वातापि गणपतिं भजेऽहं
वारणाश्यं वरप्रदं श्री ।
भूतादि संसेवित चरणं
भूत भौतिक प्रपञ्च भरणम् ।
वीतरागिणं विनुत योगिनं
विश्वकारणं विघ्नवारणम् ।
पुरा कुम्भ सम्भव मुनिवर
प्रपूजितं त्रिकोण मध्यगतं
मुरारि प्रमुखाद्युपासितं
मूलाधार क्षेत्रस्थितम् ।
परादि चत्वारि वागात्मकं
प्रणव स्वरूप वक्रतुण्डं
निरन्तरं निखिल चन्द्रखण्डं
निजवामकर विद्रुतेक्षुखण्डम् ।
कराम्बुज पाश बीजापूरं
कलुषविदूरं भूताकारं
हरादि गुरुगुह तोषित बिम्बं
हंसध्वनि भूषित हेरम्बम् ।
- रागम् (rāgam)the raga
- हंसध्वनि (haṃsadhvani)Hamsadhvani
- वातापि (vātāpi)of Vatapi
- गणपतिम् (gaṇapatim)Ganapati
- भजे (bhaje)I worship
- अहम् (aham)I
- वारणास्यम् (vāraṇāsyam)the elephant-faced
- वरप्रदम् (varapradam)the giver of boons
- श्री (śrī)the auspicious
- भूतादिसंसेवितचरणम् (bhūtādisaṃsevitacaraṇam)whose feet the bhutas and their kind serve
- भूतभौतिकप्रपञ्चभरणम् (bhūtabhautikaprapañcabharaṇam)who carries the world of elements and what is made from them
- वीतरागिणम् (vītarāgiṇam)whom passion has left
- विनुतयोगिनम् (vinutayoginam)praised by yogis
- विश्वकारणम् (viśvakāraṇam)the cause of the universe
- विघ्नवारणम् (vighnavāraṇam)who wards obstacles off
- पुरा (purā)long ago
- कुम्भसम्भवमुनिवरप्रपूजितम् (kumbhasambhavamunivaraprapūjitam)worshipped by the best of sages, the one born from a pot
- त्रिकोणमध्यगतम् (trikoṇamadhyagatam)standing at the centre of the triangle
- मुरारिप्रमुखाद्युपासितम् (murāripramukhādyupāsitam)served by Murari and the chief gods
- मूलाधारक्षेत्रस्थितम् (mūlādhārakṣetrasthitam)seated in the ground of the muladhara
- परादिचत्वारिवागात्मकम् (parādicatvārivāgātmakam)the self of the four kinds of speech that begin with para
- प्रणवस्वरूपवक्रतुण्डम् (praṇavasvarūpavakratuṇḍam)whose curving trunk is the very shape of Om
- निरन्तरम् (nirantaram)unbroken
- निखिलचन्द्रखण्डम् (nikhilacandrakhaṇḍam)on whom the moon lies whole
- निजवामकरविद्रुतेक्षुखण्डम् (nijavāmakaravidrutekṣukhaṇḍam)with a piece of sugar cane in his own left hand
- कराम्बुजपाशबीजापूरम् (karāmbujapāśabījāpūram)whose lotus hands hold the noose and the citron
- कलुषविदूरम् (kaluṣavidūram)far from anything stained
- भूताकारम् (bhūtākāram)whose form is the elements
- हरादिगुरुगुहतोषितबिम्बम् (harādiguruguhatoṣitabimbam)whose image gave joy to Hara and to Guruguha
- हंसध्वनिभूषितहेरम्बम् (haṃsadhvanibhūṣitaherambam)Heramba, wearing Hamsadhvani for an ornament
anvaya रागम् हंसध्वनि अहम् वातापि गणपतिम् वारणास्यम् वरप्रदम् श्री भजे भूतादिसंसेवितचरणम् भूतभौतिकप्रपञ्चभरणम् वीतरागिणम् विनुतयोगिनम् विश्वकारणम् विघ्नवारणम् पुरा कुम्भसम्भवमुनिवरप्रपूजितम् त्रिकोणमध्यगतम् मुरारिप्रमुखाद्युपासितम् मूलाधारक्षेत्रस्थितम् परादिचत्वारिवागात्मकम् प्रणवस्वरूपवक्रतुण्डम् निरन्तरम् निखिलचन्द्रखण्डम् निजवामकरविद्रुतेक्षुखण्डम् कराम्बुजपाशबीजापूरम् कलुषविदूरम् भूताकारम् हरादिगुरुगुहतोषितबिम्बम् हंसध्वनिभूषितहेरम्बम्
chandas Prose, set to the kriti form
वातापि of Vatapi — Vatapi is Badami in Karnataka. Its Ganapati image was carried south after the Pallava king took the town, and is worshipped at Tiruchenkattankudi in Tamil Nadu.
कुम्भसम्भव born from a pot — Agastya, who was born in a water pot. The name fits the story that the image came south, since Agastya is the sage of the south.
गुरुगुह Guruguha — A name of Subrahmanya and the signature of Muthuswami Dikshitar, who put it in every song he composed.
हंसध्वनि Hamsadhvani — The raga of the song, named in its last line. Dikshitar liked to fold the raga name into the words themselves.
परादिचत्वारि the four kinds of speech that begin with para — Para, pashyanti, madhyama and vaikhari: speech as it is before it stirs, as it is seen, as it is thought, and as it is spoken.
मूलाधार the muladhara — The first of the centres in the body, at the base of the spine, which is Ganapati's place.
note Muthuswami Dikshitar composed this in Sanskrit for a Tamil shrine, and the raga name in the last line is his signature as much as Guruguha is. The line at the head gives the raga and its notes rather than any words to be sung. वारणाश्यं is printed for वारणास्यं, elephant-faced.