153 dimmarimATa lADInE timmarAyaDu (దిమ్మరిమాట లాడీనే తిమ్మరాయఁడు)

 ANNAMACHARYULU

153 దిమ్మరిమాట లాడీనే తిమ్మరాయఁడు

(dimmarimATa lADInE timmarAyaDu)

 

for Telegu (తెలుగు) Version press here 

 

Synopsis:  By using glitter, ostentation, and artistic brilliance, the Lord mystifies us.

Summary of this Poem:

Chorus: This lord of Hills offers us blessings/boons/gifts freely on wishing. Yet we are bewildered by his intoxicating words. Implied Meaning: Though the lord is ever ready to fulfil our wishes, we do not know what to seek from him

Stanza 1: Pals, do you see that dark man (Lord Krishna), wearing a different costume every hour, enjoying luxurious life. You can witness that he is stretching his hands on both the wives, gossiping sweet nothings! A man of fine tastes. Implied Meaning: O man do you see the truth in front of you or get engaged in sweet talk of the illusory world.

Stanza 2: Find out, why those beautiful ladies stand on the toes to have better view of gorgeous, smiling face of shrewd and clever lord. Lovely, graceful, elegant Lord, shining with royal pride gives audience with cheeks shining with light sweat.

Stanza 3: The lord of the lakes spreads out his splendours of great many fine arts creating gay, pleasant and thriving atmosphere. He is the lord ensconced in the embrace of the lady. Yet, again in the golden building, he is our Lord Venkteswara. Implied Meaning: By using glitter, ostentation, and artistic brilliance, the Lord mystifies us. He put us to the test with his duality. Friends, Do you see the one-ness of truth engulfing the universe? 

 

Detailed Presentation 

Introduction: this poem sounds like complaints by Gopikas on little Srikrishna in Brindavan. To symbolize a degree of annoyance, a bit of anxiety, a pinch of admonition, Annamcahrya addresses lord as TimmarAayaDu  (తిమ్మరాయఁడు). 

Behind these innocent wording he hides a larger question  “gaddemIda nallavADE kaMTiraTE” (గద్దెమీఁద నల్లవాఁడే కంటిరటే = can you find the dark person seated high above). Unfortunately, man succumbs to attraction of the known. Certainty, cognizance thus poses larger questions than mere ignorance.   

 

కీర్తన: రాగిరేకు:  1031-6  సంపుటము: 20-186

POEM Copper Leaf:  1031-6  Volume: 20-186

దిమ్మరిమాట లాడీనే తిమ్మరాయఁడు కొమ్మని వరము లిచ్చీఁ గొండలరాయఁడు॥పల్లవి॥   గద్దెమీఁద నల్లవాఁడే కంటిరటే చెలులాల పొద్దొక సింగారాల భోగరాయఁడు యిద్దరు సతులమీఁదా నిమ్ములఁ జేతులు చాఁచి సుద్దులు చెప్పీఁగదే సుగుడరాయఁడు ॥దిమ్మ॥   నిక్కిచూచీ నేఁటికో నెలఁత లదేమనరే చక్కనిమోవినవ్వులజాణరాయఁడు వెక్కసపు రాజసాన విఱ్ఱవీఁగీఁ గొలువులో చెక్కుల చెమటతోడ చెలువరాయఁడు ॥దిమ్మ॥   మెండగు కళల మేని మెఱుఁగులు చల్లీని నిండు సరసముల కోనేటిరాయఁడు దండిగా నురము మీఁది తరుణికాఁగిట వాఁడే వెండి పైఁడి మేడలో శ్రీవేంకటరాయఁడు ॥దిమ్మ॥

dimmarimATa lADInE timmarAyaDu kommani varamu lichchI goMDalarAyaDu ॥pallavi॥   gaddemIda nallavADE kaMTiraTE chelulAla poddoka siMgArAla bhOgarAyaDu yiddaru satulamIdA nimmula@M jEtulu chAchi suddulu cheppIgadE suguDarAyaDu ॥dimma॥   nikkichUchI nETikO nelata ladEmanarE chakkanimOvinavvulajANarAyaDu vekkasapu rAjasAna vi~r~ravIgI goluvulO chekkula chemaTatODa cheluvarAyaDu ॥dimma॥   meMDagu kaLala mEni me~rugulu challIni niMDu sarasamula kOnETirAyaDu daMDigA nuramu mIdi taruNikAgiTa vADE veMDi paiDi mEDalO SrIvEMkaTarAyaDu ॥dimma॥

Details and Explanations: 

దిమ్మరిమాట లాడీనే తిమ్మరాయఁడు

కొమ్మని వరము లిచ్చీఁ గొండలరాయఁడు ॥పల్లవి॥

 

dimmarimATa lADInE timmarAyaDu

kommani varamu lichchI goMDalarAyaDu ॥pallavi॥

Word to word meaning: దిమ్మరిమాటలు (dimmarimATalu) = intoxicating words (used in the sense of not clear and confounding words); ఆడీనే (ADInE) = plays, says;  తిమ్మరాయఁడు (timmarAyaDu) = the Lord Timmaraya;  కొమ్మని (kommani) = give freely on wishing; వరము లిచ్చీఁ (varamu lichchI) = provide blessings/boons/gifts; గొండలరాయఁడు (goMDalarAyaDu) = the Lord of Hills.

Literal meaning: This lord of Hills offers us blessings/boons/gifts freely on wishing. Yet we are bewildered by his intoxicating words.

Explanation: The wording కొమ్మని వరము లిచ్చీఁ (kommani varamu lichchI) may sound peculiar and unbelievable. However, when seen in the larger context, year after year, the comforts for living have been increasing over many centuries. If the peoples wishes were not fulfilled, this would not be true. Now refer to the Bhagavad-Gita verse below. 

सहयज्ञा: प्रजा: सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापति: |

अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक् || 3-10|| 

saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛiṣhṭvā purovācha prajāpatiḥ

anena prasaviṣhyadhvam eṣha vo ’stviṣhṭa-kāma-dhuk

Purport: In the beginning of creation, Brahma created humankind along with duties, and said, “Prosper in the performance of these yajñas (sacrifices), for they shall bestow upon you all you wish to achieve.”

Due to the heroic efforts of many people, who ignored their own hardships, we now enjoy great comforts unheard of in the history of humanity.

Now let us focus on more important wording: దిమ్మరిమాట లాడీనే dimmarimATa lADInE: this wording  indicates that we donot understand the commandment of the Lord clearly, for he is expecting us to listen to him with all our might. We get enamoured by the world outside and do not heed to the lord properly. Result, the confusion we spread in this world.

This is what Arjun tells the Lord “व्यामिश्रेणेव वाक्येन बुद्धिं मोहयसीव मे” vyāmiśhreṇeva vākyena buddhiṁ mohayasīva me (Gita 3-2) My intellect is bewildered by Your ambiguous advice.

Implied Meaning: Though the lord is ever ready to fulfil our wishes, we do not know what to seek from him.

 

గద్దెమీఁద నల్లవాఁడే కంటిరటే చెలులాల

పొద్దొక సింగారాల భోగరాయఁడు

యిద్దరు సతులమీఁదా నిమ్ములఁ జేతులు చాఁచి

సుద్దులు చెప్పీఁగదే సుగుడరాయఁడు ॥దిమ్మ॥

 

gaddemIda nallavADE kaMTiraTE chelulAla

poddoka siMgArAla bhOgarAyaDu

yiddaru satulamIdA nimmula jEtulu chAchi

suddulu cheppIgadE suguDarAyaDu ॥dimma॥ 

Word to word meaning: గద్దెమీఁద (gaddemIda) = on the throne, on the mattress; నల్లవాఁడే (nallavADE) = that darkman; కంటిరటే (kaMTiraTE) = are you able to see? చెలులాల (chelulAla) = dear friends; పొద్దొక (poddoka) = different every mog; సింగారాల (siMgArAla) = decorations, embellishment; భోగరాయఁడు (bhOgarAyaDu) = enjoying luxurious life;  యిద్దరు (yiddaru) = two; సతులమీఁదా (satulamIdA) on wives; నిమ్ములఁ (nimmula) = appropriately, comfortably; జేతులు చాఁచి (jEtulu chAchi) = stretching his hands; సుద్దులు చెప్పీఁగదే (suddulu cheppIgadE) = talk sweet nothings to friends ( also blow one’s own trumpet); సుగుడరాయఁడు (suguDarAyaDu) = man of fine tastes; 

Literal meaning: Pals, do you see that dark man (Lord Krishna), wearing a different costume every hour, enjoying luxurious life. You can witness that he is stretching his hands on both the wives, gossiping sweet nothings! A man of fine tastes.

Explanation: “gaddemIda nallavADE kaMTiraTE” (గద్దెమీఁద నల్లవాఁడే కంటిరటే =can you find the dark person on the throne) is implying that it’s difficult to discover that dark man who gets mixed with the background. Annamacharya is questioning the listener what does he see in front of him. Does he see the truth or something else.

Though this stanza appears simple, Annamacharya is continuing the theme of the chorus thru the underlying meaning is entirely different. The lord appears to be stretching his hand on both wives is actually indicating that dilemma in the mind of man.

Refer to the discussion we had in the previous explanation regarding the movement of the thought. This movement creates its own reflection. Now, let us examine a great painting by a little know artist Hilma Af Klint. She made a number of pictures of Swans (1914-1915). Remember Annamacharya also talked of swans in his poetry in as many as 20 poems. When he says గుదికొన్న బ్రహ్మాండాల గుడ్లఁ బెట్టే హంస (gudikonna brahmAMDAla guDla beTTE haMsa), definitely it’s not an ordinary swan, but something divine. 

I am presenting below Swan No 9. The picture has a faint horizontal central axis. The painting is symmetrical to this line.  On the rightmost side of the painting shows large crystals on either side of the axis is indicative of our present life. Largeness of the crystal suggests that we want proof, want evidence, want to be cocksure, though we understand that there is nothing permanent in this world. We are far from the equilibrium axis. It creates equal reaction on the other plane. We spend a life of shallow understanding.

 

As we travel towards the left side, the size of the crystals diminishing and their distance from the axis. All life forms which experience the thought, always will have matching reflection, therefore, subject to confusion. Wilful acts like meditation, tapas to achieve calmness in mind, cannot lead to liberation as we see two distinct crystals on either side of axis all along. As asserted by Annamacharya and Jiddu Krishnamurti, truth is not in the realm of practice. 

Cessation of this movement of thought is beginning of alignment with the truth. Move further to the left, we see two tiny, but distinct dots, indicating that a person in such state loses the crystallinity of his naïve ideas, do not know who he is. These tiny dots were referred by Annamacharya  as goDDErEchinnadiDDiteruvu vOka / doDDateruvuvaMka tolagumI {గొడ్డేరేచిన్నదిడ్డితెరువు వోక / దొడ్డతెరువువంక తొలఁగుమీ^#1 Go along that dry stream thru that small wicket gate only to transgress into big way}. That is the point of the start of liberation. The artist Hilma makes further inroads by depicting the splendours of unification of self with the truth. 

Now refer to the word కంటిరటే (kaMTiraTE) is implying that state where action, seeing, understanding, space and time are unified. Non-fragmentary action mentioned by Jiddu Krishnamurti is the same.  The same is shown in the left most part of the painting integrating the material side of the action with its response into a single entity. The same is the meaning of often repeated statement of Bhagavad-Gita य: पश्यति स पश्यति yaḥ paśhyati sa paśhyati (The one who sees thus, is actually seeing). 

Jiddu Krishnamurti said “All division, outwardly as well as inwardly, breeds antagonism. So the problem arises, can I own anything without creating antagonism, without  creating this definite contradiction, which breeds conflict? Or is there a different dimension altogether where the sense of non-ownership exists, and therefore there is freedom. 

 “..It means that the brain is quiet, it has its responses, its reactions, it is quick, but it is so quiet that it can look completely, totally, out of silence. It is only in that state that you understand and act with an action that is non-fragmentary. (You are the World, a talk at Brandeis University, 18th October 1968). 

Thus, in this stanza Annamacharya is asking the listeners to find the knack of seeing the truth or else get carried away by the దిమ్మరిమాటలు (dimmarimATalu) = intoxicating words. Therefore the implied meaning stated as below: 

A brief Note: Hilma Klint is a Swedish artist and mystic whose paintings are considered among the first abstract works known in Western art history. She did these paintings, but never exhibited them during her life. They were brought to public 20 years after her death as per her will.  Hilma af Klint felt she was being directed by a force that would literally guide her hand. She wrote in her notebook: “The pictures were painted directly through me, without any preliminary drawings, and with great force. I had no idea what the paintings were supposed to depict; nevertheless I worked swiftly and surely, without changing a single brush stroke”   The Swan pictures of Klint were much earlier to famous pronouncements of Jiddu Krishnamurti.

Implied Meaning: O man do you see the truth in front of you or get engaged in sweet talk of the illusory world. 

నిక్కిచూచీ నేఁటికో నెలఁత లదేమనరే

చక్కనిమోవినవ్వులజాణరాయఁడు

వెక్కసపు రాజసాన విఱ్ఱవీఁగీఁ గొలువులో

చెక్కుల చెమటతోడ చెలువరాయఁడు ॥దిమ్మ॥

 

nikkichUchI nETikO nelata ladEmanarE

chakkanimOvinavvulajANarAyaDu

vekkasapu rAjasAna vi~r~ravIgI goluvulO

chekkula chemaTatODa cheluvarAyaDu ॥dimma॥ 

Word to word meaning: నిక్కిచూచీ (nikkichUchI) = stand on the toes to have better view; నేఁటికో (nETikO) = why; నెలఁత లదేమనరే (nelata ladEmanarE) = ask those beautiful ladies (to find the reason); చక్కనిమోవినవ్వుల  (chakkanimOvinavvula) = gorgeously smiling lips;  జాణరాయఁడు (jANarAyaDu) = shrewd and clever lord; వెక్కసపు (vekkasapu) = enviably great; రాజసాన (rAjasAna) = aristocratic pride, pride befitting royal;  విఱ్ఱవీఁగీఁ (vi~r~ravIgI) = enlarged, puffed up;  గొలువులో (goluvulO) = audience in court; చెక్కుల చెమటతోడ (chekkula chemaTatODa) = cheeks shining with light sweat; చెలువరాయఁడు (cheluvarAyaDu) = lovely, graceful, elegant lord. 

Literal meaning: Find why those beautiful ladies stand on the toes to have better view of gorgeous, smiling face of shrewd and clever lord. Lovely, graceful, elegant Lord, shining with royal pride gives audience with cheeks shining with light sweat.

Explanation: The disposition of the material nature is to create interest and to engage us in its infinite forms. Nature does it efficiently without faltering.

The attraction implanted in our minds creates such visages that we take illusion as truth. The unlearning is not working with different (or unknown) frames of mind, but outside all the frames. Rather dismantling such structures is meditation.

మెండగు కళల మేని మెఱుఁగులు చల్లీని

నిండు సరసముల కోనేటిరాయఁడు

దండిగా నురము మీఁది తరుణికాఁగిట వాఁడే

వెండి పైఁడి మేడలో శ్రీవేంకటరాయఁడు ॥దిమ్మ॥

 

meMDagu kaLala mEni me~rugulu challIni

niMDu sarasamula kOnETirAyaDu

daMDigA nuramu mIdi taruNikAgiTa vADE

veMDi paiDi mEDalO SrIvEMkaTarAyaDu ॥dimma॥ 

Word to word meaning: మెండగు (meMDagu) = ample, great; కళల (kaLala) = arts; మేని మెఱుఁగులు చల్లీని (mEni me~rugulu challIni) = blows-out splendours of his body; నిండు సరసముల (niMDu sarasamula) = greatly pleasant, full of juice and pulp; కోనేటిరాయఁడు (kOnETirAyaDu) = lord of the lakes; దండిగా నురము మీఁది (daMDigA nuramu mIdi) = on the expansive bosom; తరుణికాఁగిట వాఁడే (taruNikAgiTa vADE) = He is the same person in the embrace of the lady; వెండి (veMDi) = again; పైఁడి (paiDi) = golden; మేడలో (mEDalO) = building; శ్రీవేంకటరాయఁడు (SrIvEMkaTarAyaDu) = Lord Venkateswara; 

Literal meaning: The lord of the lakes spreads out his splendors of great many fine arts creating gay, pleasant and thriving atmosphere. He is the lord ensconced in the embrace of the lady. Yet, again in the golden building, he is our Lord Venkteswara. 

Explanation: Again, Annamacharya is not referring any building of gold. We build such edifices in our minds. The primordial lord referred by Annamacharya is beyond the sensory perception. He is probably referring to the truth that unifies the entire world like the thread of a garland. 

Effulgence of the Lord is great art. He sprinkled all over the world for us to get unified with it. What do we do. We want to keep the art in our pockets to claim degrees in Art. We want to do business out of our art bestowed on us.  

Implied Meaning: By using glitter, ostentation, and artistic brilliance, the Lord mystifies us. He put us to the test with his duality. Friends, Do you see the one-ness of truth engulfing the universe?

References and Recommendations for further reading:

 

#1 93. ఊరికిఁ బోయెడి వోతఁడ (Uriki bOyeDi vOtaDa)

 

 

-X-The End-X-