12 ఏఁటివిజ్ఞాన మేఁటిచదువు (ETivij~nAna mETichaduvu)

ANNAMACHARYA

12 ఏఁటివిజ్ఞాన మేఁటిచదువు 

Annamacharya declared education is not helping mankind to live intelligently. He laments education of his times. (Better, we don't speak of education of our times). He wonders what  intelligence is? He goes a step further and questions, why at all we compromise to live the way we do at present while there is a better way to conduct our life. 

In this verse, he stresses on wriggling out of present quagmire is only intelligent action and all other as reactions.

 

ఏఁటివిజ్ఞాన మేఁటిచదువు

గూఁటఁబడి వెడలుగతి గురుతు గనలేఁడు ॥పల్లవి॥

ETivij~nAna mETichaduvu
gUTabaDi veDalugati gurutu ganalEDu॥pallavi॥

Word to word meaning: ఏఁటి (ETi) = what kind of; విజ్ఞానము (vij~nAnamu) =worldly wisdom/intelligence; ఏఁటి (ETi) = what kind of చదువు (chaduvu) = learning, education; గూఁటఁబడి = కూఁటఁబడి (gUTabaDi = kUTabaDi) = మోసపోయి; fall to trick, gets tricked; వెడలుగతి (veDalugati) = way out; గురుతు (gurutu)= identification, a mark; గనలేఁడు (ganalEDu) = unable to find. 

Literal Meaning: Man continues get tricked (by nature through senses) and he cannot find way-out. What use is of the worldly wisdom? What use is of the education? 

Implied Meaning: It’s neither intelligence, nor a mark of learning if a person he continues to be subservient to his senses, but isn’t aware. 

Comments: Falling to senses (every time) may be termed as habit forming or conditioning. Annamacharya wondered how a man can be called intelligent (or educated) if he is not sensitive to this. 

Most of us use our intelligence/education to earn money, to live in comfort. We take certain fixed positions with respect to various things that affect us. When we are tricked for money, we become aware and normally are careful next time. The same we don’t normally do for our life lessons, but continue with those fixed positions. Most of us rather justify (to ourselves by terming it) “that is how I am made”. Annamacharya is questioning that very act (of man) and designate it as stupidity. He explains it vividly in the stanzas below. 

Like the great philosophers, through this verse Annamcahrya showed his  concern on obstinate position taken by the man. He wonders what use is of education and acquired worldly wisdom, if they don’t help him to see his own stance clearly and objectively.  Obviously he was not happy with the education system of his time. 

 

||చ|| ఏడుమడుకలచర్మ మింతయునుఁ దూంట్లై

గాడఁబెట్టుచుఁజీము గారఁగాను

పాడైన యిందులో బ్రదుకుగోరీఁ బ్రాణి

వీడఁదన్ను కచనెడి వెరవు గనలేఁడు ॥ఏఁటి॥

 

EDumaDukalacharma miMtayunu dUMTlai
gADabeTTuchu jImu gAragAnu
pADaina yiMdulO bradukugOrI brANi
vIDadannu kachaneDi veravu ganalEDu॥ETi॥ 

Word to word meaning: ఏడు (Edu)= seven; మడుకల (maDukala) = folds; చర్మము (charmamu) = skin; ఇంతయునుఁ (iMtayunu) = completely; దూంట్లై = తూంట్లై (dUMTlai= tUMTlai) full of punctures, గాడఁబెట్టుచుఁ (gADabeTTuchu) = painfully; జీము (jImu = cHImu) = pus గారఁగాను (gAragAnu) =drips; పాడైన (pADaina) = dilapidated; యిందులో (yiMdulO) = in the same place; బ్రదుకు కోరీఁ (bradukugOrI) = longs for life to continue; బ్రాణి  =ప్రాణి ( bRaNi =prANi) = living being, human; వీడఁ (vIDa) without leaving, not look for alternative; దన్నుక = తన్నుక (dannuka = tannuka) = wriggle out, చనెడి (chaneDi) = way out;  వెరవు (veravu) = ఉపాయము, better method, solution; గనలేఁడు = కనలేఁడు (ganalEDu =kanalEDu) = unable to find. 

Literal meaning: Even as the seven fold (multi folded) leather body gets punctured with time (due to ageing), the body painfully aches, skin drips with pus but that man instead of making efforts to wriggle out a better path prefers to continue ( to live) in that very body. 

Implied Meaning: Man continues with his stupidity despite knowing the pitfalls of his own (psychological) stance. Man instead of disentangling his current situation prefers to rationalise and comfort (himself) with his (predetermined) disposition. 

Comments; our innate love to continue with the life despite many ailments acquired to the material body with time is very clear to all of us.  

Annamacharya described psychological position adapted by man thru this allegorical stance taken towards the body. Man’s ideas as formed remain static while the environment changes dynamically every moment. He tries to deal with this dynamic situation with previously formed ideas. Like the body gets punctured with time, these ideas too will be proved not suitable with time. However, the man instead of making efforts to wriggle out a better path prefers to continue with his old fashioned ideas. Hence, this behaviour is stupid not wise. 

 

||చ|| కడుపునిండిన మహాకష్టంబు నలుగడల

వెడలుచును బెనుమురుకి వేయఁగాను

యిడుమఁ బొందుచు సుఖంబిందుకే వెదకీని

వొడలు మోవఁగ జీవుఁడోపననలేఁడు ॥ఏఁటి॥ 

kaDupuniMDina mahAkashTaMbu nalugaDala
veDaluchunu benumuruki vEyagAnu
yiDuma boMduchu sukhaMbiMdukE vedakIni
mOvaga jIvuDOpananalEDu॥ETi॥ 

Word to word meaning: కడుపు (kaDupu) =stomach, gut; నిండిన (niMDina) = full మహా (mahA) =great, intense; కష్టంబు (kashTaMbu) = hardship, afflication; నలుగడల   (nalugaDala) =in all four directions; వెడలుచును (veDaluchunu) = moving out; బెను =పెను (benu = penu) = great, large; మురుకి వేయఁగాను (muruki vEyagAnu) = get soiled by dirt, sweat; ఇడుమఁ (yiDuma) =problems, adversities బొందుచు = పొందుచు (boMduchu = poMduchu) = receiving; సుఖంబు (sukhaMbu) comfort ఇందుకే (iMdukE) = for this only, only reason; వెదకీని (vedakIni) = searching, seeking; ఒడలు (voDalu) = body; మోవఁగ (mOvaga) = to bear;  జీవుఁడు (jIvuDu) =the living being ఓపననలేఁడు (OpananalEDu) = can't tolerate. 

Literal meaning: in order to fulfil his desire for square meal (every time), the man moves out in all directions. In this chase, he gets soiled by dirt, sweat and faces many adversities. He longs for comforts to escape these problems. He doesn’t tolerate even small trouble to his body. 

Implied Meaning: fragile man, moved by his desires, keeps inventing new wants. This process consumes his total energy. 

Comments: Annamacharya continues allegorical comparison. Cycle of wants are described in this stanza. He starts with simple desire for food and shelter, however ends up with more wants. Thus he gets entangled and loses time and vigour. 

 

||చ|| వుదకమయమగుకన్ను లురికి యేమైనఁగని

మదవికారము మతికి మరుపఁగాను

యిది యెరిఁగి తిరువేంకటేశుఁగని జీవుఁడా-

సదమలానందంబు చవిగానలేఁడు ॥ఏఁటి॥

 

vudakamayamagukannu luriki yEmainagani
madavikAramu matiki marupagAnu
yidi yerigi tiruvEMkaTESugani jIvuDA-
sadamalAnaMdaMbu chavigAnalEDu॥ETi॥

 

Word to word meaning: వుదకమయము (vudakamayam) full of water; అగు (agu) being కన్నులు (kannulu) = eyes;  ఉరికి (uriki) = run over;  ఏమైనఁగని (yEmainagani) = whatever they see; మదవికారము (madavikAramu) = arousal of sensual feeling; మతికి (matiki ) = to intelligence,/wisdom; మరుపఁగాను (marupagAnu) = to conceal, make forget; యిది (yidi) = this; యెరిఁగి (yerigi) = knowing; తిరువేంకటేశున్ (tiruvEMkaTESun) = the lord of seven hills, God; కని (kani) = find, see; జీవుఁడా-( jIvuDA) = the man, the soul; సత్ (sat) forever, permanent, అమలానందంబు (amalAnaMdaMbu) = clear Joy, ecstasy; చవి (chavi) = taste; కానలేఁడు (gAnalEDu) = unable to find; 

Literal Meaning: Eyes floating on the waters of wishes, they run after any (and every) sensual thing, overshadowing one's intelligence. Thus man continues to chase these mirages. Because of this, man cannot    comprehend the clear permanent ecstasy at the feet of the Srivenkateswara (God). 

Implied meaning: As man follows his senses; continues his avarice for every sensual thing on his way. Blinded by this, he is unable to appreciate clear permanent ecstasy at the feet of the God.

Comments: Annamacharya continued to prove his statement in the stanzas.

1.  In the First by proving the man get blinded by his attachment to his body (or self);

2.  in the second his desires begets further desires and he loses his vigour;

3.  In third, he runs after mirages and forgets the permanent thing (God).

Thus in every respect, man proved to be stupid.

zadaz

 

 

Reference: Copper Leaf: 13-1, volume: 1-77