003 WHAT IS ETERNAL? WE , OR THE WORLD? OR THE UNIVERSE?

The following is a poem in Telugu language spoken by 100 million people. It has rich literature of 1st Century CE origin or even earlier. But,written poetry is available , as at 2021, only from 10th Century A.d. The following is one poem composed by Yogi Vemana of 15th Century circa. Along with the Telugu script, the verse is repeated below in Romanscript.

AaTa veladi. Meaning Dancing lass. (Name of the prosody meter of the verse. This Kandam verse's meter is very advanced with numeruus features).

నీవు నిలిచియుండు నిఖిలంబు నిలువదు nIvu nilaci yunDu, nikhilambu niluvadu
నిలిచియుండు నెండు నీరువలెను nilachi yundu enDU nIru valenu
నీవు నిశ్చయంబు నిఖిలంబు మాయయౌ nIvu nischyambu, nikhilambu mAya yau
విశ్వదాభిరామ వినర వేమ! viSvada abhi rAma ! vinura vEmA !

vemana satakam వేమన శతకం .

Satakam means a hundred verses. 100 verses or Satakam can become a small A5 booklet of about 40 pages.

But, Vemana did not write just 100 verses.

About 2500 of Vemana's verses have been collected by Late Charles Philip Brown, who worked in Madras Civil Service, 18/19 Century circa. Here is a link of archive.org, which provides for free download of Brown's Book. djvu.txt streaming is also available apart from pdf . Link:

https://archive.org/download/in.ernet.dli.2015.367308/2015.367308.The-Verses.pdf.
https://archive.org/stream/thephilosophyofsrivemana/The%20Philosophy%20of%20Sri%20Vemana_djvu.txt.

However, I am unable to trace the above verse in the Brown's English translation of the 2500 verses. I shall , therefore, give gist of the above verse, and my comments as per my perceptions.

First line: Nivu nilici yunDu. Nikhilambu niluvadu. Engl: You will last eternally, standing for ever. Everything (Everything else) does nto last. It is bound to perish and vanish.

Second line: It is like water which is in the course of drying up. The simile of comparing with water which is drying up, seems to be contradictory. Probably, there may be some hidden meanin

Third line: nIvu nischayambu nikhilambu Aya. English: You are definite. Like ETERNAL TRUTH, YOU WILL BE 'SAT' (LASTING AND DEFINITE'. Nikhilambu mAyamau = Everything [else] disappears.

4th line: The poet was addressing his poem to himself. vinura vEma = O vEmA ! Liste. viSvadAbhi rAma = Abhi rAma is the sould of the Universe. Oh Soul , Oh Vema. Listen.

Probable hidden meaning in second line: simile "Endu nIru" = drying water. Nivu=you, Vemana might have referred to the EVERLASTING SOUL. NOT EPHEMERAL BODY. Body is transient, and is therefore like a drying water in a tank during summer. But the Soul will continue to change bodies till its Salvation and Deliverance.

References;

SY 22 vaasaamsi jiirn`aani yathaa vihaaya;
navaani gruhn`aati naroo aparaan`i
tathaa s`ariiraan`i vihaaya jiirn`aani;
anyaani samyaati navaani deehii

English gist: Just a man changes torn clothes and wears new garments, the soul also abandon ruined bodies and take up new bodies. (SOUL 22). Weapons cannot split the soul. Fire cannot ignite or burn the soul. Water cannot wet or drench the soul. The wind cannot dehydrate or dry it. (SOUL 23). The immunity of the soul from being split, burnt, drenched, and dried is true, omnipresent, ancient, immovable, and static. (SOUL 24). This live soul is inexpressible, incontemplatable, unpollutable. Know this and leave misery. (SOUL 25). Even if you consider that this soul is born regularly and dies regularly, there is no need for you to regret about it. (SOUL 26).

Whatever is born, must die. Whatever dies, must be reborn. You need not regret about some thing which is inevitable (unstoppable). (SOUL 27). The 'states' of the living things, before their births, are unknown. During their lives, we know their Statse. Again, after their death, we do not know what will happen. Hence, where is the place for misery. (SOUL 28). A person looks at the soul with awe. Some other person, talks about this soul with great wonder. A third person may listen about it with extra care. Nobody can understand its true spirit clearly. (SOUL 29) This soul which pervades all living things, is indestructible. Hence it does not befit you to regret about these creatures. (SOUL 30). Knowing your natural prescribed duty, It does not befit you to regret. For a person of Martial caste, there can be no better duty than fighting a just war. (SOUL 31). This incidental war is like entrance to the Heaven. Only fortunate warriors can get this opportunity of fighting this war. (SOUL 32). (NOW KRISHNA THREATENS)

If you do not fight this war which is your just duty, you will fail in your duty, lose all your fame and attract sin. (SOUL 33). For a respectable person, ill-fame is worse than death -- thus all the people say. (SOUL 34). All the great warriors will consider that you have withdrawn from the war out of fear. Those who respected you as praiseworthy will now treat you lightly. (SOUL 35). The enemies suspect and insult your capacity and fitness. They abuse you. What else can be more miserable? (SOUL 36).

If you are killed in the war, you will attain the Heaven. If you win, you can enjoy this Earth. Hence Arjuna, arise! Be determined for the war. (SOUL 37). Treat equally the comfort and misery, profit and loss, success and defeat. If you fight the war with this equanimity, you will never attract sin. (SOUL 38).

Till now, I explained you the nature of the Soul (Saamkhyam). Performing one's own actions and duties with the awareness of the 'soul' is Yooga. Now, I shall explain you the implementation part. If you practice this intellectual plan, you will be free from the bonds of the consequences of actions of the previous births. (SOUL 39). (There is some vagueness in this verse which will be covered later).

LInk:http://bhagavadgitayb.blogspot.com/2006/07/gods-song-bhagavad-gita-in-english.html

This millennium 2000AD opened with great gala. Everything appeared to be eternal. Our Stock Exchanges became our Gods. Skyscrapers appeared to us as our permanent dwellings. Came 2019, 2020 and 2021. Whether China created the Corona virus or not and threw on humanity as a biological weapon or not, Covid 19 appeared as a mass destroyer. Even United States shivered before it. Not to speakof INdia. However, everything is not gone.Humanity can regain back its hold. Whether Vaccines are available or not. Whether Vaccines work or not.

ONly 10% I could complete. Shall add further.