KANAKANA MUNDIGEGALU
‘Mundige’ (munDige) (ಮುಂಡಿಗೆಗಳು) is a
technical term that applies to the poems in the form of an extended riddle
written by
Kanakadasa the poet-saint of the sixteenth century. He has composed a
number of epics and songs. Mundige is very much similar to the ‘Bedagina
Vachanagalu’ wrtten by Allama Prabhu the celebrated saint of the twelfth
century. They are meant for musical rendering. These poems offer a study in
contrast to other writings of Kanakadasa which are known for their
transparency. Probably these poems are meant for the disciples who are advanced
in their pursuit of the ultimate. An insufficient understanding and
implementation of these precepts could be dangerous. On the other hand
Kanakadasa who belonged to a backward community and faced stiff resistance by
the Brahminical hegemony might have preferred to be secretive about some of his
teachings. One needs to be familiar with the symbolic range of the spiritual
tradition to make sense of these songs. Some of them delve deep in to
mythology. They are difficult to unravel even for scholars in ‘Haridasa Sahitya’.
An illustration of a Mundige is provided here:
ಎಂದೆಂದು
ಇಂಥ ಚೋದ್ಯ ಕಂಡದ್ದಿಲ್ಲವೋ
ಅಂಗಡಿ
ಬೀದಿಯಲೊಂದು ಆಕಳ
ಕರು ನುಂಗಿತು
ಲಂಘಿಸುವ
ಹುಲಿಯ ಕಂಡು ನರಿ
ನುಂಗಿತು
ಹುತ್ತದೊಳಾಡುವ
ಸರ್ಪವು ಮತ್ತಗಜವು
ನುಂಗಿತು
ಉತ್ತರದಿಶೆಯೊಳು
ಬೆಳುದಿಂಗಳಾಯಿತಮ್ಮಾ
ಯೋಗಮಾರ್ಗಿ
ಕಾಗಿನೆಲೆಯಾದಿಕೇಶವರಾಯ
ಭಾಗವತರ
ಬೆಡಗಿದು ಬೆಳುದಿಂಗಳಾಯಿತಮ್ಮಾ
‘I had never seen a miracle
like this:
In the shop street, a calf
swallowed a cow
A Jackal, behold, swallowed a
pouncing tiger
And the serpent that dwells
in the ant hill,
Swallowed a marauding
elephant.
Moonlight shined forth in the
north.
This perhaps is the miracle
achieved by the devotees of
Adi Keshava, with his abode
at Kaginele.
Look, ye look it is moon
light all around’