శ్రీ గణపతి తాలమ్

• వికటోత్కటసున్దరదన్తిముఖమ్ (vikaṭotkaṭasundaradantimukham)whose tusker's face is huge, towering and handsome
• భుజగేన్ద్రసుసర్పగదాభరణమ్ (bhujagendrasusarpagadābharaṇam)who wears the king of snakes and a mace
• గజనీలగజేన్ద్రగణాధిపతిమ్ (gajanīlagajendragaṇādhipatim)dark as an elephant, lordliest of elephants, master of the ganas
• ప్రణతః (praṇataḥ)bowed
• అస్మి (asmi)I am
• వినాయక (vināyaka)Vinayaka
• హస్తిముఖమ్ (hastimukham)whose face is an elephant's

anvaya వికటోత్కటసున్దరదన్తిముఖమ్ భుజగేన్ద్రసుసర్పగదాభరణమ్ గజనీలగజేన్ద్రగణాధిపతిమ్ హస్తిముఖమ్ వినాయక ప్రణతః అస్మి

chandas Toṭaka, 12 syllables in each of 4 pādas

తాల 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.

వికటోత్కట 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.

• సుర సుర (sura sura)god, god
• గణపతి (gaṇapati)Ganapati
• సున్దరకేశమ్ (sundarakeśam)with beautiful hair
• ఋషి ఋషి (ṛṣi ṛṣi)sage, sage
• యజ్ఞసమానమ్ (yajñasamānam)who is the sacrifice itself
• భవ భవ (bhava bhava)world, world
• పద్మశరీరమ్ (padmaśarīram)whose body is a lotus
• జయ జయ (jaya jaya)hail, hail
• దివ్యనమస్తే (divyanamaste)divine salutation to you

anvaya సుర సుర గణపతి సున్దరకేశమ్ ఋషి ఋషి యజ్ఞసమానమ్ భవ భవ పద్మశరీరమ్ జయ జయ దివ్యనమస్తే

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

భవ భవ 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.

• గజముఖవక్త్రమ్ (gajamukhavaktram)with the face of an elephant
• గిరిజాపుత్రమ్ (girijāputram)son of Girija
• గణగుణమిత్రమ్ (gaṇaguṇamitram)friend to the ganas and to what is good in them
• గణపతిమ్ (gaṇapatim)Ganapati
• ఈశప్రియమ్ (īśapriyam)dear to Shiva

anvaya గజముఖవక్త్రమ్ గిరిజాపుత్రమ్ గణగుణమిత్రమ్ ఈశప్రియమ్ గణపతిమ్

chandas Irregular, a short verse of two lines

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

• కరధృతపరశుమ్ (karadhṛtaparaśum)with an axe held in his hand
• కఙ్కణపాణిమ్ (kaṅkaṇapāṇim)with bracelets on his wrists
• కబలితపద్మరుచిమ్ (kabalitapadmarucim)whose beauty swallows the lotus
• సురపతివన్ద్యమ్ (surapativandyam)to whom the lord of the gods bows
• సున్దరనృత్తమ్ (sundaranṛttam)whose dancing is lovely
• సురచితమణిమకుటమ్ (suracitamaṇimakuṭam)whose jewelled crown is finely made

anvaya కరధృతపరశుమ్ కఙ్కణపాణిమ్ కబలితపద్మరుచిమ్ సురపతివన్ద్యమ్ సున్దరనృత్తమ్ సురచితమణిమకుటమ్

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

కబలిత 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.

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

• ప్రణమత (praṇamata)bow
• దేవమ్ (devam)to the god
• ప్రకటితతాలమ్ (prakaṭitatālam)who has shown the beat plainly
• షడ్గిరితాలమ్ (ṣaḍgiritālam)the shadgiri tala
• ఇదమ్ (idam)this is
• తత్తత్ (tattat)ta-t ta-t, a drum syllable

anvaya ప్రకటితతాలమ్ దేవమ్ ప్రణమత ఇదమ్ షడ్గిరితాలమ్ తత్తత్

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

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

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

• లమ్బోదరవర (lambodaravara)O best of the hanging-bellied
• కుఞ్జాసురకృత (kuñjāsurakṛta)from the work done on the asura Kunja
• కుఙ్కుమవర్ణధరమ్ (kuṅkumavarṇadharam)wearing the red of kunkuma
• శ్వేతసశృఙ్గమ్ (śvetasaśṛṅgam)white, with his tusk
• మోదకహస్తమ్ (modakahastam)with a modak in his hand
• ప్రీతిసపనసఫలమ్ (prītisapanasaphalam)fond of the jackfruit

anvaya లమ్బోదరవర కుఞ్జాసురకృత కుఙ్కుమవర్ణధరమ్ శ్వేతసశృఙ్గమ్ మోదకహస్తమ్ ప్రీతిసపనసఫలమ్

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

note The words కుఞ్జాసురకృత 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.

• నయనత్రయవర (nayanatrayavara)O best of the three-eyed
• నాగవిభూషిత (nāgavibhūṣita)decked with snakes
• నానాగణపతిదమ్ (nānāgaṇapatidam)giving the many forms of Ganapati
• తత్తత్ (tattat)ta-t ta-t, a drum syllable
• నానాగణపతి (nānāgaṇapati)the many Ganapatis
• తమ్ (tam)him

anvaya నయనత్రయవర నాగవిభూషిత నానాగణపతిదమ్ తత్తత్ నానాగణపతి తమ్

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

నానాగణపతి 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.

• ధవలితజలధర (dhavalitajaladhara)the cloud turned white
• ధవలితచన్ద్రమ్ (dhavalitacandram)the moon turned white
• ఫణిమణికిరణవిభూషితఖడ్గమ్ (phaṇimaṇikiraṇavibhūṣitakhaḍgam)whose sword is lit by the rays of the snake's jewel
• తనుతనువిషహర (tanutanuviṣahara)taking poison out of every body
• శూలకపాలమ్ (śūlakapālam)with the trident and the skull
• హర హర (hara hara)Hara, Hara
• శివ శివ (śiva śiva)Shiva, Shiva
• గణపతిమ్ (gaṇapatim)Ganapati
• అభయమ్ (abhayam)who puts fear away

anvaya ధవలితజలధర ధవలితచన్ద్రమ్ ఫణిమణికిరణవిభూషితఖడ్గమ్ తనుతనువిషహర శూలకపాలమ్ హర హర శివ శివ అభయమ్ గణపతిమ్

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

ఫణిమణి 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.

• కటతటవిగలితమదజల (kaṭataṭavigalitamadajala)the must running down the slope of his temples
• జలధిత (jaladhita)become a sea
• గణపతివాద్యమ్ (gaṇapativādyam)the music of Ganapati
• ఇదమ్ (idam)this is
• తత్తత్ (tattat)ta-t ta-t, a drum syllable

anvaya కటతటవిగలితమదజల జలధిత ఇదమ్ గణపతివాద్యమ్ తత్తత్

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

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

సోల్కట్టు 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.

• తకతకిట (takatakiṭa)ta-ka-ta-ki-ta, a drum syllable
• తత్తోం (tattoṃ)tat-tom, a drum syllable
• శశికలిత (śaśikalita)marked with the moon
• మౌలినమ్ (maulinam)crowned
• శూలినమ్ (śūlinam)carrying the trident
• విమలశుభకమలజలపాదుకమ్ (vimalaśubhakamalajalapādukam)whose sandals are the clear bright water of the lotus
• పాణినమ్ (pāṇinam)in his hands
• ధిత్తకిట (dhittakiṭa)dhi-t-ta-ki-ta, a drum syllable
• ప్రమథగణగుణకథితశోభనమ్ (pramathagaṇaguṇakathitaśobhanam)beautiful in the telling of his qualities by the pramatha ganas
• శోభితమ్ (śobhitam)adorned
• పృథులభుజసరసిజవిషాణకమ్ (pṛthulabhujasarasijaviṣāṇakam)broad-armed, holding lotus and tusk
• పోషణమ్ (poṣaṇam)who nourishes
• పనసఫలకదలిఫలమోదనమ్ (panasaphalakadaliphalamodanam)delighting in jackfruit, banana and sweet rice
• మోదకమ్ (modakam)the modak
• ప్రణతగురుశివతనయగణపతి (praṇataguruśivatanayagaṇapati)O Ganapati, son of Shiva, to whom the teacher bows
• తాలనమ్ (tālanam)the beating of the beat
• గణపతితాలనమ్ (gaṇapatitālanam)the beat of Ganapati

anvaya తకతకిట తత్తోం శశికలిత మౌలినమ్ శూలినమ్ విమలశుభకమలజలపాదుకమ్ పాణినమ్ ధిత్తకిట ప్రమథగణగుణకథితశోభనమ్ శోభితమ్ పృథులభుజసరసిజవిషాణకమ్ పోషణమ్ పనసఫలకదలిఫలమోదనమ్ మోదకమ్ ప్రణతగురుశివతనయగణపతి తాలనమ్ గణపతితాలనమ్

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

ప్రమథగణ 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.