311 muccaṭakevvaru lēru mōhamidi baludūru (ముచ్చటకెవ్వరు లేరు మోహమిది బలుదూరు)

 TALLAPAKA ANNAMACHARYULU

311 ముచ్చటకెవ్వరు లేరు మోహమిది బలుదూరు

(muccaṭakevvaru lēru mōhamidi baludūru)

తెలుగులో చదవడానికి ఇక్కడ నొక్కండి.

INTRODUCTION

This poem outwardly appears as a romantic lament of a heroine separated from her beloved. Yet Annamacharya uses this familiar imagery to reveal a deeper weakness of the human mind. The longing that once burns intensely gradually weakens. Like the fading fragrance of perfume, devotion slowly loses its force, and ordinary desire quietly returns. Through the voice of the estranged lover, the poet exposes the fragile nature of human aspiration.

In the devotional songs of Tallapaka Annamacharya, "Muchchata Kevvaru Leru"  stands as a profound psychological analysis of longing. Annamacharya recognized that songs of separation (Viraha Geetalu) leave a lasting imprint on the mind because they touch a chord of loss and deep yearning. n this composition, he uniquely balances the romantic state of a heroine (Śṛṅgāra) with the inner state of a devotee (Ādhyātma), without one overshadowing the other. Both interpretations remain natural and equally meaningful. A significant portion of his compositions are written in the language of śṛṅgāra (romantic love), particularly through the voice of the nāyika experiencing separation from her beloved.

Another striking feature of these compositions is that the same sharp observations found in his spiritual songs appear here as well. A single phrase may carry both romantic and philosophical meaning.

For example, in this poem the line “Pavvalinche tillu chuchi pranamu niluparadu” in the romantic sense suggests that the heroine cannot rest peacefully in the chamber of flowers meant for comfort because she longs for her beloved.

In the spiritual interpretation, it points to something deeper: The decorated chamber itself symbolizes attachment. the devotee cannot easily detach from his attachment to life and the body. That love of life itself binds him and prevents true surrender.

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శృంగార సంకీర్తన

రేకు: 76-3 సంపుటము: 5-267

ముచ్చటకెవ్వరు లేరు మోహమిది బలుదూరు యెచ్చట నెవ్వరులేరు యేఁటికే నాపేరు          ॥పల్లవి॥ మంచముపై నుండరాదు మలఁగుపైఁ బొద్దువోదు నించిన వుయ్యైలలోనా నిద్దుర రాదు అంచెలఁ గన్నుల నీరు ఆఁపరాదాతనిఁబాసి యించుకంత నిలువలే నెట్లు ధరియింతునే    ॥ముచ్చ॥ పవ్వళించేటిల్లు చూచి ప్రాణము నిలుపరాదు దివ్వెచూచి తాలిమైనఁ దిప్పఁగరాదు దువ్వటపుఁ బయ్యదపైఁ దోఁగిన తట్టు పుణుఁగు పువ్వుటమ్ము బాసటమై పొక్కెనేమిసేతునే         ॥ముచ్చ॥ చింతతో ధరించరాదు చెల్లఁ బో మేనైనఁ బోదు ఇంతటఁ జెలులకైన యెఱుక లేదు ఇంతలోనె వేంకటేశుఁడింతి మరుఁగుననుండి యెంతసేసెఁ గలికి వీఁడేమని చెప్పుదునే          ॥ముచ్చ॥

ROMANTIC POEM

Copper Plate: 76-3 Volume: 5-267

muccaṭakevvaru lēru mōhamidi baludūru yeccaṭa nevvarulēru yēṃ̐ṭikē nāpēru ॥pallavi॥ maṃcamupai nuṃḍarādu malaṃ̐gupaiṃ̐ bodduvōdu niṃcina vuyyailalōnā niddura rādu aṃcelaṃ̐ gannula nīru āṃ̐parādātaniṃ̐bāsi yiṃcukaṃta niluvalē neṭlu dhariyiṃtunē          ॥mucca॥ pavvaḻiṃcēṭillu cūci prāṇamu niluparādu divvecūci tālimainaṃ̐ dippaṃ̐garādu duvvaṭapuṃ̐ bayyadapaiṃ̐ dōṃ̐gina taṭṭu puṇuṃ̐gu puvvuṭammu bāsaṭamai pokkenēmisētunē     ॥mucca॥ ciṃtatō dhariṃcarādu cellaṃ̐ bō mēnainaṃ̐ bōdu iṃtaṭaṃ̐ jelulakaina ye\ruka lēdu iṃtalōne vēṃkaṭēśuṃ̐ḍiṃti maruṃ̐gunanuṃḍi yeṃtasēseṃ̐ galiki vīṃ̐ḍēmani ceppudunē       ॥mucca॥

Details and Discussions:

Chorus (Pallavi):

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ముచ్చటకెవ్వరు లేరు మోహమిది బలుదూరు

యెచ్చట నెవ్వరులేరు యేఁటికే నాపేరు ॥పల్లవి॥

muccaṭakevvaru lēru mōhamidi baludūru

yeccaṭa nevvarulēru yēṃ̐ṭikē nāpēru          ॥pallavi॥ 

 

In romantic poetry, the Pallavi expresses the loneliness of a heroine separated from her beloved. With no confidante to share her feelings, her longing deepens and becomes difficult to contain. In devotional interpretation, the same voice may represent the soul experiencing an intense yearning for the Divine. Such longing is inward and often incomprehensible to the ordinary world.

Romantic Meaning	Philosophical / Devotional Meaning
A lady deeply in love with her beloved (the Lord) waits and laments: There is no one with whom I can share the feelings of my heart. (She feels shy that her friends may laugh if she speaks openly of her love for the Lord.) My longing for my beloved has grown intense and overwhelming.	A devotee’s intense longing for the Lord: There is no one with whom I can share this inner yearning. (The devotee hesitates, thinking friends may ridicule such devotion, asking: “How can God become your beloved?”) The longing for the Divine has become powerful and all-consuming.
There is no one anywhere who understands my condition. (my friends may disapprove such a longing). Without his company I feel I have no separate existence.   “యేఁటికే నాపేరు” (What use is of my name): For here, the distance from beloved is inconceivable. Hence she says “there is no need for a name (to he body) – for a life without him”.	People around do not recognize this inner spiritual struggle. (The devotee fears they may try to dissuade him from this path.) I see no one but You. Yet outwardly I still carry a name and identity in the world. That very identity seems to stand as a barrier between You and me, and I do not know how it can disappear.. "యేఁటికే నాపేరు  “Why then should I still have a name?” If You and I are not truly separate, why should I remain as another person (with a name attached) before You? Perhaps this very sense of separateness sustains the feeling of distance. I do not know how it can disappear.

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First Stanza:

మంచముపై నుండరాదు మలఁగుపైఁ బొద్దువోదు

నించిన వుయ్యైలలోనా నిద్దుర రాదు

అంచెలఁ గన్నుల నీరు ఆఁపరాదాతనిఁబాసి

యించుకంత నిలువలే నెట్లు ధరియింతునే        ॥ముచ్చ॥

maṃcamupai nuṃḍarādu malaṃ̐gupaiṃ̐ bodduvōdu

niṃcina vuyyailalōnā niddura rādu

aṃcelaṃ̐ gannula nīru āṃ̐parādātaniṃ̐bāsi

yiṃcukaṃta niluvalē neṭlu dhariyiṃtunē  ॥mucca॥

Explanation: This stanza portrays the restless condition of the mind in separation. Physical comforts such as the bed, soft cushions, or the swing cannot bring peace. The mind remains absorbed in the thought of the beloved or the Divine, and tears flow naturally from that intense longing.

Romantic Meaning	Philosophical / Devotional Meaning
మంచముపై నుండరాదు మలఁగుపైఁ బొద్దువోదు
The heroine finds no comfort anywhere. Even lying on the bed of flowers brings no rest.	The comforts of the world cannot bring peace to the devotee whose mind longs for the Divine.
Even during sleep the mind does not truly rest. What we experience is only a temporary release from fatigue and agitation. True stillness does not arise. A similar idea appears in Salvador Dalí’s surreal painting Sleep (1937).
నించిన వుయ్యైలలోనా నిద్దుర రాదు
The "ఊయల swing" symbolizes a state of constant doubt—swinging between "He loves me" and "He loves me not". Still the comfort of ornamental swing can’t make her forget her beloved.	The mind engaged in devotion often forgets the outer comforts. Such a person often found sleeping less and always looking forward to meeting the Lord. Here the swing (ఊయల) is indicative of a state of a life caught between the manifest and the unmanifest.
అంచెలఁ గన్నుల నీరు ఆఁపరాదాతనిఁబాసి
Tears roll continuously as she remembers her separation from the beloved.	The devotee feels insurmountable distance between him and Devine. He can’t bear the with idea of not meeting “HIM”. Therefoe, there is no end to his tears.
Now request the readers to have a clean look at the surreal painting “Elective Affinities” by Rene Magritte
She knows she is in the cage. She knows not how to break open. Her inability to break-free makes the tears to flow. The tragedy is not the lack of ability to escape the cage, but the reluctance to abandon its security. The mind desires both freedom and safety at the same time. This contradiction is the real source of sorrow.	The Devotee feels the distance between him and the Devine. He understands the cage he is enclosed. He only reacts to the separation. He does not pause and feel that the Devine is all knowing. Does HE not know the mind of the Devotee? Whatever action taken by the devotee is an action belonging to his present existence (Gita 6-2). Therefore unsuitable. He simply must leave it to God in complete faith. and stay put in his condition. We often fail in doing so.
యించుకంత నిలువలే నెట్లు ధరియింతునే
She cannot remain steady even for a moment. The pain of separation overwhelms her.	The mind of the devotee remains filled with anticipation of His coming. It can’t settle. Neither he can bear the waiting.
Let us connect back to the Pallavi: “యేఁటికే నాపేరు” (What use is of my name?) The Divine seems to observe “why do you wear my name on your tongues?”

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Second Stanza:

పవ్వళించేటిల్లు చూచి ప్రాణము నిలుపరాదు

దివ్వెచూచి తాలిమైనఁ దిప్పఁగరాదు

దువ్వటపుఁ బయ్యదపైఁ దోఁగిన తట్టు పుణుఁగు

పువ్వుటమ్ము బాసటమై పొక్కెనేమిసేతునే   ॥ముచ్చ॥

pavvaḻiṃcēṭillu cūci prāṇamu niluparādu

divvecūci tālimainaṃ̐ dippaṃ̐garādu

duvvaṭapuṃ̐ bayyadapaiṃ̐ dōṃ̐gina taṭṭu puṇuṃ̐gu

puvvuṭammu bāsaṭamai pokkenēmisētunē ॥mucca॥ 

Using the imagery of estranged lover, Annamacharya reveals the weakness and gradual decline of human aspiration. In this stanza the emotional tension deepens. Even the chamber meant for rest cannot bring relief. Time passes and the sense of urgency grows stronger. Gradually the earlier intensity of remembrance weakens, and the mind becomes vulnerable to new impulses and desires. (పవ్వళించేటిల్లు (restless longing) → దివ్వెచూచి (time passes)→ దోఁగిన తట్టు పుణుఁగు (devotion fades slowly)→ పువ్వుటమ్ము (desire replaces devotion) 

Romantic Meaning	Philosophical / Devotional Meaning
"పవ్వళించేటిల్లు చూచి ప్రాణము నిలుపరాదు" పవ్వళించేటిల్లు = Bedroom, the body (psychologically)
Even the chamber meant for rest offers no comfort. In separation from her beloved, even holding her life itself becomes meaningless.	The devotee cannot easily detach from his attachment to life and the body. The desire to continue living still binds him.
"దివ్వెచూచి తాలిమైనఁ దిప్పఁగరాదు" (దివ్వెచూచి= seeing torch (flambeau) i.e. the sun had set; people have lighted lamps)
Night falls and lamps are lit, yet the beloved does not arrive. Courage fades.	Evening approaches — symbolizing the later stage of life. The final phase of life begins to appear. (implying that time moves on without our realisation)
"దువ్వటపుఁ బయ్యదపైఁ దోఁగిన తట్టు పుణుఁగు" దువ్వటపుఁ = like a shawl, like a outer covering; తట్టు పుణుఁగు = perfume.
The traces of the beloved fade slowly, like the fading fragrance of perfume. (Time passing by and no indication of the beloved.)	In the devotee’s mind, the signs of the Divine gradually begin to fade. (He forgot the Divine and his traces of his devotion as well)
Observe use of words: Annamacharya is saying that our devotion is like shawl, an outer covering. As the perfume’s intensity fades our resolve to be with beloved fades. Our devotion to God is no different from this.
"పువ్వుటమ్ము బాసటమై పొక్కెనేమిసేతునే" పువ్వుటమ్ము – arrow of flowers; పొక్కెనే = seeping
Now the lady gradually forgets the beloved. The flower-arrow of Cupid becomes her support in life. Alas! What a transformation? (She turned ordinary and what can be done?)	With devotion gone, the devotee becomes vulnerable to the arrows of desire. That has now seeped into the heart of the devotee. What can be said of such a person?
We may love God, yet we often fail in the trials that devotion demands. Slowly and almost imperceptibly, time carries us back into the very life we once hoped to transcend.	The transformation of human life from an ardent devotee into an ordinary person. Clearly this is the continuous decline we suffer.
Let us connect back to the Pallavi: “యేఁటికే నాపేరు” (What use is of my name?) When devotion fades and ordinary desires quietly return, what meaning remains in repeating the Divine name?

మూడవ చరణం

చింతతో ధరించరాదు చెల్లఁ బో మేనైనఁ బోదు

ఇంతటఁ జెలులకైన యెఱుక లేదు

ఇంతలోనె వేంకటేశుఁడింతి మరుఁగుననుండి

యెంతసేసెఁ గలికి వీఁడేమని చెప్పుదునే              ॥ముచ్చ॥

ciṃtatō dhariṃcarādu cellaṃ̐ bō mēnainaṃ̐ bōdu

iṃtaṭaṃ̐ jelulakaina ye\ruka lēdu

iṃtalōne vēṃkaṭēśuṃ̐ḍiṃti maruṃ̐gunanuṃḍi

yeṃtasēseṃ̐ galiki vīṃ̐ḍēmani ceppudunē ॥mucca॥ 

In the final stanza the emotional tension reaches its climax. Until now the heroine has been restless with doubt and longing. Neither she nor those around her understand the nature of this inner struggle. Suddenly the Divine appears unexpectedly. In that moment the entire struggle collapses. The experience is beyond description. What seemed like separation dissolves instantly. 

Romantic Meaning	Philosophical / Devotional Meaning
చింతతో ధరించరాదు చెల్లఁ బో మేనైనఁ బోదు
So far, the poet was an observer. Now he and the heroine are now representing the same voice. It is saying: “All these days I was doubting if he loves me? As long as that doubt exists, He does not appear!” the body remains attached to the	Unknown voice says: “you have separated me by worrying about my existence. As long as you separate me from yourself, the body may go, never you are near to the Divine”
Annamacharya always said "కర్మము దేహికిఁ గాణాచి" = natural work is assigned to the embodied.   There is no other duty to the embodied. The body and its reactions pull us in other directions.   One should be aware that anything other than the natural work is a deviation. All the cognizable feelings and actions are unnatural. Yet without body, the embodied has no separate existence.
ఇంతటఁ జెలులకైన యెఱుక లేదు
This all around me did not recognise.	Neither me, nor the other devotees could recognise this fact.
ఇంతలోనె వేంకటేశుఁడింతి మరుఁగుననుండి​
Suddenly the poet recognises he is the heroine he described so far. “Venkateshwara came from nowhere and taken over me” Now poet’s mind is clear. All his efforts were unnecessary, instead he should have submitted to Divine before.   The iota of difference between complete acceptance (of truth) and doubt is the world we experience.
యెంతసేసెఁ గలికి వీఁడేమని చెప్పుదునే
Unknown voice says: “I just cannot describe this unimaginable ecstasy”
Let us connect back to the Pallavi: “యేఁటికే నాపేరు” (Why use my name?): The Divine appears to ask ”When there is no separation from me and you, what purpose does it bring to use my name?”

The hidden progression of the poem:

           

Stage	Meaning of “యేఁటికే నాపేరు”
Pallavi	Pain of separation
Stanza 1	Inner contradiction
Stanza 2	Decline of devotion
Stanza 3	Dissolution of separation

This is very elegant.

The question begins in confusion,

passes through psychological exposure,

and ends in realization.

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