Garikapati Venkat established himself as a commentator on Annamacharya kirtanas with ability to decipher the sahitya content. In the process he has been choosing some impressive compositions of Annamayya and published them as books with gist of each of the compositions with meanings to unusual words. Annamayya Sankirtana Sanjeevani is his third book for readers to easily comprehend what the kirtana is about and what the words mean. This is in short a work of high order so as if it gets into the hands of reader they can fathom into the depths of the lyric.
This work was lauded by prof. Ananadamurthy, son of Veturi Prabhakara Sastry, great scholar and researcher into Annamachraya kirtanas. In his intro Anandamurthy lauded Venkat’s work and named some compositions that were well analysed.
We find some of these compositions are worth mentioning especially for the way Venkat dealt with them. In the composition Innita Ninthata Iravokate Annamayya says ‘Vishnu is omnipotent, this world is constant and Vedam is nothing but the form of Vishnu the only one who accords solace and then says he is none other than Lord Venkateswara’. The pallavi of another composition Choodaramma Satulara, Sobana Paadaramma places Godadevi as supreme. She is also called ‘Nanchari’ who put the garland she wore into God’s neck. And it says she is Mahalakshmi, mother of Manmadha, sister of moon and many more attributes. In another composition Tiru Veedhula Merise Devudu Annamayya gives a picture of Brahmotsavas that run through nine days with Lord Venkateswara taking different mounts. The lyric Tolliyunu Marraku Thottelalane Yurega depicts the lord when born he made ‘Marraaku’, a leaf, his cradle and four Vedas as its chains. And the lyric tells Venkateswara is none other than ‘Sri Ranga’ another form of Vishnu. ‘Taragalu’ the word Annamayya used here means waves, explains Venkat. Similarly the word ‘Virahitamu’ used in the composition Nee Kathamrutamu Niratasevana Naaku means avoidance. The kirtana says chanting the name of Venkateswara itself is a significant ‘mantram’ that earns happiness in life and his story is like nectar. Paramapurushudu Gopala Baludu a popular composition of Annamayya narrates in brief ‘Srikrishna Tatvam’.
Venkat put the composition on one page and its gist on the opposite page for readers’ comfort.
‘Annamayya Sankirtana Sanjeevani’
By Garikapati Venkat
Pages: 243. Price: Rs.150
Available with TTD Book Centre, Himayatnagar,
Ph: 9704179950, 8985235385
