ANNAMACHARYULU
134 ఉన్నచోటనే మూఁడులోకా లూహించి చూచితే నీవే
(unnachOTanE mUMDulOkA lUhiMchi chUchitE nIvE)
WHOLENESS OF LIFE
Those interested in Telegu Version may press this link
Introduction: Annamacharya in this deep scrutiny questions the basis for searching
God. In this landmark poem, he shelves the idea of travelling somewhere to find
God. He suspects man's pride in
professing purity of heart.
In this
dissecting poem, he shreds man’s intentions to assert we don’t have basis to
seek but has the option to remain in the service of God.
The apparent
iconoclastic stance of this saint from the 15th century only serves to
emphasise how foolish humans are and not to shake his belief in God. His poetry
acts more like a knife to cut through our firmly fixed mental postures. His
poems radiate invisible rays that leave an impression on readers' hearts.
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కీర్తన: రాగిరేకు: 213-6 సంపుటము: 3-78 |
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ఉన్నచోటనే
మూఁడులోకా లూహించి చూచితే నీవే
కన్నచోటనే
వెదకి కానఁడింతే కాక ॥పల్లవి॥ యెక్కడ వొయ్యెడి
జీవుఁ డేది వైకుంఠము
యిక్కడ హరి
యున్నాఁడు హృదయమందె
ముక్కున నూరుపు
మోచి ముంచి పుణ్యపాపాల
కక్కసానఁ
జిక్కి తమ్ముఁ గానఁడింతేకాక ॥ఉన్న॥ యేమి విచారించీ
దేహి యెందు దేవుని వెదకీ
కామించి యాతఁ
డిన్నిటాఁ గలిగుండఁగా
దోమటి సంసారపు
దొంతికర్మములఁ జిక్కి
కాముకుఁడై
కిందుమీఁదు గానఁడింతేకాక ॥ఉన్న॥ యే విధులు
తాఁ జేసీ యెవ్వరి నాడఁగఁబోయీ
శ్రీవేంకటేశ్వరు
సేవచేత నుండఁగా
భావ మాతఁడుగాను
బ్రతికె నిదివో నేఁడు
కావరాన నిన్నాళ్లు
కానఁడింతేకాక ॥ఉన్న॥ |
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POEM Copper Leaf: 213-6
Volume: 3-78 |
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unnachOTanE
mUMDulOkA lUhiMchi chUchitE nIvE
kannachOTanE
vedaki kAnaDiMtE kAka ॥pallavi॥ yekkaDa
voyyeDi jIvu DEdi vaikuMThamu
yikkaDa hari
yunnADu hRdayamaMde
mukkuna
nUrupu mOchi muMchi puNyapApAla
kakkasAna
jikki tammu gAnaDiMtEkAka ॥unna॥ yEmi
vichAriMchI dEhi yeMdu dEvuni vedakI
kAmiMchi yAta
DinniTA galiguMDagA
dOmaTi
saMsArapu doMtikarmamula jikki
kAmukuDai
kiMdumIdu gAnaDiMtEkAka ॥unna॥ yE vidhulu tA
jEsI yevvari nADagabOyI
SrIvEMkaTESvaru
sEvachEta nuMDagA
bhAva
mAtaDugAnu bratike nidivO nEDu
kAvarAna ninnALlu
kAnaDiMtEkAka ॥unna॥
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Details and Explanations:
Word to Word meaning: ఉన్నచోటనే (unnachOTanE) = stay in the same place; మూఁడులోకాలు (mUMDulOkAlu) = స్వర్గ మర్త్య పాతాళములను మూడు లోకములు, the three worlds Heaven, Earth and the lower world (PataLa, अधोलोक); ఊహించి (UhiMchi) = imagine, consider, reflect; చూచితే (chUchitE) = see ( kore in the sense of find); నీవే (nIvE) = You alone; కన్నచోటనే (kannachOTanE) = place of human birth (actually indicating man’s insatiable lust); వెదకి (vedaki) = search; కానఁడింతే (kAnaDiMtE) = does not find; కాక (kAka) = except, besides;
Literal
meaning: Stay where
you are and reflect on all the three worlds (heaven earth and hell) at the same
time and find GOD alone is there in this universe. Man tries to search God from
his origins (i.e. female genital parts meaning wrong places) only to get
mislead.
Explanation: The word మూఁడులోకాలు
(mUMDulOkAlu) is used to indicate to take holistic view of life, not fragment
of it. (Even in annual performance appraisals, HR department often advise us to
take into account the whole year, not to get influenced by recent positive or
negative incidents). When viewed in its entirety the life is deadly serious
business and one cannot afford to err imagining that he could correct it later.
Now
have a deep look at the famous triptych painting "The Garden of Earthly Delights" by
Hieronymus Bosch. The said painting was
of the same period as of Annamacharya. Some consider it as one of the greatest arts
works ever made. Left most panel depicts birth. The central panel shows amorous
activities of man, almost bordering animal like indulgence. The right most
panel indicates the punishments of hell. The artist expresses the fears that
dominated life in the Middle Ages-the insatiable weakness of man for not resisting
sinful physical temptation, and eternal damnation in hell as just punishment of
lustful human folly. I believe, the artist put together these make the on
looker aware of fragility of human determination and to instil averse to do
wrong.
It is easy to see that punishments are carried out by mechanical structures in infernal conditions. The artist directly points out that these are only fictional and therefore unreal. Similarly seething artificiality is obvious to the left panel, thus showing that both side panels are part of our imagination. The central panel points out that “The truth is that the man misses a great opportunity because of his weak faith”.
It’s not incidental that the triptych of Bosch and this chorus are saying the same thing. The expressions of Annamacharya need to be viewed holistically as works of art of highest form. They are not archaic statements of a hermit. They are beyond the reach of fading fashions and changing seasons.
Word to Word meaning: యెక్కడ (yekkaDa) = Where వొయ్యెడి (voyyeDi) = go; జీవుఁడు (jIvu Du) = the atma, the person; ఏది (Edi) = Which; వైకుంఠము (vaikuMThamu) = the abode of God, वैकुंठ; యిక్కడ (yikkaDa) = here; హరి యున్నాఁడు (hari yunnADu) = Lord Hari exists; హృదయమందె (hRdayamaMde) = in the heart; ముక్కున (mukkuna) = by the nose; నూరుపు మోచి (nUrupu mOchi) = ఊపిరి తీసుకుంటూ, allow inhalation and exhalation; ముంచి (muMchi) = మునిగి, get immersed; పుణ్యపాపాల (puNyapApAla) = good and bad; కక్కసానఁ (kakkasAna) సంకటము, బాధ, కాఠిన్యము, మనఃక్రోధము, hardness, harshness, hardship, trouble; జిక్కి (jikki) = get hooked; తమ్ముఁ (tammu) = you (in respectful sense); గానఁడింతేకాక (gAnaDiMtEkAka) = except, he does not find you.
Literal
meaning: Where will
the person (or atma) go after death? Where is the abode of God (वैकुंठ)? The Lord Hari stays in your heart.
You are immersed in inhalation and exhalation business. In the avarice to
continue this movement of air, man gets caught in trouble of separating good
(pious) and bad (sin, treachery) and therefore cannot find God.
Explanation: On the first look, through this poem, Annamacharya appears to question popular belief that man (rather his soul) goes to another world. With so many powerful observatories man installed to search space, is there single evidence of the other world. Absolutely NO. What we find is extension of material spread widely beyond the imagination, almost like fiction. Therefore, be sure, no one goes anywhere. We are the material, which we are rather less prepared to accept.
Man takes the movement of air thru nose as measure of life. From this fundamental conviction he does all that he can to continue the life. In this process he gets trapped in various activities. When man is material, when the air is also material, inability to see that material alone cannot provide life (force) is absolute foolishness is the point made by Annamacharya.
Thus, beyond the material considerations something else exists in all of us. That is energy of the soul mentioned in Bhagavad-Gita verse (जीवभूतां महाबाहो ययेदं धार्यते जगत्: 7-5). From this, we may take ముక్కున నూరుపు మోచి mukkuna nUrupu mOchi as man takes responsibility to stay alive is not necessarily a correct posture. When one has absolute faith in God, he leaves it on God. (This is also the meaning of Matthew 16:24-26. 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?)
Scientists say that we are using only very small fraction of our brain. Philosophers say that we are living on periphery. They say man’s mind is immeasurable. However, it must be understood that this uncovering of soul energy is not a matter of personal achievement. On observing the colossus of the Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, he joined herds of people in their enamoured engagements to indicate that the basis of life (consciousness) is common to all the living beings. Something similar is meant by wording యిక్కడ హరి యున్నాఁడు హృదయమందె (yikkaDa hari yunnADu hRdayamaMde).
Word to Word meaning: యేమి విచారించీ (yEmi vichAriMchI) = considering what; దేహి (dEhi) = the person; యెందు (yeMdu) = where; దేవుని (dEvuni) = god; వెదకీ (vedakI) = searches; కామించి (kAmiMchi) = by compassion; యాతఁ డిన్నిటాఁ (yAta DinniTA) = everywhere that one; గలిగుండఁగా (galiguMDagA) = being present; దోమటి (dOmaTi) = illusion, deceit; సంసారపు (saMsArapu) = wordly; దొంతికర్మములఁ (doMtikarmamula) = dual actions; జిక్కి (jikki) = get trapped; కాముకుఁడై (kAmukuDai) = driven by the desires; కిందుమీఁదు గానఁడింతే (kiMdumIdu gAnaDiMtEkAka)) = cannot differentiate upside from low side; loses his sense, gets blinded; కాక (kAka) = except, besides.
Literal meaning: What is the basis for searching God? Is the man blind not to sense omnipresent god’s compassion? The man gets subdued by dual actions and therefore cannot differentiate good from evil.
Explanation: Most often, the basis for search has been curiosity, fear and Security. These are the creations of imprudent mind. When you infer the above Matthew 16:24-26, It says God does not provide for your fear and security, for God is beyond these considerations.
Thus, by this stanza, Annamacharya asserted that without unwavering faith in God, its impossible to cross the limitations of imposed by the mind and its reflections. However, readers may note that all the actions of man leads to duality i.e he remains in confusion. Therefore, confusion may not be solved by remaining inside it, but by becoming an outright outsider.
Word to Word meaning: యే విధులు (yE vidhulu) = what procedures; తాఁ జేసీ (tA jEsI) = by performing; యెవ్వరి (yevvari) = who; నాడఁగఁబోయీ (nADagabOyI) = by blaming; శ్రీవేంకటేశ్వరు (SrIvEMkaTESvaru) = Lord Venkateswara; సేవచేత (sEvachEta) = by his service; నుండఁగా (nuMDagA) = is available; భావ మాతఁడుగాను (bhAva mAtaDugAnu) = the feelings are his; బ్రతికె (bratike) = as life; నిదివో నేఁడు (nidivO nEDu) = today (used more in the sense of every running moment); కావరాన (kAvarAna) = due to ego, due to pride; with arrogance; నిన్నాళ్లు (ninnALlu) = all these days; కానఁడింతేకాక (kAnaDiMtEkAka) = fail to see;
Literal meaning: What procedures one need to perform to reach God? (none). Who one has to blame? (none). Is it not a better to live a life every moment as the Lord Venkateswara’s feelings? O Fool! arrogance and pride are blinding you from truth.
Explanation: like the western philosophers, Annamacharya always finds the roots of our wrong action in our pride (అహంకారము). As usual he does not find a method to reach God by any action, except unconditional submission of will to the Lord. The word బ్రతికె (bratike) is more close to the sense used in Matthew 16-26 (ref 2nd stanza).
Repeated use of word కానఁడింతేకాక (kAnaDiMtEkAka) is indicating Bhagavad-Gita pronouncement य: पश्यति स पश्यति yaḥ paśhyati sa paśhyati = They alone truly see, whose mind is prepared to see. This is more like Louis Pasteur statement “In the fields of observation chance favours only the prepared mind.
There are many, who wish salvation as product to be purchased from a shop called religion. These kind people are filled with pride of pocession of money, power and knowledge – for them Annamacharya wrote కావరాన నిన్నాళ్లు కానఁడింతేకాక.
To conclude this
complex, rather overwhelming poem, let me put the synopsis. This poem is about wholeness of life. Like the
Garden of Earthly Delights, it paints complete picture before us. Its your
choice.
References
and Recommendations for further reading:
#1: Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights (Full Length): Great Art Explained
Summary
of this Keertana:
Chorus:
Stay where you are and reflect on all the three
worlds (heaven earth and hell) at the same time and find GOD alone is there in
this universe. Man tries to search God from his origins (i.e. female genital
parts meaning wrong places) only to get mislead.
Stanza
1: Where
will the person (or atma) go after death? Where is the abode of God (वैकुंठ)? The Lord Hari stays
in your heart. You are immersed in inhalation and exhalation business. In the
avarice to continue this movement of air, man gets caught in trouble of
separating good (pious) and bad (treachery) and therefore cannot find God.
Stanza
2: What is the basis for searching God? Is the man blind not
to sense omnipresent god’s compassion? The man gets subdued by dual actions and
therefore cannot differentiate good from evil.
Stanza
3: What
procedures one need to perform to reach God? (none). Who one has to blame?
(none). Is it not a better to live a life every moment as the Lord
Venkateswara’s feelings? O Fool! arrogance and pride are blinding you from
truth.
