Annamacharya, preceptor of sankirtanas

The Bhakti (devotional) cult which saint-poet Tallapaka Annama-charya followed enunciated that the path of devotion to Lord and righteous living ma- de one’s life worthwhile and ultimately attain salvation.

Annamacharya comes into the clan of mystic poets like the great Alwars (Saint-poet devotees of Lord Vishnu) and Nayanmars (Saint-poet devotees of Lord Shiva) of Tamilnadu who resorted to an aesthetic medium like poetry and music in order to express a broad spectrum of philosophical insights, inherently expressing sangeetabhavam.

Annamacharya, a great devotee of Lord Venkateshwara, was born in Tallapaka village, Rajampet taluk, Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh in 1408 AD and passed away in 1503 AD. He has to his credit immortal lyrics in praise of Lord Venkateshwara. He is said to have composed 32,000 sankirtanas, of which about 12,000 are available today, most of which are in Telugu and some in Sanskrit. They are distinguished into Adhyaatma (spiritual lyrics), Sringaara (amorous lyrics) and folk lore, in accordance with philosophical and erotic ideas dominating in them.

 Annamacharya has the credit of being the first of theVaggeyakaras (makers of ‘vak’- words of lyrics and ‘geya’ musical setting) in Telugu. In fact he is said to be the originator of pada poetry and is also called Padakavitha Pitamaha, (the progenitor of poetic lyrics ) and Sankirtanacharya - preceptor of sankirtanas (eulogy to God). Sankirtanas of Annamayya, as he is widely called, carry out outstanding musical element along with strong emotional element.

Annamacharya had the privilege of directly studying the great Sree Vaishnava (relating to Lord Vishnu) works,  from his Acharya Adi Van Satakopa Jeer, a great authority on the Sree Vaishnava Siddantha (philosophy). It is not surprising therefore that most of Annamacharya’s compositions carry the essence of Visishtadvaita (Ramanuja’s philosophy of qualified non-dualism) in them. He propagated the path of Sharanagathi or the path of self-surrender as taught by Ramanuja.

Annamacharya’s compositions are not kritis (compositions) like those of Saint poet Thyagaraja, but are basically sankirtanas with one pallavi and three charanas (stanzas).  He propounded the need to serve Maanava (humanity) to reach Maadhava (Lord Krishna). His verses contain strong social message, for instance in the lyric “Brahmam okate para Brahmam okkate” he condemned caste discrimination. His lyrics are unparalleled in poetic beauty; the language he used is simple, so the masses understood the significance of every verse.

Like Annamayya his descendants were also known for their devotion, scholarship and munificence. They continue to live in Tirumala offering their services to the Lord Venkateshwara.