ANNAMACHARYULU
147 అదివో
కనుఁగొను మది యొకతె
(adivO kanugonu madi yokate)
I say there is no darkness but ignorance.
William Shakespeare
Synopsis: The moods
and tendencies of the human mind are spoken in the voices of women
Summary of this Poem:
Chorus: Man! There you find a lady. Here in front of
you stands another lady. Implied Meaning: Thoughts entice
you. Some from behind. Some overtly.
Stanza
1: That
beautiful lady pulls wool over your eyes with imperceptible curtains made of
innocent words. That charming lady with deceptive appearance makes you stay in
confusion with titillating haughtiness. Implied Meaning: O Man! Did you discover the movement of
thoughts and the cloaks they create to baffle you? identify the illusion stupefying you?
Stanza
2: O connoisseur!
That beautiful maid lays into slavery of bountiful giggles. Another beauty
creates your boundaries by her charming bosom. Implied Meaning: A gorgeous thought smilingly drags you into continuous chores.
Amorous thoughts set limits by trapping you in their charms.
Stanza
3: The dark
(or unknown) consciousness is another maid, teaches you the path to lustful
activities. On the other side, O Lord Venkateswara! there is another lady,
truly praising you becomes wholly one with you. Implied
Meaning: There acts your darker side, engaging you with brazen activities. Yet there
is another thought, which not following tickles of material modes (Sattva,
Rajo & Tamas gunas) and merges with the Lord by praising him.
Detailed Presentation
Introduction: This simple worded Annamacharya Keertana “Adivo Kanungonu Madi Yokate “అదివో కనుఁగొను మది యొకతె”” is like a sketch. It was mistakenly classified as romantic poem.
In fact, the feminine descriptions used to invoke the emotional associations we build. Here 'ఒకతె' = one lady is indicating an idea, a thought, a feeling, a propensity. However, hidden behind the innocence of delicate wording is a delusion that shakes the basis our existence.
Let me explain this poem by referring to a painting titled “The Gradation of Fire” by Rene Magritte. This painting shows three objects on a wooden table: a piece of paper, an egg, and a key. All of them are burning. Here the wooden table is a symbol of earth. Those three things are produce of the earth (= the nature).
‘Paper’ signifies the storage of knowledge, literature, poetry, etc. ‘egg’ = an idea, a problem, an issue, a concept, a thought. And ‘Key’ indicates a possible solution, a system, a method. All of them burning indicates no lasting solution has been found for any of the problems of the world.
Let's understand the painting with the problem of 'hunger' (implying egg). Though many solutions (indicated by key) have been proposed by various political, social and charitable systems and individuals over thousands of years; Although there is a lot of literature on it (implied by paper); still, the undeniable fact remains as, 'Hunger' is still a burning problem.
Again, analyse the painting with egg indicating 'wisdom', we get a reply like “The world still passionately looking for wisdom to live”. When egg indicates the problem of 'Security'', we receive a message like “The world is frantically searching for the security cover”. Thus, the painting suggests that all the efforts to address a problem, like those illusory fires in the picture; they simply thrill us 'with a promise of a solution', pass time and end up leaving us dry.
The three stanzas of this poem are symbolic of the burning objects in the painting. Those fires are fuelled by thoughts. Thoughts are born from past memories. That's why I believe Annamacharya’s disrespectful use of the of word 'ఒకతె (Okate) to indicate thoughts'.
From this painting, we learn that any attempt to recognise, to postulate or theorise the ‘liberation’ is like the fire. It shall take away your attention elsewhere. The path to liberation is simply “be all out outsider to the world, to the known things - in structure and in substance”.
“Man, any
attempt shall draw you away from the truth. Recognize that the source of
reactions is the material body and mollify your actions accordingly" is
the message of this poem.
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కీర్తన: రాగిరేకు: 1412-2 సంపుటము: 24-68 |
POEM Copper Leaf: 1412-2 Volume: 24-68 |
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అదివో కనుఁగొను మది యొకతె
యెదుటనే నెలకొనె నిది యొకతె ॥పల్లవి॥ తేటలమాటలఁ దెర లదె కట్టీఁ
గాటుకకన్నులకలి కొకతె
జూటరిచూపులఁ జొక్కులు చల్లీ
నీటుగర్వములనెలఁ తొకతె ॥అది॥ ముసిముసినవ్వులు మోపులుగట్టీ
రసికుఁడ నీపై రమణొకతె
కొసరులఁ గుచములఁ గోటలు వెట్టీ
మిసమిసమెఱుఁగుల మెలుఁతొకతె ॥అది॥ కాయజకేలికిఁ గందువ చెప్పీ
చాయలసన్నల సతి యొకతె
యీయెడ శ్రీవేంకటేశ కూడి నిను
వోయని మెచ్చీ నొకతొకతె ॥అది॥
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adivO kanugonu
madi yokate
yeduTanE
nelakone nidi yokate ॥pallavi॥ tETalamATala
dera lade kaTTI
gATukakannulakali
kokate
jUTarichUpula
jokkulu challI
nITu
garvamulanela tokate ॥adi॥ musimusinavvulu
mOpulugaTTI
rasikuDa nIpai
ramaNokate
kosarula
guchamula gOTalu veTTI
misamisame~rugula
melutokate ॥adi॥ kAyajakEliki
gaMduva cheppI
chAyalasannala
sati yokate
yIyeDa
SrIvEMkaTESa kUDi ninu
vOyani mechchI
nokatokate ॥adi॥
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Details and Explanations:
Word to word meaning: అదివో (adivO) = That side, there; కనుఁగొను (kanugonu) = find; మది (madi) = that one; యొకతె (yokate) = one lady; యెదుటనే (yeduTanE) = In front of you; నెలకొనె (nelakone) = there stays, there stands; నిది (nidi) = this one; యొకతె (yokate) = another lady.
Literal
meaning: Man! There you find a lady.
Here in front of you stands another lady.
Explanation: Here
word ‘lady’ is used indicate curiosity (or interest) in the man. Whether man
digs to find or without effort also this curiosity engages him; leads from one
thing to the other to another. Thus, cascading into multiple diversifications.
Here ‘Curiosity’ is indicative of gamut of things like:
what beauty is; what Order/System/Arrangement/Plan/Categorisation is; what Life
is; What death is; what is behind the hills? Therefore, the driving force of
man.
Implied Meaning: Thoughts entice you. Some from behind. Some overtly.
Word to word meaning: తేటల (tETala) = clear, soft, innocent; మాటలఁ (mATala) = words; దెరలు (deralu) = curtains, screens, veils; అదె (ade) = that one; కట్టీఁ (kaTTI) = to tie, to bind; గాటుకకన్నుల (gATukakannula) = with kohl (kajal) lined eyes కలి కొకతె (kali kokate) = one beautiful lady; జూటరిచూపులఁ (jUTarichUpula) = with deceptive appearance; జొక్కులు (jokkulu) = intoxicate, levity, confusion in mind; చల్లీ (challI) = by spreading; నీటు (nITu) = elegantly, charmingly, prettily; గర్వముల (garvamula) = haughtiness, airs, hubris; నెలఁ తొకతె (nela tokate) = another beautiful lady;
Literal
meaning: That beautiful lady pulls
wool over your eyes with imperceptible curtains made of innocent words. That charming lady with deceptive appearance makes you stay in
confusion with titillating haughtiness.
Explanation: This stanza is
indicative of verse 14-6 of Bhagavad-Gita. तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् | सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ || 6|| tatra
sattvaṁ nirmalatvāt prakāśhakam anāmayam / sukha-saṅgena badhnāti jñāna-saṅgena
chānagha Purport: Arjuna!
Sattva Guna (the mode of
goodness) is the purest
of qualities. It is bright and unassuming. Yet it binds soul by creating
attachment for a sense of happiness and knowledge.
Even the clearest spout of a lamp is an enclosure. Similarly, the qualities or Gunas (modes of material nature) try to surround and limit consciousness like the chimney of a lamp. Sattva Guna is no exception.
It’s common among the educated to look down upon the illiterate. Is there basis for such preposterous assumptions. This simple fact proves that knowledge leads to proudness.
There are others, who feel, because of their personal contribution, imagine they deserve higher position in the society. Thus, the mode of goodness though tending to purity, still seeps some sense of pride. Therefore, the wording "jUTarichUpula jokkulu challI / nITu garvamulanela tokate" (జూటరిచూపులఁ జొక్కులు చల్లీ / నీటుగర్వములనెలఁ తొకతె).
Implied
Meaning: O Man!
Did you discover the movement of thoughts and the cloaks they create to baffle
you? identify the illusion stupefying
you?
Word to word meaning: ముసిముసినవ్వులు (musimusinavvulu) = giggle,
simper; మోపులు (mOpulu) = bundles (indicating large quantity); గట్టీ (gaTTI) = to tie, to bind; రసికుఁడ (rasikuDa)
= connoisseur, libertine; నీపై (nIpai) = on you; రమణొకతె (ramaNokate)
= a beautiful lady; కొసరులఁ (kosarula)
= selling, raising, raging; గుచములఁ (guchamula)
= breasts; గోటలు (gOTalu) = పట్టణము చుట్టుగల ప్రహరి, boundary walls of a town; /village/settlement; వెట్టీ (veTTI) = by creating; మిసమిస (misamisa) = Sparkle, flash, brilliancy; మెఱుఁగుల (me~rugula)
= Polish, lustre, brightness; మెలుఁతొకతె (melutokate)
= another beautiful lady;
Literal
meaning: O connoisseur!
That beautiful maid lays into slavery of
bountiful giggles. Another beauty creates your boundaries by her charming
bosom.
Explanation: let me start with relevant Bhagavad-Gita verse: रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् | तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् || 14-7|| rajo rāgātmakaṁ viddhi tṛiṣhṇā-saṅga-samudbhavam tan
nibadhnāti kaunteya karma-saṅgena dehinam Purport: O Arjuna, know that Rajo guna is of the nature of passion.
It causes love and interest in visual things. It binds the soul (consciousness)
by making it interested in actions/karmas.
Here Annamacharya is
comparing thoughts with beautiful maids. These thoughts weave a web of actions
is the intended meaning of this stanza.
This Rajo-Guna (Mode of Passion) is insatiable despite of many material experiences. Its hallucinogenic like a kaleidoscope with infinite possibilities. The Rajo-Guna makes man to focus on impetuous action and takes him away from his natural path of life.
All impulsive actions are provoked by the Rajo-Guna. We ruminate the good or bad results from it. Most of our unhappiness is caused by unintentional actions.
Macbeth, who was just, abandons his natural goodness,
kills King Duncan, unfairly gains the kingdom, and suffers interminable
consequences. In Mahabharat, Dharmaraja temporarily lost his wisdom; gambled
and lost his kingdom. He and his clan suffered colossal repercussions. Same is
the case with frequent road rage incidents in Delhi.
Implied
Meaning: A gorgeous thought
smilingly drags you into continuous chores. Amorous thoughts set limits by
trapping you in their charms.
Word to word meaning: కాయజకేలికిఁ (kAyajakEliki) = the game of love; గందువ (gaMduva) = a way, a path;
చెప్పీ (cheppI) = teach; చాయల (chAyala) = shady, dark, ignorant; సన్నల (sannala, సంజ్ఞల) = gestures (used more
in the sense of consciousness) {చాయల సన్నల (chAyala sannala) = ignorant
ways, the dark or unknown consciousness} సతి యొకతె (sati
yokate) = one gorgeous lady; యీయెడ (yIyeDa) = this side;
శ్రీవేంకటేశ (SrIvEMkaTESa) = Lord Venkateswara; కూడి (kUDi) =
by joining; నిను (ninu) = you; వోయని (vOyani) = సత్యముగా,
నిజంగా, Truly, actually; మెచ్చీ (mechchI)= praise; నొకతొకతె (nokatokate) = one lady;
Literal
meaning: The dark (or
unknown) consciousness is another maid,
teaches you the path to lustful activities. On the other side, O Lord
Venkateswara! there is another lady, truly praising you becomes wholly one with
you.
Explanation: This stanza is invoking
the Bhagavad-Gita shloka below:
तमस्त्वज्ञानजंविद्धि
मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् |
प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत || 8||
tamas tv ajñāna-jaṁ viddhi mohanaṁ sarva-dehinām pramādālasya-nidrābhis tan nibadhnāti bhārata Purport: O
Arjuna, the tamo guna (mode of ignorance), born of ignorance, is the cause of
delusion for all living beings. It deludes and binds with negligence, carelessness,
laziness and sleep.
Thus, Annamacharya is talking
of the unknown consciousness repeatedly taking
the man to licentious activities. Hence, this common looking verse is a deep
dive into man’s mind, confirmedly not a romantic poem.
Implied Meaning: There acts your darker side, engaging you with brazen activities. Yet there is another thought, which not following tickles of material modes (Sattva, Rajo & Tamas gunas) and merges with the Lord by praising him.
Epilogue: In this poem,
Annamacharya is confronting the audience to find the movement of the thought by
the wording అదివో
కనుఁగొను మది యొకతె (adivO kanugonu madi yokate)
= ‘O man can you find a passage of that (stealthy)
thought’.
The above poem and Rene Magritte's painting, "The Gradation of Fire" are now easily comparable. Three stanzas of this poem represent each of the objects in the painting - egg, key and paper in that order. The thoughts having their origins in material nature continue to inspire man and feign a solution. However, as shown in the painting they continue to stimulate and consume our attention. Thus, we lose valuable time irrevocably.
**The end**
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