Literary Contradiction

Below is a small article on a very interesting contradiction (two brilliant works) that i found in one of our great literary giants Rashtrakavi Kuvempu's writings (ಕುಪಳ್ಲಿ ವೆಂಕಟಪ್ಪ ಪುಟ್ಟಪ್ಪ ೧೯೦೪-೧೯೯೪).

Before i proceed, i must mention that my knowledge level is very low and in particular i have no knowledge of literature or language. I am not a scholar to understand poetry of the class of kuvempu. I have not read any serious literature in any language. I have no standing to comment on any literary work let alone commenting on the work of Padhma Bhushana Jnana peeta awardee Rashtrakavi Kuvempu.

I just happened to listen to these poems and felt like penning down my thoughts. My views may be totally absurd and out of context.


In one of his works kuvempu writes ;

"ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವೆನ್ನ ಹರಿ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವೆನ್ನ ಹರ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವೆನ್ನ ಅವ್ಯಕ್ತ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮ
ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವೇ ಪುಣ್ಯ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವೇ ಸ್ವರ್ಗ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವೇ ನನ್ನ ಚರಮ ಮೋಕ್ಷ..
ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲದಿಹ ಲೋಕ ರೌರವ ನರಕ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವಿರೆ ನರಕ ವದುವೆ ನಾದ
ಸೌಂದರ್ಯಕ್ಕಿಂತಲಧಿ ಕದರ ದೇವರುಮಿಲ್ಲ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲದಿರೆ ದೇವರಿಲ್ಲ" ...........

Its beyond my capacity to understand this correctly let alone to translate this. But very crudely put, the poet in this poetry is saying that "Beauty is his god in all the three forms (Brahma, vishnu, Maheshwara), Beauty is heaven and that beauty is his salvation. For the poet, the world is a cruel hell without beauty and that there is NO GOD WITHOUT BEAUTY"........

In an other classic work, Kuvempu writes;

ಆನಂದಮಯ ಈ ಜಗಹೃದಯ ಏತಕೆ ಭಯ ಮಾಣೋ
ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯ ಚಂದ್ರೋದಯ ದೇವರ ದಯ ಕಾಣೋ

ರವಿವದನವೇ ಶಿವಸದನವೊ ಬರಿ ಕಣ್ಣದು ಮಣ್ಣೋ
ಶಿವನಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವೇ ಶವ ಮುಖದ ಕಣ್ಣೋ

ಉದಯದೊಳೇನ್ ಹೃದಯವ ಕಾಣ್, ಅದೇ ಅಮೃತದ ಹಣ್ಣೋ
ಶಿವಕಾಣದೆ ಕವಿ ಕುರುಡನೋ ಶಿವ ಕಾವ್ಯದ ಕಣ್ಣೋ

ಆನಂದಮಯ ಈ ಜಗಹೃದಯ.
ಆನಂನಂದಮಯ ಈ ಜಗಹೃದಯ.

This is more difficult than the previous one for my poor brain to understand. Again very very crudely put; Kuvempu here is saying "without god (Shiva), beauty is like eyes of a dead body, God is the eye of any poetry and that a poet is blind if he cannot see god (in his poetry?)" .

In both the above poems "Beauty" is the theme. Of course, i have quoted only part of the respective poems. Actually the second one is a more complex and quite deep for me to even get a gist of it.

Nevertheless, Beauty is central to both the poems. At the basic level of my understanding, the two poems seems mutually contradicting. In the first one, poet says beauty is God, Beauty is heaven and that there cannot be a God without beauty. While at the second one he says God is beauty and beauty without god is like a dead body's eye.

Or does he? or isn't it the same thing. Beauty=god or god=beauty, what difference does it make?? or is the comparison simply out of line and two are totally different from each other and should not be compared?

As i said earlier,i am no scholar to understand this let alone commenting on it or or debate on it.

(I have the full version of both the poems sung respectively by Dr C.Ashwath and Shimoga Subanna. If anybody wants it please drop me a mail. i will send it).