Kagga 101
D. V. Gundappa · 1887–1975 · from the Kannada original
Transliteration
hAlinoLu beNNe kaDaloLage nIrgallavolutEluvudamEyasattvadali mEya jagamUladasheyoLagondu, mApanada bagegeraDugALiyusirugaLante -- MANKUTIMMA
Interpretation
The finite nature of our lives & everything around us makes it extremely hard to understand the infinite nature of the Universe
The Creator has made the Universe infinite in terms of space & time; at the same time, He created all the beings here with finite dimensions. This dichotomy makes it challenging for man with his limited senses to completely comprehend the Universe.
Man is not capable of measuring the Universe & sees everything through his finite lenses -- thereby classifying a single infinite continuum as multiple finite entities.
Mankutimma, despite butter & milk having the same origins, man not only calls them dofferently; but also measures one by mass & another by volume. Same with an iceberg in an oceean. Due to the limited capabilities of our senses, we are not able to comprehend that the measurable & immeasurable are in essence one & the same...and he calls them differently...so the infinite air when inhaled in small quantities is no longer air; but breath.
Did this poetry & its translation speak to you?