Kagga 165
D. V. Gundappa · 1887–1975 · from the Kannada original
Transliteration
hosahosadu tAnAgutirdoDam tannayaprasava pravAha bhUmigaLa haLatanadimnasusonku vAsaneya ponalondabEkittalte?hosadu haLadAgadE – MANKUTIMMA
Interpretation
In the Universe, the old & the new are not only a continuum; they are the two sides of the same coin – inseparable.
The genesis of anything classified as new is in the old & the future of anything classified as old is strongly influenced by the new
Each year, the rains adds new waters to the river; but the path of the new river is through the old mountains & plains. Similarly, each year, the old mountains & plains are influenced & enriched by the new waters making them fertile & life-giving.
Mankutimma, similar are the experiences in life. New ideologies have their genesis in the old thoughts & experiences. New inventions & discoveries are influenced by the experiences & learnings of past. The Karma of past actions influence the current life of man…thus are the old & new inseparable…besides, every new thought, philosphy, discovery, invention becomes old, becomes obsolete with passage of time & gets replaced by something new
Did this poetry & its translation speak to you?