157R ē tapamulu nēla yēdānamulu nēla (ఏ తపములు నేల యేదానములు నేల)

 TALLAPAKA ANNAMACHARYULU

157R ఏ తపములు నేల యేదానములు నేల

(ē tapamulu nēla yēdānamulu nēla)

తెలుగులో చదవడానికి ఇక్కడ నొక్కండి.

INTRODUCTION 

What is the fruit of a human life? We may think of tapas, charity, discipline, good deeds — all things a person can undertake through effort. Annamacharya does not dismiss any of them. Yet he places them aside and says, with striking simplicity: “The eternal service of Lord alone is the fruit of birth.”

The difficult word here is not tapas or dāna. It is “eternal service.” What kind of service is this, if it is not another activity undertaken by a person?

The poet does not explain it in the Pallavi. He does something more subtle. He leaves the familiar forms of spiritual effort untouched, and quietly places something beside them that seems to belong to an entirely different order.

The rest of the poem takes us inward—through the body, the senses, seeing, breath, thought, bondage and liberation. And the more closely we look, the more difficult the simple Pallavi becomes. He has not rejected what we already know. He has made us look at what we thought we knew. 

అధ్యాత్మ​ సంకీర్తన

రాగి రేకు: 312-2  సంపుటము - సంకీర్తన: 4-68

ఏ తపములు నేల యేదానములు నేల శ్రీతరుణీపతి నిత్యసేవే జన్మఫలము   ॥పల్లవి॥ దేహపుటింద్రియముల దేహమందే యణఁచుటే దేహముతోనే తాను దేవుఁడౌట సోహలను వెలిఁ జూచేచూపు లోను చూచుటే ఆహా దేవతలఁ దనందే తాఁ గనుట     ॥ఏత॥ వెలి నిట్టూరుపుగాలి వెళ్ళకుండా నాఁగుటే కులికి తపోధనము గూడపెట్టుట తలఁపు తనందే తగ లయము సేయుట లలిఁ బాపబంధముల లయము సేయుట        ॥ఏత॥ వెనక సంసారమందు విషయ విముక్తుఁడౌటే మునుపనే తా జీవన్ముక్తుఁడౌట పనివి శ్రీవేంకటేశుపదములు శరణంటే అనువైన దివ్యపదమప్పుడే తా నందుట           ॥ఏత॥

Philosophical POEM

Copper Plate: 312-2  Volume: 4-68

ē tapamulu nēla yēdānamulu nēla śrītaruṇīpati nityasēvē janmaphalamu             ॥pallavi॥ dēhapuṭiṃdriyamula dēhamaṃdē yaṇaṃ̐cuṭē dēhamutōnē tānu dēvuṃ̐ḍauṭa sōhalanu veliṃ̐ jūcēcūpu lōnu cūcuṭē āhā dēvatalaṃ̐ danaṃdē tāṃ̐ ganuṭa ॥ēta॥ veli niṭṭūrupugāli veḻḻakuṃḍā nāṃ̐guṭē kuliki tapōdhanamu gūḍapeṭṭuṭa talaṃ̐pu tanaṃdē taga layamu sēyuṭa laliṃ̐ bāpabaṃdhamula layamu sēyuṭa            ॥ēta॥ venaka saṃsāramaṃdu viṣaya vimuktuṃ̐ḍauṭē munupanē tā jīvanmuktuṃ̐ḍauṭa panivi śrīvēṃkaṭēśupadamulu śaraṇaṃṭē anuvaina divyapadamappuḍē tā naṃduṭa       ॥ēta॥

Details and Discussions:

Chorus (Pallavi):         

ఏ తపములు నేల యేదానములు నేల

శ్రీతరుణీపతి నిత్యసేవే జన్మఫలము   ॥పల్లవి॥ 

ē tapamulu nēla yēdānamulu nēla

śrītaruṇīpati nityasēvē janmaphalamu ॥pallavi॥ 

Sense of the Poem:  

Poem Line	Concise meaning
ఏ తపములు నేల యేదానములు నేల	Why are you undertaking austerities and charity?
శ్రీతరుణీపతి నిత్యసేవే జన్మఫలము	If one looks carefully, is not the eternal service of Sri Tarunipati itself the fruit of this birth?

Literal Meaning:

O man! Why are you undertaking austerities and charity? If you look carefully, is not the eternal service of Sri Tarunipati (Lord Srihari) itself the fruit of this birth? 

Deeper Note:

Annamacharya states it plainly: neither austerities nor charity can equal the eternal service of Sri Tarunipati. Tapas and dāna are among the noble actions known to man. Yet both are actions that a human being can perform while carrying the burden of the body. One may endure hardship through the body and undertake austerity; one may give away even what one possesses and perform charity. However great such an action may be, it remains within the limits of the human body, human strength, time and endurance.

But what Annamacharya points to here is a service that is not such an action. It is not something that can be performed through the hands, or achieved by making the body endure greater hardship. There is a limit to endurance. The body has a limit; effort has a limit; time has a limit. What the poet is pointing to lies beyond those limits.

He is not saying that man can cross to that other side through his own effort. The one who makes the effort is himself within those limits. Truth cannot be obtained through one's effort. Only when the structure of the falsehood is seen clearly, and its limits are understood, does one see for oneself what is holding one in check.

Therefore, “nitya-seva” is not another action that man has to perform. It is fundamentally different from all the familiar actions such as tapas and dāna. The poet does not prescribe a method for reaching it. He simply places it before us: “The eternal service of Sri Tarunipati alone is the fruit of this birth.”

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First Stanza:

దేహపుటింద్రియముల దేహమందే యణఁచుటే

దేహముతోనే తాను దేవుఁడౌట

సోహలను వెలిఁ జూచేచూపు లోను చూచుటే

ఆహా దేవతలఁ దనందే తాఁ గనుట       ॥ఏ త॥

dēhapuṭiṃdriyamula dēhamaṃdē yaṇaṃ̐cuṭē

dēhamutōnē tānu dēvuṃ̐ḍauṭa

sōhalanu veliṃ̐ jūcēcūpu lōnu cūcuṭē

āhā dēvatalaṃ̐ danaṃdē tāṃ̐ ganuṭa   ॥ē ta॥ 

Poem Line	Concise Meaning
దేహపుటింద్రియముల దేహమందే యణఁచుటే	To bring the senses of the body under control within the body itself i.e. to be able to directly observe the movements and activities of the senses.
దేహముతోనే తాను దేవుఁడౌట	The body is vital that is to remain in the body and realise the divine nature.
సోహలను వెలిఁ జూచేచూపు లోను చూచుటే	(సోహం = “సః అహం” — “He is I”) Knowing “He is I” is to look within with the very same seeing with which one looks outward.
ఆహా దేవతలఁ దనందే తాఁ గనుట	In that seeing, to behold within oneself the many levels of the infinite cosmic tree (tree of the living world) and its deities.

Literal Sense:

The senses have to be brought under control; that is, their activities and movements have to be directly observed while they are moving. The body is vital to realise the divine nature within oneself.

The outward-looking vision becoming inward-looking vision is knowing సోహం — “He is I.” When one sees in this way, the entire saṃsāra tree becomes comprehensible. The saṃsāra tree has its origins in creation from the beginning. One can see within oneself the deities as part of that infinite expanse.

Deeper Notes:

In the Pallavi, Annamacharya establishes an important distinction: Austerity and charity are things a human being can undertake. They have a beginning and an end. However, the “నిత్యసేవ eternal service” mentioned in the Pallavi is not another activity. It cannot be separated from life and undertaken independently of it. The first stanza shows where that service begins.

దేహపుటింద్రియముల దేహమందే యణఁచుటే: Annamacharya places before us the act of directly observing the movement of the senses. Normally, we notice a movement after it has happened. Here the poet is pointing to something more subtle: seeing the movement while it is happening.

That is why he immediately says: దేహముతోనే తాను దేవుఁడౌట the body is not an obstacle to divinity. One has to remain embodied and realise the divine nature in the body itself. (Annamacharya is not speaking of some state to be attained after leaving the body).

The next two lines make the stanza still more refined. సోహలను వెలిఁ జూచేచూపు లోను చూచుటే: Simply saying Soham — “He is I” is not enough. The very seeing with which we look outward has to be turned upon itself. To understand the subtlety of this, René Magritte's surrealist painting The Human Condition is useful.

A person appears to be looking through a window at the landscape outside. Part of the window is occupied by an easel. On the canvas is painted the very portion of the landscape that appears outside. The tree therefore seems to exist both inside the painting and outside the room, in the actual landscape.

Our present “outward-looking vision” is like that thin boundary in the painting. It stands between us and the natural world we see. We do not merge with the circumstances around us seamlessly. Our efforts stop at that boundary. Man's inability to naturally assimilate with his surroundings leads to hardships and suffering.

We do not become part of the environment as naturally as a cuckoo or a tiger does. We, however, try to exist in the environment according to our whims.

No matter how subtle or how sharp the outward-looking vision becomes, the boundary remains. It is here that Annamacharya's “లోను చూచుటే” becomes radical: a seeing that is no longer dependent upon that outward boundary. Then సోహం Soham is no longer merely a statement of doctrine. It becomes a change in seeing. This does not mean that the boundary suddenly disappears. It means that the centre which uses that boundary to determine how reality is seen no longer controls the seeing.

Then Annamacharya says: ఆహా దేవతలఁ దనందే తాఁ గనుట This is not merely seeing some particular divine form within oneself. The entire saṃsāra tree becomes comprehensible. From the beginning of creation, the many levels of that tree and the deities within them can be seen within oneself.

Here “తనందే” — within oneself — is crucial. It is not a matter of taking the external world and bringing an imagined version of it inside. When one looks deeply into oneself, one's existence is seen as inseparably connected with the entire saṃsāra tree.

There is, however, a subtle danger here.If one says:“I saw it.” “I had the vision.” “I experienced it.” then the experience has once again been appropriated by the “I”. The centre that was being seen has returned as the owner of what was seen. The pride of “I saw” becomes more important than what was seen.

This is where the pallavi returns: శ్రీతరుణీపతి నిత్యసేవే జన్మఫలము However far one sees, one does not claim ownership over what has been seen. That gives nitya-seva another depth.

Annamacharya is not arguing with any system here. He is simply placing a movement before our eyes: from the body — to the movement of the senses — from outward seeing to inward seeing, and from there to the comprehension of the entire saṃsāra tree.

For that reason, this stanza is better read not as a philosophical proposition, but as an extraordinary record in words of something Annamacharya has directly seen.

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Second Stanza:

వెలి నిట్టూరుపుగాలి వెళ్ళకుండా నాఁగుటే

కులికి తపోధనము గూడపెట్టుట

తలఁపు తనందే తగ లయము సేయుట

లలిఁ బాపబంధముల లయము సేయుట  ॥ఏ త॥

veli niṭṭūrupugāli veḻḻakuṃḍā nāṃ̐guṭē

kuliki tapōdhanamu gūḍapeṭṭuṭa

talaṃ̐pu tanaṃdē taga layamu sēyuṭa

laliṃ̐ bāpabaṃdhamula layamu sēyuṭa         ॥ē ta॥

Poem Line	Concise Meaning
వెలి నిట్టూరుపుగాలి వెళ్ళకుండా నాఁగుటే	To prevent the sighing breath arising from within—an expression of inner sorrow—from going outward.
కులికి తపోధనము గూడపెట్టుట	To remain absorbed in this very act is to accumulate the wealth of tapas (austerity).
తలఁపు తనందే తగ లయము సేయుట	To allow the thoughts that repeatedly arise to dissolve within oneself.
లలిఁ బాపబంధముల లయము సేయుట	To cease resisting, so that the bonds of sin that one has woven for oneself may also dissolve, one by one.​

Literal Sense:

The sorrow that arises within oneself should not be let out; its movement has to be observed right where it is happening. Remaining with that observation in itself is the accumulation of tapas (austerity).

The thoughts that repeatedly arise have to be known at their very source, within oneself. In that knowing, the order of nature becomes apparent inwardly. When one remains in that order, even the bonds of sin that one has woven for oneself gradually loosen.

Deep Notes:

In the first stanza, Annamacharya asked us to observe the movement of the senses while they are moving. Now the observation moves further inward. వెలి నిట్టూరుపుగాలి వెళ్ళకుండా నాఁగుటే / కులికి తపోధనము గూడపెట్టుట. The sigh here is not merely breath. It is the outward movement of sorrow that has arisen within.

Where does that sorrow come from? We are unable to see ourselves as we actually are. Instead, we construct an image of how we would like to be. The distance between what actually is and what we want ourselves to be produces sorrow. That sorrow then expresses itself outwardly—as a sigh, as words, or as action.

Annamacharya is not asking us to suppress that sorrow. He is asking us to look at the very point where it is moving outward and observe its movement.

That is why he says: కులికి తపోధనము గూడపెట్టుట To watch this inner movement rather than escape from it is itself the accumulation of tapas. This is not the tapas that is visible from outside. It is the sustained attention that sees one's own weakness without immediately trying to correct, justify, or escape from it. That attention sees the very place from which actions born of sorrow arise.

And here the absence of the “I” as a centre of resistance becomes important. The Bhagavad Gita 6.23–24 comes to mind here. To move out of a relationship with sorrow is not to cover sorrow with another activity; it is to see at its source the movement of thought, intention and desire that sustains that relationship.

That leads directly to the third line: తలఁపు తనందే తగ లయము సేయుట. The thoughts through which we repeatedly construct “the person we want to be” are what keep the distance between reality and desire alive. They are not to be suppressed from outside. Their dissolution has to be seen where they arise—in oneself. When thought loses its hold, the movement of sorrow sustained through it also begins to weaken.

The final line takes this still further fineness: లలిఁ బాపబంధముల లయము సేయుట. (Here లలిఁ carries the sense of order or sequence). The bonds one has woven for oneself do not simply disappear at once. They have arisen within the movement of life itself. To recognise that movement and its order is therefore central to understanding.

The order of nature and the movement of life are not two separate things. Life unfolds within that order. The లయము spoken of by Annamacharya is not an act of destroying the bonds by force; it is becoming completely aligned with that order, without imposing a boundary upon it. This is where absence of resistance becomes crucial.

We naturally resist change:“This should not happen.” “I don't like this.” “It should be different.” The centre that says these things attempts to stop the movement of life. As long as that centre operates, the bond continues.

When that “I” as the centre of resistance is absent, life moves in its natural order. The bonds that one has woven for oneself then have the possibility of dissolving within that same order.

Thus these two lines: తలఁపు తనందే తగ లయము సేయుట / లలిఁ బాపబంధముల లయము సేయుట are not prescribing a practice called “I will dissolve my bonds.” They point to something much subtler: the absence of resistance that sustains the bonds.

This is where the second stanza joins the first: First, seeing.

Then, not resisting what is seen. The entire second stanza can therefore be seen as one movement:

sorrow → its outward expression → thought → bondage created through thought → seeing thought within oneself → absence of resistance → dissolution of bondage.

Bottom of Form

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

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Third Stanza:

వెనక సంసారమందు విషయ విముక్తుఁడౌటే

మునుపనే తా జీవన్ముక్తుఁడౌట

పనివి శ్రీవేంకటేశుపదములు శరణంటే

అనువైన దివ్యపదమప్పుడే తా నందుట        ॥ఏ త॥

venaka saṃsāramaṃdu viṣaya vimuktuṃ̐ḍauṭē

munupanē tā jīvanmuktuṃ̐ḍauṭa

panivi śrīvēṃkaṭēśupadamulu śaraṇaṃṭē

anuvaina divyapadamappuḍē tā naṃduṭa     ॥ē ta॥

Poem Line	Concise Meaning
వెనక సంసారమందు విషయ విముక్తుఁడౌటే	First, while remaining in saṃsāra, one has to understand how bondage to worldly objects arises.
మునుపనే తా జీవన్ముక్తుఁడౌట	Then there is the possibility of becoming jīvanmukta while still alive.
పనివి శ్రీవేంకటేశుపదములు శరణంటే	In that very process, one seeks permission to take refuge at the feet of Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa.
అనువైన దివ్యపదమప్పుడే తా నందుట	Then Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa grants the appropriate divine state.

Literal Sense:

First, one has to remain in saṃsāra and understand how bondage to worldly objects is formed. Only then is there scope for freedom. Thereafter, while still living, there is the possibility of becoming jīvanmukta. In that process, one can seek permission to take refuge at the feet of Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa. Then Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa grants the appropriate divine state.

Deep Notes:

The third stanza appears as a natural continuation of the observation Annamacharya has shown in the first two stanzas. He begins:“వెనక సంసారమందు విషయ విముక్తుఁడౌటే” He is not asking us to leave saṃsāra this world. One has to remain in saṃsāra and first understand how bondage to worldly objects is formed.

As seen in the second stanza, the thoughts that arise within us, the sorrow produced through them, the reactions arising from that sorrow, and the resistance we offer to them are movements that sustain bondage. Only when the way in which bondage is formed is directly understood can there be scope for freedom from it.

That is why he immediately says:“మునుపనే తా జీవన్ముక్తుఁడౌట” One can become jīvanmukta while still alive. This is not a state that comes after rejecting saṃsāra. It comes after understanding, while remaining in saṃsāra, how bondage to worldly objects operates and becoming free from it.

The sequence is therefore clear: remaining in saṃsāra → seeing how bondage to worldly objects is formed → freedom from that bondage → jīvanmukti.

Only then does the poet say: “పనివి శ్రీవేంకటేశుపదములు శరణంటే” This does not appear as a separate devotional act added to the process described above. It is within that very sequence of inner observation, freedom from worldly bondage, and jīvanmukti that one can seek permission to take refuge at the feet of Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa. Here “పనివి” means seeking permission. 

There is again no room for the claim:“I achieved this.” Even taking refuge is not presented as an accomplishment under one's own control. It is something for which permission is sought.

Then comes the final line: “అనువైన దివ్యపదమప్పుడే తా నందుట” At that point, Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa grants the appropriate divine state. We should not decide in advance what “దివ్యపదము” means. The sequence shown by Annamacharya is what matters.

The first stanza began with observing the movement of the senses. The second brought that observation inward—to sorrow, thought, and the formation of bondage. The third now carries the same observation into freedom from worldly bondage while remaining in saṃsāra, and from there to jīvanmukti.

Finally comes surrender. And only then: “అప్పుడే” — then, and only then — the appropriate divine state. Thus, the stanza returns us once again to the Pallavi: శ్రీతరుణీపతి నిత్యసేవే జన్మఫలము

The entire poem has been moving toward that statement—not by prescribing a separate practice called nitya-seva, but by showing the movement through which it becomes possible.

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