Kagga 255
D. V. Gundappa · 1887–1975 · from the Kannada original
Transliteration
nATakadoLanuvinda beratadanu mechchenisinOTakanumAgi tAm nalidu naliyisuvApATHavanu kalitavane bALanALuva yOgiATakam nayavunTu– MANKUTIMMA
Interpretation
The Universe has been so created that it does now allow anyone to live here in complete isolation…every being is in a close-knit symbiotic relationship with other beings
The life of man is also such that he has to be completely immersed in this Universe in harmony with everything else that is here…
Man, while being the most evolved of all species here cannot survive without interacting with other living & non-living beings
Mankutimma, you cannot afford to be proud & haughty just because you are a part of the most evolved species…you have to be an integral part of this symbiotic relationship…only then can you survive; let alone evolve. At times, you are the artist – at times, you are a mere spectator. Sometime, you feel that you are in control of your destiny; at other time, you are poweless…it is only when you let go of your ego that you will enjoy your stay in this Universe
Did this poetry & its translation speak to you?