In this sankeerthana, Annamayya describes poignantly his helplessness of getting entangled in this mundane world and rhetorically pleads the Lord to take him ashore the ocean of emotional world.This is a splendid literary piece especially because of the rhetorical questions that are innocently put forth and the reasons he attributes to the Lord Narayana.Example, he says the Lord is impatient and so pushes him back to the world of desires with his leelas/games.
నిగమ నిగమాంత వర్ణిత మనోహర రూప నగరాజ ధరుడ శ్రీనారాయణ
Nigama nigamaanta varNita manOhara roopa nagaraaja dharuDa SrinaaraayaNa
NaaraayaNa SrimannaaraayaNa naaraayaNa vEnkaTa naaraayaNa
Word-word meaning
నిగమ Nigama= Vedas; నిగమాంత Nigamaantha= the end of Vedas, Vedantha,Upanidhads;వర్ణిత Varnitha= described, praised; మనోహర manohara= heart-stealing, beautiful; రూపroopa= appearance;నాగరాజ Nagaraja (nagamu+raja)=Mountain King, Mandara; ధరుడ Dharuda= the one who bore ; శ్రినారాయన SrinaaraayaNa= Sri Narayana
Meaning
The one praised by the Vedas and the Vedanta; the one with the heart-stealing/mesmerizing appearance; the one who bore the mountain-king (mandara); O Sri Narayana
Discussion
In this stanza, Annamayya describes Lord Narayana with adjectives.The first two adjectives are self explanatory. The third adjective is as the bearer of the mountain king. During the churning of ksheer sagar (milky ocean), Narayana takes the Kurma avatar(the form of a tortoise) to lay foundation and bear the Mandara mountain which was used as the churning rod.
దీపించు వైరాగ్యదివ్య సౌఖ్యంబియ్య నోపకరా నన్ను నొడబరపుచుచు
పైపై నె సంసారబంధముల గట్టేవు నాపలుకు చెల్లునా నారాయణా
deepinchu vairaagya divya saumkhyambhiya
nOpaka kadaa nannu noDabarupuchu
paipai paipaina samsaara bandhamula kaTTEvu
naa paluku chellunaa naaraayaNa
Word-word
దీపించు deepinchu= To shine; వైరాగ్య vairagya=absence of wordly passions; దివ్య Divya= a light, heavenly; సుమ్ఖ్యమ్భియ Soukhyambu+iyyanu= to give pleasure, happiness
నోపక na+ooPu+ka(na+oopakunda)= without patience or on oneside; కదా kadaa= is it not so? నన్ను=me;ఓడబరుచుచు odabaruchuchu= persuaded, made to agree ;
పైపైన=superficially; సంసార samsara= the course of mundane existance; బంధముల bandhamula= relations, restraints, కట్టేవు kattevu= built; నా naa= my; పలుకు= word; చెల్లునా= Chellu+na= will influence? నారాయణ Narayana!
Meaning:
(For me) to shine in ascetic/celibate word(devoid of wordly desires) that gives heavenly happiness, is it not that you did not have patience and persuaded me( into the wordly desires)? and superficially built this mundane existence with restraints of relations. Will my word influence you? Narayana!
Discussion:
Here Annamayya complains that Narayana because of his impatience is forbidding him(Annamayya) from ascetic life and has conspired to built the mundane world superficially. This describes his helplessness of staying away from the mundane world. He ends the stanza with a question as if his words would ever influence Narayana.
చికాకు పడిన నా చిత్త శాంతము సేయ లేకకా నీవు బహులీలలoదు
కాకుసేసెదవు బహుకర్మల బడువారు నాకొలదివారలా నారాయణా
chikaku padina naa citta shantmu seeya lekaka neevu bahueelalandu
Kakusedavu bahukarmala baduvaru naa koladi varala naryana
Word-word
చికాకు chikaku= vexation, disgust; పడిన padina = to fall, to fell; నా naa=my; చిత్త citta= mind, will; శాంతము shanthamu= peace; సేయ seya= to make; లేకకా leka+ka(da)=without having; నీవు neevu=you; బహు bahu= various; లీలoదు leelalandu=with games, sports;
కాకు kaku= useless, vain;సేసెదవు sesedavu= you make; బహు bahu= various;కర్మల karmala=deeds,fate,destiny; బడు badu(padu)= fall;వారు varu= those; నా naa=my; కొలది koladi=limit, possible in one's capacity; వారలా varala= are they not?? నారాయణా= Narayana!
Meaning:
When I feel vexed, as you cannot make my mind peaceful, with your various games
you make useless/vain those who fall prey to various deeds/actions. Aren't they with in my limit/capacity?? Narayana!
Discussion:
When vexed with the mundane life,Narayana doesnot pacify Annamayya's mind. Instead, Narayana plays his games(leela) and makes all those who fall prey to the fate/destiny(karma)useless/vain and they get caught in the mundane life again.Notice that in the second line, Annamayya generalizes the aspect of getting caught in fate/destiny for everybody and Annamayya ends again with a question if all those people are just like him.
వివిధ నిర్బంధముల వెడలద్రోయక నన్ను భవసాగరముల నడబడ జేతురా
దివిజేంద్రవంద్య శ్రీ తిరువేంకటాధ్రీశ నవనీత చోర శ్రీ నారాయణా
Vividha nirbhandhamula
vedala drOyakanannu bhavasaagaramula daDabaDajEturaa..
DivijEndravandhya.sri tiruvEnkadriSa
navaneetachOra sri naaraayaNa
Word-word
వివిధ vividha= various; నిర్భంధముల nirbhandamula =restraint;వెడల vedala=to leave away; ద్రోయక droyaka=to push; నన్ను nannu=me; భవ bhava= emotional;సాగరముల sagaramula= worlds; దడ daDa(Thada)=obstruction;బడ bada= to fall; జేతురా jethuraa= will you make?..
దివిజేంద్ర Divija+Indra= Dieties and Indra; వంద్య vandya= praise-worthy, adorable; శ్రీ =Sri; తిరువెంకద్రిస(TiruVenkatadri+Eesha)= Tiru Venkatadr's Lord; నవనీత navaneeta= Butter; చోర chora =thief; శ్రీ నారాయణ
Meaning:
Without pushing away the various restraints, Will you make me trip into these emotional worlds?
The one praised by Dieties and Indra, the Lord of Sri TiruVenkatadri;
The butter-thief , Sri Narayana
Discussion: In this stanza, Annamayya rhetorically asks him if Narayana would let him fall due to the obstructions of the emotional world. Finally he ends with adjectives describing Narayana.
Finally, as always, I humbly request comments and/or suggestions if any word is misinterpreted or wrongly written.
References:
1)Paluri ShankarNarayana, Telugu to English dictionary
http://manasasancharare.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/nigama-nigamanta-annamayya-keerthana/
2)http://rasikas.org/forum_flux/topic3104-meaning-nigama-nigamanta.html
