শ্ৰী গণপতি তালম্

• ৱিকটোত্কটসুন্দৰদন্তিমুখম্ (vikaṭotkaṭasundaradantimukham)whose tusker's face is huge, towering and handsome
• ভুজগেন্দ্ৰসুসৰ্পগদাভৰণম্ (bhujagendrasusarpagadābharaṇam)who wears the king of snakes and a mace
• গজনীলগজেন্দ্ৰগণাধিপতিম্ (gajanīlagajendragaṇādhipatim)dark as an elephant, lordliest of elephants, master of the ganas
• প্ৰণতঃ (praṇataḥ)bowed
• অস্মি (asmi)I am
• ৱিনাযক (vināyaka)Vinayaka
• হস্তিমুখম্ (hastimukham)whose face is an elephant's

anvaya ৱিকটোত্কটসুন্দৰদন্তিমুখম্ ভুজগেন্দ্ৰসুসৰ্পগদাভৰণম্ গজনীলগজেন্দ্ৰগণাধিপতিম্ হস্তিমুখম্ ৱিনাযক প্ৰণতঃ অস্মি

chandas Toṭaka, 12 syllables in each of 4 pādas

তাল tala — Tala is the beat a piece is set to. This hymn is named for its beat, and in places it drops the words and gives the drum syllables themselves.

ৱিকটোত্কট huge and towering — Vikata and Utkata are also names of Ganesha in their own right, so the line praises him twice while it describes him.

note A piece made for performance. Verses of praise alternate with passages of solkattu, the syllables a drummer speaks aloud.

• সুৰ সুৰ (sura sura)god, god
• গণপতি (gaṇapati)Ganapati
• সুন্দৰকেশম্ (sundarakeśam)with beautiful hair
• ঋষি ঋষি (ṛṣi ṛṣi)sage, sage
• যজ্ঞসমানম্ (yajñasamānam)who is the sacrifice itself
• ভৱ ভৱ (bhava bhava)world, world
• পদ্মশৰীৰম্ (padmaśarīram)whose body is a lotus
• জয জয (jaya jaya)hail, hail
• দিৱ্যনমস্তে (divyanamaste)divine salutation to you

anvaya সুৰ সুৰ গণপতি সুন্দৰকেশম্ ঋষি ঋষি যজ্ঞসমানম্ ভৱ ভৱ পদ্মশৰীৰম্ জয জয দিৱ্যনমস্তে

chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre

ভৱ ভৱ world, world — Bhava is what comes into being, and also a name of Shiva. Doubled here for the beat, as sura and rishi are doubled in the lines before.

note Each line doubles its first word. The doubling is for the drum as much as for the sense.

• গজমুখৱক্ত্ৰম্ (gajamukhavaktram)with the face of an elephant
• গিৰিজাপুত্ৰম্ (girijāputram)son of Girija
• গণগুণমিত্ৰম্ (gaṇaguṇamitram)friend to the ganas and to what is good in them
• গণপতিম্ (gaṇapatim)Ganapati
• ঈশপ্ৰিযম্ (īśapriyam)dear to Shiva

anvaya গজমুখৱক্ত্ৰম্ গিৰিজাপুত্ৰম্ গণগুণমিত্ৰম্ ঈশপ্ৰিযম্ গণপতিম্

chandas Irregular, a short verse of two lines

গিৰিজা Girija — Born of the mountain: Parvati, daughter of Himavan.

• কৰধৃতপৰশুম্ (karadhṛtaparaśum)with an axe held in his hand
• কঙ্কণপাণিম্ (kaṅkaṇapāṇim)with bracelets on his wrists
• কবলিতপদ্মৰুচিম্ (kabalitapadmarucim)whose beauty swallows the lotus
• সুৰপতিৱন্দ্যম্ (surapativandyam)to whom the lord of the gods bows
• সুন্দৰনৃত্তম্ (sundaranṛttam)whose dancing is lovely
• সুৰচিতমণিমকুটম্ (suracitamaṇimakuṭam)whose jewelled crown is finely made

anvaya কৰধৃতপৰশুম্ কঙ্কণপাণিম্ কবলিতপদ্মৰুচিম্ সুৰপতিৱন্দ্যম্ সুন্দৰনৃত্তম্ সুৰচিতমণিমকুটম্

chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre

কবলিত swallowed — Kabalita is taken in at a mouthful. To say his beauty swallows the lotus is to say the lotus is left with nothing of its own.

পৰশু the axe — The axe he carries to cut through what holds a person back, and the weapon his father gave him.

• প্ৰণমত (praṇamata)bow
• দেৱম্ (devam)to the god
• প্ৰকটিততালম্ (prakaṭitatālam)who has shown the beat plainly
• ষড্গিৰিতালম্ (ṣaḍgiritālam)the shadgiri tala
• ইদম্ (idam)this is
• তত্তত্ (tattat)ta-t ta-t, a drum syllable

anvaya প্ৰকটিততালম্ দেৱম্ প্ৰণমত ইদম্ ষড্গিৰিতালম্ তত্তত্

chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre

ষড্গিৰিতাল the shadgiri tala — The beat the piece is set to, named here inside the words of the piece itself.

তত্তত্ ta-t ta-t — Solkattu: the spoken syllables of drumming. They stand for strokes and carry the beat.

• লম্বোদৰৱৰ (lambodaravara)O best of the hanging-bellied
• কুঞ্জাসুৰকৃত (kuñjāsurakṛta)from the work done on the asura Kunja
• কুঙ্কুমৱৰ্ণধৰম্ (kuṅkumavarṇadharam)wearing the red of kunkuma
• শ্ৱেতসশৃঙ্গম্ (śvetasaśṛṅgam)white, with his tusk
• মোদকহস্তম্ (modakahastam)with a modak in his hand
• প্ৰীতিসপনসফলম্ (prītisapanasaphalam)fond of the jackfruit

anvaya লম্বোদৰৱৰ কুঞ্জাসুৰকৃত কুঙ্কুমৱৰ্ণধৰম্ শ্ৱেতসশৃঙ্গম্ মোদকহস্তম্ প্ৰীতিসপনসফলম্

chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre

note The words কুঞ্জাসুৰকৃত are not clear in this printing. They are taken here as what was done to an asura named Kunja, which would account for the red he wears.

• নযনত্ৰযৱৰ (nayanatrayavara)O best of the three-eyed
• নাগৱিভূষিত (nāgavibhūṣita)decked with snakes
• নানাগণপতিদম্ (nānāgaṇapatidam)giving the many forms of Ganapati
• তত্তত্ (tattat)ta-t ta-t, a drum syllable
• নানাগণপতি (nānāgaṇapati)the many Ganapatis
• তম্ (tam)him

anvaya নযনত্ৰযৱৰ নাগৱিভূষিত নানাগণপতিদম্ তত্তত্ নানাগণপতি তম্

chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre

নানাগণপতি the many Ganapatis — The thirty-two forms of Ganapati counted in the tantras, each with its own number of arms and its own colour.

note The lines repeat as they would in performance, with the drum syllables taking over between them.

• ধৱলিতজলধৰ (dhavalitajaladhara)the cloud turned white
• ধৱলিতচন্দ্ৰম্ (dhavalitacandram)the moon turned white
• ফণিমণিকিৰণৱিভূষিতখড্গম্ (phaṇimaṇikiraṇavibhūṣitakhaḍgam)whose sword is lit by the rays of the snake's jewel
• তনুতনুৱিষহৰ (tanutanuviṣahara)taking poison out of every body
• শূলকপালম্ (śūlakapālam)with the trident and the skull
• হৰ হৰ (hara hara)Hara, Hara
• শিৱ শিৱ (śiva śiva)Shiva, Shiva
• গণপতিম্ (gaṇapatim)Ganapati
• অভযম্ (abhayam)who puts fear away

anvaya ধৱলিতজলধৰ ধৱলিতচন্দ্ৰম্ ফণিমণিকিৰণৱিভূষিতখড্গম্ তনুতনুৱিষহৰ শূলকপালম্ হৰ হৰ শিৱ শিৱ অভযম্ গণপতিম্

chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre

ফণিমণি the snake's jewel — The gem held in a cobra's hood, which lights up whatever is near it.

note The verse borrows Shiva's own marks, the trident and the skull, and calls on him by name.

• কটতটৱিগলিতমদজল (kaṭataṭavigalitamadajala)the must running down the slope of his temples
• জলধিত (jaladhita)become a sea
• গণপতিৱাদ্যম্ (gaṇapativādyam)the music of Ganapati
• ইদম্ (idam)this is
• তত্তত্ (tattat)ta-t ta-t, a drum syllable

anvaya কটতটৱিগলিতমদজল জলধিত ইদম্ গণপতিৱাদ্যম্ তত্তত্

chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre

ৱাদ্য music — Vadya is what is played on an instrument. The line calls the drumming that follows the god's own music.

সোল্কট্টু solkattu — The spoken language of South Indian drumming. Each syllable stands for a stroke, so the passage can be recited, clapped or played.

note The words drop away here and the beat is left on its own.

• তকতকিট (takatakiṭa)ta-ka-ta-ki-ta, a drum syllable
• তত্তোং (tattoṃ)tat-tom, a drum syllable
• শশিকলিত (śaśikalita)marked with the moon
• মৌলিনম্ (maulinam)crowned
• শূলিনম্ (śūlinam)carrying the trident
• ৱিমলশুভকমলজলপাদুকম্ (vimalaśubhakamalajalapādukam)whose sandals are the clear bright water of the lotus
• পাণিনম্ (pāṇinam)in his hands
• ধিত্তকিট (dhittakiṭa)dhi-t-ta-ki-ta, a drum syllable
• প্ৰমথগণগুণকথিতশোভনম্ (pramathagaṇaguṇakathitaśobhanam)beautiful in the telling of his qualities by the pramatha ganas
• শোভিতম্ (śobhitam)adorned
• পৃথুলভুজসৰসিজৱিষাণকম্ (pṛthulabhujasarasijaviṣāṇakam)broad-armed, holding lotus and tusk
• পোষণম্ (poṣaṇam)who nourishes
• পনসফলকদলিফলমোদনম্ (panasaphalakadaliphalamodanam)delighting in jackfruit, banana and sweet rice
• মোদকম্ (modakam)the modak
• প্ৰণতগুৰুশিৱতনযগণপতি (praṇataguruśivatanayagaṇapati)O Ganapati, son of Shiva, to whom the teacher bows
• তালনম্ (tālanam)the beating of the beat
• গণপতিতালনম্ (gaṇapatitālanam)the beat of Ganapati

anvaya তকতকিট তত্তোং শশিকলিত মৌলিনম্ শূলিনম্ ৱিমলশুভকমলজলপাদুকম্ পাণিনম্ ধিত্তকিট প্ৰমথগণগুণকথিতশোভনম্ শোভিতম্ পৃথুলভুজসৰসিজৱিষাণকম্ পোষণম্ পনসফলকদলিফলমোদনম্ মোদকম্ প্ৰণতগুৰুশিৱতনযগণপতি তালনম্ গণপতিতালনম্

chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre

প্ৰমথগণ the pramatha ganas — Shiva's rough band of followers, over whom his son is set as lord.

note The last passage alternates a line of drum syllables with a line of praise, so that the two are heard together. The piece ends on its own name.