भुजगेन्द्रसुसर्पगदाभरणम् ।
गजनीलगजेन्द्र गणाधिपतिं
प्रणतोऽस्मि विनायक हस्तिमुखम् ॥ 1 ॥
- विकटोत्कटसुन्दरदन्तिमुखम् (vikaṭotkaṭasundaradantimukham)whose tusker's face is huge, towering and handsome
- भुजगेन्द्रसुसर्पगदाभरणम् (bhujagendrasusarpagadābharaṇam)who wears the king of snakes and a mace
- गजनीलगजेन्द्रगणाधिपतिम् (gajanīlagajendragaṇādhipatim)dark as an elephant, lordliest of elephants, master of the ganas
- प्रणतः (praṇataḥ)bowed
- अस्मि (asmi)I am
- विनायक (vināyaka)Vinayaka
- हस्तिमुखम् (hastimukham)whose face is an elephant's
anvaya विकटोत्कटसुन्दरदन्तिमुखम् भुजगेन्द्रसुसर्पगदाभरणम् गजनीलगजेन्द्रगणाधिपतिम् हस्तिमुखम् विनायक प्रणतः अस्मि
chandas Toṭaka, 12 syllables in each of 4 pādas
ताल 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.
विकटोत्कट 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.
ऋषि ऋषि गणपति यज्ञसमानम् ।
भव भव गणपति पद्मशरीरं
जय जय गणपति दिव्यनमस्ते ॥ 2 ॥
- सुर सुर (sura sura)god, god
- गणपति (gaṇapati)Ganapati
- सुन्दरकेशम् (sundarakeśam)with beautiful hair
- ऋषि ऋषि (ṛṣi ṛṣi)sage, sage
- यज्ञसमानम् (yajñasamānam)who is the sacrifice itself
- भव भव (bhava bhava)world, world
- पद्मशरीरम् (padmaśarīram)whose body is a lotus
- जय जय (jaya jaya)hail, hail
- दिव्यनमस्ते (divyanamaste)divine salutation to you
anvaya सुर सुर गणपति सुन्दरकेशम् ऋषि ऋषि यज्ञसमानम् भव भव पद्मशरीरम् जय जय दिव्यनमस्ते
chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre
भव भव 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.
गणगुणमित्रं गणपतिमीशप्रियम् ॥ 3 ॥
- गजमुखवक्त्रम् (gajamukhavaktram)with the face of an elephant
- गिरिजापुत्रम् (girijāputram)son of Girija
- गणगुणमित्रम् (gaṇaguṇamitram)friend to the ganas and to what is good in them
- गणपतिम् (gaṇapatim)Ganapati
- ईशप्रियम् (īśapriyam)dear to Shiva
anvaya गजमुखवक्त्रम् गिरिजापुत्रम् गणगुणमित्रम् ईशप्रियम् गणपतिम्
chandas Irregular, a short verse of two lines
गिरिजा Girija — Born of the mountain: Parvati, daughter of Himavan.
कबलितपद्मरुचिम् ।
सुरपतिवन्द्यं सुन्दरनृत्तं
सुरचितमणिमकुटम् ॥ 4 ॥
- करधृतपरशुम् (karadhṛtaparaśum)with an axe held in his hand
- कङ्कणपाणिम् (kaṅkaṇapāṇim)with bracelets on his wrists
- कबलितपद्मरुचिम् (kabalitapadmarucim)whose beauty swallows the lotus
- सुरपतिवन्द्यम् (surapativandyam)to whom the lord of the gods bows
- सुन्दरनृत्तम् (sundaranṛttam)whose dancing is lovely
- सुरचितमणिमकुटम् (suracitamaṇimakuṭam)whose jewelled crown is finely made
anvaya करधृतपरशुम् कङ्कणपाणिम् कबलितपद्मरुचिम् सुरपतिवन्द्यम् सुन्दरनृत्तम् सुरचितमणिमकुटम्
chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre
कबलित 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.
परशु the axe — The axe he carries to cut through what holds a person back, and the weapon his father gave him.
षड्गिरि तालमिदम् ।
तत्तत् षड्गिरि तालमिदं
तत्तत् षड्गिरि तालमिदम् ॥ 5 ॥
- प्रणमत (praṇamata)bow
- देवम् (devam)to the god
- प्रकटिततालम् (prakaṭitatālam)who has shown the beat plainly
- षड्गिरितालम् (ṣaḍgiritālam)the shadgiri tala
- इदम् (idam)this is
- तत्तत् (tattat)ta-t ta-t, a drum syllable
anvaya प्रकटिततालम् देवम् प्रणमत इदम् षड्गिरितालम् तत्तत्
chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre
षड्गिरिताल the shadgiri tala — The beat the piece is set to, named here inside the words of the piece itself.
तत्तत् ta-t ta-t — Solkattu: the spoken syllables of drumming. They stand for strokes and carry the beat.
श्वेतसशृङ्गं मोदकहस्तं प्रीतिसपनसफलम् ॥ 6 ॥
- लम्बोदरवर (lambodaravara)O best of the hanging-bellied
- कुञ्जासुरकृत (kuñjāsurakṛta)from the work done on the asura Kunja
- कुङ्कुमवर्णधरम् (kuṅkumavarṇadharam)wearing the red of kunkuma
- श्वेतसशृङ्गम् (śvetasaśṛṅgam)white, with his tusk
- मोदकहस्तम् (modakahastam)with a modak in his hand
- प्रीतिसपनसफलम् (prītisapanasaphalam)fond of the jackfruit
anvaya लम्बोदरवर कुञ्जासुरकृत कुङ्कुमवर्णधरम् श्वेतसशृङ्गम् मोदकहस्तम् प्रीतिसपनसफलम्
chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre
note The words कुञ्जासुरकृत 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.
नयनत्रयवर नागविभूषित नानागणपतिदं तत्तत्
नानागणपति तं तत्तत् नानागणपतिदम् ॥ 7 ॥
- नयनत्रयवर (nayanatrayavara)O best of the three-eyed
- नागविभूषित (nāgavibhūṣita)decked with snakes
- नानागणपतिदम् (nānāgaṇapatidam)giving the many forms of Ganapati
- तत्तत् (tattat)ta-t ta-t, a drum syllable
- नानागणपति (nānāgaṇapati)the many Ganapatis
- तम् (tam)him
anvaya नयनत्रयवर नागविभूषित नानागणपतिदम् तत्तत् नानागणपति तम्
chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre
नानागणपति 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.
फणिमणिकिरणविभूषित खड्गम् ।
तनुतनुविषहर शूलकपालं
हर हर शिव शिव गणपतिमभयम् ॥ 8 ॥
- धवलितजलधर (dhavalitajaladhara)the cloud turned white
- धवलितचन्द्रम् (dhavalitacandram)the moon turned white
- फणिमणिकिरणविभूषितखड्गम् (phaṇimaṇikiraṇavibhūṣitakhaḍgam)whose sword is lit by the rays of the snake's jewel
- तनुतनुविषहर (tanutanuviṣahara)taking poison out of every body
- शूलकपालम् (śūlakapālam)with the trident and the skull
- हर हर (hara hara)Hara, Hara
- शिव शिव (śiva śiva)Shiva, Shiva
- गणपतिम् (gaṇapatim)Ganapati
- अभयम् (abhayam)who puts fear away
anvaya धवलितजलधर धवलितचन्द्रम् फणिमणिकिरणविभूषितखड्गम् तनुतनुविषहर शूलकपालम् हर हर शिव शिव अभयम् गणपतिम्
chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre
फणिमणि 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.
गणपतिवाद्यमिदं
कटतट विगलितमदजल जलधित-
गणपतिवाद्यमिदं
तत्तत् गणपतिवाद्यमिदं
तत्तत् गणपतिवाद्यमिदम् ॥ 9 ॥
- कटतटविगलितमदजल (kaṭataṭavigalitamadajala)the must running down the slope of his temples
- जलधित (jaladhita)become a sea
- गणपतिवाद्यम् (gaṇapativādyam)the music of Ganapati
- इदम् (idam)this is
- तत्तत् (tattat)ta-t ta-t, a drum syllable
anvaya कटतटविगलितमदजल जलधित इदम् गणपतिवाद्यम् तत्तत्
chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre
वाद्य music — Vadya is what is played on an instrument. The line calls the drumming that follows the god's own music.
कुकु तकिट डिण्डिङ्गु डिगुण कुकु तद्दि
तत्त झं झं तरित
त झं झं तरित
तकत झं झं तरित
त झं झं तरित
तरिदणत दणजणुत जणुदिमित
किटतक तरिकिटतों
तकिट किटतक तरिकिटतों
तकिट किटतक तरिकिटतों ताम् ॥ 10 ॥
सोल्कट्टु 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.
शशिकलित शशिकलित मौलिनं शूलिनम् ।
तकतकिट तकतकिट तकतकिट तत्तों
विमलशुभकमलजलपादुकं पाणिनम् ।
धित्तकिट धित्तकिट धित्तकिट तत्तों
प्रमथगणगुणकथितशोभनं शोभितम् ।
धित्तकिट धित्तकिट धित्तकिट तत्तों
पृथुलभुजसरसिज विषाणकं पोषणम् ।
तकतकिट तकतकिट तकतकिट तत्तों
पनसफलकदलिफलमोदनं मोदकम् ।
धित्तकिट धित्तकिट धित्तकिट तत्तों
प्रणतगुरु शिवतनय गणपति तालनम् ।
गणपति तालनं गणपति तालनम् ॥ 11 ॥
- तकतकिट (takatakiṭa)ta-ka-ta-ki-ta, a drum syllable
- तत्तों (tattoṃ)tat-tom, a drum syllable
- शशिकलित (śaśikalita)marked with the moon
- मौलिनम् (maulinam)crowned
- शूलिनम् (śūlinam)carrying the trident
- विमलशुभकमलजलपादुकम् (vimalaśubhakamalajalapādukam)whose sandals are the clear bright water of the lotus
- पाणिनम् (pāṇinam)in his hands
- धित्तकिट (dhittakiṭa)dhi-t-ta-ki-ta, a drum syllable
- प्रमथगणगुणकथितशोभनम् (pramathagaṇaguṇakathitaśobhanam)beautiful in the telling of his qualities by the pramatha ganas
- शोभितम् (śobhitam)adorned
- पृथुलभुजसरसिजविषाणकम् (pṛthulabhujasarasijaviṣāṇakam)broad-armed, holding lotus and tusk
- पोषणम् (poṣaṇam)who nourishes
- पनसफलकदलिफलमोदनम् (panasaphalakadaliphalamodanam)delighting in jackfruit, banana and sweet rice
- मोदकम् (modakam)the modak
- प्रणतगुरुशिवतनयगणपति (praṇataguruśivatanayagaṇapati)O Ganapati, son of Shiva, to whom the teacher bows
- तालनम् (tālanam)the beating of the beat
- गणपतितालनम् (gaṇapatitālanam)the beat of Ganapati
anvaya तकतकिट तत्तों शशिकलित मौलिनम् शूलिनम् विमलशुभकमलजलपादुकम् पाणिनम् धित्तकिट प्रमथगणगुणकथितशोभनम् शोभितम् पृथुलभुजसरसिजविषाणकम् पोषणम् पनसफलकदलिफलमोदनम् मोदकम् प्रणतगुरुशिवतनयगणपति तालनम् गणपतितालनम्
chandas Irregular, set to the beat rather than to a metre
प्रमथगण 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.