nirvighnaṃ kuru me deva sarvakāryeṣu sarvadā ||
- vakratuṇḍaO Lord with the curved trunk
- mahākāyaO Lord with the mighty body
- sūryakoṭisamaprabhawhose light equals ten million suns
- nirvighnamfree of obstacles
- kurumake
- mefor me
- devaO God
- sarvakāryeṣuin all my work
- sarvadāalways
anvaya [he] vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakoṭisamaprabha deva me sarvakāryeṣu sarvadā nirvighnam kuru
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
vakratuṇḍa the one with the curved trunk — In the Mudgala Purana, Vakratunda is the first of Ganesha's eight forms, the one who overcomes Matsarasura, the demon of envy.
sūryakoṭisamaprabha as bright as ten million suns — Koti is ten million, a crore. The number is a way of saying his light cannot be counted.
nirvighnam without any obstacle — This is the one thing the verse asks for: that the work in hand goes ahead with nothing blocking it.
note For many people this is the first Sanskrit verse they ever learn. It is said before starting almost anything: a school exam, a journey, opening a shop, a wedding, a puja. It stands on its own as a prayer and is not tied to a single author.