ಕ್ಷಣಪ್ರಭಾ - Kshanaprabhaa

Earlier this year, on my Twitter timeline, I came across this remarkable painting from the year 1891 , titled “The Doctor” , by Sir Luke Fildes , currently kept on display at the Tate Gallery, London. It was a moving painting, and the first thoughts that occurred to me were about how a poet would interpret it. With that in mind, I requested Dr. Chandana Sri to let her thoughts flow on this one, and sure enough, what came about was a beautiful moving poem. Later on, I ended up translating it to Kannada too. Those two poems are featured below:   The poem Dr. Chandana wrote with that painting as the subject:   For the want of but one meagre cot On a makeshift bed of rags and chairs Motionless she lies, the tiny tot 'neath the table-lamp's lopsided gaze   Hearing not her mommy's muffled cries Smelling not the porridge in the urns Seeing not her daddy's watchful eyes Crestfallen and stoic all at once   Like her pillow- squalid, limp and pale Holding out to him, her little...

Over the last couple of months, Dr. Chandana Sri and I took up this near-impossible task of translating Sri Dakshinamurti Ashtaka Stotra of Sri Adi Shankaracharya to Kannada. While the outcome is that of an attempt by beginners (trying to put across the translation in Bhamini Shatpadi while the original is in Shardula Vikridita chhandas), we could at least feel good about completing the task, and having learnt a lot through the process. ( EDIT : We have updated this with supportive and educative inputs from Dr. Shrikaanth K Murthy and Sri H S Raghavendra ) Here is our attempt, also adorned with a spectacular painting of Sri Dakshinamurti by Dr. Chandana Sri ! ದಕ್ಷಿಣಾಮೂರ್ತ್ಯಷ್ಟಕಂ विश्वं दर्पणदृश्यमाननगरीतुल्यं निजान्तर्गतं पश्यन्नात्मनि मायया बहिरिवोद्भूतं यथा निद्रया । यः साक्षात्कुरुते प्रबोधसमये स्वात्मानमेवाद्वयं तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ १ ॥ ವಿಶ್ವಂ ದರ್ಪಣದೃಶ್ಯಮಾನನಗರೀತುಲ್ಯಂ ನಿಜಾಂತರ್ಗತಂ ಪಶ್ಯನ್ನಾತ್ಮನಿ ಮಾಯಯಾ ಬಹಿರಿವೋದ್ಭೂತಂ ಯಥಾ ನಿದ್ರಯಾ | ಯಃ ಸಾಕ್ಷಾತ್ಕುರುತೇ ಪ...