Architecture
of “I”
INTRODUCTION
In a world woven with delicate threads,
every living being rises, moves, and rests
held by an unseen harmony.
Nothing stands alone;
nothing lives abandoned.
But man, restless in his cleverness,
forgets this quiet balance.
He intervenes where no hand is needed—
at the level of seed and soil,
bacteria and breath,
shaping the world to fit his own desires
instead of seeing what is already sustained.
Annamacharya turns our gaze back
to this subtle order of life—
the sacred rhythm that moves
without our interference.
His words invite us
to unlearn the haste,
to see life without clouded intention,
and to stand once again
in the truth that nurtures all.
Skeletal guide to the poem:
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అధ్యాత్మ కీర్తన |
Philosophical
Poem |
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రేకు: 240-1 సంపుటము: 3-227 |
Copper Plate: 240-1 Vol: 3-227 |
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ధర నీవే తల్లియును దండ్రియువై యుండఁగాను యిరవుగ నెవ్వరూ వహించుకోనేమిటికి ॥పల్లవి॥ పుట్టిన జీవులు తొల్లి భువిపై ననేకులు అట్టె వారి చరితలు ననేకములు వట్టిజాలిఁ దమతమవారలంటాఁ దలఁచుక బట్టబయలే నానాభావాలఁ బొందుదురు ॥ధర॥ సరవి నందరుఁ జేసే సంసారములు పెక్కు సిరులవారి గుణాలు చేష్టలు పెక్కు అరసి తమవారితో నవి యెల్లాఁ జెప్పుకొంటా దరినుండే వగరించి తమకింపుచుందురు ॥ధర॥ వడినెన్నైవాఁ గలవు వావు లెంచి చూచుకొంటే గడియించే పదార్థాలు కలవెన్నైనా యెడయక శ్రీవేంకటేశ నీదయ గలిగితే జడియక నీదాసులు సంతసమందుదురు ॥ధర॥
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dhara nīvē talliyunu daṃḍriyuvai yuṃḍaṃ̐gānu yiravuga nevvarū vahiṃcukōnēmiṭiki ॥pallavi॥ puṭṭina jīvulu tolli bhuvipai nanēkulu aṭṭe vāri caritalu nanēkamulu vaṭṭijāliṃ̐ damatamavāralaṃṭāṃ̐ dalaṃ̐cuka baṭṭabayalē nānābhāvālaṃ̐ boṃduduru ॥dhara॥ saravi naṃdaruṃ̐ jēsē saṃsāramulu pekku sirulavāri guṇālu cēṣṭalu pekku arasi tamavāritō navi yellāṃ̐ jeppukoṃṭā darinuṃḍē vagariṃci tamakiṃpucuṃduru ॥dhara॥ vaḍinennaivāṃ̐ galavu vāvu leṃci cūcukoṃṭē gaḍiyiṃcē padārthālu kalavennainā yeḍayaka śrīvēṃkaṭēśa nīdaya galigitē jaḍiyaka nīdāsulu saṃtasamaṃduduru ॥dhara॥
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Telugu
Phrase
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Meaning
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ధర నీవే తల్లియును దండ్రియువై యుండఁగాను
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When You—the Divine—are already the Mother and Father of
this world
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యిరవుగ నెవ్వరూ వహించుకోనేమిటికి
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why should humans
attempt to assume that place?
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Literal Meaning:
Implied
Meaning:
Interpretative Notes:
In this Pallavi, Annamacharya points to a fundamental truth: this vast and interconnected world is sustained by a subtle, precise balance. Every entity—living or non-living, big or small, visible or invisible— exists and thrives within the protection of that divine order.
For Annamacharya, no creature in this universe is neglected or abandoned. Each form of life occupies its rightful place in the larger harmony of creation. Human beings, however, intervene before they understand this natural equilibrium.
Driven by a sense of their own
importance, they impose themselves upon the world—and in doing so, generate
problems that never existed. Their desires, priorities, and conveniences become
the measure of all things, turning everything else into a hindrance.
The Core Misconception
Believing themselves superior, humans even “permit” other creatures to live— a false benevolence born of ego. All of this springs from one misconception: the illusion that creation requires human correction.
But creation is already guided by an
unseen, self-sustaining principle. Nature is not waiting for human wisdom; it
unfolds through divine intelligence. Human ignorance—wrapped in ambition—makes
this harmony more complex, not better.
Annamacharya’s
question carries the force of a warning:
“When God is truly the parent of all
existence, why do humans try to occupy that place? Why this haste to alter a
world they do not understand?” This Pallavi sets the theme for the entire
composition: To ‘fix’ a world already sustained by divine care is not wisdom—it
is ego.
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Telugu
Phrase
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Meaning
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పుట్టిన జీవులు తొల్లి భువిపై ననేకులు
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For long countless forms of life arise on this earth.
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అట్టె వారి చరితలు ననేకములు
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similarly, their histories are also countless.
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వట్టిజాలిఁ దమతమవారలంటాఁ దలఁచుక
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(వట్టి = శూన్యము, empty; వట్టిజాలిఁ = లేని జాలిని
పొందు, feels pity without appropriate reason) Without
basis he feels attaches to his family, tribe, area, country
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బట్టబయలే నానాభావాలఁ బొందుదురు
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Plainly, Openly many emotions arise from this
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“For countless ages, countless forms of life have
arisen on this earth. Likewise, their histories and journeys are innumerable. Out
of inner emptiness, man baselessly imagines belonging to his family, caste,
region, and country. From this, openly and plainly, endless emotions and
disturbances arise.”
“అట్టె వారి చరితలు ననేకములు”
(“Their stories, though, are countless”)
Though the Divine is man’s only essential
relationship,
Out of inability to recognize this, he feels helpless and incomplete.
So he constructs associations—
emotional, social, familial, political—
until parents, clan, region, and nation
begin to define his identity.
Thus begins the movement
from being nothing in particular
to becoming something in imagination.
వట్టిజాలిఁ దమతమవారలంటాఁ దలఁచుక
(creates relationships out of emptiness of self)
(వట్టి vatti = empty; వట్టిజాలిఁ vattijāliṁ = baseless (self) pity)
This is the central insight of the stanza &poem.
From the ache of inner loneliness—
man constructs doctrines, religions, ideologies:
Thus emptiness is a psychological trap.
Pressed by time, culture, and collective thought,
man mistakes his own fragile emotions for universal truth
and loses sight of the vast reality beyond them..
“బట్టబయలే నానాభావాలఁ బొందుదురు”
“Plainly, openly many emotions arise from this”
Once the mind takes a wrong turn, the rest
follows inevitably.
The turmoil we see—
wars, divisions, and desperate cries—
is born from this inner confusion.
Annamacharya points us to a fundamental insight:
Life is a vast flowing movement;
our emotions are temporary dams.
When the time comes, the dams break—
along with their associations—
and truth shines again.
This is what Gita confirms:
अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि
व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत |
अव्यक्तनिधनान्येव तत्र का परिदेवना || 2-28||
“Beings are unmanifest in the beginning, manifest
in the middle,
and unmanifest again in the end—so why lament?” (2.28)
Essence
The Divine is not responsible for humanity’s
confusion.
We build imaginary fortresses—and then get trapped inside them.
Democracy shattered old fortresses;
spiritual clarity shatters the inner ones.
True freedom emerges when the castles of imagination collapse.
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A Comparative table with Buddha’s Dependent
Origination) Buddha’s
Pratītya-samutpāda Both converge on the same psychological and
existential diagnosis |
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Annamacharya ⇒ Centres the Divine Order |
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Aspect |
Annamacharya’s View |
Buddha’s Pratītya-samutpāda |
Common Insight |
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Foundational Order |
“ధర నీవే తల్లియును
దండ్రియువై యుండఁగాను” — the Divine Order
silently sustains creation; no being is truly alone. |
Dhamma-nīyama / natural causal
order governs everything; nothing arises independently. |
The world functions
through deep interdependence. |
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Root of Error |
“యిరవుగ నెవ్వరూ
వహించుకోనేమిటికి” — out of ego, humans
place themselves in the seat of the Divine and interfere. |
Avijjā (ignorance) misreads
reality and constructs false structures. |
Ignorance / ego is the
source of confusion. |
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Nature of Self-Deception |
“వట్టిజాలిఁ
దమతమవారలంటాఁ దలఁచుక”— from the pain of feeling isolated, one invents
identities: family, caste, group, region, nation. |
Identities (“I,”
“mine,” “our people”) arise from taṇhā (craving) and upādāna (clinging). |
Identities are mental
fabrications. |
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Expansion of Constructed Feelings |
“బట్టబయలే
నానాభావాలఁ బొందుదురు” — these feelings expand
into stories, factions, conflicts. |
Causal chains generate
countless mental births and formations. |
Wrong perception → complex mental
constructions. |
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Social Consequence |
These mental structures
grow into violence, division, and turmoil. |
Causality perpetuates
dukkha (suffering); both individual and society are harmed. |
Mental delusion → social suffering. |
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Seat of the Ultimate Order |
Creation is protected
by the Divine; human interference is unnecessary. |
There is no creator;
Dhamma itself is the order and justice. |
What runs the world is
not human will — but a deeper order. |
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Path to Freedom |
Letting go of ego and
recognizing the Divine Order. |
Ending avijjā through insight into
impermanence and releasing craving. |
First step: Calm and Composed
mind |
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Final Teaching |
“Trying to fix a world
held in divine care is ego.” |
“Trying to alter a
causally-governed world through blind interference is ignorance.” |
Ego and avijjā are the same — the
root of disorder. |
Second
Stanza:
సరవి నందరుఁ జేసే సంసారములు పెక్కు
సిరులవారి గుణాలు చేష్టలు పెక్కు
అరసి తమవారితో నవి యెల్లాఁ జెప్పుకొంటా
దరినుండే వగరించి తమకింపుచుందురు ॥ధర॥
saravi
naṃdaruṃ̐ jēsē saṃsāramulu pekku
sirulavāri
guṇālu cēṣṭalu pekku
arasi
tamavāritō navi yellāṃ̐ jeppukoṃṭā
darinuṃḍē
vagariṃci tamakiṃpucuṃduru ॥dhara॥
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Telugu
Phrase |
Meaning |
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సరవి నందరుఁ జేసే సంసారములు పెక్కు |
(సరవి=
Order) When seen with appropriate order one can observe,
people lead many lives in various planes. |
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సిరులవారి గుణాలు
చేష్టలు పెక్కు |
The qualities and
engagements of the wealthy are (observed by many) |
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అరసి తమవారితో నవి యెల్లాఁ జెప్పుకొంటా |
Carefully noted and discussed
in detail |
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దరినుండే వగరించి
తమకింపుచుందురు |
moving closer, they get
drawn in and fall into fascination. |
Literal Meaning:
Annamacharya describes the human mind
that has stepped aside from the Divine Order. On close observation, humans seem to live
in many layers at once. They watch the qualities and behaviours of the wealthy,
discuss them carefully with their own people, move even closer, and finally
fall into fascination and attachment.
Interpretative
Notes:
“సరవి నందరుఁ జేసే సంసారములు పెక్కు”
When
viewed in proper alignment,
one sees that people’s worldly lives
manifest in many forms.
This is the logical extension of the last
line of previous stanza.
“బట్టబయలే నానాభావాలఁ బొందుదురు” —
Openly, countless emotions arise.
Our inner world is fragmented in many
ways.
That is why we cannot concentrate.
Jiddu
Krishnamurti often talked of fragmentation
He described fragmentation as
an inner and outer division sustained by
thought,
accumulated knowledge, and psychological
fear.
అరసి తమవారితో నవి యెల్లాఁ జెప్పుకొంటా
దరినుండే వగరించి తమకింపుచుందురు
They carefully observe the wealthy,
discuss these impressions repeatedly with their own people,
move closer, imitate them,
and draw pleasure in that imitation.
Isn’t this our usual behaviour?
Third Stanza:
వడినెన్నైవాఁ గలవు వావు లెంచి చూచుకొంటే
గడియించే పదార్థాలు కలవెన్నైనా
యెడయక శ్రీవేంకటేశ నీదయ గలిగితే
జడియక నీదాసులు సంతసమందుదురు॥ధర॥
vaḍinennaivāṃ̐ galavu vāvu leṃci cūcukoṃṭē
gaḍiyiṃcē padārthālu kalavennainā
yeḍayaka śrīvēṃkaṭēśa nīdaya galigitē
jaḍiyaka nīdāsulu saṃtasamaṃduduru ॥dhara॥
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Telugu
Phrase |
Meaning |
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వడినెన్నైవాఁ గలవు వావు లెంచి చూచుకొంటే |
When one carefully
examines how one thing relates to another, |
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గడియించే పదార్థాలు
కలవెన్నైనా |
there seem to be
countless ways to quickly acquire material things. |
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యెడయక శ్రీవేంకటేశ నీదయ గలిగితే జడియక నీదాసులు సంతసమందుదురు |
But if one does not
abandon the Divine Order— |
Literal Meaning:
(In this final stanza, Annamacharya explains why
humans behave as they do and gently dismisses the chase for worldly acquisition
as rooted in craving.)
He notes that when people study the world and its relationships carefully, they
find many ways to accumulate wealth and possessions. Yet, if one does not turn
away from the Divine Order—if one rests in Venkatesha’s grace—His devotees
remain unafraid and find deep contentment.
Interpretative
notes:
వడినెన్నైవాఁ గలవు వావు లెంచి చూచుకొంటే
గడియించే పదార్థాలు కలవెన్నైనా
“When one examines how one thing relates
to another…”
Here, Annamacharya reveals a profound
psychological truth.
The human mind constantly links one thought with another,
one desire with another,
one object with another—
weaving a chain of meanings and conclusions.
Through these mental linkages,
we figure out ways to accumulate wealth, security, and status.
Annamacharya recognizes this with remarkable clarity.
He is not condemning intelligence;
he is observing how the mind constructs material success.
But he also points out the root of this
impulse:
It all arises from craving.
యెడయక శ్రీవేంకటేశ నీదయ గలిగితే
“If one does not abandon the Divine
Order…”
Here the poem takes a deeper turn.
To “abandon the Divine Order” means
to step away from the intrinsic harmony of life—
the subtle balance that sustains the world
and the inner poise that sustains our mind.
Annamacharya’s point is simple but
radical:
Craving disrupts the natural order.
Grace restores it.
“Those who hold Your grace are unafraid…”
Why unafraid?
Because the greatest fear is not of the
world, but of inner change.
Annamacharya points to the real source of
fear:
It is not fear of losing wealth.
It is fear of losing the self we have built—
a self constructed from
sensory memories,
accumulated desires,
mental associations,
and emotional conditioning.
This “self” feels real only because
it has been built piece by piece
from birth.
To let go of it feels like dying.
That is why Annamacharya uses the phrase “జడియక”—
not fearing that inner dissolution,
not resisting the transformation.
This is the death of the constructed “I.”
“Groundless, hollow self-pity diverts human beings
from the world’s subtle and natural harmony.
To discern the contours of this unsupported emotion
is the way to end suffering.”
X-X-The END-X-X
