Sanskrit Translation: Clever Word Play
By splitting Sanskrit words in a different way, we can see hidden messages in a shloka...
One of the clever features of Sanskrit is the concept of Sandhi and Samasas. Words can be combined together, and it is our job to split them. This creates the possibility of encrypting certain messages in the shlokas. If they are split differently, then another translation can be there.
Or as fun, it can be used by the composer to show a lot of cleverness. As an example of this concept, my MA Sanskrit Studies teacher Dr. Arjuna shared the commonly chanted Ganesha shloka with us:
अगजानन पद्मार्कं गजाननम् अहर्निशम्
अनेकदन्तं भक्तानाम् एकदन्तम् उपास्महे
agajānana padmārkaṃ gajānanam aharniśam
anekadantaṃ bhaktānām ekadantam upāsmahe
गजाननम् (gajānanam) can be split into गज-आननम् (gaja-ānanam). गज (gaja) means elephant, and आननम् (ānanam) means face. This makes it clear that this shloka is talking about Ganesha, the elephant-faced deity.
But at the same time, there is the word अगजानन (agajānana) is used. Here, the अ (a) in अ-गजानन (a-gajānana) means NOT the elephant-faced one.
We know that Ganesha has one tusk - one is broken. As one of the stories goes, Ganesha broke his other tusk and used it as a pen to write down the Ramayana while Valmiki dictated it to him.
Hence, the word एक-दन्तम् (eka-dantam) or “the one-toothed one” makes sense in the second line of this shloka. But there is also the word अनेक-दन्तं (aneka-dantaṃ) there, which means “the many-toothed one”.
So this creates a lot of confusion. Is this talking about the elephant-faced one, Ganesha, or NOT the elephant-faced one? Who is NOT the elephant-faced one then? Does he have one tooth and many teeth at the same time?!!
This is where the cleverness comes up. If we break down these words in a different way, we see a different meaning that makes sense in this context.
The Lotus and the Sun
अगजानन (agajānana) can be broken down into the words अगज (agaja) and आनन (ānana). Here, आनन (ānana) still means face. But अगज (agaja) can be broken into 3 components:
अ - not
ग - moving
ज - born from
What is not moving or not moveable? A Mountain. Who is born from the Mountain? Ganesha’s mother, Pārvatī, is the daughter of Himalayan ruler Pārvata. Pārvata is another word for Mountain in Sanskrit. So अगज (agaja) is another name for Pārvatī. Since Pārvatī is the mother of Ganesha, this meaning makes the most sense in the context.
Looking at the other words in the shloka, this as the correct meaning is further confirmed:
अगजानन (agajānana) - Parvati’s face
पद्मार्कं (padmārkaṃ) - this can be split into 2 words:
पद्म (padma) - Lotus
अर्कम् (ārkaṃ) - the sun
Here, we can connect that the Lotus opens up when the sun comes out
गजाननम् (gajānanam) - the elephant-faced one, referring to Ganesha
अहर्निशम् (aharniśam) - day and night, meaning always
So this first line अगजानन पद्मार्कं गजाननम् अहर्निशम् can be translated roughly as:
“Parvati’s face is like a Lotus which blossoms in the presence of Ganesha, who is like the sun (to the lotus), always.”
The Giver of Many Things
In a similar way, the word अनेकदन्तं (anekadantaṃ) can be broken down in a different way:
अनेकदम् (anekadam) - the giver of many
अनेक (aneka) - many
द (da) - giver
म् (m) - note that due to a grammatical rule, when the म् is combined with the next word, तम्, the म् (m) changes to a न् (n), hence the combined word cleverly becomes अनेकदन्तं (anekadantaṃ)
तम् (tam) - that
comes from the pronoun तद् (tad), meaning that
भक्तानाम् (bhaktānām)
भक्त (bhakta) is a devotee or the worshipper. भक्तानाम् (bhaktānām) is the plural possessive form of the word. So we can connect it to the word तम् (tam). In other words भक्तानाम् तम् (bhaktānām) can mean that (which is the desire) of the devotees.
एकदन्तम् (ekadantam) - the one-toothed one, meaning Ganesha
उपास्महे - we are worshipping
So the translation of the second line अनेकदन्तं भक्तानाम् एकदन्तम् उपास्महे can be translated roughly as:
“We are worshipping Ganesha, the giver of those many things that his devotees desire.”
Conclusion
As seen from this example, when we are looking at Sanskrit shlokas, we should never take certain words for granted, even if we’re experienced at it. But instead, we should continue to have the beginner’s mind of not knowing every single word and meaning and try to split the shloka in different ways. Who knows when a completely new meaning can emerge!