Kagga 110
D. V. Gundappa · 1887–1975 · from the Kannada original
Transliteration
himagiriya kanDange krimiya hirimeyadEnu?krimige hasivunTinitu bedakATavunTuamita santatiyunTu himagiriya samayugadakrimipankti kiridahude? -- MANKUTIMMA
Interpretation
The whole Universe is a complex web of symbiotic relationships between all organisms & objects...no organism or object can live or revel in isolation
The snow capped high mountains inspire awe & wonder in the minds of one who has seen them...can a microscopic sized bacteria generate the same feelings in man?
A deeper study on these microbes would show that their legacy is no lesser than that of the big mountains -- in fact, they probably have a greater lineage since they have evolved over thousands of years in their quest for survival
Mankutimma, do not underestimate any organism or object because of how you perceive their size, intelligence or usefulness. If you feel that any of these is inferior, it is in all likelihood due to the limitation of your senses in understanding them. A tiny microbe is more critical & mandatory for man's survival as without them, he would not be able to digest food; while the mighty mountains may only satisfy his optional aesthetic senses
Did this poetry & its translation speak to you?