147R అదివో కనుఁగొను మది
యొకతె
(adivō kanuṃ̐gonu madi yokate)
INTRODUCTION
In this romantic poem, Annamacharya shows us
not merely how a person sees the world outside, but how his mind works
within that very world. We may think that we are simply responding to an
attraction. But, at the same time, our thoughts, desires, attachments, and
imaginings are also moving. A natural question therefore arises here: are we
seeing the world as it actually is, or the world created by the mind?
This is not limited to the experience of an
individual. All of us live, think, make decisions, and act within an
influenced field. The actions that arise from that field naturally have
their limitations. An action may solve a problem to some extent, but something
is always left over. That remainder calls for another thought, another
solution. This process continues throughout human life.
That is why this poem is important. It
places before us the influenced field in which the human being exists, and
from which problems arise. From personal relationships to the knowledge,
methods, and systems created by human beings, all emerge from this field.
Annamacharya does not present this as a theory.
He places a picture before us. Having seen it, we have to observe for
ourselves what is happening within us.
Although this is a śṛṅgāra kīrtana (romantic
poem), its real subject is this field of experience. That is why Annamacharya
uses the words “okatē, yokatē”—giving form to the thoughts that test and
move the human mind.
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శృంగార సంకీర్తన
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రాగి
రేకు: 1412-2
సంపుటము - సంకీర్తన: 24-68
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అదివో కనుఁగొను మది యొకతె యెదుటనే నెలకొనె నిది యొకతె ॥పల్లవి॥ తేటలమాటలఁ దెర లదె కట్టీఁ గాటుకకన్నులకలి కొకతె జూటరిచూపులఁ జొక్కులు చల్లీ నీటుగర్వములనెలఁ తొకతె ॥అది॥ ముసిముసినవ్వులు మోపులుగట్టీ రసికుఁడ నీపై రమణొకతె కొసరులఁ గుచములఁ గోటలు వెట్టీ మిసమిసమెఱుఁగుల మెలుఁతొకతె ॥అది॥ కాయజకేలికిఁ గందువ చెప్పీ చాయలసన్నల సతి యొకతె యీయెడ శ్రీవేంకటేశ కూడి నిను వోయని మెచ్చీ నొకతొకతె ॥అది॥
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Romantic POEM
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Copper
Plate: 1412-2 Volume: 24-68
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adivō
kanuṃ̐gonu
madi yokate yeduṭanē
nelakone nidi yokate ॥pallavi॥ tēṭalamāṭalaṃ̐
dera lade kaṭṭīṃ̐ gāṭukakannulakali
kokate jūṭaricūpulaṃ̐
jokkulu callī nīṭugarvamulanelaṃ̐
tokate ॥adi॥ musimusinavvulu mōpulugaṭṭī rasikuṃ̐ḍa
nīpai
ramaṇokate kosarulaṃ̐
gucamulaṃ̐ gōṭalu
veṭṭī misamisame\ruṃ̐gula
meluṃ̐tokate ॥adi॥ kāyajakēlikiṃ̐
gaṃduva
ceppī cāyalasannala
sati yokate yīyeḍa śrīvēṃkaṭēśa
kūḍi
ninu vōyani
meccī
nokatokate ॥adi॥
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Details and Discussions:
Chorus
(Pallavi):
అదివో
కనుఁగొను మది యొకతె
యెదుటనే
నెలకొనె నిది యొకతె ॥పల్లవి॥
adivō kanuṃ̐gonu madi yokate
yeduṭanē nelakone nidi yokate ॥pallavi॥
Sense of
the Poem:
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Poem line
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Natural
Telugu meaning
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Inner
meaning — movement of the mind
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అదివో కనుఁగొను మది యొకతె
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O Man! Observe that
girl
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Observe that one rising
within you.
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యెదుటనే నెలకొనె నిది యొకతె
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Yet, in front
of your eyes she appears as another one.
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Did you notice it
taking another form as you recognise it?
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Deeper
Note:
At first sight, this chorus appears to be talking
of a woman. The word “ఒకతె (okatē)” strengthens that impression. However, when
the two lines are taken together, Annamacharya seems to be observing not a
woman, but a movement of attraction within the mind.
The first line has “కనుఁగొను kanuṅgōnu” —
something has become visible. The second has “నెలకొను nelakone” — that
same thing has immediately taken its place in another form. The subtle change
is important: What is seen is one thing; what settles in the mind is
another.
The word “నెలకొను nelakonu” does not
merely mean “to remain.” It can also mean to arise, to occur, or to take shape.
Thus, the mind immediately adds something of its own to what appears before it
and gives it a form of its own.
We normally do not separate these two. We think
we are simply seeing a person or an object. But what we see is not merely the
person or object; memory, imagination, attraction, and opinion added by the
mind also become part of what we see.
Annamacharya does not present a theory about the
mind here. He catches the mind at the very moment it begins to operate.
He shows another image of this movement in the
kīrtana ““గట్టిగాఁ దెలుసుకొంటే కన్నదే కంటి కురుమ” Gaṭṭigāṁ
delusukoṅṭē kannadē kaṇṭi kuruma.” There, what obstructs seeing is not something outside; it
is something formed within the process of seeing itself. Here too, along
with what appears before us, the mind establishes a form of its own.
The Speed
of This Movement:
There is another important point here. This
process does not happen slowly, giving us time to notice it. The mind's work
of adding its own form to what it sees happens almost with the speed of a
flash. That is why “కనుఁగొను kanuṅgōnu” is
followed immediately by “నెలకొను
nelakonu.”
The Bhagavad Gita's reference to the “speed”
of the arising of desire and anger in 5.23 as कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं (kāma-krodhodbhavaṁ vegaṁ), together with the indication “ādau” — “in
the beginning” in 3.41, helps us see this movement more clearly.
What matters here is not controlling what is
seen, but observing it. In control, what has been seen is being transformed. In
observation, there is only observation, with no meddling in what is
happening.
The movement in the pallavi can therefore be
reduced to: What becomes visible → the mind enters into it → it settles as
another form. In the following charanams (stanzas),
Annamacharya shows how this small movement expands into intoxication,
enchantment, glittering attraction, the illusion of signs, and finally a
modification of the mind.
First
Stanza:
తేటలమాటలఁ
దెర లదె కట్టీఁ
గాటుకకన్నులకలి
కొకతె
జూటరిచూపులఁ
జొక్కులు చల్లీ
నీటుగర్వములనెలఁ
తొకతె ॥అది॥
tēṭalamāṭalaṃ̐ dera lade kaṭṭīṃ̐
gāṭukakannulakali kokate
jūṭaricūpulaṃ̐ jokkulu callī
nīṭugarvamulanelaṃ̐ tokate ॥adi॥
Literal Sense:
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Poem line
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Natural
Telugu meaning
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Inner
meaning — movement of the mind
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తేటలమాటలఁ దెర లదె కట్టీఁ
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(that lady) talks in
clear and innocent words, still unseen curtains are being woven
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There may be unseen screens behind clear and lucid words.
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గాటుకకన్నులకలి కొకతె
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That is a charmingly
beautiful lady
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Observe that attractive and graceful thought
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జూటరిచూపులఁ జొక్కులు చల్లీ
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She showers
intoxicating and enchanting looks while her movements remain imperceptible.
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That thought itself spreads intoxication and enchantment through
elusive looks.
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నీటుగర్వములనెలఁ తొకతె
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Observe that beauty
joins with unconquerable vanity and pride
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Observe the thought taking form, drawing upon your sensitivity and
imagination, and moving with pride.
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Deeper
Notes:
Here Annamacharya shows thought not as
something that enters us from outside, but as a movement that arises as we
observe, changing its form as it takes shape.
“తేటలమాటలఁ దెర లదె కట్టీఁ” — the screen is not merely ignorance. Even clarity
can become a screen. In Bhagavad Gita 14.6, sattva guna is described as pure
and luminous, and immediately we are told that it binds through attachment to
happiness and knowledge. Thus, even sattva can become a form of bondage.
Even the clear glass chimney of a lamp is
still a covering. In the same way, the knowledge we acquire, the happiness we
derive, and the good opinion we have of ourselves can become screens for the
mind. The desire for knowledge can help a person grow, but it can also lead to
the feeling, “I know more than others.” Similarly, a person may feel that
because he has served society or his village more, or worked harder, “he is
somehow ‘more’ than others”. In this way, even the desire for happiness can
strengthen the ego.
Annamacharya's observation here is
subtler. The mind does not attract us by appearing dirty or distorted. It comes
beautifully dressed. It creates its own attraction through clear words, logic,
a known beautiful form, and familiar ways that feel safe. We ourselves enter
into that attraction.
That is why the word “okatē” is
important. At first there is something before us. The moment the mind catches
hold of it, it settles as another form. From there, the thought begins its own
movement.
Annamacharya does not say that this
thought is wrong. He does not try to stop it. This is his distinctive quality —
he does not merely speak about the mind; he places before us the moment in
which the mind is actually working.
Second Stanza:
ముసిముసినవ్వులు
మోపులుగట్టీ
రసికుఁడ
నీపై రమణొకతె
కొసరులఁ
గుచములఁ గోటలు వెట్టీ
మిసమిసమెఱుఁగుల
మెలుఁతొకతె ॥అది॥
musimusinavvulu mōpulugaṭṭī
rasikuṃ̐ḍa nīpai ramaṇokate
kosarulaṃ̐ gucamulaṃ̐ gōṭalu veṭṭī
misamisame\ruṃ̐gula meluṃ̐tokate ॥adi॥
Literal Sense:
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Poem line
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Natural
Telugu meaning
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Inner
meaning — movement of the mind
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ముసిముసినవ్వులు మోపులుగట్టీ
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She comes with loads
of bright welcome smiles
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Observe those heaps of smilingly inviting forms (that catch the mind
readily).
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రసికుఁడ నీపై రమణొకతె
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O connoisseur she
is the one you look to like
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O connoisseur! You
mind is influenced by those repeated pleasant impressions.
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కొసరులఁ గుచములఁ గోటలు వెట్టీ
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You get caught in
those beautiful breasts. In fact, you keep looking for bit more. Thus, those
attractions form a formidable fort.
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The pull of their attraction makes you expect little extra. Those
expectations form the limits, create forms of conformity, an inescapable web
of imagination.
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మిసమిసమెఱుఁగుల మెలుఁతొకతె
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Thus, a bright
and brilliant lady stands in your way
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now that attraction stands in your way blocking any other
possibilities.
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Deep
Notes:
In the first stanza, Annamacharya showed us “తెరలు” — the screens. Here he shows us “కోటలు” — the fortifications. There is a very important
difference between the two. A screen prevents us from seeing. Yet there remains
a possibility of breaking through it. But once we are inside a fort, we become
its prisoners.
First, an image attracts the mind. “మిసమిసమెఱుఁగుల మెలుఁతొకతె ముసిముసినవ్వులు
మోపులుగట్టీ”— a woman
appearing bright and radiant, with smiling, inviting expressions. That is all.
Annamacharya does not give us any theory about the mind here. He simply places
the image before us.
But the attraction does not stop there. “కొసరులఁ గుచములఁ గోటలు వెట్టీ” — it makes us look for a little more, and then a
little more; the attraction begins to build a fort around itself. This image of
the fort is important. As the fort is built, we develop a relationship
with what has attracted us. Once it becomes ours, we have to protect it.
Thus, attraction gradually becomes attachment, thirst, and action.
This is the movement described in Bhagavad Gita: रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि
तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् ।तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् ॥ 14-7॥ Rajas
arises from rāga, tṛṣṇā, and saṅga, and binds a person through
attachment to action.
Annamacharya does not define this movement. He
leaves the mind within the picture. He shows how attraction moves a person,
builds a fort around itself, and finally sets the very person it has captured
into motion to protect that fort.
That is why romance (śṛṅgāra) is not the primary
subject in this poem. It is the visual medium chosen to show how the mind
operates. Although it appears that we are looking at a woman,
Annamacharya's attention is really upon the mind of the person looking at
her.
And once again, he leaves us with only a picture.
He shows us the fort; he does not tell us how we became trapped inside it.
Third Stanza:
కాయజకేలికిఁ
గందువ చెప్పీ
చాయలసన్నల
సతి యొకతె
యీయెడ
శ్రీవేంకటేశ కూడి నిను
వోయని
మెచ్చీ నొకతొకతె ॥అది॥
kāyajakēlikiṃ̐ gaṃduva ceppī
cāyalasannala sati yokate
yīyeḍa śrīvēṃkaṭēśa kūḍi ninu
vōyani meccī nokatokate ॥adi॥
Literal Sense:
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Poem line
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Natural Telugu
meaning
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Inner
meaning — movement of the mind
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కాయజకేలికిఁ గందువ చెప్పీ
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{కందువ : 1 A way, A
path 2 A place 3 Season 4 method, fashion,
peculiarity 5 illusion, trick, skill 6 innuendo 7 Trace,
secret place 8, Alone } By revealing traces
and secrets she engages you in romance (Manmatha's play)
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Now that romance leads to finding those secrets through the alleys of
darkness. It overlaps the mind like an impregnable cover. It is like
season that covers the entire (felt) world.
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చాయలసన్నల సతి యొకతె
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(Know) that lady is operating thru vague and
blurry signs
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An indistinct thought, through obscure signs, covers the
mind and draws us into enchantment.
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యీయెడ శ్రీవేంకటేశ కూడి నిను
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Śrī Venkateśa, here on the other
side, there is one that has joined YOU.
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Śrī Venkateśa, here is one that has joined
and become one with your mind.
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వోయని మెచ్చీ నొకతొకతె
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Truly that one
has held you in high regards
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A rare and genuine feeling — one that truly delights in
you and becomes one with you.
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Deep
Notes:
In the first stanza, Annamacharya showed us “తెరలు” — screens. In the second stanza, he showed us “కోటలు” — forts. Now, in the third stanza, we encounter “కందువ.” These three images appear to show a progressive
expansion in the range of the movement of the mind. For clarity, the
progression can be seen in the following table.
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Level
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Image shown by Annamacharya
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According to Bhagavad Gita
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Effect on the mind
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Possibility of getting out
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First stanza
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Screens (తెరలు)
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Sattva guna
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The screens
cover our vision individually.
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There is a
possibility — if observed with sufficient subtlety, the screen can be
noticed.
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Second stanza
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Forts (కోటలు)
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Rajas guna
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We ourselves
construct a boundary around the attraction.
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There is a
possibility, but much more difficult — we are now caught in what we ourselves
have built.
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Third stanza
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Season (ఋతువు)
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Tamas guna
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It is no longer
an object or a boundary; it affects the very environment in which we exist.
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Almost none —
we are within it.
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Here, ṛtu, “season,” is taken as one
possible meaning of కందువ, it is
neither an object nor a wall. It is a condition of the environment in which
we are immersed. Escape then becomes still more difficult, because
everything we do takes place within it.
Here “చాయలసన్నల” appears.
There is no clear path; there are only signs like shadows. Yet those very signs
become paths for the mind. This stands close to the Bhagavad Gita's: “तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् ।” (14.8) Tamas is not merely lack of knowledge; it deludes
and makes the world experienced by a person appear differently.
But this stanza does not end there. “యీయెడ శ్రీవేంకటేశ కూడి నిను” Here “కూడి” is the crucial word. Annamacharya does not say
that he reached Śrī Venkateśa, or that he accomplished something himself. Śrī
Venkateśa joins of his own accord. This gives a new light to the Bhagavad
Gita's “ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम्” (7-18)— the distinction diminishes and the
experience stands as a joining.
Nor should “వోయని మెచ్చీ” be understood as a personal achievement of the poet.
The observation in the Gita: “प्रकृते: क्रियमाणानि गुणै: कर्माणि सर्वश: ।अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते ॥ 27॥”
(3.27) comes to mind here. There is no sense of “I did
it; I attained it” in this stanza.
That is why the final expression is so delicate: “నొకతొకతె” — something rare, an exceptional occurrence. In
the first two stanzas, the mind is attracted, builds around the attraction,
and becomes caught within what it has built. In the third, beyond that
enchanted field, Annamacharya shows, rarely, another experience in which “కూడి” — joining — takes place. He does not name or
define it. He leaves a picture before us.
Parallel
Study: implication of the Poem
First, let us have a clean look at a surreal
painting by René Magritte, titled The Gradation of Fire. In this
painting, we see an ordinary wooden table. On it are a sheet of paper, an egg,
and a key. This is quite ordinary. But all these objects are burning. Yet,
despite the flames, the objects remain in their natural forms. The flames
surround them all.
A person uses knowledge, thought, and methods to
solve a problem. A solution works to some extent, but something remains. That
remainder requires another solution. Thus, the sequence continues: problem →
solution → remaining problem → another solution. We may infer that the
creator of solutions is also part of the field that first produced the
problems.
Now let us look once again at Annamacharya’s
poem. The enchanted field that he refers to has no name. Yet all of us live
within it and perform our actions there. It is for this reason that the systems
we create as human beings are temporary.
This observation can also be seen in the
solutions created by human beings. An idea for solving a problem may initially
appear very clear and attractive. Systems such as socialism, capitalism, and
Marxism were proposed in their respective periods as solutions to certain human
problems. As they were put into practice, along with the problems they
addressed, new problems and new questions also emerged. These, in turn, require
new ideas, new methods, and new systems.
What Annamacharya shows us is not the inadequacy
of any particular solution. He shows how the human being operates within that
enchanted field. We are perpetually propelled to take action.
Cautionary Note: The examples of socialism, capitalism, Marxism, and other such systems are not mentioned here to assess their effectiveness or inadequacy. They are used only to make the observation in Annamacharya’s poem easier to understand.
X-X-The END-X-X
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