Shloka 75

अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope

Devanagari script

ततः सस्मार हेरम्बं व्यास: सत्यवतीसुतः । स्मृतमात्रो गणेशानो भक्तचिन्तितपूरक:,निष्पाप शौनक! तदनन्तर सत्यवतीनन्दन व्यासजीने भगवान्‌ गणेशका स्मरण किया और स्मरण करते ही भक्तवांछाकल्पतरु विष्नेश्वर श्रीगणेशजी महाराज वहाँ आये, जहाँ व्यासजी विद्यमान थे। व्यासजीने गणेशजीका बड़े आदर और प्रेमसे स्वागत-सत्कार किया और वे जब बैठ गये, तब उनसे कहा--

Transliteration

tataḥ sasmāra herambaṃ vyāsaḥ satyavatīsutaḥ | smṛtamātro gaṇeśāno bhaktacintitapūrakaḥ ||

Translation

Then Vyāsa, the son of Satyavatī, remembered Heramba (Gaṇeśa). The moment he was remembered, Lord Gaṇeśa—who fulfills what devotees have in mind—appeared. The passage underscores the ethical and devotional idea that sincere remembrance (smaraṇa) and reverence invite divine assistance for a righteous undertaking, here the composition of the Mahābhārata.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

सस्मारremembered

हेरम्बम्Heramba (Gaṇeśa)

व्यासःVyāsa

सत्यवतीसुतःson of Satyavatī

स्मृतमात्रःmerely remembered (i.e., on being remembered alone)

गणेशानःGaṇeśa

भक्तचिन्तितपूरकःfulfiller of what devotees desire/think of

निष्पापO sinless one

शौनकO Śaunaka

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Satyavatī

Heramba (Gaṇeśa)

Gaṇeśa

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the power of sincere remembrance and devotion: when a righteous task is begun with reverence, divine support is believed to arise promptly. It also frames the Mahābhārata’s composition as a sacred act requiring auspicious invocation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa invokes Gaṇeśa (Heramba). Gaṇeśa appears immediately upon being remembered, setting the stage for Gaṇeśa’s role in assisting the transmission/writing of the Mahābhārata.