Ganesha

Vakratunda Mahakaya

A two-line prayer to Ganesha before beginning a task.

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Sanskrit · Devanagari

वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटिसमप्रभ। निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा॥

Roman transliteration · IAST

Vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakoṭisamaprabha. Nirvighnaṃ kuru me deva sarvakāryeṣu sarvadā.

Open the japa mala

The meaning

O curved-trunked, great-bodied Ganesha, radiant as ten million suns: may my undertakings always proceed without obstacles.

A few words, unpacked

vakratuṇḍa · mahākāya
Curved trunk; great body.
sūryakoṭisamaprabha
Radiant like ten million suns.
nirvighnaṃ kuru me
Make it free of obstacles for me.
sarvakāryeṣu sarvadā
In every undertaking, always.

Try the sounds

vak-ra-tun-da ma-haa-kaa-ya · soor-ya-ko-ti sa-ma-pra-bha nir-vigh-nam ku-ru me de-va · sar-va-kaar-ye-shu sar-va-daa

  • Give the long vowels space: ma-haa-kaa-ya, soor-ya and sar-va-daa. The plain u in tuṇḍa and kuru is shorter.
  • Ṭ, ḍ and ṇ use a gently curled-back tongue. In gh and bh, release a little breath after the consonant; bh is not an f sound.

The spaced spelling is an approximate reading aid. Long marks such as ā show a longer vowel. Follow your teacher or a trusted recitation for the finer sounds.

UBC Sanskrit · Devanāgarī phonology chart with audio

Tradition & version

This version follows the prayer in Chinmaya Madhuvan’s Bala Vihar invocation. It is a devotional request, not a promise of success. Sung versions may add an opening Om or Shri.

Listen to the chant

Vakratunda Mahakaya

These recordings feature the chant. Melodies, repetitions and added verses can differ from the short text above.

Morning DevotionGanesha

Vakratunda Mahakaya for Success

Sanskrit · Focused

Via Satyuga

Sources & further listening

Traditional Sanskrit text with our own concise explanations. The links identify the version and tradition used here.

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