Kagga 244
D. V. Gundappa · 1887–1975 · from the Kannada original
Transliteration
ollenenuvaradAr ahimsetattvada sobaga?sallisuvenA vratavanenalondu toDakuhulleyanu tinuva huliyoNahullanuNalahudeelli sRuSHTiyali daye? – MANKUTIMMA
Interpretation
Among the several dichotomies that co-exist in the Universe – one of the more important one is the one between violence & non-violence
As a pure philosophical ideology, no one disagrees with the superiority of non-violence; however the challenge & conflict comes when this philosophy is required to be practiced in reality
Herein lies the conflict with the laws of Creation
Mankutimma, if non-violence or Ahimsa is put into practice everywhere then how will the food chain exist in the Universe – if the Creator has made some animals as Carnivores by nature, how can they follow non-violence? Wouldn’t they become extinct then? Such is the dichotomy. The key thing to understand here is to find the right balance between practising violence & non-violence – it is all situational. If in the face of danger, you exhibit Ahimsa, then would it be right for you? Would it be right for your society? Find the right balance…
Did this poetry & its translation speak to you?