సదనవసాదన దయయా కురు సాదనమన్తరాయస్య ॥ 1 ॥
- ద్విరదవదన (dviradavadana)O you with the face of the elephant
- విషమరద (viṣamarada)O you with the odd tusk
- వరద (varada)O giver of boons
- జయ (jaya)be victorious
- ఈశాన (īśāna)O lord
- శాన్తవరసదన (śāntavarasadana)O you whose home is peace and blessing
- సదనవసాదన (sadanavasādana)O you who lift a house out of its sinking
- దయయా (dayayā)out of kindness
- కురు (kuru)make
- సాదనమ్ (sādanam)the bringing down
- అన్తరాయస్య (antarāyasya)of the obstacle
anvaya ద్విరదవదన విషమరద వరద ఈశాన శాన్తవరసదన సదనవసాదన జయ దయయా అన్తరాయస్య సాదనమ్ కురు
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
షట్పదీ shatpadi — Shatpadi means six-footed: a verse of six feet, and also a bee, which has six legs. The last verse turns on that second sense.
విషమరద with the odd tusk — Vishama is what does not divide in two. His tusks are odd in number, which is the polite way of saying one of them is broken.
అన్తరాయ the obstacle — Antaraya is what comes in between, the thing standing in the road. It is the exact word for what Ganesha is asked to remove.
note Attributed to Shankaracharya. సదనవసాదన is read సదన and అవసాదన, the sinking of a house; what is to be brought down is named at the end of the verse.
వికటస్ఫుటకటధారాధారోఽస్యస్య ప్రపఞ్చస్య ॥ 2 ॥
- ఇన్దుకలాకలితాలిక (indukalākalitālika)on whose brow the moon's crescent is set
- సాలిక (sālika)with the mark on the forehead
- శుమ్భత్కపోలపాలియుగ (śumbhatkapolapāliyuga)whose two cheeks shine on either side
- వికటస్ఫుటకటధారాధారః (vikaṭasphuṭakaṭadhārādhāraḥ)whose broad temples run open with must, and who is the ground that holds
- అస్య (asya)of this
- ప్రపఞ్చస్య (prapañcasya)spreading world
anvaya ఇన్దుకలాకలితాలిక సాలిక శుమ్భత్కపోలపాలియుగ [త్వమ్] అస్య ప్రపఞ్చస్య వికటస్ఫుటకటధారాధారః
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
ప్రపఞ్చ the spreading world — Prapancha is the world seen as a spreading out into five, the elements and everything made of them.
ధారాధారః the stream and the ground — One word doing two jobs: dhara is the stream of must, adhara the ground that bears a weight. The pun holds the verse together.
ఆరూహ్య వజ్రదన్తం ఆఖుం విదధాసి విపదన్తమ్ ॥ 3 ॥
- వరపరశుపాశపాణే (varaparaśupāśapāṇe)O you with the boon, the axe and the noose in your hands
- పణితపణాయ (paṇitapaṇāya)for the stake that is offered
- అపణాయితః (apaṇāyitaḥ)not to be bought
- అసి (asi)you are
- యతః (yataḥ)since
- ఆరూహ్య (ārūhya)having mounted
- వజ్రదన్తమ్ (vajradantam)with teeth like adamant
- ఆఖుమ్ (ākhum)the mouse
- విదధాసి (vidadhāsi)you make
- విపదన్తమ్ (vipadantam)an end of trouble
anvaya వరపరశుపాశపాణే యతః పణితపణాయ అపణాయితః అసి [తతః] వజ్రదన్తమ్ ఆఖుమ్ ఆరూహ్య విపదన్తమ్ విదధాసి
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
పణ a stake — Pana is what is put down in a wager or paid in a bargain. The line plays on the word three times over to say that he is not for sale.
ఆఖుమ్ the mouse — Akhu is the one that digs. His mount goes under what stands in the way rather than through it.
శనకైరవలోకయ మాం యమాన్తరాయాపహారిచారుదృశా ॥ 4 ॥
- లమ్బోదర (lambodara)O hanging-bellied one
- దూర్వాసన (dūrvāsana)O you seated on durva grass
- శయధృతసామోదమోదకాశనక (śayadhṛtasāmodamodakāśanaka)O you who eat the fragrant modak held in your hand
- శనకైః (śanakaiḥ)slowly
- అవలోకయ (avalokaya)look
- మామ్ (mām)at me
- యమాన్తరాయాపహారిచారుదృశా (yamāntarāyāpahāricārudṛśā)with that lovely glance which carries off death and every obstacle
anvaya లమ్బోదర దూర్వాసన శయధృతసామోదమోదకాశనక యమాన్తరాయాపహారిచారుదృశా మామ్ శనకైః అవలోకయ
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
దూర్వా durva grass — The grass offered to him in blades of twenty-one, and the only offering he is said to prefer to food.
శనకైః slowly — The poet asks not for a look but for an unhurried one, as one asks a busy person for a moment.
సుఖధృతదణ్డరసాలో నాగజభాలోఽతిభాసి విభో ॥ 5 ॥
- ఆనన్దతున్దిలాఖిలవృన్దారకవృన్దవన్దితాఙ్ఘ్రియుగ (ānandatundilākhilavṛndārakavṛndavanditāṅghriyuga)O you at whose two feet the whole company of gods, swollen with joy, bows
- సుఖధృతదణ్డరసాలః (sukhadhṛtadaṇḍarasālaḥ)holding the sugar cane staff with ease
- నాగజభాలః (nāgajabhālaḥ)whose brow is an elephant's
- అతిభాసి (atibhāsi)you shine past all measure
- విభో (vibho)O mighty one
anvaya ఆనన్దతున్దిలాఖిలవృన్దారకవృన్దవన్దితాఙ్ఘ్రియుగ విభో సుఖధృతదణ్డరసాలః నాగజభాలః అతిభాసి
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
తున్దిల swollen — Tundila is having a swollen belly. The poet gives the gods his own shape, swollen with joy as he is swollen with sweets.
రసాల the sugar cane — Rasala is what holds juice: the mango, and the sugar cane he carries.
స్వచరణశరణం కరుణావరుణాలయ దేవ పాహి మాం దీనమ్ ॥ 6 ॥
- అగణేయగుణ (agaṇeyaguṇa)O you with qualities past all counting
- ఈశాత్మజ (īśātmaja)O son of the lord
- చిన్తకచిన్తామణే (cintakacintāmaṇe)O wishing-gem of those who think of you
- గణేశాన (gaṇeśāna)O Ganesha
- స్వచరణశరణమ్ (svacaraṇaśaraṇam)one who has taken refuge at your own feet
- కరుణావరుణాలయ (karuṇāvaruṇālaya)O sea of kindness
- దేవ (deva)O god
- పాహి (pāhi)protect
- మామ్ (mām)me
- దీనమ్ (dīnam)wretched
anvaya అగణేయగుణ ఈశాత్మజ చిన్తకచిన్తామణే గణేశాన కరుణావరుణాలయ దేవ స్వచరణశరణమ్ దీనమ్ మామ్ పాహి
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
చిన్తామణే O wishing-gem — The stone that gives whatever is thought of, which is where the hymn gets its name. The play is on chintaka, the one who thinks, and chintamani, the gem of thought.
వరుణాలయ the sea — The home of Varuna, that is, the ocean. Kindness is given its size.
ఇతి షట్పదీ మదీయా గణపతిపాదామ్బుజే విశతు ॥ 7 ॥
- రుచిరవచోఽమృతరావోన్నీతా (ruciravaco'mṛtarāvonnītā)carried up by the nectar-sound of lovely words
- నీతా (nītā)brought
- దివమ్ (divam)to heaven
- స్తుతిః (stutiḥ)the praise
- స్ఫీతా (sphītā)full
- ఇతి (iti)so
- షట్పదీ (ṣaṭpadī)this six-footed poem
- మదీయా (madīyā)of mine
- గణపతిపాదామ్బుజే (gaṇapatipādāmbuje)into the lotus of Ganapati's feet
- విశతు (viśatu)let it enter
anvaya రుచిరవచోఽమృతరావోన్నీతా స్ఫీతా స్తుతిః దివమ్ నీతా ఇతి మదీయా షట్పదీ గణపతిపాదామ్బుజే విశతు
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
షట్పదీ the six-footed poem — The same word means a bee. The last line asks the poem to go into the lotus of his feet the way a bee goes into a flower, which is why the poem is built on six feet.
note The hymn ends by naming its own form and making a picture of it.