Maha Ganesha Pancharatnam

Given that this is my first post here, I thought I should start by sharing some thoughts about a hymn to Lord Ganesha: Maha Ganesha Pancharathnam. I think it is fairly certain that Sri Adi Shankara composed this hymn, although I have seen some controversy over this on postings in cyberspace.

I grew up listening to my mom sing this hymn, however, I don't think I ever joined her in singing it aloud. Fast forward several years to last year, when I ran into this stotram on YouTube. To my surprise, I realized it was internalized to the point where I could recall most of the words. I've taken this as a big sign, pointing me to play as much devotional music to my kids as I can, before they start listening only to the Justin Biebers of this world... :-)

There are two things that I found very striking in this hymn. The first is that this is a very lyrical hymn, one that really brings out the poetic beauty of the Sanskrit language, even to someone who doesn't understand its meaning. The second is the powerful mental image that is potrayed by the second-to-last line: "Hrudantarey Nirantaram Vasantameva Yoginam" -- "Like the eternal spring in the heart of a Yogi". I find myself thinking of that image often, in the hope that, with the grace of Lord Ganesha, I can model my heart after the aforementioned Yogi.

For a great rendition of this stotram, you can listen to M.S. Subbulakshmi:



For the complete lyrics and meaning, see: जय पशुपतिनाथ Aum Namah Shivya: MahaGanesha Pancha Ratnam महागणेश पञ्चरत्नं

Hari Om!