Wednesday, May 15, 2013

cheri yashodaku


This literary piece by Annamayya describes each state of Narayana elegantly. Annamayya describes what His sight, His standing posture, and His speech are capable of.Finally, he seeks shelter from Venkateshwara Swamy.


చేరి యశోదకు శిశువితడు ధారుణి బ్రహ్మకు తండ్రియు నితడు
cheri yashodaku shishu vithadu dhAruNi brahmaku thandriyu nithadu

Word-Word
చేరి cheri=nearness/dear; యశోదకు yashodaku= For Yashoda; శిశు+వితడుshishuvu +ithadu= baby+he is; ధారుణిdhAruNi=the earth; బ్రహ్మకుbrahmaku=To Brahma; తండ్రియుthandriyu= father too; నితడుnithadu= he is
Meaning:
To dear Yashoda he is baby and to earth's Brahma( Creator), he is father too.
Discussion:
Annamayya describes the paradox that Vishnu is. He is a child to Yashoda and at the same time, he is the father to the creator of the earth, Brahma.

సొలసి జూచినను సూర్యచంద్రులను లలివెదజల్లెడు లక్షణుడు
నిలిచిన నిలువున నిఖిల దేవతల కలిగించు సురల గనివో యితడు
solasi chuchinanu surya chandrulanu lali vedajalladu lakshaNudu
nilichina niluvuna nikhila dEvathala kaliginchu churala ganivo ithadu

Word-Word
సొలసిsolasi= to swoon; జూచినను chuchinanu= if seen; సూర్యచంద్రులనుsurya chandrulanu= surya and chandra; లలి Lali= gracefully;వెదజల్లెడు vedajalladu= to sprinkle; లక్షణుడు= beautiful person , person full of character)
నిలిచినnilichina= if stood; నిలువునniluvuna=vertically/upright; నిఖిల Nikhila= all; దేవతల Devatala= of gods, కలిగించు = to cause; సురల(Suralinchu)= to disenchantment, free from illusion; గణవో GaNivo(Ganyudu)= a worthy person; యితడుithadu= this man/he.
Meaning:
If  sees/seen by swooning, he is the handsome one who would sprinkle the luminosity of the Sun and the Moon(Surya and Chandra)
If he stands upright, he is the person worthy to cause disenchantment of all the Gods.
Discussion:
Even without paying much attention, i.e. even if He looks lazily, one would see the brilliance of the Suna and Moon.

మాటలాడినను మరియజాండములు కోటులు వొడమెటి గుణరాశి
నీటుగ నూర్పుల నిఖిల వేదములు చాటువ నూరెటి సముద్రుడితడు
mATalADinanu mariya jANDamaku kOTulu voDameTi guNa rAsi
niTagu nUrpula nikhila vEdamulu cATuva nUreTi samudra mithaDu

Word-Word
మాటలాడిననుmATalADinanu= if he speaks; మరియజాండములు mariyajANDamaku(mariyu+ajandamulu)=(again+universe) ; కోటులుkOTulu= crores; వొడమెటిvoDameTi= Odamu+Eti) = one who produces; గుణguNa=Character, virtues; రాశిrAsi= heap.
నీటుగniTagu= with elegance; నూర్పులnUrpula= thrashing as to tread out grain, figuratively bring out the meaning by lot of effort; నిఖిల nikhila = all;వేదములుvEdamulu= Vedas; చాటువcATuva=pleasingly/witty; నూరెటిnUreTi= to grid/sharpen; సముద్రుడితడుsamudramu+ ithaDu= ocean+he is
Meaning:
If he speaks, he is the heap of virtues that could produce Crores of similar universe;
all Vedas that need to be "thrashed/ground" (with lots of effort) elegantly (for bringing out the true meaning), He is the ocean that brings out their essence wittingly/extemporously.
Discussion:
I sincerely apologize for not being able to get the meaning of "MariyaJandamulu". I have trouble splitting it into meaningful parts also. One possible meaning is that it is equivalent to "galaxies/universe" (similar to brahmandamu), also referring to the episode where Krishna shows the whole universe in this mouth when Yashoda looks into his mouth to check if he ate mud.
Annamayya had me amused many times at his choice of Telugu words which are a relish by themselves, leave alone the poems/sankeerthanas and so I hate to assume things unless they have a proper Telugu meaning, which in this case fails. Either I have wrong words as lyrics(very likely!!!)"Mariyajandamulu" or the Telugu dictionary by Paluri Shankarnarayana, which I follow as reference, does not have some old words(which is very unlikely)!! Help needed!! Any help regarding the meaning of the word ' mariyajandamulu" would be appreciated. Please feel free to comment to help me get the right lyrics. My quest continues...

ముంగిట పొలసిన మోహన మాత్మల పొంగించే ఘన పురుషుడు
సంగతి మావంటి శరణాగతులకు అంగము శ్రీ వేంకటాధిపుడితడు
mungita polasina mohanamATmala ponginche ghana purushudu
sangathi maa vanti sharaNAgathulaku angamu shree venkaTAdhipuDithaDu

Word-Word
ముంగిటMungita= at threshold; పొలసినPolasina= who wanders; మోహనముMohanamu= infactuated,delusioned; అత్మలathmala=souls; పొంగించేPonginche=to please; ఘనGhana= the noble; పురుషుడు purushudu= man;
సంగతి sangathi=topic/subject; మావంటి maavanti= Like us; శరణాగతులకు Sharanagathulaku( sharana+ Aagathamulaku)= shelter+to whom is obtained/arrived; అంగముAngamu= part; శ్రీ Sri= Lakshmi or usually honorable interjection ;వేంకటాధిపుడితడు Venkatadhipathudu (Venkata+adhipathudu)= venkata Hill's Lord/master
Meaning:
He is the Noble one who can please the infactuated/delusioned souls that wander at his threshold.
He is the Lord of Venkata Hills, who is only subject/topic for shelter seeking ones like us
Discussion:
The first sentence could refer to two different implications. The first one is that of Krishna being the one who pleased the gopikas who were infactuated with love for Krishna and wandered around him. It also indicates that he is the one can satisfy the spiritual enlightenment seeking souls.

References:
[1]http://annamacharya-lyrics.blogspot.com/2006/09/14cheri-yashodaku.html
[2]http://www.sangeetasudha.org/annamacharya/c.html
[3] Telugu to English Dictionary by Paluri Shankarnarayana

5 comments:

  1. Ajandamu ante Brahmandamu ani....so anni brahmandamaulu ani ardham.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot for your comment. I really appreciate your help.

      Delete
  2. daaruni brahma.. I would think it means the terriffic mighty brahma..

    Anila Garimella explains in one of his lessons that there is a reference to breath here perhaps for chanting and churning Vedas.. the oceans contribute to the winds and a befitting comparison. 'niTagu nUrpula nikhila vEdamulu cATuva nUreTi samudra mithaDu'

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  3. Mohana Matmala- just by seeking surrender at his threshold even to laymen like us he would grant us the bliss/experience/realisation of the absolute Atman within..?!

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