hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
oṁ gaṇeśvarāya namaḥ
ॐ गणेश्वराय हमः
Namasté
Many here on HDF follow, are devoted or recognize śrī gaṇeśa as their iṣṭa-devatā. The great muni nārad (some write nārada) offers 12 names of śrī gaṇeśa in his gaṇapati stotra found in the nārada purāṇa and also calls out the benefits of knowing this stotra, hence the reason this post is in this folder/section.
When reading this stotra and perhaps appreciating the 12 names of gaṇeśa one may understand śrī gaṇeśa's following. One can read the stotra and its translation at many sites, here is one http://www.lebensplan.com/puranas/ganesh.html .
I have listed the 12 names and added the derivations/roots of gaṇeśa-s names for your consideration. For the names ( nama ) below , I end each name with the nasal ṁ called anusvāra as it appears in the gaṇapati stotra .
This anusvāra is a sound/vibration that follows a vowel, and is sounded through the nose. Take huṁ and bring the final sounding 'uṁ' up into the nose cavity and you have done anusvāra. Hence anusvāra is an after-sound , the nasal sound which is marked by a dot above the line , which always belongs to a preceding vowel.
The question one may ask or ponder - why did nārada-muni list out 12? Why not 15? or 21? or 8? What is significant about this 12?
The 12 names of śrī gaṇeśa
- vakratuṇḍaṁ - the One having curved tusks or trunk; vakra = curved, bent, twisted + tuṇḍa = trunk, beak, snout.
- ekadantaṁ - the One toothed; eka = one + danta = an elephant's tusk
- kṛṣṇapiṅgākṣaṁ - kṛṣṇa = black/dark-blue + piṅgā is a name for a divine being; it also means yellow , reddish-brown , tawny ;
piṅgā is another name for turmeric , hence you can then sense the color that is being suggested.
But what is this color? IS this the body color of gaṇeśa or perhaps his robe? The answer is in ākṣa which has 4 definitions; the 4th one is 'the eye'; akṣa is for in akṣi.
- This word is brilliant (IMHO). Akṣi also means the number 2 ( as in two eyes) and it is a noun for the sun and the moon. The Sun and moon are considered the right and left eye. Hence gaṇeśa as kṛṣṇapiṅgākṣa is the Divine Being (piṅgā) with the dark (kṛṣṇa) + reddish-brown-turmeric in color + eyes (akṣa).
- gajavaktraṁ - the One with the elephant's mouth or face ; gaja = elephant + vaktra = ' organ of speech', the mouth , face
- lambodaraṁ - the pot-belled One; lamba = hanging down + udara = the belly , abdomen , stomach . Hence lambodara is having a large or protuberant belly i.e. potbellied
- vikaṭaṁ- has a few meanings. it is defined as unusual size or aspect, huge , large , great. This word also means 'large toothed'.These apply to gaṇeśa. His unusual size, and one-tusked. I am not fond of the name given as grotesque - to me it is unbecoming and I do not see gaṇeśa in this light . So I see Him as the huge ( like an elephant) large toothed One.
- vighnarājaṁ - King of obstacles . vighna as a noun is an obstacle , impediment , hindrance , opposition + raja is king.
- Yet the beauty of this word vighna when used in the masculine gender also means 'a breaker, destroyer' .
- So , in one word we see gaṇeśa as the owner of obstacles, yet to the wise , the destroyer of them at the same time.
This must be the position of a King (raja) - to chose as He wishes and not be bound to any one selection ( a hindrance or a breaker of hindrances)
- dhūmaravarṇaṁ- the smoke-colored One; dhūmara is smoke-coloured , smoky , dark-coloured , grey + varṇa is color, cover, tint, dye, etc. We also know varṇa as race, tribe.
- A a more subtle definition is 'one who wards off'. Hence this view of gaṇeśa can also be one who 'wards off' the darkess (dhūmara).
- bālacandraṁ - the moon-crested One; candra is the moon...it is also shining, glittering + bāla which is new or waxing. This is where the 'crest' definition comes from. As the moon is growing is fullness during its waxing, it is a crest.
- Another insight is bāla is the name of a 5 year old elephant - this again connects it to gaṇeśa's form.
- vināyakaṁ - the remover of Obstacles. This name is tightly connected to vighnarājaṁ offered above.
- We can also look at this word by its components vi+nāya +kaṁ ; 'vi' is apart , asunder , in different directions , to and fro.
- That is gaṇeśa's power of 'vi' , to breakup, break apart. And nāya is a leader, a guide. We know that all yajña and pūjā-s begin with invoking gaṇeśa - as the leader, guide (nāya) to break up (vi) any obsticles to one's progress of the homa being performed.
- And what then occurs ? 'ka' . Ka has multiple meanings yet for this post we're using 'ka' as splendor, the sun, light, wealth, joy and happiness., therefore;
- He who (yaka = who or which) is the leader (nāya) and guide, that breakups (vi) obsticles and brings light and splendor (ka).
- gaṇapatiṁ -Lord of the multitudes. gaṇa is a flock , troop , multitude , number , tribe , series , class + pati is Lord, master.
Yet this pati is also 'husband' when uncompounded. It also can be used as 'wife' when taken as female gender use.
- Hence this word can be used for those devotee's of gaṇeśa i.e. the the group/tribe (gaṇa) that are husband or wife (pati) of gaṇeśa.
praṇām
- gajānanaṁ - the elephant-faced One. This is simular to gajavaktraṁ mentioned previously; gaja = elephant + na is 'like or as' - Hence He is is like or as an elephant.
- Yet note 'na' also means 'not'. But what is 'not' here? It is 'jāna' or birth. Gaṇeśa as eternal , not born.
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