It has been thirty years since Venkannayya left for his heavenly abode. Even so, that sorrow is still fresh in my heart. The sadness of bereavement is not unfamiliar to me. But I feel that the wound caused by Venkannayya’s demise will never heal. What could be the reason for this unusual depression?
DVG congratulated the Hindu Mahasabha on its attempt to consolidate our community. He explained the salience of the endeavour and the perils of neglecting it:
Kaliṅgasenā grew up. Once while she was playing on the terrace, Somaprabhā, the daughter of Mayāsura saw her and thought, ‘Who is this girl who is radiant like the Moon? I think we were friends in our past lives; or else why would I feel so much affection towards her!’ She came down and became friends with her. Then she said, “Living with princes is an ordeal; they are quickly angered from even trivial mistakes; I’ll narrate you the story of the prince and the sons of the merchant. —
There is absolutely no doubt that Sharma was always loyal to the tradition. There are some typical ‘norms’ connected with the scholarly world. One such ‘norm’ is that a person who is known to be a scholar in a certain field of learning usually does not even explore the bounds of the particular subject. It is hard to find scholars who are experts of multiple domains.
The fault of Arjuna’s compassion is not just that it was indiscriminate and unexamined. It was mixed with ego. The self-delusion that he was responsible for deciding the nature of his dharma, that the others were fit for compassion, that the decision to fight the war was out of his own free will (see BG 18.58–59) was included in it.
ಮಾಘನು “ಶಿಶುಪಾಲವಧ”ಮಹಾಕಾವ್ಯದ ಎರಡನೆಯ ಸರ್ಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಅನೇಕಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗಳಾಗಿ ಬಳಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತ ರಾಜನೀತಿಯನ್ನು ಪೋಷಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಈ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಸಮೂಹದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಲಂಕಾರಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಕ್ಕೂ ಅವಕಾಶವನ್ನು ಕೊಟ್ಟಿರುವುದು ಕವಿಯ ಔಚಿತ್ಯಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆಗೆ ಸಾಕ್ಷಿ. ಇಲ್ಲಿಯ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾತುಗಳು ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಮನನೀಯವಾಗಿವೆ. ಅವನ್ನೀಗ ಪರಿಶೀಲಿಸೋಣ.
ಬಹ್ವಪಿ ಸ್ವೇಚ್ಛಯಾ ಕಾಮಂ ಪ್ರಕೀರ್ಣಮಭಿಧೀಯತೇ |
ಅನುಜ್ಝಿತಾರ್ಥಸಂಬಂಧಃ ಪ್ರಬಂಧೋ ದುರುದಾಹರಃ || (೨.೭೩)
Journalism today has mostly been reduced to a racy reportage of colourful caprices, half-truths, and open propaganda. These were the precise journalistic evils DVG repeatedly warned against. His standards were exacting, and he made sure that he practised what he preached. His essays and editorials in The Karnataka unceasingly celebrated enduring values such as gratitude, trustworthiness, independence, courage, and candour.
