305 evvarivāṃ̐ḍō yeraṃ̐garādu (ఎవ్వరివాఁడో యెఱఁగరాదు)

 TALLAPAKA ANNAMACHARYULU

305 ఎవ్వరివాఁడో యెఱఁగరాదు

(evvarivāṃ̐ḍō yeraṃ̐garādu)

తెలుగులో చదవడానికి ఇక్కడ నొక్కండి.

INTRODUCTION

ఎవ్వరివాఁడో యెఱఁగరాదు —

“Know not who the embodied belongs to” —

We truly do not know to whom this living being belongs.

Annamacharya simply places this fact before us.

Yet the mind, conditioned by the need for certainty,

does not accept this.

Where knowledge is denied, it intensifies its effort to know.

That is our natural tendency.

And that very effort is the real misstep.

In this kīrtana, Annamacharya does not invite us

to discover who we belong to.

He questions the urge to discover itself.

Our habit is to divide life into two worlds —

this world and the other;

here and beyond.

He does not accept that division.

This is not a story of two worlds.

It is a play of light and shadow appearing within what is already one.

In that play, the human being imagines himself to be a role —

and then assigns that role ownership, meaning, and destination.

Annamacharya does not stop this attempt.

He simply places it before us.

There is no instruction here.

There is no consolation.

Only a quiet seeing of where we misunderstand ourselves.

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అధ్యాత్మ​ సంకీర్తన

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ఎవ్వరివాఁడో యెఱఁగరాదు అవ్వలివ్వలి జీవుఁ డాటలో పతిమే    ॥ఎవ్వరి॥ ధర జనించక తొలుత తనుఁ గానరాదు మరణమందిన వెనక మఱి కానరాదు వురువడి దేహముతో నుండినయన్నాళ్లే మరలు జీవునిబదుకు మాయవో చూడ             ॥ఎవ్వరి॥ యిహములో భోగించు నిందుఁ గొన్నాళ్లు మహిమ పరలోకమున మలయుఁ గొన్నాళ్లు తహతహలఁ గర్మబంధములఁ దగిలినయపుడే అహహ దేహికిఁ బడుచులాటవో బదుకు            ॥ఎవ్వరి॥ సంతానరూపమై సాగు ముందరికి కొంత వెనకటిఫలము గుడువఁ దాఁ దిరుగు యింతటికి శ్రీవేంకటేశుఁ డంతర్యామి బంతి నితనిఁ గన్న బదుకువో బదుకు              ॥ఎవ్వరి॥

PHILOSOPHICAL POEM

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evvarivāṃ̐ḍō ye\raṃ̐garādu avvalivvali jīvuṃ̐ ḍāṭalō patimē          ॥evvari॥ dhara janiṃcaka toluta tanuṃ̐ gānarādu maraṇamaṃdina venaka ma\ri kānarādu vuruvaḍi dēhamutō nuṃḍinayannāḻlē maralu jīvunibaduku māyavō cūḍa    ॥evvari॥ yihamulō bhōgiṃcu niṃduṃ̐ gonnāḻlu mahima paralōkamuna malayuṃ̐ gonnāḻlu tahatahalaṃ̐ garmabaṃdhamulaṃ̐ dagilinayapuḍē ahaha dēhikiṃ̐ baḍuculāṭavō baduku              ॥evvari॥ saṃtānarūpamai sāgu muṃdariki koṃta venakaṭiphalamu guḍuvaṃ̐ dāṃ̐ dirugu yiṃtaṭiki śrīvēṃkaṭēśuṃ̐ ḍaṃtaryāmi baṃti nitaniṃ̐ ganna badukuvō baduku          ॥evvari॥

 Details and Discussions:

Chorus (Pallavi):

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పల్లవి: 

ఎవ్వరివాఁడో యెఱఁగరాదు

అవ్వలివ్వలి జీవుఁ డాటలో పతిమే ॥పల్లవి॥ 

evvarivāṃ̐ḍō ye\raṃ̐garādu

avvalivvali jīvuṃ̐ ḍāṭalō patimē ॥evvari॥ 

Telugu Phrase	Meaning
ఎవ్వరివాఁడో యెఱఁగరాదు	It cannot be known to whom this living being belongs
అవ్వలివ్వలి	That side–this side; here–beyond; seen–unseen
జీవుఁ డాటలో	In the play (shades or movement) of life
పతిమే	Only a figure; merely an image; a puppet

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Literal Meaning:

We do not truly know to whom this living being belongs. In the play between “that side” and “this side,” the individual is merely a figure.

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Interpretative Notes: 

“ఎవ్వరివాఁడో యెఱఁగరాదు” —

“We do not know, who the embodied belongs to”—

This world or beyond that?

This is not a mystical statement.

It is a factual observation.

However, mind accustomed to certainty, cannot tolerate this uncertainty

Before birth — we were not visible.

After death — we are not visible.

Now in between — we claim identity.

Human mind formed primarily security as the basis threatened by ambiguity

It wants ownership.

It wants definition.

It wants certainty.

That urge to define —

is the beginning of psychological movement.

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“అవ్వలివ్వలి”

We divide:

·       Here / Beyond

·       This world / Other world

·       Birth / Death

·       Visible / Invisible

Annamacharya does not accept two separate realms.

He points to a movement appearing as two.

It is one reality appearing as alternating phases —

like light and shadow.

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“పతిమే” — merely a figure

This is sharp.

The individual is not the owner of the play.

Not the director.

Not the author.

Just a formed appearance within movement.

The mind then adds:

·       A past

·       A future

·       A story

·       A purpose

·       A destination

The story creates continuity.

Continuity creates identity.

Identity carries fear within it.

Annamacharya does not argue against it.

He simply places the structure before us.

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Structural Core of the Pallavi

·       We do not know who we are in absolute terms.

·       The mind tries to establish identity.

·       That attempt itself becomes the “play.”

·       The individual (awareness) is only a formed appearance within that movement.

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First Stanza:

ధర జనించక తొలుత తనుఁ గానరాదు

మరణమందిన వెనక మఱి కానరాదు

వురువడి దేహముతో నుండినయన్నాళ్లే

మరలు జీవుని బదుకు మాయవో చూడ ॥ఎవ్వరి॥

dhara janiṃcaka toluta tanuṃ̐ gānarādu

maraṇamaṃdina venaka ma\ri kānarādu

vuruvaḍi dēhamutō nuṃḍinayannāḻlē

maralu jīvunibaduku māyavō cūḍa          ॥evvari॥

Telugu Phrase	Meaning
ధర జనించక తొలుత తనుఁ గానరాదు	Before birth, this body is not seen upon the earth
మరణమందిన వెనక మఱి కానరాదు	After death, it is no longer seen
వురువడి దేహముతో నుండినయన్నాళ్లే	(వురువడి =Violence, impetuosity, speed, haste) Only while this body exists in its restless, forceful, impetuous movement
మరలు జీవునిబదుకు మాయవో చూడ	Then look carefully — is this life of the individual not an illusion?

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Literal Meaning:

Before birth, the body is not visible. After death, it disappears again. Only during the period in which this body exists — driven by urgency and intensity — does life appear. Look closely: is not the life of the individual, then, an illusion?

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Interpretative Notes:

This stanza presents a stark observation.

Before birth — no body.

After death — no body.

Between the two — a brief appearance.

Life, as we know it, exists only within this narrow window.

But Annamacharya does not stop there.

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He qualifies the body as “vuruvadi” — not calm, not neutral, not serene.

It is:

·       driven

·       restless

·       forceful

·       urgent

·       impulsive

Life, as we experience it, is not a still presence.

Life is agitation in motion.

Desire pushes.

Fear reacts.

Identity defends.

Ambition accelerates.

Within this field of intensity, “life” feels solid and important.

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But the poet invites us to pause:

If life appears only during this brief, agitated interval —

what is its true nature?

He does not declare it unreal.

He does not preach renunciation.

He simply says:

“చూడ = Look.”

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The question — మాయవో చూడ māyavō chūḍa — is not a verdict.

It is an invitation to examine carefully.

Not philosophically.

Not theologically.

But directly.

Is what we call “my life” something permanent?

Or does it exist only within the turbulence of this temporary body?

The stanza does not answer.

It leaves the tension alive.

And that tension is deliberate.

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Second Stanza:

యిహములో భోగించు నిందుఁ గొన్నాళ్లు

మహిమ పరలోకమున మలయుఁ గొన్నాళ్లు

తహతహలఁ గర్మబంధములఁ దగిలినయపుడే

అహహ దేహికిఁ బడుచులాటవో బదుకు ॥ఎవ్వరి॥

yihamulō bhōgiṃcu niṃduṃ̐ gonnāḻlu

mahima paralōkamuna malayuṃ̐ gonnāḻlu

tahatahalaṃ̐ garmabaṃdhamulaṃ̐ dagilinayapuḍē

ahaha dēhikiṃ̐ baḍuculāṭavō baduku          ॥evvari॥

Telugu Phrase	Meaning
యిహములో భోగించు నిందుఁ గొన్నాళ్లు	The pleasures enjoyed in this world last only for a few days
మహిమ పరలోకమున మలయుఁ గొన్నాళ్లు	The glories of the other world also endure only for a while
తహతహలఁ గర్మబంధములఁ దగిలినయపుడే	When, through restless craving, one becomes entangled in bonds of action
అహహ దేహికిఁ బడుచులాటవో బదుకు	Ah! For the embodied one, is life then nothing but a child’s play?

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Literal Meaning:

Worldly pleasures last only for some time. Even heavenly glories are temporary. When, driven by restless craving, one becomes caught in karmic bonds — Ah! Does life become mere childish play for the embodied being?

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Interpretative Notes: 

The stanza begins with balance.

Worldly pleasure — temporary.

Otherworldly glory — also temporary.

The poet does not elevate one and dismiss the other.

Both are limited by time.

The division between “this world” and “the next” loses its weight here.

Both belong to the field of duration.

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Then comes the crucial word:

“తహతహ Tahataha.”

This is not simple desire.

It is burning urgency.

Restless impatience.

Inner agitation that cannot wait.

From this restlessness arise:

attachment,

action driven by compulsion,

consequences that bind.

“Karmabandha” here is not imposed from outside.

It is the tightening knot formed by craving itself.

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When entangled in this restlessness, something happens.

The poet does not accuse.

He does not condemn.

He says:

“Ahaha.”

This exclamation is essential.

It is not mockery.

It is not moral judgment.

It carries:

·       empathy,

·       helplessness to assist others,

·       quiet sorrow.

Then the image:

Life becomes like a child’s play.

In a child’s play:

·       intensity is real,

·       emotions are exaggerated,

·       seriousness feels absolute,

·       but everything shifts quickly. 

The child immerses fully.

Then forgets.

Moves to the next game.

So too the embodied being:

·       deeply invested,

·       emotionally consumed,

·       convinced of importance,

yet the child is constantly shifting from one preoccupation to another.

From within the game, everything appears grave.

From outside, it is play.

Annamacharya does not ridicule the human condition.

He exposes its structure gently.

Pleasure and heaven are temporary.

Restlessness binds.

And life — driven by that restlessness — becomes a series of emotional games.

He does not say “escape.”

He says — observe.

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Third Stanza:

సంతానరూపమై సాగు ముందరికి

కొంత వెనకటిఫలము గుడువఁ దాఁ దిరుగు

యింతటికి శ్రీవేంకటేశుఁ డంతర్యామి

బంతి నితనిఁ గన్న బదుకువో బదుకు              ॥ఎవ్వరి॥

saṃtānarūpamai sāgu muṃdariki

koṃta venakaṭiphalamu guḍuvaṃ̐ dāṃ̐ dirugu

yiṃtaṭiki śrīvēṃkaṭēśuṃ̐ ḍaṃtaryāmi

baṃti nitaniṃ̐ ganna badukuvō baduku ॥evvari॥ 

Telugu Phrase	Meaning
సంతానరూపమై సాగు ముందరికి	One stream continues forward in the form of continuity — offspring, impressions, tendencies, mental projections
కొంత వెనకటిఫలము గుడువఁ దాఁ దిరుగు	Some past results return and pull us back.
యింతటికి శ్రీవేంకటేశుఁ డంతర్యామి	Amidst this movement, there is an inner presence that underlies it all
బంతి నితనిఁ గన్న బదుకువో బదుకు	(బంతి = line, series)  To stand in that series of changes and perceive — that alone is life

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Literal Meaning:

One movement continues forward in the form of continuity. Other pulls us into the past in the form of results. There is an (unknown) indwelling presence within this entire movement. To stand within these sequences of happenings and perceive it — that is true life.

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Implied Meaning”

Life appears as a tension between projection into the future and pulls of past results. The human being is constantly pulled: forward by desire, ambition, continuation and backward by memory, conditioning, consequences. These forces do not allow stillness in the present. Yet, within this movement, there exists something that does not move with time. To recognize this — not as belief, not as doctrine, but as direct perception — is real living.

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Interpretative Notes: 

సంతానరూపమై సాగు ముందరికి

“One side it stretches” forward 

\This is not merely biological lineage. It refers to continuation:

·       psychological inheritance

·       personal ambition

·       emotional projection

·       identity extending itself

The mind always wants to continue. That continuation is the forward pull.

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 కొంత వెనకటిఫలము గుడువఁ దాఁ దిరుగు

“the Otherside he wants to enjoy the fruits of the past”

The past does not vanish. It reappears as:

·       reaction

·       habit

·       fear

·       unfinished residue

Even when we believe we are moving ahead, the past resurfaces and shapes the present. Thus, the present is not neutral. It is under pressure from both directions..

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యింతటికి శ్రీవేంకటేశుఁ డంతర్యామి

“For All this  Śrī Vēṅkaṭēśuḍu is Inner Dweller”\

Here, “Śrī Vēṅkaṭēśa” is introduced not as a theological solution.

It simply indicates:

That which is not part of the forward–backward movement.Not constructed by thought.

Not altered by time.

Not created by projection.

It is not described.

It is only pointed to.

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బంతి నితనిఁ గన్న బదుకువో బదుకు

“Staying in those alternating phases is life" 

“Banti” — a line, a sequence, a row.

The line of alternating movements.

To stand in that line without being carried away by it.

To see:

·       the forward push,

·       the backward pull,

without constructing identity from either —

That is life.

Not escape.

Not transcendence.

Not achievement.

Simply perception without narrative.

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Integration of  Stanzas with Pallavi

First stanza:

Life appears only between birth and death — see carefully.

Second stanza:

Driven by restlessness, life becomes childish play — see carefully.

Third stanza:

Caught between past and future, life pulls in two directions — stand and see.

All three stanzas point to one thing:

Not reform.

Not renunciation.

Not attainment.

But clarity.

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