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Ganpati Bhajan: An Ode to Wisdom

This is a song​ we created in response to the Covid-19 crisis of 2020. The song was originally created as a hymn for children and written as a prayer to Ganpati - or Ganesha - who is much adored by small children in India and celebrated widely in the months of August/September. Ganpati is regarded as the God of Wisdom and the song attempts to convey the significance of wisdom. (Ganpati, for us, symbolizes eternal guidance towards wisdom. We have no religious leanings towards Ganpati or any particular God.)

As August 2020 went by, and as Covid-induced fear continued to prevail around us, we felt a need to communicate the importance of wisdom to a larger audience. Hence, we expanded the song & added some musical complexity. 

Suggestions for using the song with small children:

1. Use the first two paragraphs of the song (keep it short!), or the English version. Available here.

2. Do not play pre-recorded tracks. Sing. Learn the words and tune, or improvise around the words/tune if you want.

3. Sing in the evening hours, with a light a diya / candle on in front of you and your child.

Lyrics of the full song, with translation: 

गणपति, सहाय करो 

मन में हमारे शक्ति भरो 

बाधाओं से हम घिरे हैं इस पल

छोटे लगें परबत दो वोह बल 

(Translation: O Ganpati, help us. Fill our minds with strength. We are surrounded by obstacles at this moment. Give us the might that makes every mountain appear small and surmountable.)

गणपति, ग्यान देते हो तुम

फिर क्यों न समझते हैं हम

आग जलाकर भी तो देता है सहारा  

अँधेरे से ही तो जागे उजियारा 

(Translation: O Ganpati, you are the giver of wisdom. Help us realize that this difficulty is a blessing in disguise. Fire burns anything it touches, and still it is warm and comforting. Remind us that darkness also has a role to play in our lives: it is only through darkness that light can arise.)

Bridge:

रात गहरी है, सन्नाटा सुन्दर जमा है;

सोच में बस बेमानी सा शोर इक मचा है

(Translation: It's a dark night and the night brings us opportunity to introspect deeply. An intense and beautiful stillness has settled upon us, externally and internally. However, we are limited in perceiving the stillness. There's a meaningless cacophony raging in our thoughts, and as a result, in what we do, which keeps us from appreciating the stillness in the moment.)

डर क्या है-- सुलगती सोच का धुंआ है

आज तो हर करम डर से धुंधला हुआ है

(Translation: Fear is nothing but a state of thought when thought is overly active. Fear contaminates society and by and large, it is unreal. Fear is born out of thoughts much the way smoke is born out of burning objects. We have reached a state in society when pretty much every action is clouded by the smoke of fear: fear blocks us from viewing goodness in others' actions; fear keeps us from taking action with freedom, hence making our own acts unclear and feeble.)

Last paragraph:

गणपति, सोच मद्धम हो 

ताकि डर की अकड़ कम हो  

आशा छोटी भी तो खोले कई राहें  

प्यार की नर्मी से ही टूटती हैं सीमाएँ 

(Translation: O Ganpati, evolve us to a state where the intensity of our thoughts is slow but steady. Currently, fear is adamantly present in our environment and moderating thoughts will help reduce the adamance of fear. Ego, the root of all fear, will be diluted. Help us realize that we have access to two powerful weapons to fight fear and ego and to address difficult situations. Our first weapon is hope, which even if apparently small, can help open up numerous possibilities whenever we feel stuck and powerless. Our second weapon is love, which, though innocuous and gentle, has the potential to help us break every limitation, in thought and in reality.)

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