Free From Obstacles, Always
The story
Many Hindu children learn this verse before they can read. It is said before an exam, a journey, a wedding or the first day in a new job, because Ganesha is the remover of obstacles and is worshipped before any other god. The request is practical: not riches or a long life, but that the work in front of you goes without a hitch.
वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ। निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा॥
vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakoṭi samaprabha | nirvighnaṃ kuru me deva sarvakāryeṣu sarvadā ||
Vakratunda Shloka, a traditional prayer; our translation
The same moment, today
A man sits in his car outside an office park at eight in the morning on his first day at a new job. He adjusts the rearview mirror twice, checks his phone for an email he already read, and waits for his heartbeat to settle. He doesn't need to become the boss today. He just wants his badge to work at the front door, his computer to turn on, and his new manager to be reasonably kind.
This prayer asks for that kind of start. It doesn't ask for wealth, fame or a long life. It asks Ganesha to keep every piece of work free of obstacles. In Hindu tradition Ganesha is the lord and remover of obstacles, and he's worshipped first, before any other god. Many children learn these words before they can read, and families say them before a journey, a wedding or an exam. The English here is our own plain rendering of the Sanskrit.
The lesson
When a big project begins, don't worry about the finish line yet. Clear the small hurdles right in front of you today.
Where this comes from
A prayer with no known source
This is the best-known short prayer to Ganesha, but nobody knows for certain where it was first written down. It's often said to come from the Mudgala Purana, a book of stories about Ganesha, but no verse number has been agreed. It has lasted as something people say every day, not as a passage they look up.
It's fair to ask for a clean start and leave the rest to the work.
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pairs with
Protect the Speaker, Protect the Listener
Another prayer said before the work begins.
contrasts with
You Alone Make, Keep and Take Away
A large claim about everything, beside a small request for today.
shares a name
May the Tusked One Guide Us
Another verse that calls him the one with the curved trunk.