śrī mahāgaṇapatiṁ bhaje’haṁ

The composition of Jayachamaraja Wodeyar.
rāga: aṭāṇā; ādi tāla.

line 1 Pallavi

श्री महागणपतिं भजेऽहं शिवात्मजं षन्मुखाग्रजम्

śrī mahāgaṇapatiṁ bhaje’haṁ śivātmajaṁ ṣanmukhāgrajam

śrī (Nom. sg. m.) – holy, radiant (an honorific prefix);  mahāgaṇapatiṁ  (Acc. sg. m.)- great Lord or controller of gaṇas (demi-gods and spirits, attendants of Lord Shiva);  bhaje (Present, 1^st person. sg.) –praise; ahaṁ - I; śivātmajaṁ (Acc. sg. m.=śiva-ātma-ja) – born from Śiva himself ṣanmukhāgrajam (Acc. sg. m.= ṣaḍ-mukha-agraja) –  the elder brother of the six-headed  (Murugan, Skanda)

line 2 Anupallavi

श्रितगणसेवितं विघ्ननाशकं शीघ्रवरप्रसाददायकम्

śritagaṇasevitaṁ vighnanāśakaṁ śīghravaraprasādadāyakam

śritagaṇasevitaṁ (Acc. sg. m. = śrita-gaṇa-sevitaṁ)  - who is followed by,  or served by, subservient gaṇas; vighnanāśakaṁ (Acc. sg. m.= vighna-nāśaka) –the destroyer of obstacles;  śīghravara prasādadāyakam (Acc. sg. m.=  śīghra-vara-prasāda- dāyaka) – who quickly grants boons and prasād (he remnants of offerings to God).

line 3 Madhyama kālam

सदयं कपिलमुनि वरदायकं गुरुसेवशक्तं हेरंबम्

sadayaṁ kapilamunivaradāyakam gurusevaśaktaṁ heraṁbam

 sadayaṁ  (Acc.sg.m.) merciful; kapilamunivaradāyakam (Acc.sg.m. = kapila-muni-vara-dāyaka) who grants the boons of the sage Kapila (one of the 7 ṛṣi who gave a wish-fulfilling stone cintamāni to Gaṇeṣa so that Gaṇeṣa becomes capable to grant the same boon to fulfill all desires); gurusevaśaktaṁ (Acc.sg.m.= guru-seva-śaktaṁ)  - who (Gaṇeṣa) is capable of service to the spiritual teacher (guru) (or who has the power of the service to guru)? (here it can be two different names: guruseva and śakta  which can be translated as – who is absorbed in the serves to Guru and who is a devotee of  Śakti, Goddess ; heraṁbam (Acc.sg.m.) - boastful, one of the names of Gaṇeṣa.


line 4 Charanam 1

ज्ञानमुद्रालंकृतं मूलाधारनिवासिनम्

jñānamudrālaṁkṛtaṁ  mūlādhāranivāsinam

jñānamudrālaṁkṛtaṁ  (Acc.sg.m.= jñāna-mudrā-alaṁkṛta) adorned with the sign of knowledge , or wisdom; mūlādhāranivāsinam (Acc.sg.m.= mūlādhāra-nivāsina) who dwells in the mūlādhāra cakra.

line 5 Charanam 2

गजारण्यवासिनं ज्योतिर्मयं उपनिषदसारं पञ्चभूतात्मकं सिन्धुरप्रियं पञ्चमातङ्गमुखम्

gajāraṇyavāsinaṁ jyotirmayaṁ upaniṣadasāraṁ pañcabhūtātmakaṁ sindhurapriyaṁ pañcamāṭaṁgamukham

gajāraṇyavāsinaṁ = gaja-araṇya-vāsinam – who dwells in the forest of elephants; jyotirmayaṁ = jyoti-maya – consisting of light;   upaniṣadasāraṁ =  upaniṣada-sāraṁ - the essence of the Upanishads; pañcabhūtātmakaṁ = pañca-bhūta-ātmaka - who has the nature of the five constituent elements of the universe (earth, fire, water, air, ether);    sindhurapriyaṁ  = sindhura- priyaṁ - the best, or most beloved among the elephants; pañcamāṭaṁgamukham = pañca-māṭaṁga-mukham – who has five elephant heads.

line 6 Charanam 3

कामेषनयनाह्लादकं नागलिङ्गवरपुत्रं श्रीविद्याचित्प्रभानन्दराजयोगीन्द्रसन्नुतम्

kāmeṣanayanāhlādakanāgaliṅgavaraputraṁ śrīvidyācitprabhānandarājayogīndraṣannutam

kāmeṣanayanāhlādakanāgaliṅgavaraputraṁ  =  kāmeṣa- nayanā-āhlādaka - nāga-liṅga-vara-putraṁ - the son who is the boon (coming from) the liṅga adorned with snakes at which  (liṅga)(Goddess) who has lovely eyes has looked with delight ;    śrīvidyācitprabhānanda rājayogīndrasannutam = śrī-vidyā-cit-prabhā-ānanda-rāja- yogī-indra-sannutam

sannutam – (from sam+ nuta – praised, revered) – praised by the Lord (Indra) among the yogins who practice royal path of Yoga (rājayogī) who is citprabhānanda , that is,  he is in the state of pure happiness (ānanda is the quality of the Ultimate reality, Brahma, pure happiness. So,  he is in this state) which arises from citprabhā – light of cit, or consciousness of śrividyā. (śrividyā in its turn can mean a goddess of wisdom, the science which leads to liberation, śrīvidyā sect, exalted science)

note: the last compound is indeed a play of words with multiple meaning so also it can be translated as : Gaṇeṣa is praised by śrīvidyācitprabhānanda (by the one who is in a blissful state of knowing śrīvidyā) who is rājayogīndra (here the compound can be resolved in 2 ways – praised by rāja , or king, yogin and by Indra or – praised by the Lord among yogins who practice the royal path of yoga).

TRANSLATION
(line1)I praise Great Lord of gaṇas, born of Shiva, the elder brother of the six-headed (Murugan), (line 2) who is followed (or served by) subservient gaṇas (demi-gods), the destroyer of obstacles,  who quickly grants boons and prasād (he remnants of offerings to God), (line 3) merciful, who grants the boons of the sage Kapila, who is the power of service to guru, boastful one, (line 4) adorned with the sign (sacred gesture) of wisdom (jñānamudrā), who dwells in the mūlādhāra cakra (line 5) who dwells in the forest of elephants, who is consisting of light, who is the essence of the Upanishads, who has the nature of the five elements of the universe, most beloved among the elephants,  who has five elephant heads (line 6) the son who is the boon of the liṅgam (Śiva’s symbol) adorned with the snake (nāgadeva, Lord of nāgas),  at which  (liṅgam) (the Goddess) with lovely eyes looked with delight; who is praised by the Lord among yogins practicing the royal path who is citprabhānanda  (who is in the state of happiness  coming from the light of knowledge) of śrividyā .