Appala Pattu of Bhagawan Ramana

Appala Pattu of Bhagawan Ramana

By

P.R.Ramachander

     Bhagawan Ramana  had  started living in Arunachala and that time his mother came there to take care of him.Since she loved him she wanted to make Appalam  for him and to prepare  it  she wanted him to help her  as he used to do  in their home. The great Ramana who  had given up everything instead wrote this  pretty , endearing lyric called “Appala Pattu  “.

   Normally appalams are  prepared by pounding black gram and then pirandai juice cumin, pepper  , Asafotida  and  salt  are added and then it is pounded  well by a pestle , made in to flat  pieces by the rolling pin, dried and then fried.

  But Ramana’s Appala  By pounding “I” well pounding   it well with pestle called “who am I? “ , adding  the juice of elevated company , Equanimity , restraint, non attachment , inclination for the good,  again pounding it  seeing inward   , flatten it by roling pin called peace on the flat surface of equality  . Then it should be fried in vessel of endless silence  , in the ghee of Brahman , heated by the fire  of wisdom  and eating it   to satisfy the all pervading self.

    There are already many English translations of this very great work and adding one more possibly to satisfy  the self within me. Possibly the self within you would undersand this poem I.Poem  in Bhagawan’s own hand writing:-

Appala Pattu   typed in English

By

Bhagwan Ramana

Appalam ittu Paaru

Pallavi

Appala mittu paaru –Athai ,

CHapiitu un asayai theeru

Anupallavi

Ippuvi thannil yengi  thiriyamar,

Sarbodha   sukha   sad guruvanavar  ,

Cheppathu   chonna   thathuva magira  ,

Voppuyarvilla vor mozhiyin padi  (Appalam…)

Charanam

1.THaan allaa  ainkosa  kshetra midhil  -valar,

Than nennum  manamaam dhanya   ulundhai,

Naan Aaren  jnana vichara  thirigayil ,

Nanalla vendre   udaithu podithu  (Appalam..)

2.Sath sangamagum PIrandai rasathodu  ,

Sama dhama  magindra   Jeeraga  milagudan

Upparatti agum  mavuppodulla   nal,

Vasanayam   perungayamum cherthu

3.Kal nenijii    nan ann  yendru   kalangamal,

Ul mukha   ulakkayal   oyadhu idithu ,

Shanthamam kuzhaviyal   samamana plakayil,

SAnthatham chalippura santoshamagave (appala…)

4.Mona mudrayagum mudivilla pathirathil,

Jnanagniyal  kaya nar brahma  neyyathil  ,

Naan athuvagave   nalum porithu  ,

Thane thanaka  bujikka thanmaya   (appala..)

English meaning

Translated by

P.R.Ramachander

Try to make an Appalam

Pallavi

Try to make an Appalam,

Eat that  and try to satisfy your desire

Anupallavi

Avoiding wandering in this earth with worries,

Following   the  incomparable  method  ,

Taught  well   and pleasantly by   the Sadguru,

In the form of philosophy  which was told  by him without talking (Try to make Appalam…)

Charanam

1.Take   the cereal  called “Black gram” which is the mind called “I”,

Which is    encased    in this body   of five   sheaths  ,

Pounding it   with the pestle  of philosophical enquiry called “Who  am I?”

And  by  breaking and powdering it  saying , “I am not that”., (Try to make Appalam…)

2,Along with  elevating company  which is  juice of Piranda(an itchy creeper called Devil’s  back bone)

Along  with cumin and pepper , which are  equanimity and restraint,

Along with powdered  salt   which is non  attachment  ,

Added  with asafetida  which is the  is the inclination for the good,( Try to make Appalam…)

3.Telling  “Me , me “ without getting confused  in the stone like  heart,

Without  rest  pounding by the pestle and  seeing in ward ,

Using the  rolling pin of peace , on the plank of  equality ,

Always getting bored   but with joy  ( Try to make Appalam…)

4.Using  the  endless vessel of   divine silence  ,

Frying it   in the ghee of Brahman,

Which is heated by the   fire of wisdom .

Eating it when self is self itself  and pervading  it with self  (Try to make  Appalam..)