බ්රහ්මං ඕ̀ක්කටේ
Brahmam Okkate (Annamacharya) in Sinhala · සිංහල
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Origin & Story
Telugu keertana of Annamacharya (Annamayya), in praise of Lord Venkateswara (15th century CE) · Annamacharya (Tallapaka Annamayya) · 1408-1503 CE
Annamacharya was born at Tallapaka and from childhood was wholly devoted to Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala, on whom he composed tens of thousands of keertanas. In 'Brahmam Okkate' he sets aside all worldly hierarchy, declaring that the one Supreme Brahman dwells equally in every being. Many of his songs, including this one, were inscribed on copper plates and preserved in the Tirumala temple, rediscovered centuries later.
✦ As told in scripture
Tradition holds that Annamacharya's 32,000 songs flowed by the direct grace of Lord Venkateswara, and that the copper plates bearing them, hidden for centuries in a vault at Tirumala, were rediscovered intact — as if the Lord Himself had preserved His devotee's words of devotion and equality for all ages.
Complete Text with Meaning
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බ්රහ්ම මෝ̀ක්කටේ පරබ්රහ්ම මෝ̀ක්කටේ පරබ්රහ්ම මෝ̀ක්කටේ පරබ්රහ්ම මෝ̀ක්කටේ
brahma mokkaṭē parabrahma mokkaṭē parabrahma mokkaṭē parabrahma mokkaṭē
Meaning:There is but one Brahman, one Supreme Brahman alone.
කංදුවගු හීනාධිකමු ලිංදු ලේවු අංදරිකි ශ්රීහරේ අංතරාත්ම ඉංදුලෝ ජංතුකුල මිංතා නෝ̀ක්කටේ අංදරිකි ශ්රීහරේ අංතරාත්ම
kanduvagu hīnādhikamu lindu lēvu andariki śrīharē antarātma indulō jantukula mintā nokkaṭē andariki śrīharē antarātma
Meaning:Here there are no distinctions of high and low; Sri Hari (Vishnu) alone is the inner Self of all. In this world the entire family of living beings is one and the same; for all of them, Sri Hari is the indwelling Self.
නිංඩාර රාජු නිද්රිංචු නිද්රයු නෝ̀කටේ අංඩනේ බංටු නිද්ර අදියු නෝ̀කටේ මේ̀ංඩෛන බ්රාහ්මණුඩු මේ̀ට්ටු භූමි යෝ̀කටේ චංඩාලුඩුංඩේටි සරිභූමි යෝ̀කටේ
niṇḍāra rāju nidriñcu nidrayu nokaṭē aṇḍanē baṇṭu nidra adiyu nokaṭē meṇḍaina brāhmaṇuḍu meṭṭu bhūmi yokaṭē caṇḍāluḍuṇḍēṭi saribhūmi yokaṭē
Meaning:The sleep in which a mighty king slumbers is one and the same as the sleep of the servant beside him. The earth the eminent Brahmin treads upon is the very same earth on which the outcaste stands — it is equal.
අනුගුදේවතලකුනු අලකාම සුඛ මෝ̀කටේ ඝන කීටකාදුලකු කාම සුඛ මෝ̀කටේ දින මහේශ්වරුනිකිනි තේ̀ලිසි සුඛ මෝ̀කටේ වනු චීමල කෛනනු වට්ටි සුඛ මෝ̀කටේ
anugudēvatalakunu alakāma sukha mokaṭē ghana kīṭakādulaku kāma sukha mokaṭē dina maheśvarunikini telisi sukha mokaṭē vanu cīmala kainanu vaṭṭi sukha mokaṭē
Meaning:For the favoured gods, the pleasure of desire is the same; for the lowliest insects, that pleasure of desire is the same; for great Maheshwara who knows it, the joy is one; even for the crawling ants, the bare feeling of pleasure is one and the same.
කෝ̀රලි ශිෂ්ටාන්නමුලු ගුඩුචුට යෝ̀කටේ තිරුගු දුෂ්ටාන්නමුලු තිනුට යෝ̀කටේ පරග දුර්ගංධමුලපෛ වායු වෝ̀කටේ තිරුමනි වේංකටේශු තේ̀ලිසින වා රෝ̀කටේ
korali śiṣṭānnamulu guḍucuṭa yokaṭē tirugu duṣṭānnamulu tinuṭa yokaṭē paraga durgandhamulapai vāyu vokaṭē tirumani vēṅkaṭēśu telisina vā rokaṭē
Meaning:To eat refined, noble food and to eat the coarse food found while wandering is the same act of eating; the same wind blows alike over fragrant things and foul; and all those who have truly known the holy Lord Venkateswara are one and alike. There is but one Supreme Brahman for all.
Word-by-Word Meaning
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Benefits of Chanting Brahmam Okkate (Annamacharya)
A profound teaching of the oneness of God and the spiritual equality of all beings, sung with devotion.
Dissolves the ego's sense of high and low, cultivating humility and seeing Sri Hari as the Self in all.
Among the most cherished of Annamayya's 32,000 keertanas in praise of Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala.
Recited and sung to deepen devotion to Venkateswara (Balaji) and to absorb the vision of non-duality (Advaita).
Brings peace of mind by teaching that the same Lord and the same essence pervade king and servant, god and ant alike.
How to Chant Brahmam Okkate (Annamacharya)
Sit before an image of Lord Venkateswara (Balaji) and sing or recite the keertana with feeling, dwelling on its meaning — that one Supreme Self dwells in all. Annamayya's songs are meant to be sung; if recited, chant the pallavi 'Brahmam okkate' as a refrain after each charanam, contemplating the equality and oneness it proclaims.
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