एकदन्तं चतुर्हस्तं पाशमङ्कुशधारिणम् ।
रदं च वरदं हस्तैर्बिभ्राणं मूषकध्वजम् ॥
रक्तं लम्बोदरं शूर्पकर्णकं रक्तवाससम् ।
रक्तगन्धानुलिप्ताङ्गं रक्तपुष्पैस्सुपूजितम् ॥
Meaning of the verses above:
11.1: (The visible Form of Ganapati is as follows) His Face has a single Tusk (Ekadantam); He has Four Hands (Chatur-Hastam); with two of His Hands, he is holding Noose (Pasha) and Goad (Ankusha),
11.2: With His third Hand He is holding a Tusk (Rada), and with His fourth Hand He is showing the gesture of Boon-Giving (Varada Mudra); His Flag has the Emblem of a Rat (Mushaka),
11.3: His Form has a Beautiful Reddish Glow (Raktam), with a Large Belly (Lambodara) and with Large Ears like Fans (Shurpa Karna); He is wearing Red Garments (Rakta Vasam),
11.4: His Form is annointed with Red Fragrant Paste (Rakta Gandha), and He is worshipped with Red Flowers (Rakta Pushpa),
If you could read the above lines in Sanskrit – it could be because, as a child, you grew up in an environment that promoted reading Sanskrit or Marathi verses.
Students of Baltimore Marathi Shala, as young as 6 years old, learned full recitation and exact pronunciation of Atharvashirsh or Shri Veer Savarkar’s poetry and other shlokas due to their involvement with Marathi Shala that Baltimore Marathi Mandal offers to its community. Note that it’s not just about language learning but about cultural experience. Let’s help our next generation to be able to read one of the World’s oldest languages – Sanskrut//Marathi.
Marathi Shala (School Year Sept 2023-May 2024) exam:
- Please fill out the Consent form and
- Pay the fees ($30 per child) taking the exam using Zelle at treasurer@baltimoremarathimandal.org