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Meaning & Translation
Sanskrit
गणेश शरणम् शरणम् गणेश
Transliteration
Ga-ne-sha Sha-ra-nam, Sha-ra-nam Ga-ne-sha
Deity / Quality Invoked
Ganesha
Pronunciation
guh-NEH-shah SHAH-rah-num
Full Translation
Ganesha Sharanam means "I take refuge in Ganesha." Sharanam — refuge or shelter — is one of the oldest devotional gestures in Indian spirituality: the practice of placing oneself under the protection of the divine. Sung to Ganesha, the elephant-headed remover of obstacles, it is a chant of trust at the threshold of any new beginning.
Spiritual Significance
Ganesha is invoked at the start of every undertaking, and this chant carries that energy of auspicious beginnings into kirtan — it is very often the opening chant of a kirtan evening. Taking refuge in Ganesha means releasing anxiety about the obstacles ahead and trusting that the way will open.
Cultural Context & History
The sharanam formula echoes South Indian bhajan traditions, where refuge chants to Ganesha, Murugan, and Ayyappa are sung on pilgrimage. Jai Uttal's recording on his Grammy-nominated album "Kirtan! The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant" made it one of the best-known call-and-response chants in Western yoga studios.
Terms in the Glossary
Words from this page, explained in our A–Z reference.