Annamayya once again illustrates his adept and grip over the Telugu language by presenting this keerthana about Lord Venkateswara's swing. The theme of this keerthan is swing and so every sentence ends with "swing". He makes this more pleasant by making it sound like a lullaby that gives out the essence of life with a higher intellectual description, atleast in the first few stanzas.
అలరalara=to blossom/shine; చంచలమైనchanchalamaina(chanchalamu+aina)= transient +that which is; ఆత్మలందుండ నీaatmalandundani(atmala+andu+undani)=in soul+in+present; యలవాటుalavatu=habituated; చేసెchese=made/done; నీnee= your;వుయ్యాలvuyyala=swing;
పలుమారుpalu maru=(many times; నుఛ్ఛ్వాసuchchvasa=breath/consolation; పవనpavanamu= wind; మందుండandunda=present inside; నీnee=your; భావంబుbhavambu=intention/purpose; దెలిపెtelipe=to inform/tell; నీnee=your; వుయ్యాలvuyyala=swing.
The blooming transience present in the souls is habituated to you by your swing;
Many times, present in the breating air, your intention/purpose tells, your swing.
There are two aspects in each sentence. Lets look at the first sentence. Firstly Annamayya tells us the transient/changing nature present in the soul that is always blooming. So the change is always blooming and new. To that transience, according to Annamayya, the swing brings out steadiness by habituating/ accustoming the soul to the Lord. So in other words, Annamayya is describing how the Lord's swinging ceremony makes everyone to focus on the Lord.
The second sentence starts off with the breathing air. We breathe every time but it is only sometimes that we think of it or focus on it. So Annamayya says that in that breathing air, the whole feeling/purpose of the Lord is present. According to him, that feeling/purpose is sensed /taught by the "swing". There are a lot of things common with breathing and the swinging. They are rhythmic and they involve air. As we know, focusing on breathing is a meditation technique too.
ఉదాయాస్తudayastha=(udaya+astha=morning+end) sunrise to sunset; శైలంబుshailambu=on mountain; లొనరlona=inside; కంభములైనkambhamulaina(kambhamulu+aina)=vertical columns+to be; వుడుvuduvu= star; మండలముmandalamu=galaxy; మోచెmoche=to bear; నుయ్యాలvuyyala=swing;
అదనadana=excess; ఆకాశaakasha=sky;పదముpadam=foot; అడ్డౌadda=cross/transverse;దూలంబైన doolambaina (doolambu+aina)=beam+that is; అఖిలంబుakhilambu= all; నిండెninde=to fill; నీnee=your; వుయ్యాలvuyyala= swing.
Meaning:
On the inside of the sunrise and sunset like mountains, as vertical column( is your swing), the starry galaxy is bore by your swing.
The excessive sky's feet having become the cross beam, the entire space is filled by your swing..
Discussion:
This stanza is a little tricky to understand with the words Annamayya uses. I'm confused as to why he used "udayastha shailambu". I hope I got the words right! Any help would be appreciated. But from one of the comments in this post, I realised that, the play of words, especially the prepositions should be right to get it. Here is what I infer....On the inside of the mountains, formed by sunrise and sunset on both sides, as vertical columns, is the swing, that bears the galaxies. I guess this is confusing because there is a simile in a simile :). The first simile is that mountains are the vertical columns of the swing. The simile in the simile is that the mountains are not actual mountains but the "sun rise and sunset". That means that in between the sunrise and sunset is the swing. And we know that in between the sunrise and sun set is the "day and night", but Annamayya says that the swing is inbetween(lonara) ,thus refering to day and night as the swinging from one side to another.
The second line presents an interesting fact, that Annamayya knew/believed, during 15 century; that the sky is limitless. So he uses "sky's feet " as the cross beam. Though he is not completely right technically in describing that, this is a poem and artistic liberty should be credited.
పదిలముగ వేదములు బంగారు చేరులై పట్టివెరపై తోచెనుయ్యాల
వదలకిటు ధర్మదేవత పీఠమై మిగుల వర్ణింప నరుదాయె వుయ్యాల
padilamuga vaedamulu baMgaaru chaerulai paTTiverapai tOchenuyyaala
vadalakiTu dharmadaevata peeThamai migula varNiMpa narudaaye vuyyaala
Word-Word:
పదిలముగpadilamuga=with caution/care; వేదములుvedamulu=the Vedas; బంగారుbangaru= golden; చేరులై cherulai=to be near;పట్టిpatti=hold/on account of;వెరపైverapai=vera+pai=fear/surprise+on; తోచెtoche= to push; నుయ్యాలvuyyala= swing;
వదలకిటుvadlakitu(vadalaku+itu)=don't leave+this way; ధర్మdharma= the rules of law/Dharma;దేవతdevatha=god; పీఠమైpeethamu= a lofty seat; మిగులmigula=to leave/vacant/ the remaining; వర్ణింపvarnimpa= to describe; నరుదాయెarudaye(arudu+aye)= scarce+tobe; వుయ్యాలvuyyala=swing;
Meaning:
With caution, the Vedas, as the golden near ones/kin, hold and with fear push your swing;
Without leaving this way, the Dharma God having become the seat, the rest is too little to describe your swing...
Discussion:
In this stanza, Annamayya describes how the Lord is swung by Vedas and Dharma. Annamayya describes how the Vedas, being the nearest ones to the Lord, hold the swing with caution and with fear, push it. This basically describes the swinging method. One has to cautiously hold the swing when it comes back and push it. There is always fear if the push is forceful to knock the person off the swing. The Dharma or law is the seat, that does not leave, and with these two(vedas and the dharma), everything else is too little to describe the swing.
మేలు కట్లయి మీకు మేఘమండలమెల్ల మెరుగునకు మెరుగాయె వుయ్యాల
నీలశైలము వంటి నీ మేని కాంతికి నిజమైన తొడవాయె వుయ్యాల
maelu kaTlayi meeku maeghamaNNalamella merugunaku merugaaye vuyyaala
neelaSailamu vaMTi nee maeni kaaMtiki nijamaina toDavaaye vuyyaala
Word-Word:
మేలుకట్లయిmelukatlayi(melukattu+ayi)=(acanopy+become)becoming a canopy; మీకుmeeku= to you; మేఘమండలమెల్లmeghamandalammella(megha+mandalamu+ella)=the cloud sphere+all) all the cloud sphere/stratosphere; మెరుగునకుmerugunaku= for brilliance/shine/advantage; మెరుగాయెmerugaye= have become brilliant/advantageous/to take credit; వుయ్యాలvuyyala= swing;
నీలశైలముneelashilamu(neela+shailamu)=blue+mountain; వంటిvanti= like/similar; నీnee=your; మేనిmeni=brilliance/lustre; కాంతికిkanthiki= to the light/illuminous; నిజమైనnijamaina= truthfully; తొడవాయెthodavaye (thoda+aye)=ornament+ has become; వుయ్యాల
Meaning:
Having become a canopy to you, all the cloud-region for brilliance sake have become brilliant
For the blue-mountain-like your brilliance's-lustre/light, the true ornament has your swing become.
Discussion:
Remember that Annamayya has already described the sky as the cross beam for the swing. He cleverly describes that the clouds form canopy or a shelter. The Lord's lustre is blue, like the blue mountain. To such lustre, the swing is like an ornament.
పాలిండ్లు కదలగా పయ్యదలు రాపాడ భామినులు వడినూచు వుయ్యాల
వోలి బ్రహ్మాణ్డములు వొరుగునో యని భీతి నొయ్య నొయ్యనైరి వూచిరుయ్యాల
paaliMDlu kadalagaa payyadalu raapaaDa bhaaminulu vaDinoochu vuyyaala
vOli brahmaaNDamulu vorugunO yani bheeti noyya noyyanairi voochiruyyaala
Word-Word:
పాలిండ్లుpaalindlu=breasts; కదలగాkadalaga=as moved; పయ్యదలుpayyadalu=the garment over the breast; రాపాడraapadu= rub against each other; భామినులుbhaminulu= the ladies; వడినూచుvadinoochu=quickly perform/acted; వుయ్యాల
వోలిooli=a line; బ్రహ్మాణ్డములుbhrahmandamu= the universe; వొరుగునోorugunoo=will it bend?; యనిyani=as if; భీతిbheethi= fear; నొయ్యoyyana=slowly/gently; నొయ్యనైరిoyyanairi(oyyana+airi)= (gentle+become)have become gentle; వూచి voochi= to rock (swing);రుయ్యాల
Meaning:
As the breasts moved and the upper garment rubbed over them, the ladies quickly acted(consciously adjust?) - (all this caused) by the swing
The lined universe as if will bend/fall, with (such) fear, slowly becoming gentle, rocked/swung the swing...
Discussion:
In this stanza, Annamayya shifts his focus from describing the swing to describing the scene with Lord's two wives swinging in the first line.The universe, fearing that it were falling, became consciously gentle as the swing was rocked.
కమలకును భూసతికి కదలు కదలకు మిమ్ము కౌగలింపగ జేసె నుయ్యాల
అమరాంగనలకు నీ హావ భావ విలాస మందంద చూపె నీ వుయ్యాల
kamalakunu bhoosatiki kadalu kadalaku mimmu kaugaliMpaga jaese nuyyaala
amaraaMganalaku nee haasa bhaava vilaasa maMdaMda choope nee vuyyaala
Word-Word:
కమలకునుkamalakuni= to Kamala(Lakshmi); భూసతికిbhoosathiki= to Earth-lady (bhoodevi); కదలుkadalu= to move; కదలకుkadalaku=not moving; మిమ్ముmimmu= you; కౌగలింపగkouliginpa= to embrace; జేసెchese= to act/make; నుయ్యాలnuyyala= swing;
అమరాంగనలకుamarangulaku=properlyfit ones; నీnee=your; హావhaava=amorous gesture; భావbhava= meaning; విలాస మందందvilasamu+andanda= (affluence+here and there); చూపెchoope= shows; నీnee= your; వుయ్యాలvuyyala=swing.
Meaning:
To the moving Lakshmi and Bhoodevi, the unmoving/steady you are made to be embraced, by the swing;
To the properly fit ones, your gestures, meaning, extravagance here and there is shown by your swing
Discussion:
The Lord as the caring husband is brought forth by the swing when his wives cling on to the steady Lord as they swing. This is a gesture that all unsteady minds can cling on to the steady Lord to prevent from falling.
కమలాసనాదులకు కన్నులకు పండుగై గణుతింప నరుదాయె వుయ్యాల
కమనీయ మూర్తి వేంకటశైలపతి నీకు కడువేడుకై వుండె వుయ్యాల
kamalaasanaadulaku kannulaku paMDugai gaNutiMpa narudaaye vuyyaala
kamaneeya moorti vaeMkaTaSailapati neeku kaDuvaeDukai vuMDe vuyyaala
Word-Word:
కమలాసనాదులకుkamalasanaadulaki(kamala+asana+nadhudu)=(Lotus+seated+Lord)Brahma; కన్నులకుkannulaku= to the eyes; పండుగైpandugai= as feastival; గణుతింపganuthimpa=praise; నరుదాయెarudaye=(scarce/little+have become)have become little; వుయ్యాలvuyyala= swing;
కమనీయkamaneeya=charming; మూర్తిmoorthi=idol; వేంకటశైలVenkata+shaila=Venkata mountain;పతిpathi= master/lord; నీకుneeku=to you; కడుkadu=great;వేడుకైvedukai= as an event; వుండెvunde= stays; వుయ్యాలvuyyala=swing
Meaning:
To Brahma and all eyes, having become a festival, your swing becomes praise-defecit,
To the charming personality of Venkata mountain's Lord, to you, this swing happens to be a great event/function.
As always, comments and suggestions to help improve the understanding of this keerthana are welcome.
References:
[1]
http://annamacharya-lyrics.blogspot.com/2006/11/83bamdi-virichi_23.html
[2] Telugu to English Dictionary by Paluri Sankarnarayana.
