266 వలచి పైకొనఁగరాదు వలదని తొలఁగరాదు
(valaci paikonaṃ̐garādu valadani tolaṃ̐garādu)
తెలుగులో చదవడానికి ఇక్కడ నొక్కండి.
Introduction
A Life Without Awareness
Although this is one of Annamacharya’s earliest spiritual compositions, the way it unfolds feels spontaneous, as if he began without preamble — pouring straight from his heart. His boundless compassion for humanity seems to have surged forth, finding expression in an impromptu flow of words.
These songs, addressed to humanity at large, are not narrow sectarian prayers but universal reflections on human life.
Human occupations may change with time, but the root impulses of mankind remain the same. Annamacharya, with his sharp vision, confronted the countless distractions that divert our concentrated attention into unnecessary interests.
While his kirtanas give high place to divinity, their chief force lies in how boldly they expose human weaknesses. To do this, he did not hesitate even to describe the allure of the female form — not to revel in it, but to lift the listener gently from sensual fascination to philosophical insight. It was a Herculean effort to redirect people from indulgence to awareness.
But his revolutionary spirit — challenging inherited conventions and refusing to follow the beaten track — was not accepted by the society of his time. This very keertana stands as silent testimony to that rejection. For centuries, his works were nearly suppressed, almost cast out of public life.
For nearly 400 years they remained inaccessible. Then, in 1922, the copper-plate manuscripts of his songs were rediscovered by fortune’s grace. That is our generation’s rare privilege. We must listen, read, reflect, and draw meaning from them — so that our lives may be enriched and fulfilled. The feeling of understanding his poems is beyond any comparable experience.
Poetic, artistic, beautiful, and purposeful — though composed five centuries ago, Annamacharya’s kirtanas have won countless admirers in the past hundred years. Yet, to secure for themselves a firm and lasting place in history, much more remains to be done.
Poetic
Distinctions in This Keertana:
At first glance, this keertana may appear as a harsh critique of human weaknesses. Yet Annamacharya adorns his insight with extraordinary poetic imagery. The very title — “Valachi paikonagarādu, valadani tolonagarādu” — carries a rhythmic balance, almost like a proverb, setting before us the contradictions of life.
He frequently draws from dense, familiar, everyday images and turns them into luminous metaphors. What begins as descriptions of human attractions, desires, and physical forms becomes a bridge to philosophical and spiritual meaning. In this way, he gently guides the listener from the ordinary to the eternal.
The charm of the poem lies in this seamless movement — from śṛṅgāra (sensuous beauty) to reality, from image to truth — producing a resonance where simplicity of words conceals layered depth. Thus, both the common listener and the reflective seeker can find their own experience within it.
The genius of Annamacharya in this kīrtana lies not merely in witty images, but in the way he fuses the ordinary with the eternal, the tender with the severe. What begins as a playful description gradually unveils a piercing truth about human folly. This hidden paradox — concealing a hard reality behind soft, innocent words — is what makes the poem strike so deeply. That delicate balance of rhythm, metaphor, and veiled sting gives the kīrtana its enduring aesthetic power.
Annamacharya excels at metaphors that not only strike the eye but also pierce the heart. A few examples illustrate this:
అంగడి కెత్తినట్టి దివ్వె లంగన ముఖాంబుజములు: “Angaḍi kettinatti divvelangana
mukhāmbujamulu” Meaning:
The faces of young women glow like lamps in a crowded bazaar.
Aesthetic: Though references to women’s beauty are common, comparing them to market lamps is striking. The implication is clear — beauty can be bought, like the transient light of bazaar lamps. It exposes human folly while hinting at the fleetingness of such allure.
తెలివిపడని లేఁతనవ్వులు “Telivipaḍani lēna-tanavvulu” Meaning: Innocent smiles that
appear guileless, giving the illusion that wisdom may arrive one day. But the
poet’s point is uncompromising: if wisdom is absent now, it will never blossom
fully.
Aesthetic: This is a poetic masterstroke. The smiles look childlike and harmless, winning trust and affection. Man too lives in the self-deception that wisdom will one day dawn. Annamacharya’s genius lies in veiling this bitter truth behind the gentle phrase “innocent smiles,” making the sting almost invisible.
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అధ్యాత్మ కీర్తన
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రేకు: 1-1 సంపుటము: 1-1
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వలచి పైకొనఁగరాదు వలదని తొలఁగరాదు
కలికి మరుఁడు సేసినాజ్ఞ కడవఁగ రాదురా
॥వలచి॥ అంగడి కెత్తినట్టి దివ్వె లంగన ముఖాంబుజములు
ముంగిటి పసిఁడి కుంభములును ముద్దుల కుచయుగంబులు
యెంగిలి సేసినట్టి తేనె లితవులైన మెఱుఁగుమోవులు
లింగములేని దేహరములు లెక్కలేని ప్రియములు ॥వలచి॥ కంచములోని వేఁడికూరలు గరువంబులుఁ బొలయలుకలు
యెంచఁగ నెండలో నీడలు యెడనెడ కూటములు
తెంచఁగరాని వలెతాళ్ళు తెలివిపడని లేఁతనవ్వులు
మంచితనములోని నొప్పులు మాటలలోని మాటలు ॥వలచి॥ నిప్పులమీఁద జల్లిన నూనెలు నిగిడి తనివిలేని యాసలు
దప్పికి నేయి దాగినట్లు తమకములోని తాలిమి
చెప్పఁగరాని మేలు గనుట శ్రీవేంకటపతిఁ గనుటలు
అప్పని కరుణ గలిగి మనుట అబ్బురమైన సుఖములు ॥వలచి॥
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Philosophical Poem
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Copper
Plate: 1-1 Vol: 1-1
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valaci
paikonaṃ̐garādu valadani tolaṃ̐garādu
kaliki
maruṃ̐ḍu sēsinājña kaḍavaṃ̐ga rādurā ॥valaci॥ aṃgaḍi kettinaṭṭi divve laṃgana mukhāṃbujamulu
muṃgiṭi pasiṃ̐ḍi kuṃbhamulunu muddula kucayugaṃbulu
yeṃgili sēsinaṭṭi tēne litavulaina me\ruṃ̐gumōvulu
liṃgamulēni dēharamulu lekkalēni priyamulu ॥valaci॥ kaṃcamulōni vēṃ̐ḍikūralu garuvaṃbuluṃ̐ bolayalukalu
yeṃcaṃ̐ga neṃḍalō nīḍalu yeḍaneḍa kūṭamulu
teṃcaṃ̐garāni valetāḻḻu telivipaḍani lēṃ̐tanavvulu
maṃcitanamulōni noppulu māṭalalōni māṭalu ॥valaci॥ nippulamīṃ̐da jallina nūnelu nigiḍi tanivilēni yāsalu
dappiki
nēyi dāginaṭlu tamakamulōni tālimi
ceppaṃ̐garāni mēlu ganuṭa śrīvēṃkaṭapatiṃ̐ ganuṭalu
appani
karuṇa galigi manuṭa abburamaina sukhamulu ॥valaci॥
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Details and Discussions:
Chorus
(Pallavi):
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Telugu Phrase
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Meaning
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వలచి పైకొనఁగరాదు వలదని తొలఁగరాదు
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Desires cannot be deliberately courted, nor can they be
completely cast away.
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కలికి మరుఁడు సేసినాజ్ఞ కడవఁగ రాదురా
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Literal Meaning:
Desires cannot be deliberately courted, nor can
they be fully abandoned. The irresistible rule of Manmatha, the god of love and
longing, cannot be easily overturned.
Interpretative Notes:
Here, Annamacharya strikes at the central dilemma of human life: the tension between indulgence and renunciation. The mind is constantly pulled in two opposite directions. On one hand, desire is natural, arising without invitation. On the other hand, to suppress desire by force is equally impossible. The poet suggests that this is not merely a personal weakness but a cosmic law, symbolized by Manmatha’s command.
In this, Annamacharya shows extraordinary
modern psychological insight. He does not glorify desire, nor does he preach
harsh renunciation. Instead, he uncovers the paradox of human will: both
indulgence and repression keep us bound. The solution, as the later stanzas
reveal, lies not in our effort but in a higher grace — the vision of the Lord
that transforms the heart from within.
వలచి పైకొనఁగరాదు వలదని తొలఁగరాదు: let us understand these beautiful wording thru a striking painting La Savoir (Knowledge):
In the above painting, we see a desolate landscape in the broad day light with a door. On opening the door, it reveals night.
Let the whole frame of painting be activities of mind, just as opening the door, i.e. is probing into our mind reveals both realities, indulgence and renunciation are faces of the same coin. Therefore, the true action is not in the plane the mind can guess.
కలికి మరుఁడు సేసినాజ్ఞ కడవఁగ
రాదురా
The body’s “fire” — hunger, passion, the
flame of desire — cannot be suppressed. In the Metaphysical sense Fire =
the unceasing energy of life (jatharāgni, curiosity, craving for knowledge). The
problem is not extinguishing it but understanding its nature.
Parallel with Magritte connection – The
Gradation of Fire
Everyday objects — an egg (food), paper
(thought), a key (unlocking knowledge) — are all seen burning. These stand for
life’s three hungers: body, intellect, knowing. Like Annamacharya’s line,
Magritte doesn’t provide a solution; he shows the impossibility of putting out
this flame.
Philosophical note: For Annamacharya, saying “there is no way to stop this fire” is not despair but a warning against false methods. God cannot be reached by suppressing the body’s drives or by clever effort. He warns: “Don’t confuse what is achieved by effort as a mark of presence of God. The divine is neither inside nor outside as an object to be possessed.”
కలికి మరుఁడు సేసినాజ్ఞ (Kaliki Maruḍu Sēsina Ājña) — “The Command of Manmatha”
The “command of Manmatha” does not merely refer to lust, desire, or sensual enjoyment — it signifies a fundamental law of nature. All living beings are subject to it. For animals, this law is absolute; they cannot question or resist it. But man has been given a special gift — intelligence and discernment. He may not be able to suppress desires, but he has the unique capacity to observe them dispassionately.
This is what Annamacharya points to here.
He does not ask us to reject desire, nor to drown in it, but to see it as it
is, in its true nature. This very act of seeing is man’s
distinction. It opens another path — one that transcends the dualities of
indulgence and renunciation.
Readers also reminded that Jiddu
Krishnamurti most often talked of living with Great Intelligence.
Annamacharya, in his very first
philosophical poem, brings the paradox of life to the fore to make people
contemplate. Unless man falls silent internally such a paradox of life may not
be appreciated. When confronted with impossibility of right action brings
fundamental change. That is Mediation i.e., true act of seeing. Now see what
Annamacharya said: చూచే చూపొకటి సూటిగుఱి యొకటి / తాచి రెండు నొకటైతే దైవమే సుండీ
॥పల్లవి॥ (Meaning: Right way of seeing the only way to Divinity)
First
Stanza:
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Telugu phrase | Meaning |
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అంగడి
కెత్తినట్టి దివ్వె లంగన ముఖాంబుజములు
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The faces of women
(other than one’s own) shine like lamps displayed in a market, drawing
attention irresistibly.
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ముంగిటి
పసిఁడి కుంభములును ముద్దుల కుచయుగంబులు
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Their breasts appear
like golden pots placed in front, openly inviting.
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యెంగిలి
సేసినట్టి తేనె లితవులైన మెఱుఁగుమోవులు
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The sweetness of their
lips seems like honey so tempting, as though it begs to be tasted.
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లింగములేని
దేహరములు లెక్కలేని ప్రియములు
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For those who lack
inner firmness or understanding (spine-less beings), such bodies always
remain attractive, becoming the source of countless attachments.
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Literal Meaning:
Human beings are caught, like iron
filings in a magnetic field, within the pull of attraction. Every other woman
appears thus — a luminous face, breasts like golden vessels, lips dripping with
honey. Men without self-understanding are endlessly attracted to countless
attachment and desires.
Interpretative Notes:
Annamacharya is not merely describing physical beauty. He is exposing the hidden bondage of attraction that ties humans down. Just as an iron needle cannot resist the magnetic pull, man is unable to resist this charm. Animals are completely bound by this law of nature. But man has been given a unique gift — the power of awareness.
The poet does not glorify desire, nor
does he preach dry renunciation. He uncovers the inner conflict: attraction on
one side, suppression on the other. Both are traps. Liberation comes not by
effort, but by perceiving the nature of attraction itself.
Parallel
from the Bhagavad Gita
(2.46):
यावानर्थ उदपाने
सर्वत: सम्प्लुतोदके |
तावान्सर्वेषु वेदेषु ब्राह्मणस्य विजानत: ||2-46||
“To the one who truly knows, all partial
knowledges become unnecessary.”
Similarly, a feeling that “Why was I not given wisdom like others?” is
misplaced. Wisdom is not for free distribution program; it is the fruit of
right seeing. With true contemplation, one touches the source of all knowledge.
లింగములేని దేహరములు:
Annamacharya’s sharpest thrust is on the phrase “లింగములేని దేహరములు Liṅgamulēni dēharamulu”. He calls those who cannot stand by their own understanding “spine-less beings.” The majority of people, unable to step beyond attraction, remain tossed around by it. At first glance, the phrase may sound crude, but upon reflection it is precise: those without inner strength become slaves to charm, endlessly multiplying attachments.
Second
Stanza:
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Telugu Phrase
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Meaning
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కంచములోని వేఁడికూరలు గరువంబులుఁ బొలయలుకలు
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The little quarrels and pride in love are like piping hot
curries on a plate. They look tempting, but the moment you taste them, they
burn.
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యెంచఁగ నెండలో నీడలు యెడనెడ కూటములు
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In another way, the
unions of love sometimes give soothing shade, but at the same time, they
scorch like the blazing sun.
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తెంచఁగరాని వలెతాళ్ళు తెలివిపడని లేఁతనవ్వులు
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These bonds of attachment are like unbreakable chains.
Their mysteries, beyond understanding, appear as innocent smiles.
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మంచితనములోని నొప్పులు మాటలలోని మాటలు
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Even if a good word pierces the heart, it must be taken as
mere words—never as an arrow meant to hurt.
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Literal Meaning:
Just as piping hot curry burns when put in the mouth, so too love’s unions
both give joy and burn like the scorching sun. These bonds of attachment appear
as sweet smiles, as if wisdom will one day arise from them—but in truth, it
never does. (Annamacharya on a personal note): And if my words ever pierce your
heart, take them as mere words not as arrows intended to hurt.
Interpretative Notes:
తెలివిపడని లేఁతనవ్వులు (telivipaḍani lēṃ̐tanavvulu): We often imagine that “he has just started; with time he will learn; maturity will dawn one day.” But what Annamacharya says here is very different—either there is wisdom, or there is ignorance. There is no middle ground, no in-between stage. The gradual ascendence, we often imagine to wisdom is completely denied by great philosophers.
మంచితనములోని నొప్పులు
మాటలలోని మాటలు:
This is perhaps the first time we witness such a phrase in Annamacharya’s
songs. It seems he is clarifying at the outset—his compositions are meant to
bring out truth, not to hurt anyone.
Third Stanza:
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Telugu
Phrase
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Meaning
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నిప్పులమీఁద
జల్లిన నూనెలు నిగిడి తనివిలేని యాసలు
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Pouring oil on fire
only makes the flames rise higher. In the same way, unfulfilled desires don’t
diminish; they multiply and feed further desires.
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దప్పికి
నేయి దాగినట్లు తమకములోని తాలిమి
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Thirst can be quenched
only with water, not with ghee. Similarly, the attempt to bear pride and ego
is like trying to quench thirst with ghee—it is futile.
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చెప్పఁగరాని
మేలు గనుట శ్రీవేంకటపతిఁ గనుటలు
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What is truly gained is
beyond words—it is the vision of Venkataapati.
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అప్పని కరుణ
గలిగి మనుట అబ్బురమైన సుఖములు
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To live under His
unbidden grace is life’s supreme and wondrous joy.
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Plain Prose Meaning:
So long as humans remain caught in desires, they
will never subside; instead, they flare up endlessly like oil poured on flames.
Thirst can only be quenched by water—not ghee. Likewise, sustaining pride and
ego is meaningless. O friends! The vision of Lord Venkataapati is not something
one can claim or articulate—it is a blessing that cannot be put into words.
What is possible is to live under His grace, and that indeed is the highest and
most wondrous joy of human life.
Interpretative notes:
Psychological insight: Annamacharya is showing us the inner dynamics of the human mind: Desires are self-perpetuating. The more we try to satisfy them, the more they multiply. This is the “oil on fire” condition—an endless burning. Ego and pride are false remedies. Just as ghee cannot quench thirst, self-importance cannot fill the void within.
“చెప్పఁగరాని మేలు గనుట శ్రీవేంకటపతిఁ గనుటలు” (To gain an inexpressible good is to know Venkataapati): We must note carefully—no living being has ever truly seen God. Not even Annamacharya. As he repeatedly conveys, through divine grace alone, a devotee may live in alignment with God’s command—just as the soul becomes Alamelu Manga in mythic symbolism, moving only by His will.
The next line—“అప్పని కరుణ
గలిగి మనుట అబ్బురమైన సుఖములు” (To live under His unasked-for grace is wondrous joy)—reinforces this point. Human life attains its
highest dignity when lived under the eye of that grace, not by claiming direct
vision.
The Message of this Poem
This
composition, Annamacharya’s very first spiritual song, gives us a profound
account of the contradictions and traps that torment human life. To make life
meaningful, one must develop the inner strength to stand against desire and
ego. A direct vision of God may not be possible for man. But what is possible
is to grasp the divine command and live by it. That is the fulfilment for human
existence.
