146 iTTi nA ve~r~ritanamu lEmani cheppukoMdunu (ఇట్టి నా వెఱ్ఱితనము లేమని చెప్పుకొందును)

 ANNAMACHARYULU

146 ఇట్టి నా వెఱ్ఱితనము లేమని చెప్పుకొందును

(iTTi nA ve~r~ritanamu lEmani cheppukoMdunu)

 

for Telegu (తెలుగు) Version press here

 

Synopsis:  Who is the doer? What is doer-ship? Multilevel reflections confound us.

Summary of this Poem:

Chorus: O God! What face do I have to rant my madness. You may laugh at me. But you must take a compassionate view (on me). Implied Meaning: I am mad. But really don’t know what else I can be. Unless you show mercy, I shall remain mad. 

Stanza 1: You stay put inside me and make me to speak. Unaware, I take pride in my ability to talk. While charmingly and gracefully you rule the world, I try to display the upper hand as the controller.

Stanza 2: While you are the creator, I take the pride being the father of my children. On your approbation we received this life. I take it as fruits of my labour. Implied Meaning: My present doer-ship is baseless. I find the actor and the action are inseparable. ‘I’ exists in post thought activities.

Stanza 3: I am aware of the duality you established to trap us in delusion. Foolishly I ascribe this awareness to my penance. O! High Lord! Consider my unanimity with The One Inside (paramatma) and ignore my selfish impulses.

 

 

 

Detailed Presentation

Introduction: Annamacharya never wrote a single poem. These words, we consider as poems, flown out naturally in those ecstatic moments of meditation. The balance of life is not a practiced balance of circus feet, but the extraordinary understanding of what life is.   This is the single poem, which presents deeper meaning of that balance the wise exercise. Outward meanings of these words are banal, but inward meanings are astonishing.

 

It boils down to who is the doer? What is doer-ship? Multilevel reflections which confound us need to be sorted with patience. I am sure my commentary does not match the depth of this poem. 

 

కీర్తన: రాగిరేకు:  163-5  సంపుటము: 2-304

POEM Copper Leaf:  163-5  Volume: 2-304

ఇట్టి నా వెఱ్ఱితనము లేమని చెప్పుకొందును నెట్టన నిందుకు నగి నీవే దయఁ జూడవే ॥పల్లవి॥   పాటించి నాలో నుండి పలికింతువు నీవు మాటలాడ నేరుతునంటా మరి నే నహంకరింతును నీటున లోకములెల్లా నీవే యేలుచుండఁగాను గాఁటాన దొరనంటా గర్వింతు నేను ॥ఇట్టి॥   నెమ్మదిఁ బ్రజలనెల్లా నీవే పుట్టించఁగాను కమ్మి నేనే బిడ్డలఁ గంటినంటా సంతసింతును సమ్మతి నీవే సర్వసంపదలు నొసఁగఁగాను యిమ్ముల గడించుకొంటి నివి నేనంటా నెంతు ॥ఇట్టి॥   మన్నించి యిహపరాలు మరి నీవే యియ్యఁగాను యెన్నుకొందు నాతపోమహిమ యిది యనుచును వున్నతి శ్రీవేంకటేశ నన్ను నేమి చూచేవు అన్నిటా నాయాచార్యు విన్నపమే వినవే ॥ఇట్టి॥

iTTi nA ve~r~ritanamu lEmani cheppukoMdunu neTTana niMduku nagi nIvE daya jUDavE ॥pallavi॥   pATiMchi nAlO nuMDi palikiMtuvu nIvu mATalADa nErutunaMTA mari nE nahaMkariMtunu nITuna lOkamulellA nIvE yEluchuMDagAnu gATAna doranaMTA garviMtu nEnu ॥iTTi॥   nemmadi brajalanellA nIvE puTTiMchagAnu kammi nEnE biDDala gaMTinaMTA saMtasiMtunu sammati nIvE sarvasaMpadalu nosagagAnu yimmula gaDiMchukoMTi nivi nEnaMTA neMtu ॥iTTi॥   manniMchi yihaparAlu mari nIvE yiyyagAnu yennukoMdu nAtapOmahima yidi yanuchunu vunnati SrIvEMkaTESa nannu nEmi chUchEvu anniTA nAyAchAryu vinnapamE vinavE ॥iTTi॥

 

 

 

Details and Explanations: 

ఇట్టి నా వెఱ్ఱితనము లేమని చెప్పుకొందును

నెట్టన నిందుకు నగి నీవే దయఁ జూడవే          ॥పల్లవి॥

 

iTTi nA ve~r~ritanamu lEmani cheppukoMdunu

neTTana niMduku nagi nIvE daya jUDavE ॥pallavi॥

 

Word to word meaning: ఇట్టి (iTTi) = these; నా (nA) = my; వెఱ్ఱితనము (ve~r~ritanamu) = extreme follies or foolishness; లేమని (lEmani) = What? చెప్పుకొందును (cheppukoMdunu) = shall I submit, Shall I explain; నెట్టన (neTTana) = అనివార్యముగ, తక్షణమే, compulsorily, immediately; నిందుకు (niMduku) = for this;  నగి (nagi) = (you may) laugh (but); నీవే (nIvE) = you; దయఁ జూడవే (daya jUDavE) = take a compassionate view.  

 

Literal meaning: O God! What face do I have to rant my madness. You may laugh at me. But you must take a compassionate view (on me).

Explanation: This chorus on the first look may appear wretched submission. No, its not. Let me explain starting by the statement from Bhagavad-Gita. दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया (7-14)  daivī hyeṣhā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā Purport: Krishna said: My divine energy Maya, consisting of the three modes of nature, is very difficult to overcome.

Proud of our petty temporal achievements and posse of knowledge tools, we imagine that some-how we can circumvent illusion. We underestimate the statements of the great souls. When they say this world is your own reflection (or reflect on what you were doing), little do we realise that they are making a profound statement of inner reflection. I shall make this make this clear by a picture of Rene Magritte titled “Not to Be Reproduced (La reproduction interdite, 1937) given below.

On examination, you will find that you are the observer trying to identify the man standing before the mirror. However, the reflection in the above picture is nothing but the picture he is already seeing. Without that deep perception, when we say this world is a reflection of the self is mere rhetoric.

The path to truth is something like that picture, when you try to observe, you only find what you know already. Now consider the following poem titled “EMPTINESS” by Rumi.

We look back and analyse the events

of our lives, but there is another way

of seeing, a backward-and-forward-at-once

vision, that is not rationally understandable.

The other side cannot be known^#1. However, we feel we can somehow scale to the other side… Is it not madness? When Annamacharya says ‘he is mad’ indicates thoughtful and honest statement. Sir/Madam, knowing and recognizing own foolishness is the greatest achievement. Denying foolishness is denying the truth. A fallacy. 

Implied Meaning: I am mad. But really don’t know what else I can be. Unless you show mercy, I shall remain mad. 

పాటించి నాలో నుండి పలికింతువు నీవు

మాటలాడ నేరుతునంటా మరి నే నహంకరింతును

నీటున లోకములెల్లా నీవే యేలుచుండఁగాను

గాఁటాన దొరనంటా గర్వింతు నేను        ॥ఇట్టి॥

 

pATiMchi nAlO nuMDi palikiMtuvu nIvu

mATalADa nErutunaMTA mari nE nahaMkariMtunu

nITuna lOkamulellA nIvE yEluchuMDagAnu

gATAna doranaMTA garviMtu nEnu ॥iTTi॥ 

Word to word meaning: పాటించి (pATiMchi) = taking interest, to make things easy, make happen; నాలో (nAlO) = inside me; నుండి (nuMDi) = stay put, పలికింతువు (palikiMtuvu) = make me speak; నీవు (nIvu) = you; మాటలాడ (mATalADa) = to speak, to talk; నేరుతునంటా (nErutunaMTA) = claim to know; మరి (mari) = more, further; నే (nE) = I; నహంకరింతును (nahaMkariMtunu) = take pride, become arrogant; నీటున (nITuna) = finely, charmingly;  లోకములెల్లా (lOkamulellA) = All the worlds; నీవే (nIvE) you (are); యేలుచుండఁగాను (yEluchuMDagAnu) = while you are the ruler / controller; గాఁటాన (gATAna) = much, excessively, thickly, దొరనంటా (doranaMTA) = claim power, feign high position, right to feel great; గర్వింతు (garviMtu) =exhibit to be proud, display upper hand (in a game); నేను (nEnu) = me. 

Literal meaning: You stay put inside me and make me to speak. Unaware, I take pride in my ability to talk. While charmingly and gracefully you rule the world, I try to display the upper hand as the controller.

Explanation: Annamacharya is not expressing hackneyed expressions of our culture. He is simply stating the deep understanding which we often dismiss with disdain.  Now compare this stanza with the two different poems of Jalaluddin Rumi. 

WHO SAYS WORDS WITH MY MOUTH?

…

but who is it now in my ear who hears my voice?
Who says words with my mouth?
Who looks out with my eyes? What is the soul?
I cannot stop asking.

A THIRSTY FISH

…

I have a thirsty fish in me

that can never find enough

of what it's thirsty for!

…

The grief-armies assemble,

but I'm not going with them.

 

This is how it always is

when I finish a poem.

 

A great silence overcomes me,

and I wonder why I ever thought to use language. 

Emptiness or vanity of our minds is not born of greatness, but of false assumptions…the grief armies referred by Rumi are the part of this ignorance. Not following the ignorance is intelligence. If we ever know that we are proud of this or that, at the germination of such thoughts, we have solved the problem of existence. Thoughts are the chatter boxes. And silence is the intelligence. Unfortunately, most often, we realise that after we become proud even temporarily for few seconds.

I really cannot write how deep is Annamacharya or Rumi are… 

నెమ్మదిఁ బ్రజలనెల్లా నీవే పుట్టించఁగాను

కమ్మి నేనే బిడ్డలఁ గంటినంటా సంతసింతును

సమ్మతి నీవే సర్వసంపదలు నొసఁగఁగాను

యిమ్ముల గడించుకొంటి నివి నేనంటా నెంతు           ॥ఇట్టి॥

 

nemmadi brajalanellA nIvE puTTiMchagAnu

kammi nEnE biDDala gaMTinaMTA saMtasiMtunu

sammati nIvE sarvasaMpadalu nosagagAnu

yimmula gaDiMchukoMTi nivi nEnaMTA neMtu ॥iTTi॥

 

Word to word meaning: నెమ్మదిఁ (nemmadi) = to indicate rightly and appropriately; బ్రజలనెల్లా (brajalanellA) = all the beings; నీవే (nIvE) = you alone; పుట్టించఁగాను (puTTiMchagAnu) = to create, to give form;  కమ్మి (kammi) = as if I am the creator; నేనే (nEnE) = my self (with the sense of conceit); బిడ్డలఁ (biDDala) = children; గంటినంటా (gaMTinaMTA) = I am the cause; సంతసింతును (saMtasiMtunu) = become happy; సమ్మతి (sammati) = consent, approbation; నీవే (nIvE) = you;  సర్వసంపదలు (sarvasaMpadalu) = all the wealth ( here used in the sense of ability to recognise as he is alive); నొసఁగఁగాను (nosagagAnu) = conferred; యిమ్ముల (yimmula) = quantum, considerable;  గడించుకొంటి (gaDiMchukoMTi) = acquire or earn by self; నివి (nivi) = these; నేనంటా (nEnaMTA)  = I am the cause; నెంతు (neMtu) = claim, imagine;  

Literal meaning: While you are the creator^#2, I take the pride being the father of my children. On your approbation we received this life. I take it as fruits of my labour.

Explanation: I would like the readers to contemplate here the inner meaning of the Bhagavad Gita verse श्रुतिविप्रतिपन्ना ते यदा स्थास्यति निश्चला | समाधावचला बुद्धिस्तदा योगमवाप्स्यसि || 2-53|| śhruti-vipratipannā te yadā sthāsyati niśhchalā / samādhāv-achalā buddhis tadā yogam avāpsyasi Purport: When your mind, despite being disturbed by various noises, is directed towards the Supreme, then you can achieve self-realization. Here noise is used in the sense of a disturbing force. All the information received through the sense organs is disturbing, because it is not the entire truth.

Ideas formed on the basis of these partial truths can be more deleterious. Therefore, they may be termed as pollution. Therefore, to understand truth, the present ideas must be dismantled. Request readers to review this stanza in that light.

Implied Meaning: My present doer-ship is baseless. I find the actor and the action are inseparable. ‘I’ exists in post thought activities.

మన్నించి యిహపరాలు మరి నీవే యియ్యఁగాను

యెన్నుకొందు నాతపోమహిమ యిది యనుచును

వున్నతి శ్రీవేంకటేశ నన్ను నేమి చూచేవు

అన్నిటా నాయాచార్యు విన్నపమే వినవే          ॥ఇట్టి॥

 

manniMchi yihaparAlu mari nIvE yiyyagAnu

yennukoMdu nAtapOmahima yidi yanuchunu

vunnati SrIvEMkaTESa nannu nEmi chUchEvu

anniTA nAyAchAryu vinnapamE vinavE         ॥iTTi॥ 

Word to word meaning: మన్నించి (manniMchi) = condescending; యిహపరాలు (yihaparAlu) = this world and the other; మరి (mari) = more, further; నీవే (nIvE) = you alone; యియ్యఁగాను (yiyyagAnu) = given, arranged; యెన్నుకొందు (yennukoMdu) = I count it as; నాతపోమహిమ (nAtapOmahima) = the effect of my penance;  యిది (yidi) = this one; యనుచును (yanuchunu) = assuming; వున్నతి (vunnati) = high; శ్రీవేంకటేశ (SrIvEMkaTESa) = Lord Venkateswara; నన్ను (nannu) = me (particularly my egotistic part);  నేమి చూచేవు (nEmi chUchEvu) = why consider (implying “kindly neglect”) అన్నిటా (anniTA) = in everything; నాయాచార్యు (nAyAchAryu) = the teacher (used in the sense of “the one making me to act”);  విన్నపమే (vinnapamE) = submission; వినవే (vinavE) = provide a helping ear (used in the sense of “consider”)  

Literal meaning: I am aware of the duality you established to trap us in delusion. Foolishly I ascribe this awareness to my penance. O! High Lord! Consider my unanimity with The One Inside (paramatma) and ignore my selfish impulses.

Explanation: The greatest ability is eschewing ownership of actions. In such situations doer-ship transforms to observation and awareness. The awareness we often use is a pretence.  

Suggest you have a re-look at Rene Magritte’s picture.

 

References and Recommendations for further reading:

#1 96. ఎదుట నెవ్వరు లేరు యింతా విష్ణుమయమే (eduTanevvaru lEru yiMtA vishNumayamE)

 

#2 128 ఇన్నిచేఁతలును దేవుఁడిచ్చినవే (innichEtalunu dEvuDichchinavE)