Kagga 188
D. V. Gundappa · 1887–1975 · from the Kannada original
Transliteration
rasaruchigaLanu kalisi pakvAnnagaLa pachisirasaneyali nIriLisi bisiyusira biDisidashadishegaLim mutti baruva prakRutigadAruvashanAgadiha naranu? – MANKUTIMMA
Interpretation
One of the dichotomies in this Universe is that of attachment & detachment. Like others, they are two sides of the same coin & cannot exist without each other.
Neither can man exist without both these contradictions…he needs to experience different thoughts, different feelings, different philosophies in order to evolve; yet he cannot let them govern his life so much that they become a millstone around his neck
Mankutimma, often, there is no clearly demarcated line of difference between contradictions. You need to experience them, make mistakes, learn from them and move on. The Universe will constantly allure you with various beautiful attractions – the beauty can be found eveywhere – in nature, in people, in food, in things…all these will constantly put pressure on your senses. You need to hone your senses such that you take the best of all these experiences without being guilty of consuming in excess. This is not easy as the allure of the beautiful is hard to resist…only then will you progress through life; excel & evolve…else you will meander in mediocrity.
Did this poetry & its translation speak to you?