षडक्षरं कृपासिन्धुं नमामि ऋणमुक्तये ॥ 1 ॥
- स्मरामि (smarāmi)I call to mind
- देवदेवेशम् (devadeveśam)the lord of the lords of the gods
- वक्रतुण्डम् (vakratuṇḍam)the one with the curving trunk
- महाबलम् (mahābalam)great in strength
- षडक्षरम् (ṣaḍakṣaram)the one of six syllables
- कृपासिन्धुम् (kṛpāsindhum)a sea of kindness
- नमामि (namāmi)I bow
- ऋणमुक्तये (ṛṇamuktaye)to be free of debt
anvaya देवदेवेशम् वक्रतुण्डम् महाबलम् षडक्षरम् कृपासिन्धुम् स्मरामि ऋणमुक्तये नमामि
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
षडक्षरम् the one of six syllables — The six-syllable Ganapati mantra is वक्रतुण्डाय हुं, which is why the verse names the curving trunk in the line before.
ऋणमुक्तये to be free of debt — Rina is what is owed, money first of all, but also the debts a person is born with, to the sages, the gods and the ancestors. The same word ends every verse of this hymn.
note The hymn is recited by people carrying debt. Eight of its nine verses end with the same half-line, नमामि ऋणमुक्तये.
एकमेवाद्वितीयं च नमामि ऋणमुक्तये ॥ 2 ॥
- एकाक्षरम् (ekākṣaram)the single syllable
- हि (hi)indeed
- एकदन्तम् (ekadantam)the one with a single tusk
- एकम् (ekam)the one
- ब्रह्म (brahma)Brahman
- सनातनम् (sanātanam)that has always been
- एकम् (ekam)one
- एव (eva)only
- अद्वितीयम् (advitīyam)with no second
- च (ca)and
- नमामि (namāmi)I bow
- ऋणमुक्तये (ṛṇamuktaye)to be free of debt
anvaya एकाक्षरम् हि एकदन्तम् एकम् सनातनम् ब्रह्म एकम् एव च अद्वितीयम् ऋणमुक्तये नमामि
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
एकमेवाद्वितीयम् one only and with no second — The words come from the Chandogya Upanishad, where they describe what was there before anything else. The hymn hands them to Ganesha.
एकाक्षरम् the single syllable — The syllable is गं, and the play is deliberate: one syllable, one tusk, one reality.
महाविघ्नहरं शम्भोः नमामि ऋणमुक्तये ॥ 3 ॥
- महागणपतिम् (mahāgaṇapatim)the great Ganapati
- देवम् (devam)the god
- महासत्त्वम् (mahāsattvam)of great courage
- महाबलम् (mahābalam)of great strength
- महाविघ्नहरम् (mahāvighnaharam)who takes away the big obstacle
- शम्भोः (śambhoḥ)of Shambhu
- नमामि (namāmi)I bow
- ऋणमुक्तये (ṛṇamuktaye)to be free of debt
anvaya महासत्त्वम् महाबलम् शम्भोः महाविघ्नहरम् देवम् महागणपतिम् ऋणमुक्तये नमामि
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
शम्भोः of Shambhu — Shambhu is Shiva. The story behind the line is the burning of the three cities, when Shiva set out without saluting Ganesha and his chariot broke down.
note शम्भोः can also be taken with देवम्, making the line read 'the god who is Shambhu's son'.
कृष्णसर्पोपवीतं च नमामि ऋणमुक्तये ॥ 4 ॥
- कृष्णाम्बरम् (kṛṣṇāmbaram)dressed in black
- कृष्णवर्णम् (kṛṣṇavarṇam)dark of body
- कृष्णगन्धानुलेपनम् (kṛṣṇagandhānulepanam)smeared with dark scented paste
- कृष्णसर्पोपवीतम् (kṛṣṇasarpopavītam)wearing a black snake as his sacred thread
- च (ca)and
- नमामि (namāmi)I bow
- ऋणमुक्तये (ṛṇamuktaye)to be free of debt
anvaya कृष्णाम्बरम् कृष्णवर्णम् कृष्णगन्धानुलेपनम् कृष्णसर्पोपवीतम् च ऋणमुक्तये नमामि
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
note Four verses in a row change only the colour: black here, then red, then yellow, then the grey of smoke. The reciter holds each picture in turn.
रक्तपुष्पप्रियं देवं नमामि ऋणमुक्तये ॥ 5 ॥
- रक्ताम्बरम् (raktāmbaram)dressed in red
- रक्तवर्णम् (raktavarṇam)red of body
- रक्तगन्धानुलेपनम् (raktagandhānulepanam)smeared with red scented paste
- रक्तपुष्पप्रियम् (raktapuṣpapriyam)who loves red flowers
- देवम् (devam)the god
- नमामि (namāmi)I bow
- ऋणमुक्तये (ṛṇamuktaye)to be free of debt
anvaya रक्ताम्बरम् रक्तवर्णम् रक्तगन्धानुलेपनम् रक्तपुष्पप्रियम् देवम् ऋणमुक्तये नमामि
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
रक्तपुष्प red flowers — Red hibiscus above all, the flower given to Ganesha as it is to his mother.
पीतपुष्पप्रियं देवं नमामि ऋणमुक्तये ॥ 6 ॥
- पीताम्बरम् (pītāmbaram)dressed in yellow
- पीतवर्णम् (pītavarṇam)yellow of body
- पीतगन्धानुलेपनम् (pītagandhānulepanam)smeared with yellow scented paste
- पीतपुष्पप्रियम् (pītapuṣpapriyam)who loves yellow flowers
- देवम् (devam)the god
- नमामि (namāmi)I bow
- ऋणमुक्तये (ṛṇamuktaye)to be free of debt
anvaya पीताम्बरम् पीतवर्णम् पीतगन्धानुलेपनम् पीतपुष्पप्रियम् देवम् ऋणमुक्तये नमामि
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
होमधूमप्रियं देवं नमामि ऋणमुक्तये ॥ 7 ॥
- धूम्राम्बरम् (dhūmrāmbaram)dressed in smoke-grey
- धूम्रवर्णम् (dhūmravarṇam)grey of body
- धूम्रगन्धानुलेपनम् (dhūmragandhānulepanam)smeared with grey scented paste
- होमधूमप्रियम् (homadhūmapriyam)who loves the smoke of the offering fire
- देवम् (devam)the god
- नमामि (namāmi)I bow
- ऋणमुक्तये (ṛṇamuktaye)to be free of debt
anvaya धूम्राम्बरम् धूम्रवर्णम् धूम्रगन्धानुलेपनम् होमधूमप्रियम् देवम् ऋणमुक्तये नमामि
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
होमधूम the smoke of the offering fire — Homa is the offering poured into fire. The colour of this verse is the colour of that smoke, which is why the fourth line changes from flowers to smoke.
चामरालङ्कृतं देवं नमामि ऋणमुक्तये ॥ 8 ॥
- फालनेत्रम् (phālanetram)with an eye in the forehead
- फालचन्द्रम् (phālacandram)with the moon on the forehead
- पाशाङ्कुशधरम् (pāśāṅkuśadharam)holding the noose and the goad
- विभुम् (vibhum)present everywhere
- चामरालङ्कृतम् (cāmarālaṅkṛtam)set off by the whisk
- देवम् (devam)the god
- नमामि (namāmi)I bow
- ऋणमुक्तये (ṛṇamuktaye)to be free of debt
anvaya फालनेत्रम् फालचन्द्रम् पाशाङ्कुशधरम् विभुम् चामरालङ्कृतम् देवम् ऋणमुक्तये नमामि
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
पाशाङ्कुश the noose and the goad — Two of the four things Ganapati holds. The noose draws the devotee in; the goad, the tool a mahout uses, turns the mind where it should go.
चामर the whisk — A yak-tail fan waved beside a king or an image, a mark of service rather than an ornament.
note फाल is a spelling of भाल, the forehead.
षण्मासाभ्यन्तरेणैव ऋणमुक्तो भविष्यति ॥ 9 ॥
- इदम् (idam)this
- तु (tu)and
- ऋणहरम् (ṛṇaharam)debt-clearing
- स्तोत्रम् (stotram)hymn
- सन्ध्यायाम् (sandhyāyām)at the turn of day and night
- यः (yaḥ)whoever
- पठेत् (paṭhet)recites
- नरः (naraḥ)a man
- षण्मासाभ्यन्तरेण (ṣaṇmāsābhyantareṇa)within six months
- एव (eva)itself
- ऋणमुक्तः (ṛṇamuktaḥ)free of debt
- भविष्यति (bhaviṣyati)will be
anvaya यः नरः इदम् तु ऋणहरम् स्तोत्रम् सन्ध्यायाम् पठेत् [सः] षण्मासाभ्यन्तरेण एव ऋणमुक्तः भविष्यति
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
सन्ध्यायाम् at the turn of day and night — Sandhya is the joint between day and night, dawn or dusk, the hour kept for prayer.
note The closing verse gives the time and the term: at sandhya, for six months.
