Ganapati Upanishad 4 — Verse 4

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अव त्वं माम् । अव वक्तारम् । अव श्रोतारम् । अव दातारम् । अव धातारम् । अवानूचानम् अव शिष्यम् । अव पश्चात्तात् । अव पुरस्तात् । अवोत्तरात्तात् । अव दक्षिणात्तात् । अव चोर्ध्वात्तात् । अवाधरात्तात् । सर्वतो मां पाहि पाहि समन्तात् ॥४॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

अव । त्वम् । माम् । अव । वक्तारम् । अव । श्रोतारम् । अव । दातारम् । अव । धातारम् । अव । अनूचानम् । अव । शिष्यम् । अव । पश्चात्-तात् । अव । पुरस्तात् । अव । उत्तरात्-तात् । अव । दक्षिणात्-तात् । अव । च । ऊर्ध्वात्-तात् । अव । अधरात्-तात् । सर्वतः । माम् । पाहि । पाहि । समन्तात् ।

IAST Transliteration

ava tvaṃ mām | ava vaktāram | ava śrotāram | ava dātāram | ava dhātāram | avānūcānam ava śiṣyam | ava paścāttāt | ava purastāt | avottarāttāt | ava dakṣiṇāttāt | ava cordhvāttāt | avādharāttāt | sarvato māṃ pāhi pāhi samantāt ||4||

Translation

ข้าแต่พระคณปติ โปรดคุ้มครองข้าพเจ้า โปรดคุ้มครองผู้กล่าว โปรดคุ้มครองผู้ฟัง โปรดคุ้มครองผู้ให้ โปรดคุ้มครองผู้เกื้อหนุน โปรดคุ้มครองผู้สาธยายผู้ทรงจำ โปรดคุ้มครองศิษย์ โปรดคุ้มครองจากเบื้องหลัง; โปรดคุ้มครองจากเบื้องหน้า; จากทิศเหนือ; จากทิศใต้; จากเบื้องบน; จากเบื้องล่าง ขอทรงคุ้มครองข้าพเจ้าจากทุกทิศ—คุ้มครองโดยรอบทุกด้าน

Academic Translation

Protect me. Protect the speaker. Protect the hearer. Protect the giver. Protect the supporter. Protect the reciter (the one who has learned/recites). Protect the disciple. Protect from behind; protect from the front; protect from the north; protect from the south; protect from above; protect from below. From every side protect me—protect (me) on all sides.

Verse Context

• Īśvara-anugraha (divine protection/grace) and sarvato-rakṣā (all-directional guardianship)
• Mahavakya: Indirect: prepares the aspirant for Brahma-jñāna by invoking Īśvara’s grace; not itself a direct Mahāvākya formulation.
• Atharva
• Atharvaveda (Ganapatyatharvaśīrṣa / Ganapati Upaniṣad; śākhā not firmly specified in the text-tradition) Shakha
• Chandas: Prose (gadyam)