TALLAPAKA
PEDATIRUMALACHARYULU
286 సంగరహితుఁడైనఁ కాక శాంత మాత్మ కేల కలుగు
(saṃgarahituṃ̐ḍainaṃ̐ kāka śāṃta mātma kēla
kalugu)
తెలుగులో చదవడానికి ఇక్కడ నొక్కండి.
INTRODUCTION
Pedda
Tirumalacharya,
with experiential and everyday analogies,
skilfully reveals the subtle nature of sangam —
the mind’s tendency to get mixed, entangled, and disturbed.
Through
simple rural images —
butter melting, salty water rising from brackish soil,
and an earthen pickle pot breaking at the slightest blow —
he shows how delicate our inner being is
and how instantly it reacts to even the smallest influence.
He
demonstrates that the restlessness within us
does not arise from the external world,
but from the impurities lodged within ourselves.
He
explains that experiences do not “happen to us”;
the mind creates the conditions for them,
and therefore they arise from within.
A mind
filled with weakness and fragility
cannot withstand the pressures and jolts of worldly life.
Finally,
Peda Tirumalacharya points to the only way
to transcend all these impure mixtures —
offering the mind in surrender
to Lord Venkateswara and Alamelumanga.
Thus,
this Kirtana stands as a gentle yet powerful guide,
leading us from the mind’s vulnerabilities
towards the deeper refuge of devotion.
Skeletal
guide to the poem:
Pallavi:
Without dissociation no peace
Stanza
1 = mind changed by the world
Stanza 2 = mind actively chasing the world
Stanza
3: What we know is already polluted.
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అధ్యాత్మ కీర్తన
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Philosophical Poem
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రేకు: 76-4
సంపుటము: 15-438
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Copper
Plate: 76-4 Vol:
15-438
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సంగరహితుఁడైనఁ కాక శాంత మాత్మ కేల కలుగు సంగతెఱుగనట్టివారి జాడ లూరకుండునా ॥పల్లవి॥
వెలయ నగ్ని పొంతనున్న వెన్న గరఁగ కేల మాను పెలుచఁ జల్లతోడిపాలు పేరకుండునా అలరి యరడు వద్ధి తీగె అంటఁబావ కేలమాను చెలులసరస నున్నవారిచిత్త మూరకుండునా ॥సంగ॥
బెరసి యినుముతోడియగ్ని పెట్టువడక యేలమాను విరులతేనె చూచి తేఁటి విడువ నేర్చునా వొరసి యుల్లిఁ గూడి కప్ర ముగ్రగంధ మేల మాను సిరులతోడ మెలఁగువారు చింత లేక వుందురా॥సంగ
వూరిచవుటనేల జలము లుప్ప నుండ కేల మాను వూరుగాయకడవ బేఁట్లు వురుల కుండునా కోరి శ్రీవేంకటేకొమ్మ యలమేలుమంగఁ జేరకున్నవారికతలు చెప్ప నెట్టువచ్చును ॥సంగ॥
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saṃgarahituṃ̐ḍainaṃ̐ kāka śāṃta mātma kēla
kalugu saṃgate\ruganaṭṭivāri jāḍa lūrakuṃḍunā ॥pallavi॥
velaya nagni poṃtanunna venna garaṃ̐ga kēla
mānu pelucaṃ̐ jallatōḍipālu pērakuṃḍunā alari yaraḍu(?) vaddhi tīge aṃṭaṃ̐bāva kēlamānu celulasarasa nunnavāricitta mūrakuṃḍunā ॥saṃga॥
berasi yinumutōḍiyagni peṭṭuvaḍaka yēlamānu virulatēne cūci tēṃ̐ṭi viḍuva nērcunā vorasi yulliṃ̐ gūḍi kapra mugragaṃdha mēla mānu sirulatōḍa melaṃ̐guvāru ciṃta lēka vuṃdurā ॥saṃga॥
ūricavuṭanēla jalamu luppa nuṃḍa kēla mānu vūrugāyakaḍava bēṃ̐ṭlu vurula kuṃḍunā kōri śrīvēṃkaṭēkomma yalamēlumaṃgaṃ̐ jērakunnavārikatalu ceppa neṭṭuvaccunu ॥saṃga॥
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Details
and Discussions:
Chorus (Pallavi):
సంగరహితుఁడైనఁ
కాక శాంత మాత్మ కేల కలుగు
సంగతెఱుగనట్టివారి
జాడ లూరకుండునా ॥పల్లవి॥
saṃgarahituṃ̐ḍainaṃ̐ kāka śāṃta mātma kēla kalugu
saṃgate\ruganaṭṭivāri jāḍa lūrakuṃḍunā ॥pallavi॥
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Telugu Phrase
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Meaning
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సంగరహితుఁడైనఁ
కాక శాంత మాత్మ కేల కలుగు
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Unless one
becomes free from inner attachments and clinging tendencies (saṅga), how can true peace arise within? It simply cannot.
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సంగతెఱుగనట్టివారి
జాడ లూరకుండునా ॥పల్లవి॥
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(జాడ= trace, trail) For those who fail
to recognize this truth, will the lingering traces (jāḍa) of their associations ever remain harmless or neutral?
Never.
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Literal Meaning:
(Pedatirumalacharya
says) “Unless a person detaches himself from the feelings and impressions that
bind him, inner tranquility does not arise. And if one does not understand this
principle, how can the subtle traces of association ever stop influencing him?”
Interpretative Notes:
The
poet points toward a subtle but decisive truth:
Man’s suffering does not arise merely from external actions,
but from the impressions those actions leave within.
“The
trace is the real bondage;
the event is only the doorway.”
If
the incident vanished without leaving a mark,
the
disturbance would end right there.
But the mind collects impressions as a pond gathers fallen leaves;
and these impressions continue to
pull,
tempt, disturb, and distract
long
after the event has passed.
Thus,
peace belongs only to the one
who
learns to stand free of these inner residues—
not
by suppressing them, but by understanding their nature.
First Stanza:
వెలయ నగ్ని
పొంతనున్న వెన్న గరఁగ కేల మాను
పెలుచఁ జల్లతోడిపాలు
పేరకుండునా
అలరి యరడు
వద్ధి తీగె అంటఁబావ కేలమాను
చెలులసరస
నున్నవారిచిత్త మూరకుండునా ॥సంగ॥
velaya nagni poṃtanunna venna garaṃ̐ga kēla mānu
pelucaṃ̐ jallatōḍipālu pērakuṃḍunā
alari yaraḍu(?) vaddhi tīge aṃṭaṃ̐bāva kēlamānu
celulasarasa nunnavāricitta mūrakuṃḍunā ॥saṃga॥
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Telugu Phrase
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Meaning
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వెలయ నగ్ని పొంతనున్న వెన్న గరఁగ కేల మాను
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How can
butter placed near a blazing fire remain un-melted? It cannot.
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పెలుచఁ జల్లతోడిపాలు పేరకుండునా
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When curd
culture is added to fresh milk, can the milk refuse to ferment? Impossible.
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అలరి యరడు వద్ధి తీగె అంటఁబావ కేలమాను
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A tender creeper hanging on the way of a
passing palanquin—if brushed against, will it not tear? It surely will.
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చెలులసరస
నున్నవారిచిత్త మూరకుండునా
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And those
who dwell amidst ladies and delights their company—can their minds ever
remain undisturbed? Never.
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Literal
Meaning:
Pedda
Tirumalacharya further elaborates on the influence of mental associations:
Can butter placed near fire remain without melting? (It
will melt.)
Can milk, when mixed with buttermilk, avoid curdling? (It will
curdle.)
Can a tender vine hanging in the path avoid tearing when it strikes
a palanquin? (It will tear.)
Can the mind of a person immersed in youthful charm remain still? (It
will be stirred.)
Interpretative Notes:
These four
examples reveal a single fundamental principle:
Where there
is contact, change is inevitable —often irreversible
This is not
a flaw; it is simply the nature of things.
The mind is
like butter; the world is like fire.
Bring
butter near a flame — it melts.
Once melted into ghee, it cannot return to butter.
This stands
for the one-way transformations of the mind.
Some impressions, once formed, cannot be undone.
Our
imaginations are like milk.
past
experiences are like buttermilk.
When the
“buttermilk” of memory
mixes with
the “milk” of imagination, curdling is inevitable.
Old
impressions accumulate, thicken, and take shape
within the
mind —
again, a one-way change.
The hanging
creeper reveals another concealed truth.
A creeper
has no independent strength.
It survives only with support.
When a
delicate vine brushes a moving palanquin,
it is bound to snap.
This is not
weakness;
it is the nature of the vine —
and like the vine, the nature of the mind is to lean on something.
Finally,
the poet speaks of the most subtle idea:
the
responsiveness of the mind.
Anything
near it — beauty, pleasure, disturbance —
naturally creates ripples.
This
sensitivity, this immediate vibration
is its innate property.
Summary
Thought
This stanza
illuminates
how the
mind undergoes irreversible change through association.
Understanding this natural law of contact helps us see clearly
why impressions form, why they linger,
and how we must live meaningfully despite their presence.
Second Stanza:
బెరసి
యినుముతోడియగ్ని పెట్టువడక యేలమాను
విరులతేనె
చూచి తేఁటి విడువ నేర్చునా
వొరసి
యుల్లిఁ గూడి కప్ర ముగ్రగంధ మేల మాను
సిరులతోడ
మెలఁగువారు చింత లేక వుందురా॥సంగ॥
berasi yinumutōḍiyagni peṭṭuvaḍaka yēlamānu
virulatēne cūci tēṃ̐ṭi viḍuva nērcunā
vorasi yulliṃ̐ gūḍi kapra mugragaṃdha mēla mānu
sirulatōḍa melaṃ̐guvāru ciṃta lēka vuṃdurā ॥saṃga॥
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Telugu Phrase
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Meaning
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బెరసి
యినుముతోడియగ్ని పెట్టువడక యేలమాను
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Can heated iron be shaped without striking it? Does
anyone heat iron for no reason?
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విరులతేనె చూచి తేఁటి విడువ నేర్చునా
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Seeing blossomed flowers oozing honey, will a bee
or wasp ever refrain from going to them?
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వొరసి
యుల్లిఁ గూడి కప్ర ముగ్రగంధ మేల మాను
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If camphor is rubbed over an onion, will its sharp
fragrance disappear?
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సిరులతోడ
మెలఁగువారు చింత లేక వుందురా॥సంగ
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Can those who live amidst wealth remain free from
anxiety about it?
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Literal Meaning: Only when iron is heated can be shaped by
hammering as desired. (no one heats iron idly). Can the bees resist flowers
full of nectar? (no). By rubbing camphor over an onion can we remove its
pungent smell. (no). Will those who deal with wealth can live without worry
over its safety. (no).
Interpretative Notes:
In
the first stanza, the poet described
how
the mind undergoes irreversible change
when
it comes into contact with the world.
In this second stanza, he explains something even sharper:
These
experiences, impressions, and tendencies
do
not pursue us without cause—
we
invite them.
Heated
iron and the hammer
An
iron is not shaped without heating.
The
impressions and traces inside us do not come without invitation
We are not passive victims.
We prepare ourselves, knowingly or unknowingly,
to receive these experiences.
Bee-
Flower analogy
The
world is like the “bee”
our mind like blooming flowers dripping with nectar
bees
naturally get attracted
not
a problem of the world.
We
open the hands in invitation
Camphor
over an onion
Even
if we superficially cover the mind with “purity” or restraint,
its native tendencies do not change.
The hidden smell continues.
As
the saying goes:
a crooked tail does not straighten.
The
external disciplines cannot erase
the mind’s ingrained patterns.
Wealth
and worry
Those
wealthy cannot avoid being anxious
as long as we want to remain wealthy the mind continues its worry.
elsewhere
Annamacharya said:
“తప్పక ధనమునకు దాస్యము నేము సేసేము
చెప్పి
నీ దాసుల మన సిగ్గుగాదా మాకు!”
“Shamelessly we are slaves to wealth.
Yet
pretend to be Your slaves”
If we want to be wealthy, will it let us be peaceful?
Three
deep forces at work
- Experiences
that we seek
- Impressions
that stay behind
- The restlessness of the mind
itself
Conclusion
Pedda
Tirumalacharya here
places
the real, unavoidable problem before us:
the
mind does not merely receive experiences —
it creates the conditions conducive for them,
we run behind them,
and even when suppressed,
its hidden nature resurfaces.
This
stanza complements the first by showing
how the inner world perpetuates its own bondage.
AND
we simply refuse to notice it.
Third
Stanza:
వూరిచవుటనేల
జలము లుప్ప నుండ కేల మాను
వూరుగాయకడవ
బేఁట్లు వురుల కుండునా
కోరి
శ్రీవేంకటేకొమ్మ యలమేలుమంగఁ
జేరకున్నవారికతలు
చెప్ప నెట్టువచ్చును ॥సంగ॥
vūricavuṭanēla jalamu luppa nuṃḍa kēla mānu
vūrugāyakaḍava bēṃ̐ṭlu vurula kuṃḍunā
kōri śrīvēṃkaṭēkomma yalamēlumaṃgaṃ̐
jērakunnavārikatalu ceppa neṭṭuvaccunu ॥saṃga॥
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Telugu Phrase
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Meaning
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వూరిచవుటనేల జలము లుప్ప నుండ కేల మాను
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the water oozing from the saline soil will be salty. What
else it can be?
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వూరుగాయకడవ బేఁట్లు వురుల కుండునా
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(వూరుగాయ= pickles; కడవ =
earthen vessel; బేఁట్లు = blows; వురుల కుండునా
= will it not break, will it not give in); the pickles placed in a brittle earthen pot
will break on receiving blows.
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కోరి శ్రీవేంకటేకొమ్మ యలమేలుమంగఁ
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If willingly not taken up service of Lord Venkateswara and
Alamelumanga.
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జేరకున్నవారికతలు చెప్ప నెట్టువచ్చును
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how can we talk of
their (miserable) stories.
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Literal Meaning:
The water
oozing from the saline soil will be salty. What else it can be? Obviously the
pickles placed in a brittle earthen pot will break on receiving blows. How can
we talk of the (miserable) stories of those not willing to take up the service
of the Lord Venkateswara and Alamelumanga.
Interpretative notes:
వూరిచవుటనేల జలము లుప్ప నుండ కేల మాను
(water
oozing from the saline soil will be salty)
Here
he is hinting the thoughts that generated in our mind are
from
the polluted sources like salty water from saline soil.
వూరుగాయకడవ బేఁట్లు వురుల కుండునా
(The
pickles in a brittle earthen pot will break on receiving blows.)
Our
internal mind make up is too fragile
which
breaks down on receiving blows of fortitude.
“If
we take the words
వూరుగాయ (vūragāya)
and వూరుట(vūruta) as
metaphors —
our experiences, and the memory-cells formed by them,
let their feelings seep out slowly like a brine,
unnoticed they mix into the experience of the present moment
and end up clouding and contaminating it.”
Pedda
Tirumalacharya is making the commentary ever sharper.
The
stanza shifts attention from the mind’s movements
to
the very constitution of the mind.
The
problem is not in the experiences themselves—
but in the soil from which the experiences arise.
The memories that remain buried in the inner layers of consciousness
keep releasing their impressions like unseen springs.
Amidst the countless experiences we accumulate,
all these hidden streams flow together,
making it impossible to discern
what exactly is influencing us.
The
flaw lies in the origin of thought.
The mind, whose thoughts trail off in every direction,
is already polluted at the root.
Therefore,
we have no basis or thinking about God
or
any other worldly engagement.
They
are emanating from the brittle and polluted sources.
Knowing
this we must submit to Lord Venkateswara.
There
is no other alternative.
For
those who do not turn toward Venkateswara,
their
inner soil remains salty and their vessel fragile.
What
else can their life produce except sorrow?”
Central
Message of this poem:
The nature
of the mind is to depend on something.
Problem is the
ground from which mind arises.
Thoughts
emerging from such a mind is polluted.
Thus,
we have no basis from which we can understand GOD or WORLD.
X-X-The
END-X-X
