Nee Mayeyolago
ನೀ ಮಾಯೆಯೊಳಗೋ
Nee Mayeyolago, "Are you within maya?", is a philosophical song by the Kannada saint-poet Kanaka Dasa. Through a chain of simple paired questions it explores how the world, the senses and the self all rest within God.
- Written by
- Kanaka Dasa (died 1609)
- Music
- Kanaka Dasa
- In the video
- Vidyabhushana
- Context
- Philosophical song of Kanaka Dasa
- Year
- 16th century
- Language
- Kannada
Nee Mayeyolago lyrics with English translation
Text as on Kannada Wikisource. Sung versions sometimes vary slightly in wording.
ನೀ ಮಾಯೆಯೊಳಗೋ ನಿನ್ನೊಳು ಮಾಯೆಯೋ
Ni mayeyolago Ninnolu mayeyo
Are you within maya, or is maya within you?
ನೀ ದೇಹದೊಳಗೋ ನಿನ್ನೊಳು ದೇಹವೋ ಹರಿಯೇ||
Ni dehadolago Ninnolu dehavo hariye ||
Are you within the body, or is the body within you, O Hari?
ಬಯಲೊಳಗೆ ಆಲಯವೋ ಆಲಯದಿ ಬಯಲೋ ಬಯಲು ಆಲಯವೆರಡು ನಯನದೊಳಗೊ ನಯನ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯ ಒಳಗೋ ಬುದ್ಧಿ ನಯನದ ಒಳಗೋ ನಯನ ಬುದ್ಧಿಗಳೆರಡು ನಿನ್ನೊಳಗೊ ಹರಿಯೇ||
Bayalolage alayavo Alayadi bayalo Bayalu alayaveradu Nayanadolago Nayana buddhiya olago Buddhi nayanada olago Nayana buddhigaleradu Ninnolago hariye ||
Is the house within open space, or open space within the house? Are space and house both within the eye? Is the eye within the mind, or the mind within the eye? Are eye and mind both within you, O Hari?
ಸವಿಯು ಸಕ್ಕರೆಯೊಳಗೋ ಸಕ್ಕರೆಯು ಸವಿಯೊಳಗೋ ಸವಿಯು ಸಕ್ಕರೆಗಳೆರಡು ಜಿಹ್ವೆಯೊಳಗೋ ಜಿಹ್ವೆ ಮನಸಿನ ಒಳಗೋ ಮನಸು ಜಿಹ್ವೆಯ ಒಳಗೋ ಜಿಹ್ವೆ ಮನಸುಗಳೆರಡು ನಿನ್ನೊಳಗೊ ಹರಿಯೇ ||
Saviyu sakkareyolago Sakkareyu saviyolago Saviyu sakkaregaleradu Jihveyolago Jihve manasina olago Manasu jihveya olago Jihve manasugaleradu Ninnolago hariye ||
Is sweetness within the sugar, or the sugar within its sweetness? Are sweetness and sugar both within the tongue? Is the tongue within the heart, or the heart within the tongue? Are tongue and heart both within you, O Hari?
ಕುಸುಮದಲಿ ಗಂಧವೋ ಗಂಧದಲಿ ಕುಸುಮವೋ ಕುಸುಮ ಗಂಧಗಳೆರಡು ಆಘ್ರಾಣದೊಳಗೋ ಅಸಮಭವ ಕಾಗಿನೆಲೆ ಆದಿಕೇಶವರಾಯ ಉಸುರಲೆನ್ನಳವಲ್ಲ ಎಲ್ಲ ನಿನ್ನೊಳಗೋ ಹರಿಯೇ ||
Kusumadali gandhavo Gandhadali kusumavo Kusuma gandhagaleradu Aghranadolago Asamabhava kaginele adikeshavaraya Usuralennalavalla ella Ninnolago hariye ||
Is the fragrance in the flower, or the flower in the fragrance? Are flower and fragrance both within the sense of smell? Peerless Adikeshava of Kaginele, it is beyond me to say; all of it is within you, O Hari.
Translation: Lyriccs (original translation). Transliteration: Lyriccs.
The story behind Nee Mayeyolago
Kanaka Dasa (1509-1609) was born in a Kuruba family in the Haveri region of present-day Karnataka and, like Purandara Dasa, belonged to the Haridasa movement of devotees of Vishnu. He wrote longer poems such as Mohanatarangini, Nalacharitre, Haribhaktisara and Ramadhanya Charite as well as many songs, signed with the name of Adikeshava of Kaginele, his chosen deity.
He is also remembered for his challenge to caste exclusion. At Udupi, tradition holds that when he was kept out of the Krishna temple, the image of Krishna turned to face him through a small window in the wall, now called Kanakana Kindi. Nee Mayeyolago shows another side of him, the thinker who uses everyday images to point to deep philosophical questions. It is widely sung in Karnataka in both classical and light-classical styles.
What Nee Mayeyolago means
The song is built from pairs of questions that cannot be answered by choosing one side. Is God inside maya, the world of appearance, or is maya inside God? Is he inside the body, or the body inside him? Is the house inside open space, or space inside the house? Is sweetness in the sugar, or sugar in its sweetness? Is the fragrance in the flower, or the flower in its fragrance?
Each pair is then placed inside a perceiving sense, the eye, the tongue, the nose, and each sense inside the mind, until both are placed within Hari. The questions dissolve the usual idea of separate containers. In the final stanza the poet gives up trying to explain: it is beyond him to say, and everything is within the Lord, Adikeshava of Kaginele. The song is often cited as a poetic statement of the idea that all existence rests in God.
Quick facts
- Kanaka Dasa lived from 1509 to 1609 and belonged to the Haridasa movement.
- His songs carry the signature of Adikeshava of Kaginele.
- His longer works include Mohanatarangini, Nalacharitre, Haribhaktisara and Ramadhanya Charite.
- The window at the Udupi Krishna temple known as Kanakana Kindi is named after him.