151 idivO mA yaj~nAna meppuDunu sahajamE (ఇదివో మా యజ్ఞాన మెప్పుడును సహజమే)

 

PEDA TIRUMALACHARYULU

151 ఇదివో మా యజ్ఞాన మెప్పుడును సహజమే

(idivO mA yaj~nAna meppuDunu sahajamE)

 

for Telegu (తెలుగు) Version press here

Synopsis:  We pursue conditioned reflections of the mind 

instead of the truth.

 

Summary of this Poem:

Chorus: O Lord, our ignorance is as usual always.  Request you sir, to take compassionate view on me. Implied meaning: O God, we continue our foolishness. Kindly extricate us from this.

Stanza 1: A toddler in the arms of mother continues to wish milk with such fervour that it even refuses to go in the arms of father. Like that very child, O Hero! (Our lord), we are very much got used to the illusion created by you. We are incapable of rendering any service to reach you.

Stanza 2: A young bird remains within the wing reach of its mother, and donot venture to explore the upper chambers though easily accessible. We are the beings of this world. We prefer to stay in the side lines. We are ignorant enough not to understand that we should wish Vaikuntha the abode of Lord Vishnu.

Stanza 1: A frog prefers to remain in water. How much we may try, we cannot make it stay on a mattress. Sir, similarly, we are the ignorant beings of this world. O Lord Venkateswara! Come quickly and save us by showing the appropriate path.

 

Detailed Presentation

Introduction: This is one of the sweetest poems I came across. Fortunately, it has been tuned that way. In this deep insightful poem, Peda Tirumalacharya describes man’s ever indulging disposition with heart-warming examples. He must be credited for providing so many pointed, relevant, and apt descriptions of the day-to-day existence of man.

Peda Tirumalacharya stands tall to guide us through our gullibility and strange postures we take for granted as natural.

 

కీర్తన: రాగిరేకు:  6-4  సంపుటము: 13-35

POEM Copper Leaf:  6-4  Volume: 15-35

ఇదివో మా యజ్ఞాన మెప్పుడును సహజమే కదివి నీవే నన్నుఁ గరుణించవయ్యా ॥పల్లవి॥   తల్లి చంకనున్న బిడ్డ తమతోఁ జన్ను దాగుతా వొల్లఁడు తండ్రి యెత్తుకో నొగిఁబోతేను మల్లడ నీ మాయలో మరిగిన జీవముల మెల్లనే మీ సేవసేసి మిమ్ముఁ జేరఁ జాలము॥ఇది॥   రెక్కల మరుఁగుపక్షి రెక్కల కిందనే కాని యెక్కదు వద్దనే మేడ యెంత వున్నాను పక్కన జన్మమెత్తిన ప్రపంచపు జీవులము యెక్కుడైన వైకుంఠ మిది గోరఁ జాలమూ  ॥ఇది॥   నీరులో నుండేటి కప్పనీటిలోనే వుండుఁగాని వూరకే పరపుమీద నుండ దెంతైనాను ఆరయ సంసారములో అజ్ఞానపు జీవులము బోరన శ్రీ వేంకటేశ బుద్ధి చెప్పి కావవే         ॥ఇది॥

idivO mA yaj~nAna meppuDunu sahajamE kadivi nIvE nannu garuNiMchavayyA ॥pallavi॥   talli chaMkanunna biDDa tamatO jannu dAgutA vollaDu taMDri yettukO nogibOtEnu mallaDa nI mAyalO marigina jIvamula mellanE mI sEvasEsi mimmu jEra jAlamu ॥idi॥   rekkala marugupakshi rekkala kiMdanE kAni yekkadu vaddanE mEDa yeMta vunnAnu pakkana janmamettina prapaMchapu jIvulamu yekkuDaina vaikuMTha midi gOra jAlamU ॥idi॥   nIrulO nuMDETi kappanITilOnE vuMDugAni vUrakE parapumIda nuMDa deMtainAnu Araya saMsAramulO aj~nAnapu jIvulamu bOrana SrI vEMkaTESa buddhi cheppi kAvavE  ॥idi॥

Details and Explanations:

 

ఇదివో మా యజ్ఞాన మెప్పుడును సహజమే

కదివి నీవే నన్నుఁ గరుణించవయ్యా ॥పల్లవి॥

idivO mA yaj~nAna meppuDunu sahajamE

kadivi nIvE nannu garuNiMchavayyA ॥pallavi॥ 

 

Word to word meaning: ఇదివో (idivO) = O Lord here; మా (mA) = our; యజ్ఞాన (yaj~nAna) = ignorance; మెప్పుడును (meppuDunu) = always;  సహజమే (sahajamE) = natural (here used in the sense of usual); కదివి (kadivi) = approaching, coming near; నీవే (nIvE) = yourself; నన్నుఁ (nannu) = me; గరుణించవయ్యా (garuNiMchavayya)       = Sir, have compassionate view. 

 

Literal meaning: O Lord, our ignorance is as usual always.  Request you sir, to take compassionate view on me. 

Explanation: Here Peda Tirumalacharya is saying that we take for granted that who we are. This is true for a toddler or a nonagenarian. This assumption is the chief destructor, the principal deviation we take from the path of truth. Thus, Peda Tirumalacharya, is asserting that we have no basis for living, but we simply exist and lead an animal life. That's why he said శ్రీపతియె రక్షించుఁ గాక మరి / యేపున జంతువుల మే మెఱుఁగుదుము {SrIpatiye rakshiMchu@M gAka mari yEpuna jaMtuvula mE me~ru@Mgudumu = Lord only shall save. We the animals remain perplexed}

Request the readers to refer to above painting “the endearing truth” by Rene Magritte. We see a dining table painted on the brick wall. The artist cleverly pushed the wall into background and elevated the dining table. Artist without saying a word underlined the importance we attach to food. However, the fact remains that we are against a wall whereas our mind conceives food instead.

God, the greatest artist, who is testing us by throwing the challenges of illusion every moment. Similar to the above painting, because of our constant accumulative learning, we are conditioned to pursue the reflections of the mind instead of the truth.

This is the meaning of the Bhagavadgita verse मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वत: ॥ 7-3॥ manuṣhyāṇāṁ sahasreṣhu kaśhchid yatati/siddhaye yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaśhchin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ Purport: Amongst thousands of persons, hardly one strives for perfection; and amongst those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.

Therefore, the implied meaning of this chorus is as below.

Implied meaning: O God, we continue our foolishness. Kindly extricate us from this.

 

తల్లి చంకనున్న బిడ్డ తమతోఁ జన్ను దాగుతా

వొల్లఁడు తండ్రి యెత్తుకో నొగిఁబోతేను

మల్లడ నీ మాయలో మరిగిన జీవముల

మెల్లనే మీ సేవసేసి మిమ్ముఁ జేరఁ జాలము    ॥ఇది॥

 

talli chaMkanunna biDDa tamatO jannu dAgutA

vollaDu taMDri yettukO nogibOtEnu

mallaDa nI mAyalO marigina jIvamula

mellanE mI sEvasEsi mimmu jEra jAlamu ॥idi॥ 

Word to word meaning: తల్లి చంకనున్న బిడ్డ (talli chaMkanunna biDDa)= A toddler in mother’s arms; తమతోఁ (tamatO) = with fervour; జన్ను దాగుతా (jannu dAgutA) = drink milk from breast; {తల్లి చంకనున్న బిడ్డ తమతోఁ జన్ను దాగుతా = A toddler in the arms of mother continues to wish milk with such fervour};  వొల్లఁడు (vollaDu) = does not leave (does not detach from mother); తండ్రి (taMDri) = father; యెత్తుకో నొగిఁబోతేను (yettukO nogibOtEnu) = tries to take him in his arms;  మల్లడ (mallaDa) = Our lord! (O Hero!  To indicate closeness, an iota of irking, a bit of anger, like a mother admonishes a child); నీ మాయలో (nI mAyalO) = illusion created by you;  మరిగిన (marigina) = get used to; జీవముల (jIvamula) = living biengs; మెల్లనే (mellanE) =slowly (used in the sense of carefully) మీ (mI) = your;  సేవసేసి (sEvasEsi) = rendering service to you; మిమ్ముఁ (mimmu) = you; జేరఁ జాలము (jEra jAlamu) = incapable of reaching you; 

Literal meaning: A toddler in the arms of mother continues to wish milk with such fervour that it even refuses to go in the arms of father. Like that very child, O Hero! (Our lord), we are very much got used to the illusion created by you. We are incapable of rendering any service to reach you. 

Explanation: This comparison is some thing to write about. A toddler by the attraction of milk, man by the desire to get the elusive solution to the problem at his hand, get glued to material world. 

Peda Tirumalacharya is taking freedom to address the god as మల్లడ (mallaDa = hero) as if he is his friend.. Another significant word used is మెల్లనే (mellanE = slowly/carefully) to indicate truth cannot felt by a mind caught up in doing the work or rushing to finish. That is the reason, Jiddu Krishnamurti Often said: “freedom from the desire for an answer is essential to understanding of a problem?” 

మీ సేవసేసి మిమ్ముఁ జేరఁ జాలము {mI sEvasEsi mimmu jEra jAlamu = We are incompetent to execute any service to you} is indicating by conscious actions man cannot realise the God. It leaves, few options to man, like immersing himself in avoidance of the wrong actions (sin), continuing it as if he does not have tomorrow and caring less of what the world is picturing him. These are as difficult tasks. Therefore, Peda Tirumalacharya is seeking కదివి నీవే నన్నుఁ గరుణించవయ్యా kadivi nIvE nannu garuNiMchavayyA = Sir, please rescue us.

 

రెక్కల మరుఁగుపక్షి రెక్కల కిందనే కాని

యెక్కదు వద్దనే మేడ యెంత వున్నాను

పక్కన జన్మమెత్తిన ప్రపంచపు జీవులము

యెక్కుడైన వైకుంఠ మిది గోరఁ జాలమూ         ॥ఇది॥

 

rekkala marugupakshi rekkala kiMdanE kAni

yekkadu vaddanE mEDa yeMta vunnAnu

pakkana janmamettina prapaMchapu jIvulamu

yekkuDaina vaikuMTha midi gOra jAlamU ॥idi॥

 

Word to word meaning: రెక్కల మరుఁగుపక్షి (rekkala marugupakshi) = young bird, fledgeling; రెక్కల కిందనే (rekkala kiMdanE) = within the reach of wings (implying stays close to mother); కాని (kAni) = but; యెక్కదు (yekkadu) = does not climb;  వద్దనే (vaddanE) = nearby; మేడ (mEDa) = upper chambers;  యెంత వున్నాను (yeMta vunnAnu) = however big they may be;  పక్కన (pakkana) = on the side-lines;  జన్మమెత్తిన (janmamettina) = taken up birth; ప్రపంచపు (prapaMchapu) = this world; జీవులము (jIvulamu) = beings;  యెక్కుడైన (yekkuDaina) = that superior; వైకుంఠ మిది (vaikuMTha midi) = Vaikuntha,  the abode of Lord Vishnu; గోరఁ జాలమూ (gOra jAlamU) = don’t know that we should wish. 

Literal meaning: A young bird remains within the wing reach of its mother, and donot venture to explore the upper chambers though easily accessible. We are the beings of this world. We prefer to stay in the side lines. We are ignorant enough not to understand that we should wish Vaikuntha the abode of Lord Vishnu

Explanation: Peda Tirumalacharya's wording on this stanza is so credulous that we do not know what to wish. But the fact remains that we are completely unaware of what to wish. Just have a look at the painting below, titled “the therapist”.

    

The Therapist depicts a faceless person, wearing a hat and poncho, under which is an open cage and two birds – one on a ledge just outside the opening, and the other inside on a perch. In the absence of a body and rib cage, it is the bird cage that gives the figure shape. The open cloak allows the viewer a glimpse into the figure’s soul. It would not be unreasonable to expect that two caged birds would fly away at the first opportunity they had to escape. However, in true Magritte style and to question the ‘norm’, the birds are seemingly happy to forgo their freedom and remain where they are.

Thus, both Peda Tirumalacharya and Rene Magritte are telling that there are enough opportunities for men to be free. But due to our ignorance we remain chained.

Another significant observation by Peda Tirumalacharya is that man prefers to stay in the side-lines, not wanting to take up the main path.

 

నీరులో నుండేటి కప్పనీటిలోనే వుండుఁగాని

వూరకే పరపుమీద నుండ దెంతైనాను

ఆరయ సంసారములో అజ్ఞానపు జీవులము

బోరన శ్రీ వేంకటేశ బుద్ధి చెప్పి కావవే   ॥ఇది॥

nIrulO nuMDETi kappanITilOnE vuMDugAni

vUrakE parapumIda nuMDa deMtainAnu

Araya saMsAramulO aj~nAnapu jIvulamu

bOrana SrI vEMkaTESa buddhi cheppi kAvavE ॥idi॥ 

Word to word meaning: నీరులో (nIrulO) = inside water; నుండేటి (nuMDETi) = staying, residing;  కప్ప (kappa) = frog; నీటిలోనే వుండుఁగాని (nITilOnE vuMDugAni) =  prefers to remain in Water; వూరకే (vUrakE) = usually; పరపుమీద (parapumIda) = on a mattress; నుండ దెంతైనాను (nuMDa deMtainAnu) = cannot make it stay; ఆరయ (Araya) = on inquiry, on searching;  సంసారములో (saMsAramulO) = in this world; అజ్ఞానపు జీవులము (aj~nAnapu jIvulamu) = ignorant beings; బోరన (bOrana) = quickly, come rushing; శ్రీ వేంకటేశ (SrI vEMkaTESa) = O Lord Venkateswara; బుద్ధి చెప్పి కావవే (buddhi cheppi kAvavE) = you must save us showing the appropriate path.

Literal meaning: A frog prefers to remain in water. How much we may try, we cannot make it stay on a mattress. Sir, similarly, we are the ignorant beings of this world. O Lord Venkateswara! Come quickly and save us by showing the appropriate path.

Explanation: Peda Tirumalacharya is not merely expressing God to save. He is seeking first to correct our ignorant disposition and then save.

 

-X-The End-X-