149 aTTivELa galaganI dadivO vivEkamu (అట్టివేళఁ గలఁగనీ దదివో వివేకము)

 ANNAMACHARYULU

149 అట్టివేళఁ గలఁగనీ దదివో వివేకము 

(aTTivELa galaganI dadivO vivEkamu)

 

for Telegu (తెలుగు) Version press here 

Synopsis:  Intelligence is not the cacophony created by thought. 

 

Summary of this Poem:

Chorus: In those moments, your wisdom will not work. Patience will bring tranquillity and peace. What else do you need? Implied Meaning: O Man! there is no wisdom without peace. Neither can you understand the Order of the Nature.

Stanza 1: Sometimes the senses tremble, as if all the monster tidal-waves of all the seas had hit them at once. At another time, the mind gets cooked up with impatience.

Stanza 2: Sometimes, the wealth or lack of it, make life seem like lifting a hill. Such a man feels like being inside a frying pan. Sometimes, sorrows surround him like an endless darkness.

Stanza 3: The ignorant departs from his path as if a whirlwind had blown him away.  These troubles continue to exist and haunt till we take the refuge of Lord Sri Venkateswara.

 

 

Detailed Presentation

 

Introduction: Choosing a rare new path for a poet, Annamacharya describes the challenges faced by the common man and the importance of his existence. Although his poems are a relief to the mind, they often rather challenge commoner's basis of understanding and are thought-provoking. Although more than 500 years old, he continues to be contemporary and relevant.

 

This poem is an example of how poetry can be written without a meter and still be pertinent. While describing everyday sorrow, how one can look for light rather than abandoning an optimistic outlook.

 

కీర్తన: రాగిరేకు:  98-1  సంపుటము: 1-489

POEM Copper Leaf:  98-1  Volume: 1-489

అట్టివేళఁ గలఁగనీ దదివో వివేకము మట్టుపడితే శాంతము మఱి యేలా ॥అట్టి॥   జడధులు వొంగినట్టు సందడించు నింద్రియములు వొడలిలో జీవునికి నొక్కొక్కవేళ బడబాగ్ని రేఁగినట్టు పైకొనీ ముంగోపము వుడికించు మనసెల్ల నొక్కొక్కవేళా ॥అట్టి॥   ఆరయఁ గొండయెత్తినట్టు వేఁగౌ సంసారము వూరక కలిమిలేము లొక్కొక్కవేళ మేరలేని చీఁకటియై మించును దుఃఖములెల్లా వూరటలేని కర్మికి నొక్కొక్కవేళా ॥అట్టి॥   పెనుగాలి వీచినట్టు పెక్కుకోరికెలు ముంచు వొనర నజ్ఞానికి నొక్కొక్కవేళ యెనయఁగ శ్రీవేంకటేశు దాసుడైనదాఁకా వునికిఁ బాయ విన్నియు నొక్కొక్కవేళా ॥అట్టి॥

aTTivELa galaganI dadivO vivEkamu maTTupaDitE SAMtamu ma~ri yElA ॥aTTi॥   jaDadhulu voMginaTTu saMdaDiMchu niMdriyamulu voDalilO jIvuniki nokkokkavELa baDabAgni rEginaTTu paikonI muMgOpamu vuDikiMchu manasella nokkokkavELA ॥aTTi॥   Araya goMDayettinaTTu vEgau saMsAramu vUraka kalimilEmu lokkokkavELa mEralEni chIkaTiyai miMchunu duhkhamulellA vUraTalEni karmiki nokkokkavELA ॥aTTi॥   penugAli vIchinaTTu pekkukOrikelu muMchu vonara naj~nAniki nokkokkavELa yenayaga SrIvEMkaTESu dAsuDainadAkA vuniki bAya vinniyu nokkokkavELA ॥aTTi॥

 

Details and Explanations: 

అట్టివేళఁ గలఁగనీ దదివో వివేకము

మట్టుపడితే శాంతము మఱి యేలా ॥అట్టి॥ 

aTTivELa galaganI dadivO vivEkamu

maTTupaDitE SAMtamu ma~ri yElA ॥aTTi॥

 

Word to word meaning: అట్టివేళఁ (aTTivELa) = in those time;  గలఁగనీ (galaganI) = don’t allow to happen; దదివో (dadivO) = that one;  వివేకము (vivEkamu) = wisdom, intelligence;  మట్టుపడితే (maTTupaDitE) = on settling down, on becoming clear (free of dirt);  శాంతము (SAMtamu) = peace, calmness;  మఱి యేలా (ma~ri yElA) = What else? 

Literal meaning: In those moments, your wisdom will not work. Patience will bring tranquillity and peace. What else do you need?

Explanation: What is patience to do with tranquillity? Sir, we're all in hurry to carry-on with various errands at hand. We are used to prioritising these tasks according to our knowledge and intelligence. 

If God or Truth happens to be one of them, what priority do we accord? Truth or nature have their own order. We can't keep them in order on our whims and fancies. 

Now look at the painting "The Banquet” by Rene Magritte.  In this picture, we see the evening sun shown in front of woods which is quite artificial.

By naming the painting ‘Banquet’, Magritte conveying that we are served large number of things and we chose what interests us. Our set priorities are, unnatural like in the picture, which is focusing on the subject of our interest.

Thus, the picture is telling us that whatever we focus, the mind gets filled with that in preference to the natural order. Thus, we see what we want to see, not the truth is the meaning of this Painting. We don't understand the natural order and try to build an order out of our conditioned knowledge. 

It will not be out of place to recall the statement: వెనకేదో ముందరేదో – వెర్రి నేను venakEdO muMdarEdO ve~r~ri nEnu^#1 (= I am a fool; I cannot comprehend the Divine Order). 

Every thought is like a ripple. That unsettles the impurities of the mind and colours our view. Therefore, intelligence is not the thoughts that create waves that prevent us from seeing the truth. When the mind is caught up in tactics and tricks, it obviously reacts. That very reaction causes the mind to unsettle. Wherefore Annamayya said అట్టివేళఁ గలఁగనీ దదివో వివేకము aTTivELa galaganI dadivO vivEkamu = wisdom do not work in parallel with a mind that is caught up in machinations of the world). 

Therefore, intelligence is not the cacophony created by thought. By allowing time for the mind to filter from the muddy waters of stimuli receiving from various sources is meditation. That is the meaning of the wording మట్టుపడితే శాంతము = we come upon the truth like a sun behind woods, which cannot be seen, but felt. Therefore, without tranquillity, there is no intelligence, but manipulation of mind. 

Annamacharya reconfirmed the statement by saying “మఱి యేలా” ma~ri yElA is suggesting that nothing else can match calmness. 

In this example it is easier to identify what order is. However, in real life, the order gets cluttered by our thinking making it impossible to recognise. It’s like the tricks played by online cheaters. Though many have heard of their modus operandi, still there are considerable number of people falling prey to them.

 

Implied Meaning: O Man! there is no wisdom without peace. Neither can you understand the Order of the Nature.

 

జడధులు వొంగినట్టు సందడించు నింద్రియములు

వొడలిలో జీవునికి నొక్కొక్కవేళ

బడబాగ్ని రేఁగినట్టు పైకొనీ ముంగోపము

వుడికించు మనసెల్ల నొక్కొక్కవేళా ॥అట్టి॥ 

jaDadhulu voMginaTTu saMdaDiMchu niMdriyamulu

voDalilO jIvuniki nokkokkavELa

baDabAgni rEginaTTu paikonI muMgOpamu

vuDikiMchu manasella nokkokkavELA ॥aTTi॥

 

Word to word meaning: జడధులు వొంగినట్టు (jaDadhulu voMginaTTu) = like the eruptions of seas;  సందడించు (saMdaDiMchu) = To flock, to come in crowds; నింద్రియములు (niMdriyamulu) = the sense organs;  వొడలిలో (voDalilO) = in the body; జీవునికి (jIvuniki) =to the jeeva (to the one that experiences the life);  నొక్కొక్కవేళ (nokkokkavELa) = at a time; బడబాగ్ని రేఁగినట్టు (baDabAgni rEginaTTu) = like great fires erupting in ocean;  పైకొనీ (paikonI)  to come upon; ముంగోపము (muMgOpamu) = short tempered anger; వుడికించు (vuDikiMchu) = boils; మనసెల్ల (manasella) = the complete mind;  నొక్కొక్కవేళా (nokkokkavELA) = at a time;

 

Literal meaning: Sometimes the senses tremble, as if all the monster tidal-waves of all the seas had hit them at once. At another time, the mind gets cooked up with impatience. 

Explanation: Request readers to refer to a painting titled as the presence of spirit (La présence d'esprit) by Rene Magritte. Here you shall witness a man flanked by a fish and a bird. 

The fish is shown as the 'symbol' for food, desires and happiness. The bird was placed as a symbol of freedom, flying, and feelings of moving away from this world.   Examination reveals that the wingless bird is a piece of concrete or wood. Thus, despite the desire to be free, it means that in reality man does not use the forces necessary to achieve freedom.  These two forces pull the person in the middle. Therefore, the painting suggests that man should walk without stumbling on a thin rope in order to live a meaningful life.   This is also the meaning of this stanza.  That is wisdom. 

ఆరయఁ గొండయెత్తినట్టు వేఁగౌ సంసారము

వూరక కలిమిలేము లొక్కొక్కవేళ

మేరలేని చీఁకటియై మించును దుఃఖములెల్లా

వూరటలేని కర్మికి నొక్కొక్కవేళా ॥అట్టి॥

Araya goMDayettinaTTu vEgau saMsAramu

vUraka kalimilEmu lokkokkavELa

mEralEni chIkaTiyai miMchunu duhkhamulellA

vUraTalEni karmiki nokkokkavELA ॥aTTi॥

Word to word meaning: ఆరయఁ (Araya) = on close observation; గొండయెత్తినట్టు (goMDayettinaTTu) = like lifting a mountain; వేఁగౌ (vEgau) = appear like being fried;  సంసారము (saMsAramu) = life; వూరక (vUraka) = without any provocation, without any cause; కలిమిలేములు (kalimilEmulu) = wealth or lack of it; ఒక్కొక్కవేళ (okkokkavELa) = at a time మేరలేని (mEralEni) = endless; చీఁకటియై (chIkaTiyai) = darkness; మించును (miMchunu) = overcomes;  దుఃఖములెల్లా (duhkhamulellA) = all the sorrows of the world; వూరటలేని (vUraTalEni) = ever dissatisfied;  కర్మికి (karmiki) = for the doer; నొక్కొక్కవేళా (nokkokkavELA) = at a time;           

 

Literal meaning: Sometimes, the wealth or lack of it, make life seem like lifting a hill. Such a man feels like being inside a frying pan. Sometimes, sorrows surround him like an endless darkness.

 

Explanation: Perhaps the conditions that shake a man cannot be worse than this.  These calamities are part of our existence. However, Annamayya here is indicating that these sorrows are there; but to live is completely different from these misfortunes.   

పెనుగాలి వీచినట్టు పెక్కుకోరికెలు ముంచు

వొనర నజ్ఞానికి నొక్కొక్కవేళ

యెనయఁగ శ్రీవేంకటేశు దాసుడైనదాఁకా

వునికిఁ బాయ విన్నియు నొక్కొక్కవేళా ॥అట్టి॥

penugAli vIchinaTTu pekkukOrikelu muMchu

vonara naj~nAniki nokkokkavELa

yenayaga SrIvEMkaTESu dAsuDainadAkA

vuniki bAya vinniyu nokkokkavELA ॥aTTi॥

 

Word to word meaning: పెనుగాలి వీచినట్టు (penugAli vIchinaTTu) = like a whirlwind blowing;  పెక్కుకోరికెలు (pekkukOrikelu) = many desires; ముంచు  (muMchu) = inundate; వొనర (vonara) = appropriately; నజ్ఞానికి (naj~nAniki) = for the ignorant; నొక్కొక్కవేళ (nokkokkavELa) = at a time; యెనయఁగ (yenayaga) = by joining, by conbining; శ్రీవేంకటేశు (SrIvEMkaTESu) = Lord Venkateswara; దాసుడైనదాఁకా (dAsuDainadAkA) = till he becomes servant of the lord;  వునికిఁ బాయ విన్నియు (vuniki bAya vinniyu) = they (these troubles) continue to exist and haunt;   నొక్కొక్కవేళా (nokkokkavELA) = at a time; 

Literal meaning: The ignorant departs from his path as if a whirlwind had blown him away. These troubles continue to exist and haunt till we take the refuge of Lord Sri Venkateswara. 

Explanation: Please observe the similarities of this stanza with the Bhagavad Gita shloka below. इन्द्रियाणां हि चरतां यन्मनोऽनुविधीयते | तदस्य हरति प्रज्ञां वायुर्नावमिवाम्भसि || 2-67|| indriyāṇāṁ hi charatāṁ yan mano ’nuvidhīyate tadasya harati prajñāṁ vāyur nāvam ivāmbhasi Meaning: Just as a strong wind sweeps a boat off its chartered course, even one of the senses on which the mind focuses can lead to the intellectual astray. 

Annamacharya's asserting that taking any path other than God/Truth, suffering is inevitable. This is also the meaning of the above Bhagavad Gita shloka.

 

-the end-

 

References and Recommendations for further reading:

 

#1 6. వెనకేదో ముందరేదో (venakEdO muMdarEdO)