63R అతిసులభంబిదె శ్రీపతిశరణము
(atisulabhaṃ bide śrīpatiśaraṇamu)
Annamacharya composed this remarkable kirtana, beginning with the words “Ati
sulabhambide Sripati saranamu” — surrender to the Lord of Sri is extremely
easy. In this song, he refers to Narada, the Vedas, Prahlada, Arjuna, King
Bali, Vyasa, and the sages known as the Sanakadi Rishis.
One important question deserves our attention: Why does Annamacharya
invoke these particular names?
If the Divine is the principle that connects everything, how can we
understand it? What is available to us, after all, except the lives,
experiences, and perceptions of those who have had a relationship with the
Divine?
One might ask, “How can we believe what you are saying?” This is,
undoubtedly, a kirtana composed with deep devotion by Annamacharya. Yet, have
not the people mentioned in our Puranas attained a kind of permanence? Is it
reasonable to assume that they no longer exist in any meaningful sense?
More importantly, do we possess the sensitivity to understand the message
their lives convey?
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అధ్యాత్మ సంకీర్తన
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రాగి
రేకు: 107-5 సంపుటము
– 2-41
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అతిసులభం బిదె శ్రీపతిశరణము అందుకు నారదాదుల సాక్షి ప్రతిలే దిదియే నిత్యానందము బహువేదంబులె యివే సాక్షి ॥పల్లవి॥ వేసరకుమీ జీవుఁడా వెదకివెదకి దైవమును ఆసపాటుగా హరి యున్నాఁడిదె అందుకుఁ బ్రహ్లాదుఁడే సాక్షి మోసపోకుమీ జన్మమా ముంచిన యనుమానములను సేసినభక్తికిఁ జేటు లేదు యీసేఁతకెల్ల ధ్రువుఁడే సాక్షి ॥అతి॥ తమకించకుమీ దేహమా తగుసుఖదుఃఖంబుల నలసి అమితము నరహరికరుణ నమ్మితే నందుకు నర్జునుఁడే సాక్షి భ్రమయకుమీ వివేకమా బహుకాలంబులు యీఁదీఁది తమితో దాస్యము తను రక్షించును దానికి బలీంద్రుఁడే సాక్షి ॥అతి॥ మరిగివుండుమీ వోజిహ్వా మరి శ్రీవేంకటపతినుతులు అరయఁగ నిదియే యీడేరించును అందుకు వ్యాసాదులే సాక్షి తిరుగకుమీ విజ్ఞానమా ద్రిష్టపుమాయలకును లోఁగి సరిలే దితనిపాదసేవకును సనకాదులబ్రదుకే సాక్షి ॥అతి॥
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Philosophical
POEM
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Copper
Plate: 107-5
Volume: 2-41
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atisulabhaṃ
bide śrīpatiśaraṇamu aṃduku
nāradādula sākṣi pratilē
didiyē
nityānaṃdamu bahuvēdaṃbule yivē sākṣi ॥pallavi॥ vēsarakumī jīvuṃ̐ḍā vedakivedaki daivamunu āsapāṭugā
hari yunnāṃ̐ḍide aṃdukuṃ̐ brahlāduṃ̐ḍē sākṣi mōsapōkumī
janmamā
muṃcina
yanumānamulanu sēsinabhaktikiṃ̐ jēṭu lēdu
yīsēṃ̐takella dhruvuṃ̐ḍē sākṣi ॥ati॥ tamakiṃcakumī dēhamā tagusukhaduḥkhaṃbula
nalasi amitamu naraharikaruṇa nammitē
naṃduku
narjunuṃ̐ḍē sākṣi bhramayakumī vivēkamā bahukālaṃbulu yīṃ̐dīṃ̐di tamitō dāsyamu tanu rakṣiṃcunu
dāniki
balīṃdruṃ̐ḍē sākṣi ॥ati॥ marigivuṃḍumī vōjihvā
mari śrīvēṃkaṭapatinutulu arayaṃ̐ga nidiyē yīḍēriṃcunu
aṃduku
vyāsādulē sākṣi tirugakumī
vijñānamā driṣṭapumāyalakunu
lōṃ̐gi sarilē
ditanipādasēvakunu sanakādulabradukē sākṣi ॥ati॥
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Details and Discussions:
Chorus
(Pallavi):
అతిసులభం బిదె శ్రీపతిశరణము అందుకు నారదాదుల సాక్షి
ప్రతిలే దిదియే నిత్యానందము బహువేదంబులె యివే సాక్షి ॥పల్లవి॥
atisulabhaṃ bide śrīpatiśaraṇamu aṃduku nāradādula sākṣi
pratilē didiyē nityānaṃdamu bahuvēdaṃbule yivē sākṣi ॥pallavi॥
Meaning:
Annamacharya says that
surrendering to the Lord of Sri is exceedingly easy, and Narada and other
devotees stand as witnesses to this. The many Vedas, in their varied forms,
bear witness to that incomparable, eternal bliss.
Deep
Notes:
If we examine Narada's story, we
find that in a previous birth he was the son of a maidservant. Despite his
social circumstances, he served great sages without allowing his background to
become an obstacle. In their company, he listened to stories of the Lord and
developed devotion. The Bhagavata Purana relates that, at the end of that life,
he received divine grace and appeared in the next birth as Devarshi Narada.
What is worth observing here is how he accepted the test of trying
circumstances and remained devoted.
There is something profound in
describing surrender as exceedingly easy. In Chapter 3 of the Bhagavad
Gita, Krishna says that all activities are carried out by the three modes of
material nature. Yet a person whose understanding is clouded by ego believes,
“I am the doer.”
Even when we have no control over
everything that happens in life, we remain caught in the feeling that we
ourselves are directing it all. When we believe that we are in control,
surrender becomes difficult. But what is it that gives rise to this sense of
doership amid all the actions taking place through material nature? Here we
begin to see the difficulty concealed behind the poet's words, “exceedingly
easy.”
In Bhagavad Gita 4.15, Krishna
asks Arjuna to follow the path of action practised by those who sought
liberation in earlier times. The examples of those who came before us can guide
us. But their experiences are not available to us as ready-to-eat food. We must
understand them for ourselves, within our own lives. That is the challenge.
Annamacharya, too, points to
Narada and others as witnesses to show that surrender is possible. Narada
listened to the stories of the Lord in the company of great sages. Where are
such sages today? This question invites us to reflect. Negation is easy, but
acceptance is quite daunting.
In this world of severe
competition and constant one-upmanship, where can we find such companionship, a
spirit of service, and a relationship with the world that is free from
anticipation? Perhaps, instead of establishing a direct relationship with what pervades
everything, are we always looking for favours from it—from some external
authority that can provide them?
When the mind is constantly
seeking to acquire something more, to move beyond what it already has, can it
see clearly what is before it, as it is? The sense of doership discussed
in Bhagavad Gita 3.27 and the example of those who came before us in 4.15 both
encourage us to re-examine our own approach to life.
It is against this background
that, in the following stanzas, Annamacharya addresses the living being, human
birth, the body, discernment, the tongue, and understanding, bringing into view
the obstacles a person encounters.
First
Stanza:
వేసరకుమీ జీవుఁడా వెదకివెదకి దైవమును
ఆసపాటుగా హరి యున్నాఁడిదె అందుకుఁ బ్రహ్లాదుఁడే
సాక్షి
మోసపోకుమీ జన్మమా ముంచిన యనుమానములను
సేసినభక్తికిఁ జేటు లేదు యీసేఁతకెల్ల ధ్రువుఁడే
సాక్షి ॥అతి॥
vēsarakumī jīvuṃ̐ḍā vedakivedaki daivamunu
āsapāṭugā hari yunnāṃ̐ḍide aṃdukuṃ̐ brahlāduṃ̐ḍē sākṣi
mōsapōkumī janmamā muṃcina yanumānamulanu
sēsinabhaktikiṃ̐ jēṭu lēdu yīsēṃ̐takella dhruvuṃ̐ḍē sākṣi ॥ati॥
Meaning:
O living being, do not tire
yourself by searching for the Divine repeatedly. Hari is already within reach,
and Prahlada is the witness to this.
Do not be deceived by the doubts
that have accumulated through your life. Devotion practised sincerely is never
wasted, and Dhruva is the witness to this
.
Deep
Notes:
వేసరకుమీ జీవుఁడా వెదకివెదకి దైవమును (“Vesarakumi jivuda vedaki vedaki daivamunu”): Annamacharya
warns the living being not to exhaust itself by searching for the Divine again
and again.
When do we search for something? Searching may be useful
when we lack something and need to acquire it. But how can we search for
something that surrounds and pervades us, without any division between inside
and outside? Can we genuinely believe that Lord Hari is present everywhere?
In this context, we may recall a surrealist painting by
Remedios Varo titled Exploration of the Sources of the Orinoco River.
What first attracts our attention is a mysterious woman travelling in an
unusual boat. The boat also functions as a protective hat, enclosing her in a
kind of shelter. A compass and notebooks assist her exploration. The source of
the river appears to flow from a small goblet. Yet, within the strange
structure containing that vessel, there are still more doors and enclosures
leading inward.
The woman is already inside the river, yet she is trying
to discover where it begins. Will exploring its source provide only additional
information, while leaving her still far from understanding the entire river?
The woman in the painting seems to encounter more questions than answers.
The river, the traveller, her body, the earth, and the
surrounding natural world are all parts of one synchronous movement. Even if we
examine these separately and accumulate information about each of them, will
that amount to understanding what holds everything together? Can we hope to
understand the whole by assembling its separate parts, one after another? Will
our lifetime be long enough for such an undertaking?
When we recognise that what our limited vision reveals is
not necessarily the whole, can we stop clinging to what little we know as absolute
truth?
None of us is merely a spectator of life. Living itself
is life—not a theory to understand now and practise later. We are participants
in this integrated movement called life. If we regard what we seek as something
entirely separate from ourselves and continually try to reach it, the very act
of searching may become an obstacle. Here we begin to see the depth of
Annamacharya's warning.
ఆసపాటుగా హరి యున్నాఁడిదె అందుకుఁ బ్రహ్లాదుఁడే
సాక్షి “Asapatuga Hari
yunnadide, anduku Prahladude sakshi”: Annamacharya says
that Hari is already within reach, and Prahlada is the witness to this. Even
amid the restrictions and punishments imposed by his father, Prahlada's faith
remained unshaken. The story challenges the limits of our assumptions about
where Hari can be found.
మోసపోకుమీ జన్మమా ముంచిన యనుమానములను “Mosapokumi janmama munchina anumanamulu”: Annamacharya warns us not to be deceived by the doubts
that have accumulated within us. Our experiences, what we have learnt in the
past, and our opinions influence the way we think. We should not automatically
treat these as truth.
As we saw in the surrealist painting discussed earlier,
the traveller cannot completely unravel the mystery of the river's source. What
we discover through our own efforts is also limited.
సేసినభక్తికిఁ జేటు లేదు యీసేఁతకెల్ల ధ్రువుఁడే
సాక్షి “Sesina bhaktiki
jetu ledu, isentakella Dhruvude sakshi” Annamacharya says
that devotion practised sincerely is never wasted, and Dhruva is the witness to
this. What stands out in Dhruva's story is his steadfastness
towards his goal. His example also leaves us with a question: when doubts and
obstacles arise, do we examine them, or do we lose our direction because of
them?
Second
Stanza:
తమకించకుమీ దేహమా తగుసుఖదుఃఖంబుల నలసి
అమితము నరహరికరుణ నమ్మితే నందుకు నర్జునుఁడే సాక్షి
భ్రమయకుమీ వివేకమా బహుకాలంబులు యీఁదీఁది
తమితో దాస్యము తను రక్షించును దానికి బలీంద్రుఁడే
సాక్షి ॥అతి॥
tamakiṃcakumī dēhamā tagusukhaduḥkhaṃbula nalasi
amitamu naraharikaruṇa nammitē naṃduku narjunuṃ̐ḍē sākṣi
bhramayakumī vivēkamā bahukālaṃbulu yīṃ̐dīṃ̐di
tamitō dāsyamu tanu rakṣiṃcunu dāniki balīṃdruṃ̐ḍē sākṣi ॥ati॥
Meaning:
Do not exhaust yourself
by constantly measuring pleasure and pain. Trust in the boundless compassion of
Narahari.
Do not spend your time
caught in doubts and delusions. Remain discerning, and stand in the service of
the Divine, as King Bali did.
Deep
Notes:
తమకించకుమీ
దేహమా తగు సుఖదుఃఖంబుల నలసి (“Tamakincakumi
dehama tagu sukha-duhkambula nalasi”): Pleasure and pain are unavoidable in
life. The body continues to experience them. When pleasure arises, we want to
prolong it; when pain arises, we want to eliminate it. Does the whole journey
of life become an endless attempt to achieve the former and escape the latter?
What
deserves particular attention is the countless movements that pleasure and pain
set in motion within us. We label an experience as “pleasure” or “pain”, and
these judgements turn us towards one thing after another, eventually leaving us
exhausted. This is the point Annamacharya invites us to examine.
అమితము
నరహరికరుణ నమ్మితే నందుకు నర్జునుఁడే సాక్షి (“Amitamu
Narahari karuna nammite, anduku Arjunude sakshi”): The Pandavas encountered
hardships, humiliation, and numerous obstacles in their lives. Yet Annamacharya
says that the boundless compassion of Narahari enabled them to fulfil their
destiny. This line suggests that Arjuna's ability to overcome extraordinary
warriors in the Mahabharata war was made possible through the grace of
Narahari.
భ్రమయకుమీ
వివేకమా బహుకాలంబులు యీఁదీఁది (“Bhramayakumi
vivekama bahukalambulu ididi”): It is not as simple as putting in enough
effort to cross one illusion after another. Annamacharya warns against this
fallacy.
The
very idea of psychological time is also a creation of the mind, as the poet
observes elsewhere. Merely waiting for time to pass, while holding on to our
existing approach, does not help. The passage of time, by itself, does not
dissolve illusions. Annamacharya therefore warns us against the futile
expectation that time and sustained effort alone will carry us beyond them.
తమితో
దాస్యము తను రక్షించును దానికి బలీంద్రుఁడే సాక్షి (“Tamito dasyamu tanu rakshinchunu,
daniki Balindrude sakshi”): This line points to the place of divine service
in a life governed by dharma. Service to the Divine should not be treated as a
means of reaching God or as an action performed to obtain some reward.
Annamacharya cites King Bali as the witness to this.
King
Bali's offering illustrates his attitude of service and surrender. It is not
for the individual to decide what the reward should be.
In
this stanza, Annamacharya is not speaking of a life free from pleasure and
pain. He asks us to recognise our reactions to these inevitable experiences.
These reactions not only exhaust us but also give rise to delusions that cloud
our discernment. He also points to divine service as an integral part of living
in accordance with dharma.
Third
Stanza:
మరిగివుండుమీ వోజిహ్వా మరి శ్రీవేంకటపతినుతులు
అరయఁగ నిదియే యీడేరించును అందుకు వ్యాసాదులే సాక్షి
తిరుగకుమీ విజ్ఞానమా ద్రిష్టపుమాయలకును లోఁగి
సరిలే దితనిపాదసేవకును సనకాదులబ్రదుకే సాక్షి॥అతి॥
marigivuṃḍumī vōjihvā mari śrīvēṃkaṭapatinutulu
arayaṃ̐ga nidiyē yīḍēriṃcunu aṃduku vyāsādulē sākṣi
tirugakumī vijñānamā driṣṭapumāyalakunu lōṃ̐gi
sarilē ditanipādasēvakunu sanakādulabradukē sākṣi ॥ati॥
Meaning Table:
Immerse
yourself completely in praising Lord Venkateswara. Like Vyasa and others,
discover the joy in that praise.
Do
not allow yourself to be drawn away by the attractions of visible appearances.
Remain discerning, and stand in the service of His feet, as the Sanakadi sages
did.
Deep Notes:
మరిగివుండుమీ
వోజిహ్వా మరి శ్రీవేంకటపతినుతులు “Marigivundumi vo jihva, mari
Srivenkatapati nutulu”: We
primarily use the tongue in two ways. First, to take in food necessary for
nourishing the body; second, to communicate our feelings to others. The
immediate usefulness of these activities is familiar to us. We know their
“taste,” so to speak. But what might be gained by immersing ourselves in the
praise of Lord Venkateswara may not be so immediately apparent.
The
expression మరిగివుండుమీ — marigivundumi suggests
more than merely uttering words of praise. It can also point to a state in
which the mind becomes absorbed in, and closely united with, what it praises.
To remain completely immersed in such praise is not merely another kind of
experience, but a state in which one is no longer aware of oneself. Vyasa and
others, who gave humanity many sacred texts, are cited as witnesses to this.
తిరుగకుమీ
విజ్ఞానమా ద్రిష్టపుమాయలకును లోఁగి “Tirugakumi vijnanama drishtapu
mayalakunu logi”: Annamacharya
warns understanding not to wander through the world in submission to the
illusions of visible appearances. What we see can draw us into its attraction
and keep us moving in pursuit of it. If we fail to recognise that what is
visible does not constitute the whole, our discernment may lose its direction
and become trapped in the attraction of appearances. The lives of the సనకాది
ఋషులు — Sanakadi sages are cited as witnesses to this.
Essence of the Song
Surrendering to the Lord of Sri is
exceedingly easy. It is enough to place our trust in Him, as Narada and the
other devotees did. The Vedas bear witness to that eternal bliss.
Searching for the Divine is a futile
effort. Place your burden on the Divine, as Prahlada did. Let go of doubts and
remain steadfast in devotion, like Dhruva. Instead of exhausting yourself by
constantly measuring pleasure and pain, trust in the compassion of Narahari, as
Arjuna did. With discernment, move beyond delusions and remain in divine
service, as King Bali did.
Discover the taste of praising Lord
Venkateswara, as Vyasa and others did. Remain in the service of His feet, as
the Sanakadi sages did.
X-X-X THE
END X-X-X
