TripadigaLu

People who have been in Karnataka for few years and have followed news would know Sarvagna… for the big hulla tht happened during the whole Tiruvalluvar and Sarvagna statue unveiling at Karnataka and Tamil Nadu respectively…

I have always loved Sarvagna’s tripadi (Three lined verses) All so simply worded, easy to understand, nothing cryptic in this work… but always to the point and very effectively so indeed…

I have tried to give translations to some of the verses here… obviously in English they don’t seem to have the same punch as in the original… Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

Little background -

He supposedly lived in 16th or 17th century…

According to Sarvagna (which was his pen name), his real name was Pushpadatta. His father was a Shaivaite Brahmin and his mother was a Shudra widow named Mali. His father met his mother at a place in present day Dharwar district in Karnataka on his way to Benares on a pilgrimage. Sarvagna grew up as a wandering monk. According to one of his own verse Saravajna has said/written 7070 vachanas (Tripadi). His poems deal with ethical, morals issues, weather-lores and even riddles. His Vachanas or sayings are often quoted by scholars and common folks alike.

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sarva(g)na-nembuvanu garvadindAdavane ?

sarvaroLagondondu niDigalitu
vidyeyA parvatavE Ada sarva(g)na

"All-knower has not become All-knower merely out of vanity

he learnt one bit of information from everyone

and became a veritable mountain of knowledge”

saalavanu koMbaaga haalOgaruMDaMte,

saaliganu baMdu eLevaaga

kibbadiya keelu muridaMte sarvjna

Sweet as milk and nectar it is to get a loan
but when the creditor comes after you,
its like having a bone broken in the ribcage"

sindiyanu sEvipanu handiyantirutihanu
handiyondeDe upakAri
kuDuka handigU kashTa sarva(g)na


A drunkard is like a pig.
The poor pig, however, is helpful.
The drunk is worse and useless.



chittavillade guDiya suttidare phalavEnu?
ettu gANavanu hottu tA nityadali
sutti baNdaNte sarvajna


What is the use of circling around the temple without devotion without dedication
It is as useless as an ox
circling around an oil crusher.
(Note: In old times oil was extracted in little ox pulled crushers).


mUrkhange buddhiyanu noorkaala heLidarU
gorkalla maLe huyidare
neerkombudUNTe sarvagna


What use is giving advice to a fool a hundred times?
It is like raining on a rock for hundred years.
Will it ever soak in?



Aaru bettava haaridanendare
Haaridanendenabeku moorkharolu
Kalahave salla sarvajna


If fools claim that they jumped over six mountains,
Just agree to it.
It is not worth fighting over.


Kelavam ballavarinda kaltu
Kelavam maaLpavarinda kandu matte
Halavam swataha maadi tiLi yenda sarwajna


Learn something from those who know;
Learn some more by watching the deeds of others;
Learn many other things by self experience


annawanu ikkuwudu nanniyane nuDiwudu
tannante parara bagedoDe kailAsa
binnaNa wakku sarvagna

Offering food (to the hungry),
ttelling the truth
Considering others same as oneself is a happy way to heaven


bechchanA maneyAgi vechchakke honnAgi
iCHCHeyanaritu naDeva satiyiddare
swargakke kichchu hachchenda sarva(g)na


Having a warm house, enough money to watch the expenses
Also a wife who knows what is on your mind and acts accordingly (is everything)
You can set heavens (swarga) on fire…


ADadele koDuvavanu rUDhiyoLaguttamanu
ADi koDuvavanu madhyamanu
adhama tAnADi koDadavanu sarva(g)na


One who gives (alms) without advertising is superior.
One who gives and talks about it is medium.
Only a knave talks much and gives nothing.


Sajjanara sangavadu hejjEnu savidante
durjanara sangavadu bachchala
rojjinantihudu sarva(g)jna


The company of good people is like enjoying sweet honey.
The company of evil men is like
the stinking stuff in the sewer.


Nitya neerali muLugi vipra swargakke haaruvedu
Yeti janmava nitya jaladoLippa
Kappe swargake hattabekenda sarwagna


If by dipping in the holy river everyday a Brahmin were to jump to heaven,
the frog which is born and lives in water
should surely go to heaven.


Pushpavillada pooje ashwawillada arasa

Bhashe baaradavala geletanavu

Vyartha kaanayya sarvagna

A service without flowers, the king without a horse

and friendship with one who does not know the (referred to a lady here)

language (one who cannot carry an intelligent conversation) are a waste.

atte mADida tappu gottilla-Dadagihudu

tottadanu mADidarakshanadi suttarigu

gottihudu noDa sarvagna

Mistake done by the mother in law is knowingly kept unknown

Same if done by the servant, it shall be known

to everyone around within seconds

ALAgaballawanu ALuwanu arasAgi

ALAga-lariyadawanu kaDeyali

hALAgi hoha sarvagna

The one who knows how to serve (as servant), will surely rule as a king

But the one who doesn’t know how to serve

Will finally be destroyed

For those interested, I found a URL with about 200 tripadi collection –

http://www.vicharamantapa.net/vachana/sarvajna/sarvajna1.html

In comes my 'Calvin'

A new life in my life…

Two major changes I have dared in my life 

• Marriage 
• Child 

Both brought in new lives in to my life, but the recent addition has brought in most unexpected but immensely pleasurable yet terrifying changes into my life…

Right from the beginning I have dreaded the idea of a helpless child in my lap, not cos I will have to care for him/her or cos of the difficulty involved… but because I dread the responsibility it brings in, more specifically, I am worried that this lil one’s life rests in my arms… at least until he/she is old enough to take their own decisions and take responsibility for all their decision… until that time, all their decisions and responsibilities lie with us - the parents… how am I gonna cope with this? Will I do a good job at parenting?

I didn’t find my husband worrying this way… for him it seemed to be a natural progression from being a husband to a father… few days back he asked me “u used to get scared of the whole bringing up a baby thing, do u still feel that way”… well yes I still feel that way.

But for now, life is wonderful with a lil one, learning new things every day, trying his hands on new adventures, growing ever so quickly. Now that he is almost a year old, I can say this, although first few months were damn scary, in spite of having all the help from my parents… caring for an underweight premature baby is very difficult, I hope no one has to go through those trials… but I was much better off compared to several other mothers - I saw waiting in front of the NICU, weeping at the sight of their tiny lil ones hands and feet, turning blue due to the unending needle pricks (for IV)

Mine has been fussy when it comes to feeding, it continues even now although he is taking semi solids, it is a 1 hr long program, each sitting, to get him to eat a cup of rice/cerelac/ragi chari. He continues to be underweight, although very active and mischievous enough to make us all tired at home.

Few things I wish I had done –  

• I never kissed my son when he was tiny – for the fear of infection  
• Never held his tiny toes and fingers in my hands and played with them (although I do it now) He was always wrapped, layer over layer, cos he was to be kept warm… 
• Never got to pinch his chubby cheeks, cos... well… he never got any chubby cheeks  
• Never bathed, put powder or dressed him in the first few months – cos I was scareddddddddddd to death. 

But whatever it may be, today I am very happy and thankful to have a healthy and very active little boy… I bathe him, I dress him, I play with him, talk to him, read to him, sing to him...  He likes music, I think he would grow up in the same mode, may be play some instrument or sing!!  I've noticed he luvs the sound of string instruments -> Guitar, Veena, Piano, he usually stops wht ever hez been doing the pays attention to the sound. :)  Hez a curious lil monkey, he looks under carpet, foot rug, or even our feet...  he tries to unscrew the bottle, and somehow he finds my mangalya to be very interesting... It has slowly become his favorite toy, sufficient to get him out of biggest of tantrums.  He will turn it round and round and watch it closely as though inspecting the making ;)  One more fav toy it seems is my hair, anybody's hair...  he will hold the hair in both fists and start pulling such that I would require someone's help to free myself from his clutches :( 

Well, that is him today...  but tomorrow? I see kids around me, all high above where we were at their age, with gadgets, playstations, computers and internet and facebook accounts, it’s a hi-fi generation… and handling that, I am sure is a whole new ball game- bringing them up “properly”, saving them from unseen foes, making them understand the dangers lurking… My mum and dad had a much easier task at hand ( I am sure they will jump on me and fight with me for this comment)

Hmmm… I am jumping a few steps here, cos right now I need to cope with my son trying to climb the stairs while he can barely crawl on the floor. But this is just the beginning. Its gonna come to all the above mentioned issues one day… and I hope to be able to make this young fellow understand what is being said rather than being forced to follow whatever is being said… 

As my cousin said... Having baby is a life long job, today you worry about feeding him, tomorrow it will be somthing else and day after, some other thing!! 

So...  wish me luck!