Adivo Alladivo (Annamacharya) Meaning — Line by Line

अदिवो अल्लदिवो

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Meaning — Line by Line

Every verse of Adivo Alladivo (Annamacharya) with its English meaning. Tap any word to hear it, or ▶ to recite the verse.

Verse 1#

अदिवो अल्लदिवो श्री हरि वासमु पदिवेल शेषुल पडगल मयमु ॥

adivō alladivō śrī hari vāsamu padivēla śēṣula paḍagala mayamu ॥

MeaningThere it is — look, over there! — the abode of Sri Hari, shimmering with the ten thousand hoods of Adisesha. (The pilgrim, catching first sight of Tirumala, cries out in joy.)

Verse 2#

अदॆ वेङ्कटाचल मखिलोन्नतमु अदिवो ब्रह्मादुल कपुरूपमु । अदिवो नित्यनिवास मखिल मुनुलकु अदॆ चूडु डदॆ मॊक्कु डानन्दमयमु ॥ अदिवो अल्लदिवो श्री हरि वासमु पदिवेल शेषुल पडगल मयमु ॥

ade vēṅkaṭācala makhilōnnatamu adivō brahmādula kapurūpamu । adivō nityanivāsa makhila munulaku ade cūḍu ḍade mokku ḍānandamayamu ॥ adivō alladivō śrī hari vāsamu padivēla śēṣula paḍagala mayamu ॥

MeaningThat is Venkatachala, the loftiest of all — a hill so wondrous that even Brahma and the gods find it beyond compare. It is the eternal dwelling of all the sages; behold it, bow to it — it is made of pure bliss. There it is, the abode of Sri Hari, radiant with Sesha's ten thousand hoods.

Verse 3#

चॆङ्गट नल्लदिवो शेषाचलमू निङ्गि नुन्न देवतल निजवासमु । मुङ्गिट नल्लदिवो मूलनुन्न धनमु बङ्गारु शिखराल बहु ब्रह्ममयमु ॥ अदिवो अल्लदिवो श्री हरि वासमु पदिवेल शेषुल पडगल मयमु ॥

ceṅgaṭa nalladivō śēṣācalamū niṅgi nunna dēvatala nijavāsamu । muṅgiṭa nalladivō mūlanunna dhanamu baṅgāru śikharāla bahu brahmamayamu ॥ adivō alladivō śrī hari vāsamu padivēla śēṣula paḍagala mayamu ॥

MeaningRight beside you — there! — stands Seshachala, the true home of the gods who dwell in heaven. Before your very courtyard lies the primordial treasure: with its golden peaks, the hill is filled through and through with Brahman. There it is, the abode of Sri Hari.

Verse 4#

कैवल्य पदमु वेङ्कट नग मदिवो श्री वेङ्कटपतिकि सिरुलैनदि । भाविम्प सकल सम्पद रूपमदिवो पावनमुल कॆल्ल पावन मयमू ॥ अदिवो अल्लदिवो श्री हरि वासमु पदिवेल शेषुल पडगल मयमु ॥

kaivalya padamu vēṅkaṭa naga madivō śrī vēṅkaṭapatiki sirulainadi । bhāvimpa sakala sampada rūpamadivō pāvanamula kella pāvana mayamū ॥ adivō alladivō śrī hari vāsamu padivēla śēṣula paḍagala mayamu ॥

MeaningThat Venkata hill is the very seat of kaivalya, of liberation; it is the wealth and splendour of Sri Venkatapati himself. Contemplate it — it is the embodiment of all prosperity, the purifier of even the purest. There it is, the abode of Sri Hari, shimmering with Sesha's ten thousand hoods.

Word-by-Word Breakdown

अदिवो अल्लदिवो

adivō alladivō

There it is — look, over there!

श्री हरि वासमु

śrī hari vāsamu

The abode of Sri Hari (Lord Venkateswara).

पदिवेल शेषुल पडगल मयमु

padivēla śēṣula paḍagala mayamu

Formed of the ten thousand hoods of Adisesha, the serpent on whom the hill rests.

अदॆ वेङ्कटाचल मखिलोन्नतमु

ade vēṅkaṭācala makhilōnnatamu

That is Venkatachala, the loftiest of all places.

अदिवो नित्यनिवास मखिल मुनुलकु

adivō nityanivāsa makhila munulaku

It is the eternal abode of all the sages.

चॆङ्गट नल्लदिवो शेषाचलमू

ceṅgaṭa nalladivō śēṣācalamū

Close at hand — there! — is Seshachala, the serpent hill.

कैवल्य पदमु

kaivalya padamu

The seat of kaivalya — final liberation.

श्री वेङ्कटपतिकि सिरुलैनदि

śrī vēṅkaṭapatiki sirulainadi

It has become the treasured wealth of Sri Venkatapati.

Origin & History

Source: Tallapaka sankirtana of Annamacharya, in raga Madhyamavati, Adi tala (Telugu, 15th century CE)

Author: Saint Annamacharya (Annamayya)

Period: 1408-1503 CE

Annamayya left home as a boy of sixteen, drawn irresistibly to Tirumala. Climbing the rocky footpath, he beheld the sacred hill rising before him and burst into song — 'Adivo alladivo!' ('There it is — over there!'). The sankirtana preserves that first ecstatic darshan: the hill of Sesha's ten thousand hoods, the home of sages, the golden-peaked treasure, the seat of liberation. His songs, engraved on copper plates, were rediscovered centuries later in a vault of the Tirumala temple.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 'Adivo Alladivo' mean?▼

It means 'There it is — look, over there!' Annamayya points, like an excited pilgrim, to the Tirumala hill — the abode of Sri Hari, formed of the ten thousand hoods of Adisesha.

Who composed Adivo Alladivo?▼

Saint Annamacharya (Annamayya, 1408-1503 CE) of Tallapaka, the great Telugu saint-poet who composed some 32,000 sankirtanas on Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala. This kirtana is set in raga Madhyamavati.

When is this song traditionally sung?▼

It is the pilgrim's song of Tirumala — sung when the sacred hills first come into view, on the footpaths to the temple, and in concerts and bhajans as an invocation of Lord Venkateswara.

Why is the Tirumala hill called the body of Sesha?▼

Tradition holds that the seven hills of Tirumala are Adisesha himself, the thousand-hooded serpent of Vishnu, who took the form of the hill (Seshachala) so the Lord could dwell upon him on earth.

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