ಕ್ಷಣಪ್ರಭಾ - Kshanaprabhaa

Photography from high adrenaline sports action sometimes brings out some of the most wonderful moments ever captured, thus immortalizing those moments for eternity. I stumbled upon one such photograph recently, from an IPL cricket match of 2009, when Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer R Vinay Kumar took the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar , the iconic skipper of Mumbai Indians. Here is the photograph: What you see here, is a single frame that captures deep dejection on one face, and pinnacle of ecstasy on the other. Pure magic. This brought to mind a Kagga verse from Dr. DVG , which is haunting me for a couple of weeks now, the one where he presumably describes a moment of deep meditation. What these photographs capture is nothing less than that, obviously if you just keep all other things involved in IPL - politics, money, power, etc. - aside. Here is the verse: ಹಿಂದಣದರುಳಿವಿರದು ಮುಂದಣದರುಸಿರಿರದು ಒಂದರೆಕ್ಷಣ ತುಂಬಿ ತೋರುವುದನಂತ | ಒಂದೆ ಕಣ್ಣೊಂದೆ ಗುರಿಯೊಂದೆ ಮೈಮನಮರೆತ ಸುಂದರದ ಲೋಕವದು - ಮಂಕುತಿ...

Let me admit, I am a fan of his, and a very proud one at that. And I am sure, he would have millions and millions of admirers like me, who would, not only admire his cricketing achievements, but also his gentlemanly behavior, and the way he carries himself, both on and off the cricketing field. He is a role model, and an inspiration to one and all. Yes, I am talking about the current Indian test cricket team captain, Anil Kumble. I was planning to post an entry about Kumble in my blog, but kept postponing it for one reason or the other. But now, here it is. A couple of weeks ago, as India's ODI captain MS Dhoni got the Rajeev Gandhi Khel Ratna award for the year, many observers felt that the legendary servants of the game, like Dravid and Kumble, deserved it more. Indeed they did. But as always, I feel some legends grow beyond the need for any such recognitions, and Kumble, for sure, is one of them. Post Indian Independence, the "Iron Man", Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, ...

Well, here we go, an update to my blogsite after a very long time... The reason for such a long break? Lack of time, of course. Well, I can very easily put the blame on my busy schedule for not being able to update my blog as often as I could, but the reality, I feel, is not really that. Everyday, tens of thousands of thoughts pass through the minds of every human being. And I believe, most such thoughts are very special indeed. Many a times, it is very important to catch hold of these thoughts and dissect them further by analyzing them. But unfortunately, we always try to put the blame on lack of quality time to appreciate some of the very important things in life, and move on hurriedly by leading an industrious life. Dr. DVG had made this observation long ago, and writes in his "Marula Muniyana Kagga": ಪ್ರೀತಿಸಲು ಬಿಡುವಿಲ್ಲ ನೀತಿಕಥೆ ಬೇಕಿಲ್ಲ | ಮಾತಂಗಡಿಯ ಕೊಳ್ಗು ಕೊಡುಬಿಡುಗಳಂತೆ || ಯಾತ ನಿರ್ಯಾತಂಗಳೇ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಬದುಕಂತೆ | ಆತುರವೊ ಜನಕಿಂದು - ಮರುಳಮುನಿಯ || ೨೯೩ || There is no time to lo...

I have been reading DVG's "Mankuthimmana Kagga" of late, and have realized that it is not called "Bhagavadgita in Kannada" for nothing. It gives a lot of pleasure while reading, along with deep insights into life itself, and its various uncertainties. At first, I felt bad that DVG, the genius, did not get a Jnaanapeetha for this outstanding work of his; but then felt really happy that he actually did not get one. This priceless collection of 800 odd verses is beyond any award or recognition humanity can ever devise or think of. The only award it can fittingly recieve, would be when every human being who can read and understand it, actually goes on and implements at least a tiny bit of these universal truths in his or her life. Recently, I read a couple of verses among those priceless ones, and had gotten into a confused state regarding their meaning. They almost seemed contradicting each other, as I myself faced a similar situation in life. These verses are: ...