Obeisance to the presiding deity of the house one is currently residing)

Om Sarvebhyo Devebhyo namah

(Obeisance to all devas)

Om Sarvebhyo Brāhmanebhyo namah

(Obeisance to all brahmanas)

Om Siddhi Buddhi sahatāya, Srimanmahāganādhipataye namah

(Siddhi and Buddhi are considered to be the two wives of Bhagavan Ganesha so here we’re expressing obeisance to them along with Ganesha)

Sriman Narayan