Ganapati Atharvashirsha is said to be a part of the Atharvaveda which is one of the four Vedas. Atharva is made up of two words अ (a) means not and थर्व (tharva) means of unchanging mind. Therefore Atharvashirsha is a hymn addressed prior to any serious adventure, for keeping the head cool and mind concentrated.
oṃ namaste gaṇapataye।
tvameva pratyakṣaṃ tattvamasi।
tvameva kevalaṃ kartāsi।
tvameva kevalaṃ dhartāsi।
tvameva kevalaṃ hartāsi।
tvameva sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahmāsi।
tvaṃ sākṣādātmāsi nityam॥1॥
Aum, I offer a salutation to that one, to Ganapati. You are, verily, the prime principle. You are verily the unswerving (direct or straight) creator and the upholder. You are verily the unswerving destroyer. You are verily this assuredly absolute Brahman. You are verily the eternal self.
ṛtaṃ vacmi।
satyaṃ vacmi॥2॥
I speak of the cosmic law,
I speak of the absolute reality.
ava tvaṃ mām। ava vaktāram।
ava śrotāram।
ava dātāram।
ava dhātāram।
avānūcānamava śiṣyam।
ava paścāttāt।
ava purastāt। avottarāttāt।
ava dakṣiṇāttāt।
ava cordhvāttāt।
avādharāttāt।
sarvato māṃ pāhi pāhi samantāt॥3॥
Protect me, protect the speaker, protect the listener, protect the giver, protect the sustainer, protect the teacher, protect the disciple. Protect from the back, protect from the front, protect from the north, protect from the south, protect from above, protect from below. Protect me from all the sides.
tvaṃ vāṅmayastvaṃ cinmayaḥ।
tvamānandamayastvaṃ brahmamayaḥ।
tvaṃ saccidānandā’dvitīyo’si।
tvaṃ pratyakṣaṃ brahmāsi।
tvaṃ jñānamayo vijñānamayo’si॥4॥
You are the very nature of the words. You are the nature of consciousness. You are the nature of bliss. You are the nature of the Brahman. You are none other than the Real existence-consciousness-bliss. You are the one without the second (the only one). You are the visible Brahman. You are the nature of spiritual knowledge (and) you are science.
sarvaṃ jagadidaṃ tvatto jāyate ।
sarvaṃ jagadidaṃ tvattastiṣṭhati।
sarvaṃ jagadidaṃ tvayi layameṣyati।
sarvaṃ jagadidaṃ tvayi pratyeti।
tvaṃ bhūmirāpo’nalo’nilo nabhaḥ।
tvaṃ catvāri vāk padāni॥5॥
All this world is manifested from you. All this world is sustained by you. This entire world dissolves in you. This entire world reverts back to you. You are the earth, water, wind, fire, and space. You are the four types of speech (parā, paśyantī, madhyamā, vaikharī).
tvaṃ guṇatrayātītaḥ।
tvaṃ avasthātrayātītaḥ।
tvaṃ dehatrayātītaḥ।
tvaṃ kālatrayātītaḥ।
tvaṃ mūlādhārasthito’si nityam।
tvaṃ śaktitrayātmakaḥ।
tvāṃ yogino dhyāyanti nityam।
tvaṃ brahmā tvaṃ viṣṇustvaṃ rudrastvamindrastvamagnistvaṃ vāyustvaṃ sūryastvaṃ candramāstvaṃ Brahma bhūrbhuvassuvarom॥6॥
You transcend three attributes (sattva, rajas and tamas). You transcend three states of the body (waking, dreaming and sleeping). You transcend the three bodies (gross, subtle and causal). You are beyond the three periods of time (Past, present and future) . You are the eternal one who abides as the foundation. You are the trinity of power (will power, power of action and power of knowledge). You are the one of whom the ascetics meditate upon. You are Brahma, you are Vishnu, you are Rudra, you are Indra, you are Fire, you are the Wind, you are the Sun, you are the Moon. You are effulgence as the earth, the mid-region, and space above.
gaṇādiṃ pūrvamuccārya varṇādīṃstadanantaram।
anusvāraḥ parataraḥ।
ardhendulasitam।
tāreṇa ṛddham।
etattava manusvarūpam।
gakāraḥ pūrvarūpam।
akāro madhyamarūpam।
anusvāraścāntyarūpam।
binduruttararūpam।
nādaḥ sandhānam।
saṁhitā sandhiḥ।
saiṣā gaṇeśavidyā।
gaṇaka ṛṣiḥ।
nicṛdgāyatrīcchandaḥ। gaṇapatirdevatā।
oṃ gaṃ gaṇapataye namaḥ॥7॥
Pronouncing the syllabus ग (ga) in the beginning and other syllables thereafter, the sibilant is marked with half-moon transcending, mature with stars. Thus is your form. The ग (ga) is the prior form, अ (a) is the later form, sibilant is the final form, the dot is the supreme form. The sound is the connecting link, the hymn is the connection. (this makes the "ॐ गँ" ) ‘Gakāra’ (ग्) is the first part. ‘Akāra’ (अ) is the middle part. And the Anusvāra (nasal sound) is the last part and the ‘bindu’ (dot) is the latter form of pronunciation. These all joined together as the sound of the mantra (ॐ गँ). This, verily, is the wisdom of Gaṇeśa. Gaṇaka is the seer, Gāyatrī is the metre, Gaṇapati is the deity. Aum, obeisance to Gaṇapatī as ‘gam’. My reverential salutations to Gaṇapati.
ekadantāya vidmahe vakratuṇḍāya dhīmahi।
tanno dantiḥ pracodayāt॥8॥
We know the single-tusked one; we meditate on the one with a curved trunk. May he awaken us (to the ultimate truth).
Song : Ganpati Atharvashirsha (Atharvveda)
Singer: Madhvi Madhukar Jha
Music Label : SubhNir Productions
Music Director: Nikhil Bisht, Rajkumar