An ashtottara shatanamavali is a garland of 108 names, each offered in the dative case and sealed with namaḥ — "to the elephant-faced one, salutations." This one opens ōṃ gajānanāya namaḥ and moves through Ganesha's forms and offices: remover of obstacles and their maker, lord of the ganas, son of Gauri, the one fond of modakas, teacher of Kumara, and finally śrī vighnēśvara. It is recited name by name, often while offering flowers or durva grass, one for each name. Note that several traditional recensions of the 108 names exist and they differ considerably in both wording and order; the Vinayaka Chavithi pooja elsewhere on this site follows a different one, opening ōṃ vināyakāya namaḥ. Neither supersedes the other — both are in current use.
The full recitation, in the order it is chanted. Pick a section to begin.
108 passages in all