Shuklambaradharam
प्रसन्नवदनं ध्यायेत् सर्वविघ्नोपशान्तये ॥
prasannavadanaṃ dhyāyet sarvavighnopaśāntaye
Description
Excerpt from the book ‘Prayer Guide’ by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
This is a very popular verse of prayer to overcome vighnas, obstacles.
There are obstacles possible in your effort to achieve any desired end. To avoid the obstacles, vighnas, you offer a prayer in the beginning requesting that all obstacles be removed. This is a prayer to Lord Ganesa, the one who removes all obstacles.
The word dhyayet should be understood dhyayami, I meditate, because the meaning would be, “May one meditate upon.” You are asking yourself to do dhyana, to visualise, think of, and pray. To whom should you pray and why?
Visnum, the one who is sarva-vyapi, all pervasive. This aspect of all pervasiveness indicates that there is no place where he is not. All that is here is isvara. If you say he is inside, then the Lord is limited. If you say he is outside, then again, the Lord is limited. However, if you say he is inside and outside, you mean that he is limitless. Visnum dhyayami, I salute, I pray to, I meditate upon Visnu, who is all-pervasive.
For the purpose of meditation, we give the Lord a form. Sasivarnam, he is of the colour of the moon, the autumnal moon. He has four hands, caturbhujam; each hand indicating one type of blessing. Suklambaradhara is the one who wears white clothes. White stands for purity, suddha-sattva. He is the who is all sattva, meaning all-knowledge. Prasannavadana is one who has a cheerful face. He is the one whose nature is fullness, ananda-svarupa.
You will find seeming contradictions in all such descriptions. He is all-pervasive but wears white clothes! He is all-pervasive but one who has four hands! If you look beyond this, you can understand the beauty of it; one is the truth, svarupa, and the other is the form for your visualisation, upasana. You need a form to offer a flower.
Sarva-vighna-upasantaye, for the removal of all forms of obstacle. This verse is generally chanted to propitiate and obtain the blessing of Lord Ganesa, the remover of all obstacles.
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Agajanana Padmakam
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Gananamtva Ganapatim
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Shuklambaradharam – Ganesha – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Translation and Meaning. Commentary for selected Shlokams.