TALLAPAKA ANNAMACHARYULU
259 చదివి చదివి వట్టి జాలిఁబడు టింతేకాని
(cadivi
cadivi vaṭṭi jāliṃ̐baḍu ṭiṃtēkāni)
తెలుగులో చదవడానికి ఇక్కడ నొక్కండి.
Introduction
This song is explosive. The fifteenth-century poet Annamacharya’s vision is simply unfathomable — immeasurable. Reading this, one feels that even the seas are shallow. No other poet has written about the human dilemma with such piercing accuracy, nailing our behaviour with unerring precision. Here, he brings the fundamental questions that have haunted humanity for ages straight into the heart of the reader.
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అధ్యాత్మ సంకీర్తన
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Philosophical Poem
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రేకు: 321-4 సంపుటము: 4-121
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Copper
Plate: 321-4 Vol:
4-121
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చదివి
చదివి వట్టి జాలిఁబడు టింతేకాని
యెదుట
నిన్ను గానఁగ నితరుల వశమా ॥పల్లవి॥ ఆకాశముపొడవు
ఆకాశమే యెరుఁగు
ఆకడ జలధిలోఁతు
ఆ జలధే యెరుఁగు
శ్రీకాంతుఁడ
నీ ఘనము చేరి నీవే యెరుఁగుదు-
నీకడ నింతంతన
నితరుల వశమా ॥చదివి॥ నదులయిసుకలెల్ల
నదులే యెరుఁగును
కదలి గాలియిరవు
గాలికే తెలుసు
అదన నాత్మగుణము
లంతరాత్మ నీవెరుగు-
దిదియదియనిచెప్ప
నితరులవశమా ॥చదివి॥ శ్రీవేంకటేశ
యిన్నిచింతలకు మొదలు
యీ నీ
శరణంటే యిటు నీవే యెరిగింతు
దైవమా
నీ కల్పనలు తగ నీవే యెరుఁగుదు-
వీవల నౌఁగాదన
నితరుల వశమా ॥చదివి॥
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cadivi cadivi vaṭṭi jāliṃ̐baḍu ṭiṃtēkāni
yeduṭa ninnu gānaṃ̐ga nitarula vaśamā ॥pallavi॥ ākāśamupoḍavu ākāśamē yeruṃ̐gu
ākaḍa jaladhiloṃ̐tu ā jaladhē yeruṃ̐gu
śrīkāṃtuṃ̐ḍa nī ghanamu cēri nīvē yeruṃ̐gudu-
nīkaḍa niṃtaṃtana nitarula vaśamā ॥cadivi॥ nadulayisukalella nadulē yeruṃ̐gunu
kadali gāliyiravu gālikē telusu
adana nātmaguṇamu laṃtarātma nīverugu-
didiyadiyaniceppa nitarulavaśamā ॥cadivi॥ śrīvēṃkaṭēśa yinniciṃtalaku modalu
yī nī śaraṇaṃṭē yiṭu nīvē yerigiṃtu
daivamā nī kalpanalu taga nīvē yeruṃ̐gudu-
vīvala nauṃ̐gādana
nitarula vaśamā ॥cadivi॥
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Details
and Discussions:
Chorus (Pallavi):
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Telugu
Phrase
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Meaning
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చదివి
చదివి వట్టి జాలిఁబడు టింతేకాని
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O people:
You keep reading more and more. Yet, this leads only to self-pity (of your
pitiable condition)
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యెదుట
నిన్ను గానఁగ నితరుల వశమా |
O Lord:
While you are ever present in front of all, for others (who are not aligned
with you), is it possible to ‘SEE YOU” (in the heart)
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Literal Meaning:
Interpretative Notes:
Direct
Rebuke to the Public: Annamacharya, unlike a saint, speaks
here in a stern tone. He says: “Reading endlessly is futile if it does not
bring you face to face with the Divine within.”
Self-Pity as the Outcome our study: The word జాలి (=pity) is crucial — not just sorrow, but the pitiable condition of one who has wasted life in vain efforts. Endless study leads only to the realization of one’s emptiness. This leads to self-pity, not God.
The Lord Is Always Present just before you: The paradox is piercing. God is “before you (యెదుట నిన్ను)” (within your heart, in every breath). Yet you run after books, teachers, rituals, searching elsewhere.
Parallel with Jiddu Krishnamurti:
Jiddu would tell seekers: “Isn’t silence better than questions? If you are
really quiet, then you have love and beauty.”
- Both voices reject accumulation of second-hand
knowledge.
- Both insist that Truth cannot be imported from
“others.”
- Both urge inward stillness as the only way to encounter Reality.
The Core Message:
Unless one is truly oneself — free from borrowed authority — one cannot see
God. Knowledge without direct seeing is not only useless, but also tragic.
Deeper, Implied Sense
యెదుట
నిన్ను can be read as “before me I see You (the Lord)” —
Annamacharya testifying to his own vision.
At the same time, నితరుల వశమా hints that while he sees the Lord directly, others around him only see Annamacharya, not the Lord. They are misled by the outer form (the saint, the words, the ritual), and not by what he is pointing to.
This ties back beautifully to the previous poem (258) where he
said: తనిసి యలమేల్మంగఁ దాళిఁగా గట్టుకొనె / వెనుకొని యిదివో శ్రీవేంకటేశుఁడు
“I
am Alamelumanga, a symbol for the Lord; behind me stands the Lord.”
To
the world’s eyes, it looks like Annamacharya is speaking. But in truth, he
is the witness of the Lord’s presence.
Connection with Salvador Dalí’s Surreal Painting Dreams on a Beach:
On the seashore, a veiled statue stands on a rock pedestal, always on the verge of collapse. A bamboo pole juts out, with rags hanging — stretched as if to provide balance, but in the wrong direction. Instead of stability, it deepens instability.
Veil = The illusion of knowing — we think we understand, yet Truth remains hidden.
Bamboo & Rags = Misguided effort — our struggle in the
wrong direction only worsens imbalance.
Message of the Painting
All our attempts to secure stability in an unstable life are misguided.
Trying to stabilize the unstable is folly.
Wisdom lies in accepting instability as it is — and knowing that the veil falls
away not by effort but by inner seeing.
Thus,
reading and striving without firsthand knowledge leads only to sorrow.
Addendum: The Danger of Second-Hand Knowledge
The knowledge acquired from books or from others’ words is always second-hand or indirect. Only what is gained through your own direct seeing and understanding becomes first-hand knowledge. Both Annamacharya and Jiddu Krishnamurti warned against depending on borrowed truth. Both refused to play the role of a guru, urging people instead to discover for themselves.
Take
the Bhagavad Gita as an example: most people repeat what a commentator
has said, instead of trying to understand the text directly. This tendency must
be curbed. Dictionaries and study can give the literal meaning, but the deeper
sense arises only when we join our own observations and reflections. True
understanding blossoms only when we see directly — not when we lean on
the authority of another.
First Stanza:
ఆకాశముపొడవు
ఆకాశమే యెరుఁగు
జలధిలోతు ఆ జలధే యెరుఁగు
భువనంబు విస్తారంబు భువనమే యెరుఁగు
దేహంబు నెత్తురు దేహమే యెరుఁగు ॥చదివి॥
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Telugu
Phrase
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Meaning
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ఆకాశముపొడవు
ఆకాశమే యెరుఁగు –.
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The length of
the sky—only the sky knows.
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జలధిలోతు
ఆ జలధే యెరుఁగు –.
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The depth of the
ocean—only the ocean knows.
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భువనంబు
విస్తారంబు భువనమే యెరుఁగు
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The vastness of
the world—only the world knows.
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దేహంబు
నెత్తురు దేహమే యెరుఁగు –
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The blood in the
body—only the body knows.
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Literal Meaning:
The length
of the sky—only the sky knows.
The depth of the ocean—only the ocean knows.
The vastness of the world—only the world knows.
The blood in the body—only the body knows.
Interpretative Notes:
Here, Annamacharya presents a revolutionary insight.
We normally call the sky, ocean, world, and body as “inert” matter, lifeless
objects.
But he crosses that boundary. He says
The sky knows its length.
The ocean knows its depth.
The world knows its spread.
The body knows its blood.
This means everything we see is alive with awareness.
What we divide as “living” and “non-living” is only a line drawn by our limited
mind.
At the level of truth, all is one, all is consciousness.
This is
direct, first-hand knowledge. We measure the sky, we calculate the sea’s depth
— but that is effort - indirect knowing. Annamacharya here speaks from a state where the
sky itself reveals its measure, the ocean its depth. Knowledge is not an effort
of curiosity, but an immediate awareness already present.
Parallel with Jiddu Krishnamurti:
Krishnamurti too said: “The division we create is the problem.”
Life and death, animate and inanimate — these opposites are our inventions.
Truth lies in the dissolution of division.
When the mind is silent, one sees directly — not a dead object, but living
presence in everything.
Parallel with the Bhagavad Gita:
सर्वभूतेषु येनैकं भावमव्ययमीक्षते |
अविभक्तं विभक्तेषु तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि
सात्त्विकम् || 18-20||
sarva-bhūteṣu yēnaikaṁ bhāvam avyayam īkṣatē
avibhaktaṁ vibhaktēṣu tat jñānaṁ viddhi sāttvikam (18.20)
“O Arjuna! That knowledge by which one sees the imperishable reality in all beings, undivided amidst division — know that to be sāttvic (pure).”
Like this
verse, Annamacharya too speaks of a vision where the apparently divided
universe is revealed as indivisible. It is a state where the split between
conscious and inert, life and non-life, collapses into unity.
Message to
Humanity: As long as we see the world as lifeless matter, it remains
separate from us. But once the inner consciousness touches the universal
consciousness, the sky, ocean, earth, body — all are alive. In that moment, the
distinction between life and death vanishes.
Second Stanza:
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Telugu
Phrase
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Meaning
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నదులయిసుకలెల్ల
నదులే యెరుఁగును
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The sands of the rivers—only the rivers know.
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కదలి గాలియిరవు
గాలికే తెలుసు
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The movement of wind—only the wind knows.
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అదన నాత్మగుణము
లంతరాత్మ నీవెరుగు-
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The qualities of the soul—only the Inner Self knows.
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దిదియదియనిచెప్ప
నితరులవశమా
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How can another ever explain these to you
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Literal Meaning:
The sands of the rivers—only the rivers know.
The movement of wind—only the wind knows.
The qualities of the soul—only the Inner Self knows.
How can another ever explain these to you?
Interpretative notes:
Here Annamacharya goes one step further.
No one else can tell you who you are.
No book, no teacher, no ritual can give this.
Truth about the Self is never second-hand.
This is a stern rebuke: “Endless
reading only leads to self-pity. Unless you see directly, you remain ignorant.”
Directness of Knowledge:
This verse is about the impossibility of substitution.
You cannot know hunger by watching someone eat.
You cannot know the fragrance of a flower through description.
And you cannot know the Self through others’ words.
This is why Annamacharya insists: unless
you are yourself, you cannot see God.
Parallel with Jiddu Krishnamurti:
Krishnamurti would often say:
“Truth is a pathless land. No one can lead you to it.”
He warned against dependence on gurus, scriptures, or tradition.
Knowledge of the Self must come through direct seeing, not explanation.
Annamacharya, five centuries earlier,
says exactly the same:
Others cannot tell you “What you are.”
Only the Inner Dweller (అంతరాత్మ) knows.
Spiritual Message:
This stanza demolishes dependency.
The seeker must turn inward, with silence and clarity.
Otherwise, no number of accumulated words can cross the gap.
Third
Stanza:
శ్రీవేంకటేశ
యిన్నిచింతలకు మొదలు
యీ నీ శరణంటే యిటు నీవే యెరిగింతు
దైవమా నీ కల్పనలు తగ నీవే యెరుఁగుదు
వీవల నౌఁగాదన నితరుల వశమా ॥ చదివి ॥
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Telugu
Phrase
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Meaning in English
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శ్రీవేంకటేశ
యిన్నిచింతలకు మొదలు యీ
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O Lord Venkatesa! I understand I am the one entangling into
troubles from the beginning.
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నీ
శరణంటే యిటు నీవే యెరిగింతు
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I Just have
to take your refuge. You will make me learn to overcome that.
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దైవమా
నీ కల్పనలు తగ నీవే యెరుఁగుదువు |
O Lord! No
one knows your game and plans. You only know it.
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ఈవల
నౌఁగాదన నితరుల వశమా
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We are
standing on this side, have no choice of saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’. we simply must
comply.
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Plain Prose Meaning:
O Lord
Venkatesa! I understand I am the origin my human anxieties. Taking Your refuge
means that even the fruit of that surrender lies only with You. Your designs
and plans — only You know them. “Yes” or “no” — we cannot pronounce, nor can
anyone else; they happen beyond human involvement.
Interpretative notes:
Here the letter ‘యీ’ has a special meaning. It is indicating in the normal sense “the one before”. However, here Annamacharya is indicating himself. Thus, the words ‘యిన్నిచింతలకు మొదలు యీ’ indicating that the thoughts have beginning in human mind. (not created by Lord).
This stanza is pointing toward inescapable reality that man has no choice – either fall into the illusions of the world or take refuse of the Lord. There is no middle path. Let us understand this thru a beautiful diagram made by Hilma Af Klint in 1915, known as SWAN No.9
In this painting, the seemingly opposite realities of birth and death are placed on either side of a dividing line. As the line moves from right to left, it gradually dissolves and merges into unity. This conveys that these opposites birth and death are, in truth, same in that state. Yet, in life, these divisions constantly pull us toward their side. To withstand their pull and remain in balance is the journey along that middle line. Life away from this line (either way) is ordinary and filled with illusion.
This vision perfectly resonates with Annamacharya’s words: the ultimate purpose of human life is to travel in union with Truth. Both Hilma af Klint and Annamacharya reveal the same insight in their own languages of art and poetry. (For adetailed explanation of Hilma af Klint’s painting, click here.)
Hilma painted Swan No. 9 around 1915, long before Jiddu Krishnamurti began publicly articulating his ideas (mostly after 1929).
However, Annamacharya five centuries earlier, was already intuitively breaking the boundary of duality and pointing to unity thru direct experience.
This shows
that Annamacharya’s insight is not an isolated spiritual claim. Across cultures
and centuries, people who touch direct experience (first-hand knowledge)
express the same truth, each in their own parlance.
“Do not
waste life chasing theories or second-hand interpretations. Approach life as if
you are touching it for the very first time, seeing the world as though anew —
fresh, honest, unconditioned. In that innocence, let the Divine within you be
revealed.”
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