244 nUtulu davvagabOtE bEtALamulu vuTTe (నూఁతులు దవ్వఁగఁబోతే బేతాళములు వుట్టె)

 ANNAMACHARYULU

244 నూఁతులు దవ్వఁగఁబోతే బేతాళములు వుట్టె

nUtulu davvagabOtE bEtALamulu vuTTe

A brilliant philosophical creation by Annamacharya,

woven upon the backdrop of the Ramayana.

తెలుగులో చదవడానికి ఇక్కడ నొక్కండి.

 

Introduction

 

A satire that pricks yet leaves no wound…
a playful whisper teasing the sweetness of truth.

Depths of silence beyond words…
a divine murmur erasing the blurred bounds of the mind.

 

A hidden fragrance, unknown where it blooms…
a soft ripple blossoming on the nests of words.

An endless web of secrets…
lift a veil, and another still remains,
behind it unfolds yet another world.

Turn a page, and a new page is born…
a journey of discovery that never ends.

 

This voyage through Annamayya’s words…
a treasure of boundless thoughts,
a cascade of pallavis that steal the heart,
a silent festival in the listener’s soul. 

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Analysis of the Kirtana’s aesthetic experience: 

This kirtana can primarily be seen as a dhvani-kavya (allusive poetry), because nothing is stated directly—everything is implied. 

At first glance, the theme appears to be nindā-stuti (paradoxical praise or disguised blame).

If we take the underlying sthāyibhāva (dominant emotion) as utsāha (energy or fervour), then the prime rasa (aesthetic experience) it evokes is vīra rasa (the chivalric sentiment).

The touch of humour in it acts as an aṅgi-rasa (subsidiary flavour), adding further beauty and charm to the composition. 

Since the meaning of such literature is not easily grasped at once, this kirtana must be classified as NarikeLa pAkam (नारिकेलम्)  (= tough nut to crack) — you must break through the hard shell to taste the sweet essence within.

 

అధ్యాత్మ సంకీర్తన	Philosophical Poem
రేకు: 102-2 సంపుటము: 2-8	Copper Plate: 102-2  Volume: 2-8
నూఁతులు దవ్వఁగఁబోతే బేతాళములు వుట్టె కాఁతాళపు లోకులాల కంటిరా యీ సుద్దులు ॥పల్లవి॥   మీఱిన పుత్రకామేష్టి మించి లంకకుఁ బైవచ్చె ఆఱడి రామావతార మసురబాధ తూఱి సీతపెండ్లి హరుదొడ్డ వింటిపండుగాయ పాఱి పాఱి నమ్మ నెటువలెవచ్చు వీరిని ॥నూఁతు॥   చూడ కేకయరాజ్యము చుప్పనాతిపాపమాయ వేడుక మాయమృగము వేఁటాయను వాడికె సుగ్రీవుమేలు వాలికి గండాన వచ్చె యీడుగాని రాచపుట్టు యెట్టు నమ్మవచ్చును ॥నూఁతు॥   వుమ్మడిఁ గోఁతులకూట ముదధికిఁ గట్లు వచ్చె తమ్మునిబుద్ధి రావణుతల వోయను పమ్మి శ్రీవేంకటేశుని పట్టానకే యింతానాయ యిమ్ముల నిట్టిదేవరనెట్టు నమ్మవచ్చును ॥నూఁతు॥	nUtulu davvagabOtE bEtALamulu vuTTe kAtALapu lOkulAla kaMTirA yI suddulu ॥pallavi॥   mI~rina putrakAmEshTi miMchi laMkaku baivachche A~raDi rAmAvatAra masurabAdha tU~ri sItapeMDli harudoDDa viMTipaMDugAya pA~ri pA~ri namma neTuvalevachchu vIrini ॥nUtu॥   chUDa kEkayarAjyamu chuppanAtipApamAya vEDuka mAyamRgamu vETAyanu vADike sugrIvumElu vAliki gaMDAna vachche yIDugAni rAchapuTTu yeTTu nammavachchunu ॥nUtu॥   vummaDi gOtulakUTa mudadhiki gaTlu vachche tammunibuddhi rAvaNutala vOyanu pammi SrIvEMkaTESuni paTTAnakE yiMtAnAya yimmula niTTidEvaraneTTu nammavachchunu ॥nUtu॥

Details and Explanation:

Chorus (Pallavi):

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నూఁతులు దవ్వఁగఁబోతే బేతాళములు వుట్టె

కాఁతాళపు లోకులాల కంటిరా యీ సుద్దులు   ॥పల్లవి॥

nUtulu davvagabOtE bEtALamulu vuTTe

kAtALapu lOkulAla kaMTirA yI suddulu ॥pallavi॥ 

Telugu Phrase	Meaning
నూఁతులు దవ్వఁగఁబోతే	It may happen, when one tries to do good to people by digging wells.
బేతాళములు వుట్టె	Apparently devils came up to chase him.
కాఁతాళపు లోకులాల	O people of the world of anger
కంటిరా యీ సుద్దులు	Can you fathom the depth of these words?

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Literal Meaning: 

They say…
when wells were dug to bring water for the people,
demons sprang forth instead.

O people of the world of anger!
Do you truly see the meaning hidden in these words?

(It seems the tales of Rama
give rise to the notion that
conflicting results can arise
even from good intentions.) 

---

 

Implied Meaning:

O noble ones!
We do not truly know what we are doing.
Most of our actions are but sprouts
from the seed of anger.

O good souls!

Even when mutually repelling ideas arise in yourself
Quietly observe this essential truth
within your own inner being.

Simply be aware—
do not decide it is good or bad.
Do not turn toward the good,
do not try to erase the bad.

That is all…
and in that very moment,
freedom is yours.

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Commentary:

Part 1: 

Let us understand the phrase

నూఁతులు దవ్వఁగఁబోతే బేతాళములు వుట్టె

(nUtulu davvagabOtE bEtALamulu vuTTe) 

This life—
a bundle of contradictions,
a trial of opposites.

Choose one,
and the other slips away.
Give in to one,
the other turns against you.

Only by staying
in the still point between them
can you beat confusion. 

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Part 2: 

Let us understand the phrase

“కాఁతాళపు లోకులాల” (kAtALapu lOkulAla)

thru Magritte’s Perpetual Motion

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Before us stands Magritte’s surreal vision:
a primitive figure,
clutching a bone in his right hand—
a relic of instinct,
a remnant of ancient violence.

 

With his left—awkward, unskilled—
he lifts his own head,
a burden he cannot set down.
A futile labour.

His face burns with anger,
his effort betrays an obsession
to balance the weight
through intellect alone.

But it is a meaningless struggle,
a battle without purpose.

Oh, what irony! What a vocation?
A restless fight
for self-respect,
rooted in ego.

---

The mind—
when free of fear, it is infinite power.
But in the shadow of fear,
it shrinks into weakness,
cringing at a tarnished name.
A stain on reputation
becomes the true disfigurement. 

Every attempt to escape
demands its price;
torment bends the mind
down to its knees.
Even the very idea of escape
breeds new bondage. 

Empty actions sow reactions;
reactions, in turn, feed anger.
And anger consumes
the very mind that bears it. 

What we mistake for strength
is only weakness—
a wheel turning endlessly,
a burden carrying itself,
a motion that never moves. 

Now see beyond that figure

an endless horizon,

the seedbed of confusion,

a mind without peace,

slowly breaking into pieces.

And at the end, I speak—

“in that split second

It is me. I witness.”

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Thus, Magritte’s Perpetual Motion
becomes a mirror of anger:
a self-imposed weight,
a journey with no destination.

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First Stanza:

మీఱిన పుత్రకామేష్టి మించి లంకకుఁ బైవచ్చె

ఆఱడి రామావతార మసురబాధ

తూఱి సీతపెండ్లి హరుదొడ్డ వింటిపండుగాయ

పాఱి పాఱి నమ్మ నెటువలెవచ్చు వీరిని         ॥నూఁతు॥

mI~rina putrakAmEshTi miMchi laMkaku baivachche

A~raDi rAmAvatAra masurabAdha

tU~ri sItapeMDli harudoDDa viMTipaMDugAya

pA~ri pA~ri namma neTuvalevachchu vIrini ॥nUtu॥ 

Telugu Phrase	Meaning
మీఱిన పుత్రకామేష్టి మించి లంకకుఁ బైవచ్చె	The great Putrakameshti Yagna turned into a great flame that decimated Lanka.
ఆఱడి రామావతార మసురబాధ	Hardships and slanders— wasn’t Rama’s entire avatar filled only with the suffering caused by demons?
తూఱి సీతపెండ్లి హరుదొడ్డ వింటిపండుగాయ	Yet… breaking Shiva’s mighty bow; led to Seeta’s wedding like a grand festival.
పాఱి పాఱి నమ్మ నెటువలెవచ్చు వీరిని	Watching all this unfold…how can one simply believe such a man? (one cannot)

Literal Meaning:

How can I believe this Lord Rama?
I stand lost in a maze of contradictions. 

A Putrakameshti Yaga—
meant for good, for life’s well-being—
becomes a wildfire
that consumes Lanka. 

And this noble life,
soaked in hardships,
stained with slanders and accusations—
what kind of God is he
cannot free himself from such chains? 

Yet…
with one effortless gesture
he shatters Shiva’s mighty bow,
and amidst astonished eyes
weds Sita—
a marriage glowing like a festival. 

So tell me…
how do I believe him? 

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Commentary: 

Paradoxical Prayer 

It seems to blame,
to question the god,
to unveil contradictions,
to touch the flaws
that feel so human.

Yet beneath the lash of words
lies a quiet reverence,
a deep, unspoken bond.

It honours the mystery divine—
beyond reason,
beyond right and wrong—
where even doubt
becomes a hidden prayer..

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Second Stanza:

చూడ కేకయరాజ్యము చుప్పనాతిపాపమాయ

వేడుక మాయమృగము వేఁటాయను

వాడికె సుగ్రీవుమేలు వాలికి గండాన వచ్చె

యీడుగాని రాచపుట్టు యెట్టు నమ్మవచ్చును  ॥నూఁతు॥

 

chUDa kEkayarAjyamu chuppanAtipApamAya

vEDuka mAyamRgamu vETAyanu

vADike sugrIvumElu vAliki gaMDAna vachche

yIDugAni rAchapuTTu yeTTu nammavachchunu ॥nUtu॥ 

Telugu Phrase	Meaning
చూడ కేకయరాజ్యము చుప్పనాతిపాపమాయ	On one hand, whole kingdom of ‘KEKAYA’ got tarnished in sin due to act of one envious lady (though she is a mother to him)
వేడుక మాయమృగము వేఁటాయను	The golden deer Sita wanted had to be hunted down
వాడికె సుగ్రీవుమేలు వాలికి గండాన వచ్చె	A friendly agreement with Sugreev became serious danger for Vaali.
యీడుగాని రాచపుట్టు యెట్టు నమ్మవచ్చును	How do can I believe that unmatched prince ( Lord Rama)

Literal Meaning:

O peerless one,
did your purpose lose its way?
Would you let Kaikeyi’s kingdom
slip into the shadow of sin? 

The golden deer Sita longed for—
could it not have been spared?
Was it fated only
to fall to the hunter’s arrow? 

And your bond with Sugriva—
was it true friendship,
or a silent path to Vaali’s end? 

Such are your tales,
woven in paradox and nuance…
Who can truly know
this Rama, the matchless?

 

Commentary:

Annamacharya still wonders—
Is truth itself a web of doubts?
Is there a way out of it?
Or is man forever trapped
in these endless snares? 

He spares no one—
not the step mother,
nor her kingdom,
not the beloved wife,
nor her cherished desire,
not the friend,
nor the friend’s foe,
not even neutral Vali,

Then what is this mind that claims to “know”?
Is all this nothing but a grand drama?
Amidst these mysteries,
what truly stands peerless?
What is truly unparallel?

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Third Stanza:

వుమ్మడిఁ గోఁతులకూట ముదధికిఁ గట్లు వచ్చె

తమ్మునిబుద్ధి రావణుతల వోయను

పమ్మి శ్రీవేంకటేశుని పట్టానకే యింతానాయ

యిమ్ముల నిట్టిదేవరనెట్టు నమ్మవచ్చును      ॥నూఁతు॥

 

vummaDi gOtulakUTa mudadhiki gaTlu vachche

tammunibuddhi rAvaNutala vOyanu

pammi SrIvEMkaTESuni paTTAnakE yiMtAnAya

yimmula niTTidEvaraneTTu nammavachchunu          ॥nUtu॥ 

Telugu Phrase	Meaning
వుమ్మడిఁ గోఁతులకూట ముదధికిఁ గట్లు వచ్చె	The groups of monkeys joining hands to build barriers to the sea.
తమ్మునిబుద్ధి రావణుతల వోయను	Vibhishana revealed the secret bringing downfall of his brother Ravan
పమ్మి శ్రీవేంకటేశుని పట్టానకే యింతానాయ	All this clamour, spectacle is for climbing of the throne by Lord Venkateswar
యిమ్ముల నిట్టిదేవరనెట్టు నమ్మవచ్చును	How can I believe this Lord appearing in numerous forms.

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Literal Meaning: 

What to say!
When the hordes of monkeys joined together,
they even built a bridge across the ocean! 

And with just the counsel of his own brother Vibhishana,
Ravana’s head was brought low—
a secret of the house became Lanka’s ruin. 

Was all this spectacle,
this clamour and grandeur,
only to finally seat Venkateshwara
upon the throne? 

A deity who appears in so many forms—
how can one truly believe Him?

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Implied Meaning:

(Here, ఉధధి (= the ocean) symbolizes the mind, కోతి (= the monkey) represents desire, and తమ్మునిబుద్ధి (= the younger brother’s counsel) stands for the inner secret or the mystery of the self.) 

Desire like a monkey leaps,
the sea, a mind without rest.
These monkeys build their walls,
blocking the light of knowing. 

Secrets hidden deep within
drag down the noblest climb,
turn effort into its own fall—
a path to man’s undoing. 

And all this stir, this endless noise,
just to say, “I know Venkateshwara!”
But tell me—
after all this,
can one truly say, “I know Him”? 

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Commentary:

This kirtana, though touched with gentle humour,
uncovers profound truths.
It shows how man’s actions,
however well-meant,
often twist and turn awry.

Through Rama’s avatar,
Annamacharya lays bare
the highs and lows,
the paradoxes and contradictions of life.

Unless the inner secret is unravelled—
this body, this fragile identity—
the divine can never be truly known.

For divine harmony
lies beyond all contradictions,
mysterious, transcendent.

In truth—
those who boldly claim, “I know God,”
what do they truly know?

And the one who knows,
simply trusts,
remains silent—
“does he not, in truth,
know God?”

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SYNOPSIS of the POEM 

The keertana playfully questions Rama’s actions,

revealing life’s paradoxes and contradictions.

 

It shows how even noble deeds

can twist into unintended consequences.

 

Through gentle humour, it reflects on desire, duty,

and the traps of human understanding.

Monkeys symbolize restless desires,

the sea the unfathomable mind,

are barriers that cloud truth.

 

It hints that without unravelling the secret of the self,

the divine remains unknown. 

Those who loudly claim “I know God” may know nothing at all. 

True knowing lies in trust, silence,

and transcending the considerations of good and bad.

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