Sukhakarta Dukhaharta
Ganesha
सुखकर्ता दुखहर्ता वार्ता विघ्नाची ।
नुरवी पुरवी प्रेम कृपा जयाची ॥
Translation
The giver of happiness, the remover of sorrow, who destroys all obstacles. May his loving grace be with us always.
Insight
Significance
Composed by the 17th-century saint-poet Samarth Ramdas, this aarti is sung to Lord Ganesha at the close of worship, especially during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival across Maharashtra and much of India. Its opening line names Ganesha as both Sukhakarta (the one who creates happiness) and Dukhaharta (the one who removes sorrow), and credits him with clearing every obstacle (vighna) that stands in a devotee's path. Sung with a lit lamp (aarti) being circled before the deity's image, it is one of the most recognizable devotional songs in the Marathi bhakti tradition, and its melody is instantly familiar even to those who don't understand the words.
