148 adi nEne~raganA aMtalO bhramatu gAka (అది నేనెఱఁగనా అంతలో భ్రమతుఁ గాక)

 

ANNAMACHARYULU

148 అది నేనెఱఁగనా అంతలో భ్రమతుఁ గాక 

(adi nEne~raganA aMtalO bhramatu gAka)

 

for Telegu (తెలుగు) Version press here

 

Synopsis:  The news of the world is a source of pain. -Annamacharya

Summary of this Poem:

Chorus: I know these things. Yet, I get perplexed. O Father of Manmatha ( God of Love), let good sense prevail in me. Implied Meaning: O God! I know not good sense. Rather foolishly I gear up with my naïve ideas. 

Stanza 1: Any amount of worldly experience is waste. A bit of reflection on God is great profit. Amusement/pleasure with strange, peculiar people is useless. Association/ friendship/ contact of Good People is profitable.

Stanza 2: O man, news from different nations is only a source of pain. Listening to the stories of epics is beneficial. Agriculture and business demand constant bonded labour. The trivial and foolish practices are undoubtedly a nuisance.

Stanza 3: Having many relations around is an open invitation to hindrances on the path to truth. Rejoicing the service of God is liberation. O Lord Venkateswara! Impenetrably you appear in dual form. Appropriately you are the only constant entity in all these transient forms.

 

 

Detailed Presentation 

Introduction: This straight forward and hard hitting Annamacharya poem masquerades its message behind the visible punches. Annamacharya did not write poetry, but he poured his heart out to differentiate between the possible and impossible.   He vividly described those states, humanly achievable but imperceptible to sense organs and untouched by the visible world. Therefore, he remains relevant despite our agreement or otherwise.   

I tried to present his poems running parallel with paintings of surrealistic genius Rene Magritte. Complex ideas proposed by Annamacharya are made somewhat easy by the visual presentation of painting. 

 

కీర్తన: రాగిరేకు:  142-3  సంపుటము: 2-185

POEM Copper Leaf:  142-3  Volume: 2-185

అది నేనెఱఁగనా అంతలో భ్రమతుఁ గాక మదనజనక నాకు మంచి బుద్ధియియ్యవే          ॥పల్లవి॥   యెంత లోకానుభవము అంతయు వ్రిథా నష్టి కొంతైనా బ్రహ్మచింత కోటిలాభము వింతైన జనులతోడి వినోదము నిష్ఫలము చెంత సజ్జనసంగతి చేరిన యాదాయము          ॥అది॥   నానాదేశవార్తలు నడుమఁ జింతామూలము పూనిన పురాణగోష్ఠి పుణ్యమూలము ఆనిన కృషివాణిజ్యాలన్నియుఁ దీరనివెట్టి మానని యాచారమాత్మకుఁ బడ్డపాటు ॥అది॥   పలు చుట్టరికములు బట్టబయలు తగుళ్ళు చెలఁగు నాచార్యసేవ జీవన్ముక్తి బలిమి శ్రీవేంకటేశ పరగ రెండువిధాలు నిలుకడయిన వాఁడవు నీవే యిన్నిటికి               ॥అది॥

adi nEne~raganA aMtalO bhramatu gAka madanajanaka nAku maMchi buddhiyiyyavE ॥pallavi॥  yeMta lOkAnubhavamu aMtayu vrithA nashTi koMtainA brahmachiMta kOTilAbhamu viMtaina janulatODi vinOdamu nishphalamu cheMta sajjanasaMgati chErina yAdAyamu ॥adi॥   nAnAdESavArtalu naDuma jiMtAmUlamu pUnina purANagOshThi puNyamUlamu Anina kRshivANijyAlanniyu dIraniveTTi mAnani yAchAramAtmaku baDDapATu ॥adi॥   palu chuTTarikamulu baTTabayalu taguLLu chelagu nAchAryasEva jIvanmukti balimi SrIvEMkaTESa paraga reMDuvidhAlu nilukaDayina vADavu nIvE yinniTiki ॥adi॥

 

Details and Explanations:

 

అది నేనెఱఁగనా అంతలో భ్రమతుఁ గాక

మదనజనక నాకు మంచి బుద్ధియియ్యవే         ॥పల్లవి॥

 

adi nEne~raganA aMtalO bhramatu gAka

madanajanaka nAku maMchi buddhiyiyyavE ॥pallavi॥

 

Word to word meaning: అది (adi) = That thing; నేనెఱఁగనా (nEne~raganA) = am I not aware? (implying I am aware); అంతలో (aMtalO) = in short interval; భ్రమతుఁ గాక (bhramatu gAka) = get perplexed; మదనజనక (madanajanaka) = father of love God (Lord Vishnu); నాకు (nAku) = to me; మంచి బుద్ధియియ్యవే (maMchi buddhiyiyyavE) = provide good sense.        

 

Literal meaning: I know these things. Yet, I get perplexed. O Father of Manmatha (God of Love), let good sense prevail in me.

Explanation: Annamacharya is arriving at things that obfuscate us. Knowledge truly a barrier in our understanding. What tools do you need to find truth? Is truth knowledge? Is it certain thing which has been hidden behind?

Now refer to the painting titled Les chasseurs au bord de la nuit (The hunters at the edge of night, 1928) by René Magritte. We see in this picture two hunters frantically covering their eyes against the light.  

Like those hunters, we go armed with knowledge, evidence, and symbols of devotion (like offerings, prayers, self-abnegation etc etc) to find the god. What God expects from us? Does he need our prayers?

Has anyone found God? Most probably not. Can you see yourself? We can see ourselves only in reflection. Same is the case with God. What profit are these preparations?

Refer to the title of the picture ‘The hunters at the edge of night”; By their dress and equipment, they appear like seasoned hunters. Are they less skilled? O Hunter! You need to submit your heart, not your skill^#1 to the god…What do we do?

In the title of this painting, edge indicates the fag end of life; night signifies the darkness, not night. However, ‘at the edge of night’ indicates they travelled a lot.

అంతలో భ్రమతుఁ గాక {(aMtalO bhramatu gAka) = in short interval I get perplexed} is notifying that despite knowledge, we get baffled. In this painting, the solidity of the dawn is hyper-real and yet it also evokes the sense of dawn hitting the hunters' faces suddenly in a manner that is realistic. The hunters in the picture covering their faces is the naked confusion of the mankind.  

Heaviness of the equipment; eyes seasoned by the darkness; makes them deny their search (the truth). Their hunt is futile. That’s why Annamacharya said vEsarakumI jIvuDA vedakivedaki daivamunu^#2 వేసరకుమీ జీవుఁడా వెదకివెదకి దైవమును = Do not get fatigued in search of God. What kind of devotion Annamacharya is preaching? What kind of philosopher Rene Magritte is?

Implied Meaning: O God! I know not good sense. Rather foolishly I gear up with my naïve ideas.

యెంత లోకానుభవము అంతయు వ్రిథా నష్టి

కొంతైనా బ్రహ్మచింత కోటిలాభము

వింతైన జనులతోడి వినోదము నిష్ఫలము

చెంత సజ్జనసంగతి చేరిన యాదాయము         ॥అది॥

 

yeMta lOkAnubhavamu aMtayu vrithA nashTi

koMtainA brahmachiMta kOTilAbhamu

viMtaina janulatODi vinOdamu nishphalamu

cheMta sajjanasaMgati chErina yAdAyamu ॥adi॥ 

Word to word meaning: యెంత (yeMta) = any amount of; లోకానుభవము (lOkAnubhavamu) = worldly experience; అంతయు (aMtayu) = all that; వ్రిథా నష్టి (vrithA nashTi) = waste;  కొంతైనా (koMtainA) = little bit of;  బ్రహ్మచింత (brahmachiMta) = reflect on god; కోటిలాభము (kOTilAbhamu) = great profit; వింతైన (viMtaina) = strange, peculiar; జనులతోడి (janulatODi) = with people; వినోదము (vinOdamu) = recreation, amusement, pleasure; నిష్ఫలము (nishphalamu) = useless; చెంత (cheMta) = by becoming close;  సజ్జనసంగతి (sajjanasaMgati) = సజ్జనుల సహవాసము, సాంగత్యము, సంపర్కము, Association/ friendship/ contact of Good People; చేరిన (chErina) = by joining; యాదాయము (yAdAyamu) = income, profit.

 

Literal meaning: Any amount of worldly experience is waste. A bit of reflection on God is great profit. Amusement/pleasure with strange, peculiar people is useless. Association/ friendship/ contact of Good People is profitable.

Explanation: Again, refer to the above painting. It’s a naked display of our vanity. Our preparations born of experiences are barriers for truth. Stark, bare landscape in the painting indicates unexplored part of the self. Without a clean slate of consciousness, we tend to offer clean heart to God. What is devotion?

వింతైన జనులతోడి వినోదము నిష్ఫలము viMtaina janulatODi vinOdamu nishphalamu. Sir, try to understand, often pictures of our gods are depicted with one hand offering protection and compassion; another hand with certain weapon.  These pictures are our own inner reflections, nothing to do with god or devotion. Therefore, are we not peculiar and strange? Annamacharya, has used every word in his poems to reflect our world. Our idiosyncrasies.  

 

Do you think we are capable of finding and handling Association/ friendship/ contact of Good People? {=సజ్జనసంగతి (sajjanasaMgati) = సజ్జనుల సహవాసము, సాంగత్యము, సంపర్కము} History shows all the wise have been castigated as mad and worthless. Jesus Christ has been punished. What kind of discretion do we possess?

 

నానాదేశవార్తలు నడుమఁ జింతామూలము

పూనిన పురాణగోష్ఠి పుణ్యమూలము

ఆనిన కృషివాణిజ్యాలన్నియుఁ దీరనివెట్టి

మానని యాచారమాత్మకుఁ బడ్డపాటు   ॥అది॥

 

nAnAdESavArtalu naDuma jiMtAmUlamu

pUnina purANagOshThi puNyamUlamu

Anina kRshivANijyAlanniyu dIraniveTTi

mAnani yAchAramAtmaku baDDapATu ॥adi॥

 

Word to word meaning: నానాదేశవార్తలు (nAnAdESavArtalu) = news from various countries;  నడుమఁ (naDuma) = in between (implying during the life) జింతామూలము (jiMtAmUlamu) = source of agony;  పూనిన (pUnina) = intentionally taken up; పురాణగోష్ఠి (purANagOshThi) = listening to the stories of epics;  పుణ్యమూలము (puNyamUlamu) = leads to wellbeing;   ఆనిన (Anina) = leaning upon (implying dependency) కృషివాణిజ్యాలన్నియుఁ (kRshivANijyAlanniyu) = all the agriculture and దీరనివెట్టి (dIraniveTTi) = never ending bonded labour;  మానని (mAnani) = unable stop; యాచారము (yAchAramu) = trifling routine work, a folly; ఆత్మకుఁ (Atmaku) = to the self; బడ్డపాటు (baDDapATu) = unwanted trouble;            

 

Literal meaning: O man, news from different nations is only a source of pain. Listening to the stories of epics is beneficial. Agriculture and business demand constant bonded labour. The trivial and foolish practices are undoubtedly a nuisance.

Explanation: నానాదేశవార్తలు నడుమఁ జింతామూలము nAnAdESavArtalu naDuma jiMtAmUlamu Oh man, news from different countries is just a source of pain. This is true today more than ever before in the history of mankind. How could Annamacharya, a saint sitting in a corner, five centuries ago, write so accurately about our present predicament? 

I request readers to refer to below painting titled “Man reading News Paper” by Rene Magritte.

In this four-panel painting, we find a man reading the newspaper in the first frame. suddenly he just is not there in the consecutive three frames. The viewer is forced to wonder why he disappeared.

Sir, man has not disappeared from those three panels. He is not distinguishable from the news. He is the news. Thus, Rene Magritte is arriving that we read newspaper to know ourselves. Has man learnt from History? Writing on the wall is clear. What a waste of time?

మానని యాచారమాత్మకుఁ బడ్డపాటు (mAnani yAchAramAtmaku baDDapATu): is indicating habit forming and mental inertia in man to eschew habits. 

పలు చుట్టరికములు బట్టబయలు తగుళ్ళు

చెలఁగు నాచార్యసేవ జీవన్ముక్తి

బలిమి శ్రీవేంకటేశ పరగ రెండువిధాలు

నిలుకడయిన వాఁడవు నీవే యిన్నిటికి ॥అది॥

 

palu chuTTarikamulu baTTabayalu taguLLu

chelagu nAchAryasEva jIvanmukti

balimi SrIvEMkaTESa paraga reMDuvidhAlu

nilukaDayina vADavu nIvE yinniTiki ॥adi॥

 

Word to word meaning: పలు (palu) = many; చుట్టరికములు (chuTTarikamulu) = relationships; బట్టబయలు (baTTabayalu) = utter open; తగుళ్ళు (taguLLu) = hindrances, entanglements; చెలఁగు (chelagu) = to flourish, to rejoice;  నాచార్యసేవ (nAchAryasEva) = service of the teacher (here used in the sense of service to God); జీవన్ముక్తి (jIvanmukti) = liberation; బలిమి (balimi) = strong (used in the sense of impenetrable) ; శ్రీవేంకటేశ (SrIvEMkaTESa) = Lord Venkateswara; పరగ (paraga) = Agreeably, duly;  రెండువిధాలు (reMDuvidhAlu) = appear is dual form; నిలుకడయిన వాఁడవు (nilukaDayina vADavu) = the firm / steady / permanent one;  నీవే (nIvE) = you only; యిన్నిటికి (yinniTiki) = for everything.

 

Literal meaning: Having many relations around is an open invitation to hindrances on the path to truth. Rejoicing the service of God is liberation. O Lord Venkateswara! Impenetrably you appear in dual form. Appropriately you are the only constant entity in all these transient forms.

Explanation: sir, one may derive lot of satisfaction in surrounded by relations. Surely, it’s an invited deterrence.  

చెలఁగు (chelagu) = to flourish, to rejoice is used in the sense of absolute, unwavering immersion into the understanding of the self.  

బలిమి శ్రీవేంకటేశ పరగ రెండువిధాలు / నిలుకడయిన వాఁడవు నీవే యిన్నిటికి balimi SrIvEMkaTESa paraga reMDuvidhAlu / nilukaDayina vADavu nIvE yinniTiki: beyond the man-made barriers, lies the acid test of finding and differentiating truth from reflection.

 

రెండువిధాలు (reMDuvidhAlu) is indicating that the truth cannot be determined, we need to get to it by eliminating the unreal, like we do in the puzzles. Now consider this poem of Annamacharya: okaTi suj~nAnamu okaTi aj~nAnamu prakaTiMchi vokaTi chEpaTTarO vivEkulu^#3 (ఒకటి సుజ్ఞానము ఒకటి అజ్ఞానము ప్రకటించి వొకటి చేపట్టరో వివేకులు. = One thing is Proper Knowledge. The other is ignorance. O prudent!! Declare and adapt one of these.) What would be your choice to this question? Most of us would be answering ‘I will take the path of Proper Knowledge (suj~nAnamu సుజ్ఞానము). Considering the above explanations, what would be tangible to find? We are ashamed, may be due to public opinion to declare that I will find ignorance (aj~nAnamu అజ్ఞానము) inside me.

 

References and Recommendations for further reading:

#1 85. ఎవ్వరినేర్పులు జెప్ప నిందు నేది (evvarinErpulu jeppa niMdu nEdi)

#2 63. అతిసులభం బిదె (atisulabhaM bide)

#3 65. ఒకటి సుజ్ఞానము ఒకటి అజ్ఞానము (okaTi suj~nAnamu okaTi aj~nAnamu)