Vemana 10

ఎంత చదువు చదివి ఎన్నెన్ని విన్నను
హీనుడవగుణంబు మానలేడు
బొగ్గుపాల గడుగ పోవునా మలినంబు
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ
Enta caduvu cadivi ennenni vinnanu
hInudavaguNambu manalEdu
boggupAla gaduga pOvunA malinambu
viswadABirAma vinura vEma

ఎంత చదువు చదివి = however much educated
ఎన్నెన్ని విన్నను = however much he listens
హీనుడు = a mean man
అవగుణంబు = lowly characters
మానలేడు = can not stop
బొగ్గుపాల గడుగ = if coal is washed in milk
పోవునా మలినంబు = will the dirt go
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ

However much educated, or listens to people, a bad man can never stop his bad ways. It is like even after washing in milk, coal will not lose its dirty appaerance.

Vemana in this verse refers to the futility of formal education without the the ethics and culture. Eduaction in ancient style is by study and listening to the masters. Even these things will give the right benefit in only the right kind of people, means Vemana. If a person by birth or habit is immersed in bad ways, eduaction of this type can not make him mend his ways.
Vemana comments on two things here. One is education without the completeness i.e. culture. Another is the unchanging ways of bad people.
It is common knowledge that this world has two kinds of bad people. One without education another kind belongs to bad people with education.
You look at all the happenings that appear in news. It is always some well educated people invlved in bad acts and crimes of all sorts. Politics usedto be run by the intelligentsia at one point. Now it is perhaps in the hands of many people who are no doubt educated. By no means all of them can be called good.
In every instance Vemana has a good simily to illustrate the point. Coal is dirty. You can wash it. Not with water but with milk.
Milk is supposed to be purifying even the sinners. Vemana takes a jibe at tradition by taking milk and not water to make the coal clean. Water is an ordinary purifier. Milk is a superior one to water. Vemana hence says, even if washed with milk, coal will not lose its quality of making things dirty when it comes into contact. A bad man creates few more bad people. A good man may not be able to turn people int good people. One only has to look for interpretation of each and every word Vemana uses. Everyt word has a purpose, it appears.

If one wants to comment on what Vemana tells in three lines, one can perhaps write a big book. It is the brevity that gives Vemana the palce that he has in the firmament of litearture.
Being able to tell in fewer words is a skill that is not easily possible.

Vemana 9

ఎంత సేవచేసి యేపాటు పడినను
రాచమూక నమ్మరాదురన్న
పాముతోడిపొందు పదివేలకైనను
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ

Enta sEva cEsi yE pAtupadinanu
rAcamUka nammarAduranna
pAmutOdipondu padivElakainanu
viswadABirAma vinura vEma

ఎంత సేవచేసి = however much you serve
యేపాటు పడినను = however much you struggleరాచమూక = the royal crowd
నమ్మరాదురన్న= you should not believe oh! Brother!పాముతోడిపొందు = The company of a snake
పదివేలకైనను = even if Ten thousands are offeredవిశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ
It is interesting to see how Vemana denounced the rich and the mighty.
In this verse there is not much of hidden detail to understand. The fact is so simply told that you don’t require any commentary at all. Vemana tells that however much you have served them and struggled during that service, you should not believe the royal class. It is to say that those from the class that is used to being served, there is no habit of remembering the service or being grateful for the service. Vemana compares such association with rich people with living in the company of a snake. A snake is a snake. It takes a bite when it feels like. It does not think about whom it is harming. Similarly a rich person will not reciprocate the goodness just because the person happens to be one who served them at a point of time.
The third line gives the feeling of an incomplete expression. But it is the beauty of poetry where the creator expects the readers to imagine words that he has imagined. Even if a lot of money is offered, the company of a snake is not acceptable. It is not even suggestible. This is what Vemana means by the words in the third line.
There is no royal class, now a days in the society. May be we can attribute the word to the rich people who do not think of being kind to their servants.

వేమన 8

ఎలుకతోకదెచ్చి యేడాది యుతికిన
నలుపునలుపేగాని తెలుపుగాదు
కొయ్యబొమ్మదెచ్చి కొట్టిన పలుకదు
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ
elukatOkadecci EdAdi yutikina
nalupu nalupEgAni telupugAdu
koyyabommadecci kottina palukadu
viswdABirAma vinurvEma

This poem is also there in another form. in that instead of toka it is said tolu.
Vemana says that change is not possible easily. He never talks of humans in the verse. To me what he means is that humans are also like the rats skin and wooden statue.
To tell the meaning straight now,
You bring the tail or skin of a rat and wash for an year.
It would remain black and necer turn white.
It is like bringing a wooden doll or statue and hitting it again and again. It would never utter a word.
What Vemana means here is that one should know to what end you are taking the trouble of doing something. Before starting a work you should know the result expected and also the possibility of such a result. If you try to achieve the unachievable, no one can be blamed for the end result or the lack of it.
Trying to change people is also like this effort of making a wooden doll speak. But here, sustained effort may give some result.
There is a lot understand in this poem.

Vemana 7

నేరనన్నవాడు నెఱజాణ మహిలోన

నేర్తునన్నవాడు వార్తకాడు

ఊరకున్నవాడె యుత్తమోత్తముడయా

విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ.

nEranannavAdu nerajANa mahilOna

nErtunannavAdu vArtakAdu

UrakunnavAdu uttamOttamudayA

viswadABirAma vinura vEma

This padyam has a different version also. In that version the last line says

UrakunnavAdu uttama yOgira

నేరనన్నవాడు = One who says he does not know or learnt

నెఱజాణ = crafty person

మహిలోన = in this world, in this earth

నేర్తునన్నవాడు = one who saya heknows or has learnt

వార్తకాడు = good at speaking, one who creates news

ఊరకున్నవాడె = one who kept quiet or kept silent

యుత్తమోత్తముడయా = is the best man

విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ.

This is one of the not so very well known padyams of Vemana.

When I narrated this to a gentleman, he immediately said, it is escapism.

I did not really think there is any escapism in it.

The padyam says, one who claims that he does not know anything is a learned man. It is because, if you say you know, you have to get into a discussion and perhaps a controversy also. It is not exactly maintaning neutrality at the time of crisis, but is pleading ignorance when you know it is not the right place or time.

Vemana says, one who says he knows is only good at talking. VartakAdu is a word which is not in much use in Telugu. In Tamil vArta is a word. Similarly vArta in Telugu is news. Was it like this in Veman's time? I believe it was. Vemana used this word , perhaps for the poetry's sake. Even then it means what exactly it has to. If you are good at creating news or talking, indulge in some discussion!

In the third line which has two versions, Vemana says, one who keeps quiet without saying either he knows, or he does not know, is the best of the best according to the Telugu version used here. The second version adds a quality and calls such a person a Yogi. Yogi is a little superior to the best man.

You know when to say yes, when to sy no, and also when to keep silent. Then you are a Yogi.

If people understand more from this padyam, I heartily welcome them to share their views.

Let me confess, I am not an expert on anything. The kind of response I am seeing makes me indulge in thsees writings.

Vemana

అధికుడైన రా జొకల్పుని జేపట్ట
వానిమాట చెల్లు వసుధలోన
గణకు లొప్పియున్న గవ్వలు చెల్లవా?
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ.

అధికుడైన రాజు = A great king
ఒక = one
అల్పుని = mean person
జేపట్ట = befriends
వానిమాట = his word
చెల్లు = becomes legal tender
వసుధలోన = on the earth
గణకు లొప్పియున్న= if finance people accept
గవ్వలు = cowries
చెల్లవా? = would they not be legal tender
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ.

Another gem of a padyam from Vemana.
He says, if a king takes an unworthy man in to his umbrage and gives him some authority, his words will become law. Here, the capability of the person is not at all considered. To explain the situation Vemana takes an example. There was a time when there were no coins and notes. Cowrie shells were taken as money. Vemana says if the right people accept, even today, would not the cowrie shells be accepted as money?
Vemana makes a wonderful point about the validity of authority. Authority need not exactly be correct. If it has the endorsement of the rulers, or the powers that be, everything becomes authoritative. He mocks at the way the powerful people give authority to unworthy. The system is not very different even today.

Vemana 6

ఎద్దుకన్న దున్న యేలాగు తక్కువ?
వివరమెఱిగి చూడు పృథ్వియందు
నేర్పులేనివాని నెఱయోధుడందురా?
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ.
Eddukanna dunna ElAgu takkuva
vivaramerigi cUda pruthviyandu
nErpulenivAni nerayOdhudandurA
viswadABirAma vinura vEma
Vemana asks an interesting question. In what way is a he buffalo inferior to a bull?
if you get inti the details in this world, will any body call afellow without expertise, a warrior? also asks Vemana.
The name and fame for any person comes based on his work and not the appearance.
A buffalo may look ugly. It is no way inferior to a bull when performance on the feld is considered. Similarly, only one who has exhibited his valour will be called a hero and not any one who lacks the expertise.
Telling some profound facts in a stunning way is the hall mark of Vemana. This verse is an example of the fact. That is the reason why Vemana is known as a great philosopher nad not all the other poets who wrote ordinary poems. This fact also is illustrated in the above commented verse.

Vemana 5

ఇనుము విఱిగెనేని యినుమాఱు ముమ్మాఱు
కాచి యతుకనేర్చు గమ్మరీడు
మనసు విఱిగినేని మఱియంట నేర్చునా?
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ.

Inumu virigenEni immAru mummAru
kAci yatuka nErcu kammarIdu
manasu virigenEni mariyanta nErcunA
viseadABirAma vinura vEma

If iron is broken the blacksmith will heat it it twice or thrice and can join it.
Will he be able to join the broken heart? asks Vemana.
There are many verses of Vemana which are not very well known.
The initial padyams I tried to comment upon belong to the well known category.
The one given now is not so popular.
Here Vemana talks about broken hearts.
If a physical material like iron is broken, there will be specially experienced people who can join it. A heart if broken, can never be joined again. May be, there is some kind of compromise. But, the memories of teh broken state will remain for ever.
There used to be a very good advertisement regarding a product, Quickfix, which used to say the product will join anything except broken hearts.
There is a similar verse in Mahabharatam which talks about arrows that are struck in the body and heart. There the mention is about the bad words that hit the hearts.
It is a daily experience. Vemana is good at bringing the very known things in a simple but focoseed manners in as few words as possible.

Vemana 4

Vemana Padyam
గొడ్డుటావు పితుక కుండగొంపోయిన
పండ్లనూడదన్ను పాలనిడదు
లోభివానినడుగ లాభంబులేదయా
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ

GoddutAvu pituka kunda gompOyina
PanDlanooDa dannu pAlanidadu
lOBivAninaduga lABambu lEdayA
ViswadABirAma vinura vEma

If you take a vessel to milk a barren cow, it will knock your teeth down. It will never yield any milk. Similarly if you ask a miserly person there is no benefit.

Vemana talks about penny pinchers. If a cow is having it's calf and giving milk to it, you can steal some milk from the cow for you also. Then, if the cow is barren, there is no use trying to get milk from it. Similarly if there is a person with some kindness in him and is helping others, you can also expect some help from him. But, if the person is a miser it is impossible to get any help from him. Rather he may even insult you!

Vemana 3

అంతరంగమందు నపరాధములు చేసి
మంచివానివలెనె మనుజుడుండు
ఇతరు లెఱుగకున్న నీశ్వరుడెఱుగడా?
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ.

Antarangamandu aparadhamulu chesi
manchivani valene manujudundu
Itarulerugkunna Eswaruderugada?
Viswadabhirama vinura vema

అంతరంగమందు = In the heart
నపరాధములు చేసి = having committed crimes
మంచివానివలెనె = like a good person
మనుజుడుండు = man remains
ఇతరు లెఱుగకున్న= if others know or not
నీశ్వరుడెఱుగడా?= will the God not know?
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినురవేమ.

Vemana questions the people who commit crimes in their hearts.
Such crimes go unnoticed and do not come to be known to the world.
Vemana questions, even if no one knows what you committed in your heart, will the god not know it?
This is about integrity for the present day world.
Integrity is doing the same thing whether anyone notices or not.
Many people who appear like good people may or need not have equally good ides and intentions. Even having such thoughts and ideas is a crime. Vemana says that God wil notice such people.

Vemana Satakam

ఉప్పు కప్పురంబునొక్క పోలికనుండు
చూడచూడ రుచుల జాడవేరు
పురుషులందు పుణ్యపురుషులు వేరయా
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినుర వేమ

Salt and camphor look alike when looked at.
But when tasted they are very different.
Similarly all people appear alike physically.
But, virtuous and pious people are a different lot. Vemana commented on many things in the contemporary world with unimaginable simplicity and ease. He says that looks are disceptive when people are concerned. A man may look very respectable. It is a question whether his deeds and words are equally respecatable. For this he takes the similarity between the common salt and camphor. They differ in both smell and taste.
Vemana a poet philosopher has given a lot of such gems to the Telugu knowing people.
He is known in every Telugu household. In my generation all people used to know at least a few verses of such scholastic works.
I will try to bring as many verses as possible in the next few days.