শ্রী গণপতি তালম্

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

anvaya বিকটোত্কটসুন্দরদন্তিমুখম্ ভুজগেন্দ্রসুসর্পগদাভরণম্ গজনীলগজেন্দ্রগণাধিপতিম্ হস্তিমুখম্ বিনাযক প্রণতঃ 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.

বিকটোত্কট 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.

• সুর সুর (sura sura)god, god
• গণপতি (gaṇapati)Ganapati
• সুন্দরকেশম্ (sundarakeśam)with beautiful hair
• ঋষি ঋষি (ṛṣi ṛṣi)sage, sage
• যজ্ঞসমানম্ (yajñasamānam)who is the sacrifice itself
• ভব ভব (bhava bhava)world, world
• পদ্মশরীরম্ (padmaśarīram)whose body is a lotus
• জয জয (jaya jaya)hail, hail
• দিব্যনমস্তে (divyanamaste)divine salutation to you

anvaya সুর সুর গণপতি সুন্দরকেশম্ ঋষি ঋষি যজ্ঞসমানম্ ভব ভব পদ্মশরীরম্ জয জয দিব্যনমস্তে

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

ভব ভব 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.

• গজমুখবক্ত্রম্ (gajamukhavaktram)with the face of an elephant
• গিরিজাপুত্রম্ (girijāputram)son of Girija
• গণগুণমিত্রম্ (gaṇaguṇamitram)friend to the ganas and to what is good in them
• গণপতিম্ (gaṇapatim)Ganapati
• ঈশপ্রিযম্ (īśapriyam)dear to Shiva

anvaya গজমুখবক্ত্রম্ গিরিজাপুত্রম্ গণগুণমিত্রম্ ঈশপ্রিযম্ গণপতিম্

chandas Irregular, a short verse of two lines

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

• করধৃতপরশুম্ (karadhṛtaparaśum)with an axe held in his hand
• কঙ্কণপাণিম্ (kaṅkaṇapāṇim)with bracelets on his wrists
• কবলিতপদ্মরুচিম্ (kabalitapadmarucim)whose beauty swallows the lotus
• সুরপতিবন্দ্যম্ (surapativandyam)to whom the lord of the gods bows
• সুন্দরনৃত্তম্ (sundaranṛttam)whose dancing is lovely
• সুরচিতমণিমকুটম্ (suracitamaṇimakuṭam)whose jewelled crown is finely made

anvaya করধৃতপরশুম্ কঙ্কণপাণিম্ কবলিতপদ্মরুচিম্ সুরপতিবন্দ্যম্ সুন্দরনৃত্তম্ সুরচিতমণিমকুটম্

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.

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

• প্রণমত (praṇamata)bow
• দেবম্ (devam)to the god
• প্রকটিততালম্ (prakaṭitatālam)who has shown the beat plainly
• ষড্গিরিতালম্ (ṣaḍgiritālam)the shadgiri tala
• ইদম্ (idam)this is
• তত্তত্ (tattat)ta-t ta-t, a drum syllable

anvaya প্রকটিততালম্ দেবম্ প্রণমত ইদম্ ষড্গিরিতালম্ তত্তত্

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

ষড্গিরিতাল 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.

• লম্বোদরবর (lambodaravara)O best of the hanging-bellied
• কুঞ্জাসুরকৃত (kuñjāsurakṛta)from the work done on the asura Kunja
• কুঙ্কুমবর্ণধরম্ (kuṅkumavarṇadharam)wearing the red of kunkuma
• শ্বেতসশৃঙ্গম্ (śvetasaśṛṅgam)white, with his tusk
• মোদকহস্তম্ (modakahastam)with a modak in his hand
• প্রীতিসপনসফলম্ (prītisapanasaphalam)fond of the jackfruit

anvaya লম্বোদরবর কুঞ্জাসুরকৃত কুঙ্কুমবর্ণধরম্ শ্বেতসশৃঙ্গম্ মোদকহস্তম্ প্রীতিসপনসফলম্

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

note The words কুঞ্জাসুরকৃত 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.

• নযনত্রযবর (nayanatrayavara)O best of the three-eyed
• নাগবিভূষিত (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 নযনত্রযবর নাগবিভূষিত 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.

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

anvaya ধবলিতজলধর ধবলিতচন্দ্রম্ ফণিমণিকিরণবিভূষিতখড্গম্ তনুতনুবিষহর শূলকপালম্ হর হর শিব শিব 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.

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

anvaya কটতটবিগলিতমদজল জলধিত ইদম্ গণপতিবাদ্যম্ তত্তত্

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

বাদ্য 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
• বিমলশুভকমলজলপাদুকম্ (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
• প্রমথগণগুণকথিতশোভনম্ (pramathagaṇaguṇakathitaśobhanam)beautiful in the telling of his qualities by the pramatha ganas
• শোভিতম্ (śobhitam)adorned
• পৃথুলভুজসরসিজবিষাণকম্ (pṛthulabhujasarasijaviṣāṇakam)broad-armed, holding lotus and tusk
• পোষণম্ (poṣaṇam)who nourishes
• পনসফলকদলিফলমোদনম্ (panasaphalakadaliphalamodanam)delighting in jackfruit, banana and sweet rice
• মোদকম্ (modakam)the modak
• প্রণতগুরুশিবতনযগণপতি (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 বিমলশুভকমলজলপাদুকম্ পাণিনম্ ধিত্তকিট প্রমথগণগুণকথিতশোভনম্ শোভিতম্ পৃথুলভুজসরসিজবিষাণকম্ পোষণম্ পনসফলকদলিফলমোদনম্ মোদকম্ প্রণতগুরুশিবতনযগণপতি তালনম্ গণপতিতালনম্

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

প্রমথগণ 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.