315 ఎక్కడి పుట్టుగ లిఁక నెక్కడి మరణములు
(ekkaḍi puṭṭuga liṃ̐ka
nekkaḍi maraṇamulu)
INTRODUCTION
At first
hearing or reading this composition, one might easily conclude that
Annamacharya is merely repeating hollow philosophical talk. Moreover, in
keeping with the cultural conventions of his time, he freely employs devotional
imagery and mental pictures associated with the divine, which can further
strengthen that impression.
Yet the
reality appears quite different. Annamacharya seems to have touched a subtle
inner state and has expressed, in a natural manner, what he experienced there.
Speaking about philosophy is one thing; experiencing it is quite another. Those
who speak about it are many, but those who can speak from that rare experience
are few. In truth, the words of those who genuinely know the divine often sound
simple and mundane, while the words of those who do not know it tend to appear
more attractive and polished.
The human
intellect has a tendency to cling, like a magnet, to what it already knows and
its extensions. Because of this, the expressions in this composition may
initially seem ordinary. Yet, as stated in the Bhagavad Gita (2.69), what
appears as day to the world is night to the wise, and what appears as night to
the world is day to them. Without keeping this perspective in mind, statements
of this nature may easily be dismissed as inconsequential.
The poet’s
question in this composition— “Where are these births, and where indeed are
these deaths?”— may also be understood as asking a review of our habitual way
of seeing.
Progression
of the Song
Pallavi: Birth and death are not two entirely separate events.
First Stanza: Devotion becomes complete when the mind remains
steadily absorbed in the divine.
Second Stanza: Dependence on external supports gradually
diminishes.
Third Stanza: The grace of the divine spreads throughout the
entire being.
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అధ్యాత్మ
సంకీర్తన
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రేకు: 280-2
సంపుటము: 3-460
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ఎక్కడి పుట్టుగ లిఁక నెక్కడి మరణములు మిక్కిలి నీ ముద్రలు నా మేననున్న వివిగో ॥పల్లవి॥ కెరల పాపములకుఁ గెరల కర్మములకు హరి నీ నామము నోరనంటితేఁ జాలు నరకములేమి సేసు నా నేరమేమిసేసు నిరతి నా మతిలోన నీ వుండఁగాను ॥ఎక్క॥ చిక్క నింద్రియములకు చిక్కను బంధములకు చొక్కి హరి నీ మఱఁగు చొచ్చితిఁ జాలు మొక్కనేలే యెవ్వరికి మొరవెట్ట నేమిటికి నిక్కపు మా యిలువేల్పు నీవై వుండఁగా ॥ఎక్క॥ దగ్గరవు మాయలింక దగ్గరవు దుర్గుణాలు నిగ్గుల శ్రీవేంకటేశ నీవు గల్గఁగా యెగ్గులేదు తగ్గులేదు యిఁక నీదాసులలోన వుగ్గువలె నీప్రసాద మూనినది వొడల ॥ఎక్క॥
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PHILOSOPHICAL POEM
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Copper Plate: 280-2 Volume: 3-460
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ekkaḍi puṭṭuga liṃ̐ka nekkaḍi maraṇamulu mikkili nī mudralu nā mēnanunna vivigō ॥pallavi॥ kerala pāpamulakuṃ̐ gerala karmamulaku hari nī nāmamu nōranaṃṭitēṃ̐ jālu narakamulēmi sēsu nā nēramēmisēsu nirati nā matilōna nī vuṃḍaṃ̐gānu ॥ekka॥ cikka niṃdriyamulaku cikkanu baṃdhamulaku cokki hari nī ma\raṃ̐gu coccitiṃ̐ jālu mokkanēlē yevvariki moraveṭṭa nēmiṭiki nikkapu mā yiluvēlpu nīvai vuṃḍaṃ̐gā ॥ekka॥ daggaravu māyaliṃka daggaravu durguṇālu niggula śrīvēṃkaṭēśa nīvu galgaṃ̐gā yeggulēdu taggulēdu yiṃ̐ka nīdāsulalōna vugguvale nīprasāda mūninadi voḍala ॥ekka॥
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Chorus (Pallavi):
ఎక్కడి పుట్టుగ
లిఁక నెక్కడి మరణములు
మిక్కిలి
నీ ముద్రలు నా మేననున్న వివిగో ॥పల్లవి॥
ekkaḍi puṭṭuga liṃ̐ka nekkaḍi maraṇamulu
mikkili nī mudralu nā mēnanunna vivigō ॥pallavi॥
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Phrase
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Meaning
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ఎక్కడి పుట్టుగ లిఁక నెక్కడి మరణములు
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(The poet is not addressing a deity, but something within
himself that cannot easily be expressed.) Where then are these births, and
where are these deaths?
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మిక్కిలి నీ ముద్రలు నా మేననున్న వివిగో
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(మిక్కిలి = innumerable) Wherever I look, I see only your marks—within me and outside me, everywhere.
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Literal Meaning:
(The poet
is not addressing an external deity, but something within himself that cannot
easily be expressed.) Where then are these births, and where are these deaths?
Wherever I look, I see only your marks—within me and outside me, everywhere.
Interpretative Notes:
Where are
these births? Where are these deaths?” (“ఎక్కడి పుట్టుగ? ఎక్కడి మరణములు?”)
This
statement does not deny the physical reality of birth and death. In the
previous composition (poem#314), we observed that events occurring externally
and those occurring within the mind are not truly separate; they belong to the
same continuum.
Yet the
mind tends to hold on to one event and treat another as something entirely
different. Human beings fundamentally divide the inner world from the outer
world. This division is the root of many problems. The mind maintains this
separation because it seeks to preserve its own continuity.
Let us
therefore consider why the poet uses the phrase “your marks” (నీ ముద్రలు). A mudra means a mark or sign. As
mentioned in the earlier composition, the apparent distance between the inner
and outer realms dissolves. The poet now perceives these marks
everywhere—throughout his own being and in the world outside.
Recognizing
that everything he perceives belongs to a single underlying order, the poet
asks: “Where then are birth and death?” In other words, he questions the
mind’s tendency to treat birth and death as two entirely separate events.
Concluding
Observation
This
visible world is neither as simple as it appears nor as complex as it is made
out to be. The skill lies in seeing rightly. This is precisely what the Bhagavad
Gita states: “य: पश्यति
स पश्यति” — the one who sees in this manner truly sees.
First Stanza:
కెరల పాపములకుఁ
గెరల కర్మములకు
హరి నీ నామము
నోరనంటితేఁ జాలు
నరకములేమి
సేసు నా నేరమేమిసేసు
నిరతి నా
మతిలోన నీ వుండఁగాను ॥ఎక్క॥
kerala pāpamulakuṃ̐ gerala karmamulaku
hari nī nāmamu nōranaṃṭitēṃ̐ jālu
narakamulēmi sēsu nā nēramēmisēsu
nirati nā matilōna nī vuṃḍaṃ̐gānu ॥ekka॥
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Telugu Phrase
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Meaning
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కెరల పాపములకుఁ గెరల కర్మములకు
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(కెరల = to intensify, to expand, to
manifest strongly.) To the sins that arise vigorously and to the countless
actions accumulated.
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హరి నీ నామము నోరనంటితేఁ జాలు
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If the name of Hari merely touches the lips, that alone is
sufficient.
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నరకములేమి సేసు నా నేరమేమిసేసు
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What can the hells do? What can my sins do, however many
they may be?
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నిరతి నా మతిలోన నీ వుండఁగాను
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(నిరతి = unbroken, continuous.) When you remain in my mind with
unbroken intensity.
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Literal
Meaning:
O
Hari! If your name merely touches my lips, that alone is enough. What can the
hells do? What harm can my sins cause, however many they may be? When you
remain in my mind with unbroken intensity, the sins that arise in the body and
the countless accumulated actions lose their hold.
Interpretative Notes:
At
first glance, this stanza may appear to place the entire burden upon Hari, as
though the solution to the sins and actions accumulated so far lies merely in
uttering the divine name. But if we observe carefully, our words remain here
within this worldly plane. No matter how loudly we call, the words themselves
do not travel to the Hari who resides in the transcendental realm.
Although
Annamacharya initially expresses the idea in a seemingly simple manner—that
the name of Hari touching the lips is enough—the actual requirement is
revealed in the fourth line.
Key
Expression: The crucial phrase in this stanza is: “నిరతి నా మతిలోన నీ వుండఁగాను” This means: When
you remain in my mind with unbroken intensity. (The word నిరతి
must be carefully noted. It signifies continuity without interruption).
One
cannot hold Hari in the mind for a while and then return to worldly
preoccupations the next moment. To hold firmly to Hari without letting go is
not an easy matter. It requires an intensity of attention that leaves no room
for other thoughts. As mentioned in the earlier composition, the supreme cannot
manifest within us as long as attachment to the body persists.
Concluding
Reflection
Therefore,
Annamacharya has not suggested anything easy or superficial. He has simply
described what is. Trying to turn iron into gold is futile. Iron must first
recognise that it is iron.
Second
Stanza:
చిక్క నింద్రియములకు
చిక్కను బంధములకు
చొక్కి హరి
నీ మఱఁగు చొచ్చితిఁ జాలు
మొక్కనేలే
యెవ్వరికి మొరవెట్ట నేమిటికి
నిక్కపు
మా యిలువేల్పు నీవై వుండఁగా ॥ఎక్క॥
cikka niṃdriyamulaku cikkanu baṃdhamulaku
cokki hari nī ma\raṃ̐gu coccitiṃ̐ jālu
mokkanēlē yevvariki moraveṭṭa nēmiṭiki
nikkapu mā yiluvēlpu nīvai vuṃḍaṃ̐gā ॥ekka॥
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Telugu Phrase
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Meaning
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చిక్క నింద్రియములకు చిక్కను బంధములకు
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Without being caught in the senses or their attachments.
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చొక్కి హరి నీ మఱఁగు చొచ్చితిఁ జాలు
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(చొక్కి = in deep absorption or
rapture; మఱఁగు = under control.) In that state of
absorption, I have come under your sway, O Hari—that alone is enough.
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మొక్కనేలే యెవ్వరికి మొరవెట్ట నేమిటికి
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Why should I bow to anyone else? Why should I appeal to
anyone else?
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నిక్కపు మా యిలువేల్పు నీవై వుండఁగా
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(నిక్కపు = truly, in reality.) When
you yourself are the Lord dwelling in the hearts of us all.
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Literal
Meaning:
O Hari!
Without being entangled in the senses and their attachments, I have entered a
state of absorption and come under your sway—that alone is enough. When you
yourself dwell as the Lord in the hearts of all of us, why should I bow to
anyone else? Why should I appeal to anyone else?
Interpretative Notes:
The
expression “నిక్కపు మా యిలువేల్పు నీవై వుండఁగా” means: You
alone truly dwell in the hearts of all. While stating that the divine
resides in everyone’s heart, Annamacharya simultaneously conveys the essential
idea in the preceding line: “మొక్కనేలే యెవ్వరికి మొరవెట్ట నేమిటికి.”
In other
words, once the divine within the heart is discovered, there is no need to bow
before anyone else. This does not suggest arrogance; rather, it implies a
deeper humility grounded in truth and responsibility.
An
important point to note here is that, to know oneself, one must first
acknowledge one’s own frailties. There is no point in trying to become what one
is not. If one begins from this simple but unmistakable awareness, there is no
need to bow or appeal.
However, at
present we are all conditioned, and so are our actions. If we attempt to
exercise freedom in such a conditioned state, it inevitably begins to interfere
with the freedom of others. That is not freedom at all. Therefore, to attain
true freedom, one must surrender to Hari. Thus, we arrive at a paradox: “to
be free is to surrender”.
Consider
another poem by Annamacharya:
మొల్లలేలె
నాకు తన్నె ముడుచుకొమ్మనవె నేఁ
జెల్ల పూవు కొప్పుతావి చెంచుదానను ॥పల్లవి॥
Implied
Reflection
Here the
poet refuses outward embellishment. He suggests that no external
ornament—flowers, fragrance, or ritual—can conceal what one truly is. The human
condition, with all its limitations, remains what it is despite such coverings.
The
suggestion is simple but striking truth cannot be reached through decoration.
One must first see oneself as one is. Only then does transformation become
possible.
In this
sense, the poet is not asking for symbolic offerings, but for something more
fundamental—the presence of the divine itself. When that presence is realised,
what is impure is not covered or disguised; it dissolves naturally.
On the
phrase: చొక్కి హరి నీ మఱఁగు చొచ్చితిఁ జాలు: In the
previous composition, Annamacharya described a state that blends tenderness,
beauty, and grace—eternal— but hard to describe. Having glimpsed that state, he
gets absorbed and remains aligned with it. That is why he says “చిక్క
నింద్రియములకు చిక్కను బంధములకు”—that he no longer becomes entangled in the
senses and their attachments.
A Subtle
Indication
At a deeper
level, the poet seems to encourage devotees to exercise their own independent
perception in discovering Hari. Pre-established paths do not lead to this
discovery. (for example: Jiddu Krishnamurti’s axiom: Truth is a pathless land)
Even if one person follows the path taken by another, the same result cannot be
guaranteed.
Therefore,
it is natural for those who do not yet understand themselves to falter while
searching for Hari. What becomes essential here is the understanding of one’s
own nature (svadharma)—that is, recognizing what one truly is.
Third Stanza:
దగ్గరవు
మాయలింక దగ్గరవు దుర్గుణాలు
నిగ్గుల
శ్రీవేంకటేశ నీవు గల్గఁగా
యెగ్గులేదు
తగ్గులేదు యిఁక నీదాసులలోన
వుగ్గువలె
నీప్రసాద మూనినది వొడల ॥ఎక్క॥
daggaravu māyaliṃka daggaravu durguṇālu
niggula śrīvēṃkaṭēśa nīvu galgaṃ̐gā
yeggulēdu taggulēdu yiṃ̐ka nīdāsulalōna
vugguvale nīprasāda mūninadi voḍala ॥ekka॥
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Telugu Phrase
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Meaning
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దగ్గరవు మాయలింక దగ్గరవు దుర్గుణాలు |
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నిగ్గుల శ్రీవేంకటేశ నీవు గల్గఁగా
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Since you, O radiant Sri Venkateswara, are present
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యెగ్గులేదు తగ్గులేదు యిఁక నీదాసులలోన |
Among your devotees there is now neither fault nor
deficiency.
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వుగ్గువలె నీప్రసాద మూనినది వొడల
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(Uggu: a
medicinal mixture of castor oil and breast milk given to infants.) Just as uggu
spreads throughout a child’s body, your grace has spread throughout my entire
being.
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Literal Meaning:
O radiant
Sri Venkateswara! Since you are present, illusions and negative tendencies no
longer come near. Just as the Uggu medicine given to infants spreads
throughout their entire body, your grace has spread through my whole being.
Now, among your devotees there is neither fault nor deficiency.
Interpretative Notes:
The
substance called uggu is somewhat bitter and unpleasant in taste,
and it is not particularly agreeable to infants. Yet a mother administers it
for the child’s well-being. By saying that “the uggu has spread
throughout the body,” Annamacharya confirms the idea expressed earlier in
the pallavi: “మిక్కిలి నీ ముద్రలు నా మేననున్న వివిగో” —
that the marks or signs of the divine are present throughout his being.
Just
as the medicine may be bitter yet beneficial, surrendering the ego to the
divine may involve a measure of difficulty and discomfort. However, such
discomfort may ultimately be beneficial. Perhaps the poet’s intention here is
to suggest that these hardships should be endured, since they lead to a greater
good..
Post-Commentary
Reflection
One more
point is worth remembering here. The life we are currently leading—filled with
endless struggle and effort—can it truly be called life at all? Annamacharya
himself raises a similar question elsewhere:
“చాల నొవ్వి సేయునట్టి జన్మమేమి? మరణమేమి?”
What is the
use of living a life with great effort?
& How
is it different from death?
X-X-The
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