PEDATIRUMALACHARYULU
222.
తాముఁ దెలియరూ తగఁ జెప్పిన వినరూ
tAmu deliyarU taga
jeppina vinarU
తెలుగులో చదవడానికి ఇక్కడ నొక్కండి.
Introduction to Poet PEDATIRUMALACHARYULU:
Pedatirumalacharyulu does not
stand in his father’s shadow rather he stands beside him, as an equal. Like his
father, he speaks in a voice of profound depth that opens the doors of the
heart. While Annamacharya often dissolves into ecstatic devotion, drawing us
into realms of divine rapture, Pedatirumalacharyulu speaks like a seer - with
sharp discernment and a maternal sternness rooted in compassion. His words
emerge from a fusion of experience and empathy, delivered without ornament or
accusation - in the still tone of inner witnessing.
This single composition alone
reveals his layered mastery. His work resonates beyond time.
He takes familiar symbols - dawn,
darkness, innocence, hunger — and infuses them with philosophical gravity. He
distinguishes between two forms of ignorance: one arising from indifference,
the other from hardened delusion — with rare psychological clarity.
And finally, his calm assertion
that Bhakti is not a birthright but a gift bestowed to a heart ready to
receive— that is the voice of one who has known both divine grace and human
resistance.
He is not merely Annamacharya’s
son — he is the worthy inheritor carrying on that same sacred fire.
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అధ్యాత్మ కీర్తన
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రేకు:
24-2 సంపుటము: 15-136
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Copper
Leaf: 24-2 Volume:
15-136
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తాముఁ దెలియరూ తగఁ జెప్పిన వినరూ
పామరపుఁ దమ కర్మఫలమో హరిమాయయో ॥పల్లవి॥
చీఁకటిఁ బెడబాపేటి చేరువ సూర్యోదయము
చీఁకటి కూబలకైతే చిమ్మి రేఁచును
యాఁకటతో విజ్ఞానము నందిచ్చే శ్రీ హరిభక్తి
కాఁకల దుర్మార్గులకుఁ గాన నీదూ ॥తాము॥
అందరు రుచిగొనేటి అన్నము బహురోగికి
కందువ నజీర్ణమై కారించును
యెందును శ్రీహరి దైవ మెక్కుడన్న చదువులు
మందమైన జడునికి మఱఁగులై తోఁచును ॥తాము॥
ధరఁ గొందరు మూర్ఖులు తగ నొక్కరాజుఁ గొల్చి
పరిచారకునిఁ దిట్టి భంగ పడ్డట్టు
యిరవుగ శ్రీ వేంకటేశుఁ గొల్చి వారివారి
విరసాలాడుచుఁ దామె విఫలులై పోదురు ॥తాము॥
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tAmu deliyarU
taga jeppina vinarU
pAmarapu dama
karmaphalamO harimAyayO ॥pallavi॥
chIkaTi
beDabApETi chEruva sUryOdayamu
chatmate kUbalakaitE
chimmi rEchunu
yAkaTatO
vij~nAnamu naMdichchE SrI haribhakti
kAkala
durmArgulaku gAna nIdU ॥tAmu॥
aMdaru
ruchigonETi annamu bahurOgiki
kaMduva
najIrNamai kAriMchunu
yeMdunu SrIhari
daiva mekkuDanna chaduvulu
maMdamaina
jaDuniki ma~ragulai tOchunu ॥tAmu॥
dhara goMdaru
mUrkhulu taga nokkarAju golchi
parichArakuni
diTTi bhaMga paDDaTTu
yiravuga SrI
vEMkaTESu golchi vArivAri
virasAlADuchu
dAme viphalulai pOduru ॥tAmu॥
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Details and explanations:
తాముఁ
దెలియరూ తగఁ జెప్పిన వినరూ
పామరపుఁ దమ కర్మఫలమో హరిమాయయో ॥పల్లవి॥
tAmu
deliyarU taga jeppina vinarU
pAmarapu
dama karmaphalamO harimAyayO ॥pallavi॥
Literal meaning: (In this poem Pedatirumalacharyulu is taking on
our obstinacy.)
"They neither know themselves nor heed the
wise - Is it karmic dullness, or Hari’s play of illusion?"
Explanation and discussion:
In just two lines, the poet captures the
tragedy of human ignorance:
- Not knowing oneself
- Rejecting guidance
- And remaining lost — possibly due to karmic burden or
divine illusion
Pedatirumalacharyulu is not condemning; he is
observing. There is pain in this pallavi — the pain of a seer watching people
turn away from light. This pallavi sets the tone for the rest of the poem,
where he gives examples and analogies to show how truth remains invisible to
those who are closed off, not by lack of intelligence, but by lack of preparedness.
This rhetorical pondering is profound. The poet
doesn’t directly blame people — he wonders why such blindness persists.
Is it the natural consequence of one's actions (karma), a chain of causes that
led them to this state? Or is it part of a larger divine design — Hari māyā
— the force that creates illusion and draws the mind away from truth?
First
Stanza:
చీఁకటిఁ
బెడబాపేటి చేరువ సూర్యోదయము
చీఁకటి
కూబలకైతే చిమ్మి రేఁచును
యాఁకటతో
విజ్ఞానము నందిచ్చే శ్రీ హరిభక్తి
కాఁకల
దుర్మార్గులకుఁ గాన నీదూ ॥తాము॥
chIkaTi
beDabApETi chEruva sUryOdayamu
chatmate
kUbalakaitE chimmi rEchunu
yAkaTatO
vij~nAnamu naMdichchE SrI haribhakti
kAkala
durmArgulaku gAna nIdU ॥tAmu॥
Word meanings:
చీఁకటిఁ – Darkness
బెడబాపేటి – Driven away
చేరువ సూర్యోదయము – Nearing
sunrise
కూబలు– Innocent ones (lit. those who don’t know
anything); hearts untouched by corruption, like infants.
చిమ్మి రేఁచును – Becomes
alert, attentive; stirred by interest
యాఁకటతో – With hunger (here:
spiritual thirst; longing for divine)
విజ్ఞానము – Divine knowledge; the
sacred mystery
హరిభక్తి – Devotion to Hari
కాఁకల దుర్మార్గులకుఁ గాన నీదూ – To
those hardened and misguided, it is not theirs
Literal translation:
"Darkness
is on the verge of being driven away - sunrise is near. The innocent - those
untouched by the corruption of experience - abide in the darkness and accept
it, even rejoice in it, as merely incidental. To such even-minded ones, Srihari
grants the divine mystery of Bhakti as knowledge. But for those whose hearts
have been hardened by worldly experiences, it is neither granted nor
revealed."
Meaning and
Reflection:
There is
a poetic metaphor in this stanza: This stanza aligns subtly with Bhagavad
Gita 2.69 - "What is night to all beings is wakefulness to the
disciplined sage." It suggests that innocence is not naivety, but a kind of wise unknowing
- a fertile ground for grace.
This
stanza is not poetry. It simply portrays the human condition in spiritual
ignorance –all humans swim in this darkness in the broad light of the sun. We
remain in darkness even after death. Though the dawn of knowledge is near
doesn’t mean everyone sees it. Only the innocent-hearted, those
untouched by worldliness, can respond to that dawn.
The line యాఁకటతో విజ్ఞానము నందిచ్చే
శ్రీ హరిభక్తి (yAkaTatO vij~nAnamu naMdichchE SrI haribhakti)“
reveals a profound truth: Divine insight granted only to those who have
forgotten the ego, the body, and wait silently — not demanding, but
surrendered. This also aligns with "They also serve who only stand and wait.”
John Milton. Please deliberate in your minds on "the narrow path" mentioned in
Bible.
In
contrast, కాఁకల దుర్మార్గులకుఁ గాన నీదూ (kAkala durmArgulaku gAna nIdU) the those
hardened by experience, dulled by attachment to bodily identity — are too
distracted, too desensitized to perceive that truth. For them, that divine
secret remains hidden.
Second
Stanza:
అందరు
రుచిగొనేటి అన్నము బహురోగికి
కందువ
నజీర్ణమై కారించును
యెందును
శ్రీహరి దైవ మెక్కుడన్న చదువులు
మందమైన
జడునికి మఱఁగులై తోఁచును ॥తాము॥
aMdaru
ruchigonETi annamu bahurOgiki
kaMduva
najIrNamai kAriMchunu
yeMdunu
SrIhari daiva mekkuDanna chaduvulu
maMdamaina
jaDuniki ma~ragulai tOchunu ॥tAmu॥
Literal
Meaning: Even food that is considered delicious by all can
cause indigestion to chronic patient. Similarly, even the highest
life-teachings about Lord Srihari seem useless and incomprehensible to the
ignorant.
Interpretative Commentary:
This
stanza is written in Inverse metaphor -Viloma Alankara: This
verse expresses the truth by revealing its opposite. Hence the slightly
inverted phrasing. But beneath its playful surface lies a profound
philosophical vision.
The Symbolic “Food”: అందరు రుచిగొనేటి
అన్నము (aMdaru ruchigonETi annamu)
The word anna (food) here is not about food - it
stands for spiritual nourishment. That is the food relished by all saints,
yogis, and seers.
Here the bahu-rogi —It points to deeper afflictions — the “one afflicted
by many diseases” such as delusions of opinion, emotional reactivity, envy,
sarcasm, intolerance, arrogance. Such people cannot digest.
Here, digestion means the preparedness
to absorb truth.
Without it, even the finest wisdom leads to
inner disturbance — it ferments, it turns sour.
యెందును
శ్రీహరి దైవ మెక్కుడన్న చదువులు (yeMdunu SrIhari daiva mekkuDanna chaduvulu)
The “చదువులు = readings”
mentioned in the verse refer not to academic study, but to deep spiritual
teachings, such as:
- Inner assent that arises from stillness
- Contentment with "what is provided"
- Peace that transcends conflict
- A life surrendered to the divine, free of ego.
But to the mind steeped in material experience,
these may seem outdated or irrelevant — even regressive.
Because they oppose the popular notion that “success” comes
only through ambition and competition.
మందమైన
జడునికి మఱఁగులై తోఁచును (maMdamaina jaDuniki ma~ragulai tOchunu): So to the dull and unready mind, these truths
appear as mad ramblings -empty and useless.
Closing Reflection:
This verse offers a rare mirror:
When real knowledge feels irritating or irrelevant, it
may be because we are in a diseased relationship with truth itself.
Hence,
despite millennia of scriptures and sacred texts, human life often remains
unchanged for many centuries. And we are left to ask ourselves:
Do we
study only to earn?
Or do we
ever learn how to live — without a profit motive?
Do our
readings shape us to be better human beings?
Or merely
reinforce our old habits?
Third
Stanza:
ధరఁ
గొందరు మూర్ఖులు తగ నొక్కరాజుఁ గొల్చి
పరిచారకునిఁ
దిట్టి భంగ పడ్డట్టు
యిరవుగ
శ్రీ వేంకటేశుఁ గొల్చి వారివారి
విరసాలాడుచుఁ
దామె విఫలులై పోదురు ॥తాము॥
dhara
goMdaru mUrkhulu taga nokkarAju golchi
parichArakuni
diTTi bhaMga paDDaTTu
yiravuga
SrI vEMkaTESu golchi vArivAri
virasAlADuchu
dAme viphalulai pOduru ॥tAmu॥
విరసము = That which holds conflicting or
contradictory tastes or qualities; a state of disharmony.
విరసాలాడుచుఁ = Engaging with
opposing or incompatible matters; drawing meaning or use from contradictions.
Literal
Meaning: (Pedda Tirumalacharyulu further reflects on the folly of man): Failing
to grasp the oneness of creation, some fools praise one as a king and scorn
another as a servant. In doing so, they disgrace themselves — they squander the
life Divine. Even in their praise of the Lord, each clings to their own narrow
understanding, trying to make sense of contradictions. But such a divided way
of living is a life in futility.
Explanations and Reflections:
Pedda
Tirumalacharyulu makes it clear — devotion cannot be cultivated through mere
practice. It is not something we cannot push ourselves into. Just as a
tolerance or patience built over time can one day collapse entirely.
Just look at what’s happening around us. The world today is torn apart
by war, attacks, and destruction — all rooted in the absence of true inner
patience or endurance.
Before we
claim to “have” devotion, we must look within ourselves — with honesty.
Devotion in its true form is not sentimental. It is surrender — a
surrender that withstands all inner resistance and breaks through our barriers.
It is a rare state the human being is capable of, beyond reason, beyond effort
— otherworldly.
The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Itihasas — they all speak of
the same truth: everything we see in this world is divine. There is no
place here for hierarchies, for measuring higher or lower, better or worse. But
our crooked minds, trained to judge, to compare, end up dividing life into good
and bad, more and less — We try to live by such faulty measures.
We call one a king, another a servant. But if at all, one is truly
divine — what gives rise to these differences?
Tirumalacharyulu warns us, boldly and without compromise. Such decisions
are bound to be deeply flawed.
వారివారి విరసాలాడుచుఁ దామె విఫలులై పోదురు (vArivAri
virasAlADuchu dAme viphalulai pOduru): let us understand this complex statement
thru a beautiful painting by Raja Ravi Varma.
King Aja’s Lament — A
Silent Symphony of Grief in Ravi Varma’s Brushwork
Among Raja Ravi Varma’s most
evocative works, this portrayal of King Aja’s sorrow stands apart — a silent,
visual poem that pierces the heart. It brings to life the searing grief of a
man who has just lost his beloved Indumati, queen of Vidarbha, to an unforeseen
and fateful death
The moment is steeped in
poetic stillness. Just before the tragedy, we sense the serenity of Aja and
Indumati wandering together in the forest. But in a cruel turn, destiny
intervenes — a garland, falling unexpectedly on Indumati, seals her end. The
scene that follows shows Aja sunk in despair, seated beside her, the garland
slipping from his hand — a quiet emblem of love severed by fate.
Every element in the
painting speaks in symbols:
- The
Garland — a delicate marker of
transience and destiny. Yet, in this moment, a deadly messenger. Now,
after the incident, it lies as a mute witness to Indumati’s untimely end.
- Aja’s
Posture — slumped
and broken, his hands seem to echo the unspoken question: “Did it have
to be this way?” His grief spills out of the canvas, drawing us into
the depth of his pain.
- The Landscape — subdued,
withdrawn, nature itself becomes a mute observer of the king’s anguish,
echoing his silence without spectacle or sound.
This is more than a royal
tragedy. It is a meditation on the universality of love and loss, on the human
vulnerability that epic tales often conceal. Ravi Varma’s genius lies not
merely in storytelling through paint, but in distilling myth into moments of
quiet, intimate truth.
Interpretation
of the Painting to the Poem:
We too—like King Aja in
the painting—often find ourselves unable to fully grasp or immediately accept
the trials and tribulations that fate lays before us. We resist, we question,
and in doing so, we end up working against time and destiny—only to find ourselves
digressed, disoriented, and ultimately defeated.
This, in essence, is the
deeper meaning of the pallavi of this kriti as well. So long as we fail
to accept the course of fate with a full heart, we drift from truth and waste
our time. And in that wandering, we fall short of fulfilling life’s very
purpose.
Thus comes the close of a
great poem—a poem that transcends time and history. A poem worthy of being
etched on plates of gold.
I can only express regret
— for no words seem sufficient to hold the depth of this poem. I am presenting
only to demonstrate that there exists a reality beyond any words can ever
describe, a poetry that can be scribed on hearts.
X-X-END-X-X
