Carnatic Musing 19 – Visarjan – Ganesh Chathurthi Special – Conclusion

In this pandemic year 2020, I was fortunate to participate in the Ganesh Chathurthi Festival throughout the 11 days of celebrations through my daily blogs. I feel blessed that Lord Vinayaka provided me an opportunity to focus and improve my learning. Here is a composition by Oothukaadu Venkata Kavi as I bid adieu to Lord Ganesh .

Audio Link

Lord Ganesh is on a procession through the streets before Visarjan. Obviously the tune that comes to our mind is Mallari. This is a classic recital in Mallari (Gambeera Nattai) by Sri. Needamangalam Krishnamurthy Bhagawathar.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/820fy0duhk8mq6v/sri%20vighna%20rajam%20bhaje%20-%20gambheeranata%20-%20ekam%20_%20oothukadu%20venkata%20kavi-GSkyzePx_Qg.mp3?dl=0

Meaning in English

I worship Lord Ganesha, the one who is the remover of all obstacles.

I worship the elephant headed son of Lord Sankara and Sankari.

I worship the handsome elephant faced son of the destroyer of the lord of death.

The foremost among the Devas, Lord Indra pray to Him who is the abode of Virtues; Who Grants boons to His devotees who approach Him through recitation & penance-culminating in samadhi). He is meditated upon by Devas,Rishis & other devotees; He is the Cause of Destruction of poisonous evil (personified as a mad elephant)

He adorns gold armlet and wears a string of pearls. He shines like the snow covered white mountain (Kailash in Himalayas). He removes the dark age sins such as Lust (KAma),arrogance (Mada), irrationality (MooDHa) and dispels Fear/Bhaya, as He is the All-Powerful, Courageoous One). He is praised by saints like Sanaka, S’uka, Narada, Patanjali, Paraashara and Matanga etc. He is the Embodiment of the Ultimate Truth “that you are” (tatvamasi). The lotus eyed lord grants Moksha/Salvation .

Sanskrit Verses

पल्लवि

श्रि विग्नराजम् भजॆ भजॆहम् भजॆहम्

भजॆहम् भजॆ – तमिह

अनुपल्लवि

सन्थथमहम् कुन्जरमुहम्

शन्करसुतम्श्न्करिसुतम्- थमिह

सन्त्गथमहम् धन्थि

सुन्दर मुझम् – अन्थ

कान्थक सुथम् – सिव

शन्करि सुथम् – थमिह्

चरणम् १

सॆविथ सुरॆन्द्र महनीय गुणशीलम्

जपथ् समाधि सुख वरध – अनुकूलम्

भाविथ सुरमणि गन ब्गक्त परिपालम्

भयन्कर विशन्ग माथन्ग कुलकालम्

चरणम् २

कनक कॆयुर हारावलि कलिथ

गन्ब्गीर गोव्रगिरि शॊभम् सुशॊभम्

कामाधि भय भरिथ मूद मध

कलिकलुश कन्थिथ मखन्द प्रथापम् -प्रथापम्

सनक सुख णारध पधन्जलि पराछर

मथन्ग मुनिसन्ग सल्लापम् – सल्लापम्

सथ्य पर मब्ज नयनप्रमुध मुक्तिकर

थत्वमसि निथ्त निगमाधि स्वरूपम्

English Transliteration

pallavi

srI vignarAjam bhajE – bhajEham bhajEham

bhajEham bhajE – thamiha

(srI vigna)

anupallavi

santhathamaham kunjaramuham

shankarasutham shankari sutham – thamiha

santhathamaham dhanthi

sundhara mukham – antha

kAnthaka sutham – siva

shankari sutham – thamiha

caraNam 1

sEvitha surEndhra mahaneeya guNasheelam

japatha samAdhi sukha varadha – anukUlam

bhAvitha suramaNi gana bhaktha paripAlam

bhayankara vishanga mAthanga kulakAlam

(srI vigna)

caraNam 2

kanaka kEyUra hArAvali kalitha

gambheera gowragiri shObham sushObham

kAmAdhi bhaya bharitha mUda madha

kalikalusha kanthitha makhanda prathApam – prathApam

sanaka sukha nAradha padhanjali parAchara

mathanga munisanga sallApam – sallApam

sathya para mabja nayanapramudha mukthikara

thathvamasi nithya nigamAdhi swarUpam

(srI vigna)

Meaning in Tamil

பல்லவி

துதிப்பாயே வினை தீர்க்கும் அரசன் அருள்மிகு விநாயகனை

அனுபல்லவி

ஆனைமுகத்தானை சிவசக்தி புதல்வனை எக்காலமும் நானிங்கு

அழகுநிறை வேழமுகத்தோனை காலனின் காலன் மைந்தனை நானிங்கு

சரணம் 1

அமரர் முதலோன் மகேந்திரன் அடிபணியும் நற்பண்பின் உறைவிடம்

துதிஏற்றி தவமுடன் அடிசேரும் எளியோர்க்கு வரமளிக்கும் உள்ளம்

பக்தியுடை வின்னோர் முனியோர் அடியார்தனைக் காத்தருளும்

அச்சமுடை மதயானையாம் தீவினைதனை அழித்திடும் காலபயம்….

சரணம் 2

பொன் திருக்கைக்காறையுடன் பொலிவு முத்தணியிழை அணியும்

வெண்ணொளி பரப்பும் வெள்ளிமலைதனின் பெருமிதத் தோற்றமும்

அவா, அறியாமை, இறுமாப்பு எனும் கலிகால பல தீவினைகளை

அளவிலா ஆற்றலுடன் களைந்திடும், சனகர் சுகர் நாரதர்

பதஞ்சலி பராசரர் மதங்க முனிகுழுமம் போற்றிடும்

முக்திக்கு வித்திடும் ஆம்பல் விழி ஆகுவாகனனின் வடிவம் மறைகூறும்

அதுவே நீயாக உளாய்எனும் நிலையான உண்மையின் தத்துவம்

Meaning of the Sanskrit Words

Pallavi

विग्नराजम् -Lord (responsible for removal) of obstacles

भजॆ – pray

अहम् – I

थमिह – you, here

Anu Pallavi

सन्थथम्- always

अहम् – I

कुन्जर – elephant

मुहम् – face

शन्करसुतम्- son of Lord Sankara

तमिह – you here

सन्त्गथमहम् – always I

धन्थि – elephant

सुन्दर – handsome

मुझम् – face

अन्थकान्थक – anthaka antha – death to the god of death – siva

सुथम् – son

थमिह् – you here

CaraNam 1

सॆविथ – pray

सुरॆन्द्र – Lord Indra

महनीय -glorious/illustrious/foremost

गुणशीलम् – abode of virtues

जपथ् – recitation

समाधि – penance culminating in samadhi

सुख – happiness/pleasing

वरध – अनुकूलम् – boon facilitator

भाविथ – devoted

सुरमणि गन – devas, rishis and group

ब्गक्त – devotees

परिपालम् – protects

भयन्कर – fearful/terrifying

विशन्ग – posisonous

माथन्ग – elephant with rut

कुलकालम् – family/clan, death/yama

CaraNam 2

कनक – gold

कॆयुर – A bracelet worn on the upper arm. E. ka the head, here implying the head of the arm, yu to join, ūra aff. (Shoulder plate) பொன் திருக்கைக்காறை

हारावलि – string of pearls முத்து அணியிழை

कलिथ – provided with/adorned

गन्ब्गीर – majestic

गोव्रगिरि – खरु गुरि – white mountain – Kailash

शॊभम् – shining

सुशॊभम् – very shining

कामाधि – lust & others

भय भरिथ – fear filled with

मूद मध – मूद irrationality, मध् arrogance

कलिकलुश – dark age (kali yuga) sins

कन्थिथम्- restricted/removed

अखन्द – broad/entire (unbounded)

प्रथापम् -प्रथापम् – valour

सनक – Sage Sanaka

सुख – sage Suka

णारध – Sage Narada

पधन्जलि – Sage Patanjali

पराछर – Sage Paraashara

मथन्ग – Sage Mathanga

मुनिसन्ग – ensmble of Sages

सल्लापम् – सल्लापम्

सथ्य परम् – ultimate truth

अब्ज – lotus

नयन प्रमुध – eyed lord

मुक्तिकर – salvation/liberation giver

थत्वमसि – you are that

निथ्त – eternal

निगमाधि – certainty/doctrine

स्वरूपम् – embodiment

Author: prabhusponder

A novice venturing out to explore the meaning of life

4 thoughts on “Carnatic Musing 19 – Visarjan – Ganesh Chathurthi Special – Conclusion”

  1. ‘Tat Tvam Asi’, I guess, is the essence. Symbolically, I think, it signifies that humans can attain ‘Moksha(i.e. freedom from Birth-Death cycle)’ by praying to Lord Ganesh and through that help, if they are able to get rid of their ‘Kama(Lust)’, ‘Krodha(Anger)’ ‘Bhaya(Fear)’, ‘Moha(Desire)’, ‘Mada(Arrogance or ego)’, ‘Matsarya(Hatred)’, etc. and ‘Mudhatva(Ignorance or Irrationality)’. Am I right?

    1. As practising Vedanta teacher, you are very well equipped and explained “Tat Tvam Asi”. I am ill equipped to comment on this. I can only listen to such teachings and try to understand. Here is one such explanation

Leave a comment