170 aMdaru vikAra maMdudure (అందరు వికార మందుదురె)

 CHINA TIRUMALACHARYULU

170 అందరు వికార మందుదురె

(aMdaru vikAra maMdudure) 

Synopsis: Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness’s of other people. –Carl Jung

 

Summary of this Poem:

Chorus: O Lord! Everyone is subjected to distortions of life, except you and your servants. Implied Meaning: O Lord save us from the veils of distortions that plagues us.

Stanza 1: The entire world succumbs to illusion and misconception upon encountering wives, women, and children, becoming entangled in the bonds of desire. Only you, O Lord, remain untouched by passion and craving, transcending all worldly attachments.

Stanza 2: Even good people are often tempted by the allure of wealth and material possessions, becoming engrossed in their pursuit and never letting go. However, O Lord of Wealth, it is widely acknowledged that you transcend such worldly concerns.

Stanza 3: O Lord Venkatanatha! You manifest in various forms, guiding beings along their journey. However, even when faced with the complexities of family life, these individuals do not grow weary of it and continue to embrace its challenges, wasting their time.

 

Detailed Presentation

China Tirumalacharya's remarkable composition possesses the essential elements of a timeless poem. Like his ancestors in the Annamacharya lineage, he weaves profound meanings from humble words. The resonance of his chorus reflects the depth of his grandfather's poetic prowess. The poem's core message is to embrace a distortion-free perspective of the world. It implores humanity to utilize all available resources in pursuit of this ideal.

కీర్తన: రాగిరేకు:  8-2 సంపుటము: 10-44

POEM Copper Leaf:  8-2 Volume: 10-44

అందరు వికార మందుదురె నిందలేని నీవు నీ దాసులు దక్క ॥పల్లవి॥   సతుల సుతులఁ జూచి జగములోవారెల్లా మతిలోన భ్రమయక మానరు రతికెక్కఁగా హేయరాగరహితుఁడవై సతతము గలిగినస్వామివి నీవు దక్క ॥అంద॥   ధనధాన్యములుచూచి తగినజీవులు వాని వెనువెంటఁ దిరుగక విడువరు పనివూని యాశాపాశ దూరుఁడవై ఘనతగలుగు శ్రీకాంతుఁడ నీవుదక్క ॥అంద॥   యిల్లుముంగిలిచూచి యీదేహులు వాని నొల్ల మనుచురోసి వుడుగరు వెల్లవిరిగ శ్రీవెంకటనాథుఁడవై తెల్లమైనయట్టి దేవుఁడవుదక్క ॥అంద॥

aMdaru vikAra maMdudure niMdalEni nIvu nI dAsulu dakka ॥pallavi॥   satula sutula jUchi jagamulOvArellA matilOna bhramayaka mAnaru ratikekkagA hEyarAgarahituDavai satatamu galiginasvAmivi nIvu dakka ॥aMda॥   dhanadhAnyamuluchUchi taginajIvulu vAni venuveMTa dirugaka viDuvaru panivUni yASApASa dUruDavai ghanatagalugu SrIkAMtuDa nIvudakka ॥aMda॥   yillumuMgilichUchi yIdEhulu vAni nolla manuchurOsi vuDugaru vellaviriga SrIveMkaTanAthuDavai tellamainayaTTi dEvuDavudakka ॥aMda॥

Details and Explanations: 

అందరు వికార మందుదురె

నిందలేని నీవు నీ దాసులు దక్క ॥పల్లవి॥

 

aMdaru vikAra maMdudure

niMdalEni nIvu nI dAsulu dakka ॥pallavi॥ 

Word to word meaning: అందరు (aMdaru) = All; వికార (vikAra) = distortion, misrepresentation; మందుదురె (maMdudure) = get subjected to, నిందలేని (niMdalEni) = blemish less; నీవు (nIvu) = you; నీ దాసులు (nI dAsulu) = your servants; దక్క (dakka) = except.

Literal meaning: O Lord! Everyone is subjected to distortions of life, except you and your servants.

Explanation: This unique chorus by China Tirumalacharya is quite challenging to explain. The great men like Annamacharya and Jiddu Krishnamurti often said the there are no two worlds. Whatever is there is in front of us. In such case, why we have not reached a stoic stage like them! The very act of seeing the key to entire existence. In fact, Bhagavad-Gita also affirms the same thing. (य: पश्यति स पश्यति yaḥ paśhyati sa paśhyati = Who can see thus, actually sees the truth.)

If this question of ‘seeing the right’ is as simple, we have solved the greatest problem. Let us understand the chorus thru an example of ‘mermaid’. We generally imagine a beautiful mermaid like the below picture drawn by John Reinhard Weguelin.

Truly speaking, till date no one has seen ‘a mermaid’. But hard to believe that it’s our figment of imagination.  Challenging this assumption Rene Magritte made a painting titled "The Collective Invention" as shown below. 

"The Collective Invention" by René Magritte portrays a mermaid with a twist. Unlike the traditional depiction, where the upper body is human and the lower body is fish, this painting reverses the expectation. The mermaid is depicted with a fish upper body and a human lower body, defying conventional norms. Magritte challenges our preconceived notions and invites us to question what is considered normal. The artwork prompts us to embrace unconventional ideas and encourages us to explore new perspectives. It serves as a reminder that art has the power to challenge our perceptions and expand our understanding of the world. 

The challenge posed by China Tirumalacharya is “Can you see this world without an iota of distortion?”. With the above example in mind, let us understand the environment, the geographical location, the food, the language, the belief systems colour our thinking. Therefore, we don’t see this world as it is. Then, what use is of empty pursuits. 

The phrase "నిందలేని నీవు నీ దాసులు దక్క" (niMdalEni nIvu nI dAsulu dakka) signifies that the servants of God have the unique opportunity to attain undistorted vision. This concept aligns with the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti, who spent 56 years traveling the world to enlighten people about the essence of "Seeing". It also resonates with the Bhagavad-Gita verse "ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम्" (jñānī tvātmaiva me matam 7-18), which states that those whose intellect is merged in the Divine and who consider the Divine as their only goal are regarded as manifestations of the Divine itself.

Implied Meaning: O Lord save us from the veils of distortions that plagues us.

సతుల సుతులఁ జూచి జగములోవారెల్లా

మతిలోన భ్రమయక మానరు

రతికెక్కఁగా హేయరాగరహితుఁడవై

సతతము గలిగినస్వామివి నీవు దక్క ॥అంద॥

 

satula sutula jUchi jagamulOvArellA

matilOna bhramayaka mAnaru

ratikekkagA hEyarAgarahituDavai

satatamu galiginasvAmivi nIvu dakka ॥aMda॥

Word to word meaning: సతుల (satula) = wife (generically meaning ladies, therefore used plural sense); సుతులఁ (sutula) = children; జూచి (jUchi) = seeing; జగములోవారెల్లా (jagamulOvArellA)  = all the people of the world; మతిలోన (matilOna) = in the mind; భ్రమయక మానరు (bhramayaka mAnaru) = surely fall in delusion, misapprehension;  రతికెక్కఁగా (ratikekkagA) = get into bonds of passion;   హేయరాగరహితుఁడవై (hEyarAgarahituDavai) = you are completely avoid of passion and desire;  సతతము (satatamu) = always;  గలిగినస్వామివి (galiginasvAmivi) = lord of existence;  నీవు (nIvu) = You; దక్క (dakka) = except.

Literal meaning: The entire world succumbs to illusion and misconception upon encountering wives, women, and children, becoming entangled in the bonds of desire. Only you, O Lord, remain untouched by passion and craving, transcending all worldly attachments.

Explanation: China Tirumalacharya continues the explanation of what distorts our perceptions in these stanzas.

ధనధాన్యములుచూచి తగినజీవులు వాని

వెనువెంటఁ దిరుగక విడువరు

పనివూని యాశాపాశ దూరుఁడవై

ఘనతగలుగు శ్రీకాంతుఁడ నీవుదక్క ॥అంద॥

dhanadhAnyamuluchUchi taginajIvulu vAni

venuveMTa dirugaka viDuvaru

panivUni yASApASa dUruDavai

ghanatagalugu SrIkAMtuDa nIvudakka ॥aMda॥

 

Word to word meaning: ధనధాన్యములుచూచి (dhanadhAnyamuluchUchi) = on seeing the grain and wealth; తగినజీవులు (taginajIvulu) = even good people;  వాని (vAni) =the aforesaid; వెనువెంటఁ (venuveMTa) = follow closely; దిరుగక (dirugaka) =  move along; విడువరు (viDuvaru) = will not let go;  పనివూని (panivUni) =  indulge; యాశాపాశ (yASApASa) = desire and bonds; దూరుఁడవై (dUruDavai) = you are far away; ఘనతగలుగు (ghanatagalugu) = well known; శ్రీకాంతుఁడ (SrIkAMtuDa) = O Lord of Wealth; నీవుదక్క (nIvudakka) = except you.

Literal meaning: Even good people are often tempted by the allure of wealth and material possessions, becoming engrossed in their pursuit and never letting go. However, O Lord of Wealth, it is widely acknowledged that you transcend such worldly concerns.

Explanation: The sense gratification is very strong. It pulls even the determined. Have a look at the Bhagavad-Gita verse below.

यततो ह्यपि कौन्तेय पुरुषस्य विपश्चित: | इन्द्रियाणि प्रमाथीनि हरन्ति प्रसभं मन: || 2-60|| yatato hyapi kaunteya puruṣhasya vipaśhchitaḥ indriyāṇi pramāthīni haranti prasabhaṁ manaḥ: Purport: O descendant of Kunti, The senses are powerful and restless. And they can forcibly sweep away the mind of even a discerning and self-disciplined individual.

యిల్లుముంగిలిచూచి యీదేహులు వాని

నొల్ల మనుచురోసి వుడుగరు

వెల్లవిరిగ శ్రీవెంకటనాథుఁడవై

తెల్లమైనయట్టి దేవుఁడవుదక్క ॥అంద॥

 

yillumuMgilichUchi yIdEhulu vAni

nolla manuchurOsi vuDugaru

vellaviriga SrIveMkaTanAthuDavai

tellamainayaTTi dEvuDavudakka ॥aMda॥

Word to word meaning: యిల్లుముంగిలిచూచి (yillumuMgilichUchi) = on observing the house and its surroundings (= get trapped by family life); యీదేహులు (yIdEhulu) = these people;  వాని (vAni) = those things; నొల్ల మనుచురోసి (nolla manuchurOsi) = don’t get disgusted and reject; వుడుగరు (vuDugaru) = don’t ostracise; వెల్లవిరిగ (vellaviriga) = many forms; శ్రీవెంకటనాథుఁడవై (SrIveMkaTanAthuDavai) = O Lord Sri Venkatanatha; తెల్లమైనయట్టి (tellamainayaTTi) = make things clear;  దేవుఁడవుదక్క (dEvuDavudakka) = Except you. 

Literal meaning: O Lord Venkatanatha! You manifest in various forms, guiding beings along their journey. However, even when faced with the complexities of family life, these individuals do not grow weary of it and continue to embrace its challenges, wasting their time.

Explanation: Overall this poem is a reflection of the Bhagavad-Gita verses 8-12 of Chapter 13. Humility, sincerity, non-violence, forgiveness, simplicity, devotion to the Guru, cleanliness of body and mind, steadfastness, self-control, detachment from sensual objects, absence of ego, awareness of the sufferings of birth, disease, old age, and death, non-attachment, freedom from attachment to spouse, children, and home, equanimity amidst life's ups and downs, unwavering devotion to the Divine, preference for solitude over worldly engagements, steadfastness in spiritual knowledge, and the pursuit of absolute truth—these qualities constitute true knowledge. Anything contrary to these is ignorance.

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