Kagga 342
D. V. Gundappa · 1887–1975 · from the Kannada original

Transliteration
kShIrAnnadinde narapuShTi; hasuvim pAlupairu beLasinde hasu; pairugaLgUrasAradim puShTi; intuNisumumbanuvondupAlEnu? pElEnu? – MANKUTIMMA
Interpretation
All the living & non-living inhabitants of the Universe are interconnected with each other in a very intricate web that the Creator has woven
This complex inter-penetrating network of connections is not just at a macro level; but also at micro levels – very evidently visible in day to day activities
Mankutimma, the inter connectivity is so strong & so all pervasive that often it becomes very difficult to distinguish the beginning & end of this chain. For example, you need milk as a source of nourishment. The cow gives this milk; who in turn is nourished by the green grass. The grass in turn grows on the soil which is enriched by the same cow’s dung…so in this complex relationship; is the cow a provider or a consumer? How does it even matter – for every being’s produce is a source of food for the next being in the chain…in such a scenario; do you think milk has more value or dung? Learn to respect every substance for in their own context, each substance, however useless it may appear; has its own significant utilisational value.
Did this poetry & its translation speak to you?
