135 తెలియనివారికిఁ దెరమరుఁగు (teliyanivAriki deramarugu)

 

ANNAMACHARYULU

135 తెలియనివారికిఁ దెరమరుఁగు

(teliyanivAriki deramarugu)

 La Belle Captive

 Those interested in Telegu Version may press this link

 

Introduction:  Annamacharya used words of daily usage, described the mundane objects to create great poetry to convey highly revolutionary concepts, inconceivable by any modern standards.

The central objective of this poem could be tough to express. He makes it possible by  laser sharp wording. This is one of those impossible compositions.

Annamacharya’s deep sense of poems find echoes  in great painters works. An artist only can reflect another artist’s taste in full blossom. Though they belonged to different ages, great art transcends time.

Rene Magritte (1898-1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist, who became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Like Annamacharya he depicts ordinary objects in an unusual context and challenges observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. You will find both great artists saying the same thing. One is a visual treat, another takes you to a different world, from where you do not wish to come down.

 

కీర్తన: రాగిరేకు:  355-4  సంపుటము: 4-324

POEM Copper Leaf:  355-4     Volume: 4-324

తెలియనివారికిఁ దెరమరుఁగు తెలిసినవారికి దిష్టంబిదియే ॥పల్లవి॥   కన్నులయెదుటనుఁ గాంచినజగ మిది పన్నిన ప్రకృతియు బ్రహ్మమునే యిన్నిట నుండఁగ నిదిగాదని హరిఁ గన్న చోట వెదకఁగఁబోనేలా ॥తెలి॥   అగపడి యిరువదియైదై జీవునిఁ దగిలినవెల్లాఁ దత్వములే నగవుల నిదియును నమ్మగఁ జాలక పగటునఁ దమలో భ్రమ​యఁగ నేలా ॥తెలి॥   అంతరంగుఁడును నర్చావతారము నింతయు శ్రీవేంకటేశ్వరుఁడే చెంతల నీతనిసేవకులకు మరి దొంతికర్మములతోడ సిఁకనేలా ॥తెలి॥

teliyanivAriki deramarugu telisinavAriki dishTaMbidiyE ॥pallavi॥   kannulayeduTanu gAMchinajaga midi pannina prakRtiyu brahmamunE yinniTa nuMDaga nidigAdani hari ganna chOTa vedakagabOnElA ॥teli॥   agapaDi yiruvadiyaidai jIvuni dagilinavellA datvamulE nagavula nidiyunu nammaga jAlaka pagaTuna damalO bhramayaga nElA ॥teli॥   aMtaraMguDunu narchAvatAramu niMtayu SrIvEMkaTESvaruDE cheMtala nItanisEvakulaku mari doMtikarmamulatODa sikanElA ॥teli॥

 

Details and Explanations:

 

తెలియనివారికిఁ దెరమరుఁగు

తెలిసినవారికి దిష్టంబిదియే ॥పల్లవి॥

 

teliyanivAriki deramarugu

telisinavAriki dishTaMbidiyE ॥pallavi॥

 

Word to Word meaning: తెలియనివారికిఁ (teliyanivAriki)= who do not know; దెరమరుఁగు (deramarugu) = its behind veil; తెలిసినవారికి (telisinavAriki) for who know; దిష్టంబిదియే (dishTaMbidiyE)= like this alone. 

Literal meaning: Those who do not know are shielded away from the truth. Those aware like nothing else. 

Explanation: This is an enchanted world. If one is immersed by this absorbing engagement, its near impossible to come out of this. Because the difference between Real and illusion is minimalistic, rather looks more like real.  

I am unable to recall whose story it was. Probably it was of Socrates. He sees a very young boy trying in vain to fill the bottle with sea water. He fills, then pours it back into the sea. After some trials, he throws into the bottle into the sea. At that point Socrates asks what did he do with the bottle? The Boy replies “I tried filling the sea into it. Found not possible. However, I understood, instead the bottle can be accommodated by the sea. Filling sea into the bottle was my foolishness” 

Annamacharya conveys very deep meaning in few words. If we really know what to do (in life), without blinking we get engaged. Definitely not in multiple activities.  Like the boy knew after few trials, his efforts are futile, and he rather left the task to the sea (nature). However, it does not mean license to do what we like.   

Implied meaning: Devoted like nothing else. Others continue in enchantment.   

 

కన్నులయెదుటనుఁ గాంచినజగ మిది

పన్నిన ప్రకృతియు బ్రహ్మమునే

యిన్నిట నుండఁగ నిదిగాదని హరిఁ

గన్న చోట వెదకఁగఁబోనేలా ॥తెలి॥

 

kannulayeduTanu gAMchinajaga midi

pannina prakRtiyu brahmamunE

yinniTa nuMDaga nidigAdani hari

ganna chOTa vedakagabOnElA ॥teli॥ 

Word to Word meaning: కన్నులయెదుటనుఁ (kannulayeduTanu) = (the  thing) in front of you; గాంచిన (gAMchina) = see, view, ( used here more in the sense of perception) జగ మిది (jaga midi) = this world; పన్నిన (pannina) = ఎత్తుగడ, సూత్రము, the scheme, the plan;  ప్రకృతియు (prakRtiyu) = the nature;  బ్రహ్మమునే (brahmamunE)= is the Lord himself, is the truth ifself;  యిన్నిట (yinniTa) = in all these; నుండఁగ (nuMDaga) = available, existing; నిదిగాదని (nidigAdani) = denying this;   హరిఁ (hari) = Lord Hari; గన్న చోట (ganna chOTa) = the place of human birth (indicating carnal pleasures); వెదకఁగఁబోనేలా (vedakagabOnElA) = why move there to search (= signifying that man gets mislead by his perception, not a natural idea). 

Literal meaning: O Man Whatever you see in front of your eyes is truth. God is omnipresent. By your wrong assessment, you move from natural position to assumed position and try to find truth by engaging in lustful activities.  

Explanation: What do we see? It is not a question to rob your time. “Do we understand what we see?” Is the real question posed by Annamacharya. 

Please see the painting below “The Fair Captive” by Rene Magritte. In this painter investigates the paradoxical relationship between a painted image and what it conceals.

This picture shows the easel, flanked by a boulder and a flaming tuba, in a beach. The easel represents window through which we look. The boulder represents material. The flaming tuba represents mind burning with desires. These desires, leave certain reflection on the ‘canvas’.  we are brought again to the notion of the canvas both as a pane of glass which allows the spectator to 'see through' reality, and as a metaphor for painting as a window on reality. 

As in the above picture, we get influenced by the flame of desires, thoughts. Nothing is limiting the man from being one with what he sees. This picture “The Fair Captive” is telling us that we limit our view by a larger or a smaller easel. The borders of the easel are formed by the thought. The movement of thought is distorting our view. 

Just imagine the mundane fact that earth is not the centre of the world was disputed for centuries. It took too many lives and eons to appreciate the fact. The same is the case with the difference between the looking and the liking - is the trouble brewed by the thought- within each one of us. Falling into this conflict, man will be far from the truth. Therefore, what he sees is not the truth, but only the impression he perceives through his memory. That’s why great saint poet Thygaraja said తెరతీయగ రాదా   నాలోని,  తిరుపతి వెంకటరమణా !    మత్సరమను తెరతీయగ రాదా  (Remove the layers O Lord Venkateswara with in me, remove the layers of envy in me). 

The dichotomy between looking and liking leads man to look for what is more tangible, to carnal pleasures. That means we are leaning either leftwards or right wards. Both are colouring the view. That is reason for orangish hue in the landscape of “The Fair Captive” Thus, the balance mentioned in Bhagavad-Gita  समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिर: (6-13) (samaṁ kāya-śhiro-grīvaṁ dhārayann achalaṁ sthira) is not theoretical, but a serious engagement. That is the hard work mentioned by Jiddu Krishnamurti. Annamacharya said నడిమితెరువుననే నడవుమీ naDimiteruvunanE naDavumI^#1 (= walk the tight rope in the centre). 

Please understand Annamacharya painted these pictures of poetry for the posterity to understand appropriate action. He is a great truth seeker, not necessarily a conformist. 

Implied meaning: Is it not foolishness to search Omnipresent God? (Particularly in wrong places?) 

అగపడి యిరువదియైదై జీవునిఁ

దగిలినవెల్లాఁ దత్వములే

నగవుల నిదియును నమ్మగఁ జాలక

పగటునఁ దమలో భ్రమ​యఁగ నేలా ॥తెలి॥

 

agapaDi yiruvadiyaidai jIvuni

dagilinavellA datvamulE

nagavula nidiyunu nammaga jAlaka

pagaTuna damalO bhamrayaga nElA ॥teli॥

 

Word to Word meaning: అగపడి (agapaDi) = by appearing, by revealing; యిరువదియైదై (yiruvadiyaidai) = twnetyfive tatvas (in Indian philosophy  tatvas  are elements or principles of reality);  జీవునిఁ (jIvuni) = the person;  దగిలినవెల్లాఁ (dagilinavellA) = whatever exciting man;  దత్వములే (datvamulE) = are these TATVAs only; నగవుల (nagavula) = taking it as sarcasm, taking it as a joke; నిదియును (nidiyunu) = that;  నమ్మగఁ జాలక (nammaga jAlaka) unable to believe, unable to comprehend; పగటునఁ (pagaTuna) with ego, with pride, with high handedness, scornful;  దమలో (damalO) = within themselves; భ్రమ​యఁగ నేలా (bhamrayaga nElA) = come under illusion, come under trickery. 

Literal meaning: All the 25 elements reveal themselves while exciting the person. Unable to believe, Man dismisses them scornfully. Why remain in trickery born of pride and ego. 

Explanation: పగటునఁ దమలో భ్రమ​యఁగ నేలా (pagaTuna damalO bhamrayaga nElA) is indicating that man’s struggle is not outside, but within himself. Therefore, greatest achievement in life is not in becoming emperor, but remaining humble, with whatever one has.

You will notice very close coordination this stanza has with the first one. Unless man comes out of his ego, despite his material success, remains a deprived creature. This fact is evident from the life of greatly gifted Michael Jackson. 

అంతరంగుఁడును నర్చావతారము

నింతయు శ్రీవేంకటేశ్వరుఁడే

చెంతల నీతనిసేవకులకు మరి

దొంతికర్మములతోడ సిఁకనేలా ॥తెలి॥

 

aMtaraMguDunu narchAvatAramu

niMtayu SrIvEMkaTESvaruDE

cheMtala nItanisEvakulaku mari

doMtikarmamulatODa sikanElA ॥teli॥

 

Word to Word meaning: అంతరంగుఁడును (aMtaraMguDunu) = the one inside us;  నర్చావతారము (narchAvatAramu) = (consecrated image, murti or vigraham or idol) that is worshipped in a temple.  నింతయు (niMtayu) = all these;  శ్రీవేంకటేశ్వరుఁడే (SrIvEMkaTESvaruDE) = only Lord Venkateswara; చెంతల (cheMtala) = besides, next to him;  నీతనిసేవకులకు (nItanisEvakulaku) =Lord’s servants; మరి (mari) = yet;  దొంతికర్మములతోడ (doMtikarmamulatODa) = with dual nature; సిఁకనేలా (sikanElA) = Why scuffle? Why struggle? 

Literal meaning: The one inside us, that one worshipped in a temple; all these^#2 are Lord Venkateswara only. For the servants of the Lord where is the need to scuffle with duality? 

Explanation: “How do we know we are Lord’s servants”? is a big question posed by Annamacharya. The wording తెలిసినవారికి దిష్టంబిదియే (telisinavAriki dishTaMbidiyE) implies “one may like to continue in his present state but cannot determine with any certainty where he actually is”. This indeterministic state is beyond the worldly knowledge, affairs and confabulations.

 

References and Recommendations for further reading:

#1 93. ఊరికిఁ బోయెడి వోతఁడ (Uriki bOyeDi vOtaDa)

#2 96. ఎదుట నెవ్వరు లేరు యింతా విష్ణుమయమే (eduTa nevvaru lEru yiMtA vishNumayamE)

 

 

Summary of this Keertana: 

Chorus: Those who do not know are shielded away from the truth. Those aware like nothing else. Implied meaning: Devoted like nothing else. Others continue in enchantment.

 

Stanza 1: O Man Whatever you see in front of your eyes is truth. God is omnipresent. By your wrong assessment, you move from natural position to assumed position and try to find truth by engaging in lustful activities. Implied meaning: Is it not foolishness to search Omnipresent God? (Particularly in wrong places?)

 

Stanza 2: All the 25 elements reveal themselves while exciting the person. Unable to believe, Man dismisses them scornfully. Why remain in trickery born of pride and ego.

 

Stanza 3: The one inside us, that one worshipped in a temple; all these are Lord Venkateswara only. For the servants of the Lord where is the need to scuffle with duality?