Meaning of "okapari kokapari" Song

okapari + okapari = okapari kokapari (A quick perusal of Chinnaya Suri did not yield any helpful suggestions on this joining of (double) words; ఒకపరి + ఒకపరి = ఒకపరి కొకపరి (?)

okapari (1) = once; (k)okapari = at a different time; oyyaaramai = with grace, gracefully; mogamuna = on the face; kaLalenni = many a ray, many beauties (cf. moon has sixteen distinct phases of beauty, sixteen degrees of beauty); molaci = as if sprouted; natlunde = exist thus;

jagadEka = the only one in (for) the world; pati = husband, ruler; mEna = on body; callina = sprinkled, showered; karpuura = camphor; dhuLi = dust, fine grains; jigigona = shining, sparkling with light; naluvanka = on all four sides; cindagaanu = spread all around; mogi = complete, total, encompass, attempt, determined; candramukhi = moon like face; uramuna = in the chest; nilicE = exist, occur, dwell, be extant, be latent; gaana = it’s so, because; pogaru = proud, bubbling, brimming over; vennela = moonlight; digabOsi = spreading downwards, drenched in a water fall, downpour; natlunde = it is like that;[Often while driving, I have come across this scene of downward rays emanating from a partially cloud covered (blocked) sun. Similar scenic situations must occur with moon also in the night. I have to investigate and explore such moonlight nights. It may be a bit easier in tropical India – for such nighttime explorations. Here, some of the finest moon lit skies occur during extreme cold winter months. But let me visualize for a moment – what is the picture? “A dark starry decked sky with a soft full moon”. Certainly, that is an apt, elegant, and exquisite description of Lord Venkatesa, whose body is sprinkled with fine dust of sweet aromatic camphor – with His consort Alamelu at His side (or latent in His chest)]

meraya = shining; Sri Venkatesu = Lord Venkateswara(‘s), the Lord of Seven Hills, who is always willing to remove hardships in life; mEna = on the (His) body; simgaaramu-gaanu = as an ornament, as decorations; tarachaina = plentiful, in abundance; sommulu = monies, wealth, goods, jewels; dhariyincaga = (having) worn; merugu = glittering; bONi = beautiful lady; alamElu mangaya = Alamelumanga, the (sakti, energy) consort of Lord Venkatesa; taanu = herself; merupu = lightning; mEghamu = cloud; kuuDi = coupled with, together; merasi = shone, suddenly became bright like a lightning; nattunDe = thus appeared, it is so! 

Any translation is fraught with difficulties. But translating Annamacarya’s  lyrics puts extreme tests to ones limits of scholarship. I hope some day, a great Telugu scholar will compile a dictionary solely to decipher the vocabulary of Annamayya. So, here I have attempted an approximate paraphrasing of the words. Since giving a straight forward line-to-line translation of the song takes more time and effort, for now, I give the next best thing – namely, word-to-word meaning. Knowing the true meaning of a song (particularly, this is a basic requirement for all Carnatic music practitioners) is a must; without knowing the composer’s mind, we cannot sing (rendering is the correct word) – I mean we cannot do justice (or translate the emotional purity/color) to the song. Mere erudition of music theory, technicalities will only take you so far; but invariably one will fall short in the overall musical effort. Very few teachers can guide when it comes to imparting “that depth of emotional meaning and interpretation”.

According to (Hindu) mythologies, Uma always stays with Siva – in fact, she has taken over the left part of (His) body. Similarly, Lakshmi (Alamelumanga) has a permanent abode in the chest of Lord Venkatesa. Lakshmi resides in a golden lotus, hence, She is also referred to as Padmavati. This song’s beauty and meaning become apparent once we take into account consideration: The Lord’s body is often compared to a dark cloud, full of life-giving water (compassion) for His creation. With a slender body, Lakshmi is compared to a ray of lightning (cf. Sankara’s Kanakadhara Stotra). They are always together, assuring happiness to the devotees (i.e., Her children).

I have immensely benefited from a number of on-line Telugu dictionaries. I could not have accurately delved into the meaning of this unique lyric without their help. Still, there may be one or two mistakes. I think the version by Sailaja with Puhilendi’s music is pretty good. The sweet difficulty with a great composition is this: You always feel certain inadequacy. Even after putting your best effort, you feel as though you’ve let down the original poet (composer), I mean here, our great grand father, Annamayya. As a singer, I would not mind courting such a disastrous failure.

(I came to know this song from S. S. Devi. I thank her for introducing me to this unique composition of a great acharya, a great original Telugu composer.) Copyright 2021 by the author. A version of this article was originally posted at Sulekha and it received more than 5,500 views. I am reposting this song here for redundancy and larger audience with smart phones, etc. 

1. "ఎవ్వరికోసం ఈ మందహాసం ఒకపరి వివరించవే" This song in the movie 'నర్తన శాల' has the same phrase 'okapari'. Of course, the modern lyricist (Sri Sri) also elegantly conveys that expression "(just) once" between the two lovers; here they are Uttara and Abhimanyu!