सदनवसादन दयया कुरु सादनमन्तरायस्य ॥ 1 ॥
- द्विरदवदन (dviradavadana)O you with the face of the elephant
- विषमरद (viṣamarada)O you with the odd tusk
- वरद (varada)O giver of boons
- जय (jaya)be victorious
- ईशान (īśāna)O lord
- शान्तवरसदन (śāntavarasadana)O you whose home is peace and blessing
- सदनवसादन (sadanavasādana)O you who lift a house out of its sinking
- दयया (dayayā)out of kindness
- कुरु (kuru)make
- सादनम् (sādanam)the bringing down
- अन्तरायस्य (antarāyasya)of the obstacle
anvaya द्विरदवदन विषमरद वरद ईशान शान्तवरसदन सदनवसादन जय दयया अन्तरायस्य सादनम् कुरु
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
षट्पदी 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.
विषमरद 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.
अन्तराय 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. सदनवसादन is read सदन and अवसादन, the sinking of a house; what is to be brought down is named at the end of the verse.
विकटस्फुटकटधाराधारोऽस्यस्य प्रपञ्चस्य ॥ 2 ॥
- इन्दुकलाकलितालिक (indukalākalitālika)on whose brow the moon's crescent is set
- सालिक (sālika)with the mark on the forehead
- शुम्भत्कपोलपालियुग (śumbhatkapolapāliyuga)whose two cheeks shine on either side
- विकटस्फुटकटधाराधारः (vikaṭasphuṭakaṭadhārādhāraḥ)whose broad temples run open with must, and who is the ground that holds
- अस्य (asya)of this
- प्रपञ्चस्य (prapañcasya)spreading world
anvaya इन्दुकलाकलितालिक सालिक शुम्भत्कपोलपालियुग [त्वम्] अस्य प्रपञ्चस्य विकटस्फुटकटधाराधारः
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
प्रपञ्च the spreading world — Prapancha is the world seen as a spreading out into five, the elements and everything made of them.
धाराधारः 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.
आरूह्य वज्रदन्तं आखुं विदधासि विपदन्तम् ॥ 3 ॥
- वरपरशुपाशपाणे (varaparaśupāśapāṇe)O you with the boon, the axe and the noose in your hands
- पणितपणाय (paṇitapaṇāya)for the stake that is offered
- अपणायितः (apaṇāyitaḥ)not to be bought
- असि (asi)you are
- यतः (yataḥ)since
- आरूह्य (ārūhya)having mounted
- वज्रदन्तम् (vajradantam)with teeth like adamant
- आखुम् (ākhum)the mouse
- विदधासि (vidadhāsi)you make
- विपदन्तम् (vipadantam)an end of trouble
anvaya वरपरशुपाशपाणे यतः पणितपणाय अपणायितः असि [ततः] वज्रदन्तम् आखुम् आरूह्य विपदन्तम् विदधासि
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
पण 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.
आखुम् the mouse — Akhu is the one that digs. His mount goes under what stands in the way rather than through it.
शनकैरवलोकय मां यमान्तरायापहारिचारुदृशा ॥ 4 ॥
- लम्बोदर (lambodara)O hanging-bellied one
- दूर्वासन (dūrvāsana)O you seated on durva grass
- शयधृतसामोदमोदकाशनक (śayadhṛtasāmodamodakāśanaka)O you who eat the fragrant modak held in your hand
- शनकैः (śanakaiḥ)slowly
- अवलोकय (avalokaya)look
- माम् (mām)at me
- यमान्तरायापहारिचारुदृशा (yamāntarāyāpahāricārudṛśā)with that lovely glance which carries off death and every obstacle
anvaya लम्बोदर दूर्वासन शयधृतसामोदमोदकाशनक यमान्तरायापहारिचारुदृशा माम् शनकैः अवलोकय
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
दूर्वा durva grass — The grass offered to him in blades of twenty-one, and the only offering he is said to prefer to food.
शनकैः slowly — The poet asks not for a look but for an unhurried one, as one asks a busy person for a moment.
सुखधृतदण्डरसालो नागजभालोऽतिभासि विभो ॥ 5 ॥
- आनन्दतुन्दिलाखिलवृन्दारकवृन्दवन्दिताङ्घ्रियुग (ānandatundilākhilavṛndārakavṛndavanditāṅghriyuga)O you at whose two feet the whole company of gods, swollen with joy, bows
- सुखधृतदण्डरसालः (sukhadhṛtadaṇḍarasālaḥ)holding the sugar cane staff with ease
- नागजभालः (nāgajabhālaḥ)whose brow is an elephant's
- अतिभासि (atibhāsi)you shine past all measure
- विभो (vibho)O mighty one
anvaya आनन्दतुन्दिलाखिलवृन्दारकवृन्दवन्दिताङ्घ्रियुग विभो सुखधृतदण्डरसालः नागजभालः अतिभासि
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
तुन्दिल swollen — Tundila is having a swollen belly. The poet gives the gods his own shape, swollen with joy as he is swollen with sweets.
रसाल the sugar cane — Rasala is what holds juice: the mango, and the sugar cane he carries.
स्वचरणशरणं करुणावरुणालय देव पाहि मां दीनम् ॥ 6 ॥
- अगणेयगुण (agaṇeyaguṇa)O you with qualities past all counting
- ईशात्मज (īśātmaja)O son of the lord
- चिन्तकचिन्तामणे (cintakacintāmaṇe)O wishing-gem of those who think of you
- गणेशान (gaṇeśāna)O Ganesha
- स्वचरणशरणम् (svacaraṇaśaraṇam)one who has taken refuge at your own feet
- करुणावरुणालय (karuṇāvaruṇālaya)O sea of kindness
- देव (deva)O god
- पाहि (pāhi)protect
- माम् (mām)me
- दीनम् (dīnam)wretched
anvaya अगणेयगुण ईशात्मज चिन्तकचिन्तामणे गणेशान करुणावरुणालय देव स्वचरणशरणम् दीनम् माम् पाहि
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
चिन्तामणे 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.
वरुणालय the sea — The home of Varuna, that is, the ocean. Kindness is given its size.
इति षट्पदी मदीया गणपतिपादाम्बुजे विशतु ॥ 7 ॥
- रुचिरवचोऽमृतरावोन्नीता (ruciravaco'mṛtarāvonnītā)carried up by the nectar-sound of lovely words
- नीता (nītā)brought
- दिवम् (divam)to heaven
- स्तुतिः (stutiḥ)the praise
- स्फीता (sphītā)full
- इति (iti)so
- षट्पदी (ṣaṭpadī)this six-footed poem
- मदीया (madīyā)of mine
- गणपतिपादाम्बुजे (gaṇapatipādāmbuje)into the lotus of Ganapati's feet
- विशतु (viśatu)let it enter
anvaya रुचिरवचोऽमृतरावोन्नीता स्फीता स्तुतिः दिवम् नीता इति मदीया षट्पदी गणपतिपादाम्बुजे विशतु
chandas Irregular by syllable count; the ṣaṭpadī is measured in beats, six feet to the verse
षट्पदी 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.
