Sanskrit Mantras With Meaning — Part 3: Om Gananam Tva Ganapatim
- Mahendra Rathod
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
This is Part 3 of the Sanskrit Mantras With Meaning series. Read the introduction and full list in Part 1.
History
Om Gananam Tva Ganapatim is a Rig Vedic verse — Rig Veda, Mandala 2, Sukta 23, the first rc (verse) of the hymn. It is part of what is known as the Brahmanaspati Sukta, addressed to Brahmanaspati, a Vedic deity presiding over sacred speech and prayer. This is an older layer of the tradition than the Ganesh Atharvasheersham covered in Part 2 — the Rig Veda predates the later Upanishads by a wide margin.
Over time, this verse was adopted into the worship of Lord Ganapati, through the Ganapatya tradition that identifies Brahmanaspati, Lord of the Ganas (groups of prayers, and later the ganas or attendants of Lord Shiva), with Lord Ganesha. That is why you will find this same verse chanted today as a Ganapati mantra, even though its original Vedic context addresses Brahmanaspati by name.
There is no narrative story attached to this verse — it is a single Vedic hymn of invocation, not a story-based text.
Benefits
The source I have used for this translation does not attach a separate statement of benefits (a phalashruti) to this particular verse, the way some of the other mantras in this series have. So rather than claim a textual benefit that isn't there, I will share what this mantra does for me personally: when I listen to it, I meditate on the image of Lord Ganesha. It brings clarity, quiets my thoughts, and helps me surrender to the Lord. I think surrendering to God is the biggest benefit one can have.
The Mantra, Pankti by Pankti
गणानां त्वा गणपतिं हवामहे कविं कवीनामुपमश्रवस्तमम् । ज्येष्ठराजं ब्रह्मणां ब्रह्मणस्पत आ नः शृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद सादनम् ॥
Among the ganas, to you who are Ganapati — the Lord of the Ganas — we offer our sacrificial oblations. You are the wisdom of the wise, and uppermost in glory. You are the foremost king among the prayers, presiding as Brahmanaspati, the Lord of the Prayers. Please come to us, listening to our invocation, and be present in the seat of this sacred altar.
Sources: Sanskrit text and translation from greenmesg.org. Recording: YouTube — S. Prakash Kaushik, "Prayers to Ganesha," © 2002 Gitaa Cassettes. I have not translated any part of this text myself; all meaning is drawn from the cited source.
Listen here
Om Namah Shivaya
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