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The Pundit could not check himself from bursting into a Loud guffaw at the woman’s naivety.
Days passed. The period of the Pundit’s vow came to an end. He told the milkmaid, “Moti, I must say that you have served me very well. I appreciate the pain you took in getting up in the small hours and milking the cow and delivering the milk to me at dawn. I bless you!”
Moti bowed to him. “so, sir, from tomorrow I report as before soon after the sunrise; is that all right?”
“Fine,” said the Pundit. And then he remembered the boatman. “Moti!” he said , “Tell the boatman how pleased I am with him.”
“But, sir, I never bothered him, knowing well that he could not come that early!” said Moti.
“Who then plied the boat for you?”
“Boat? Why Sir? I did not need any boat!”
“How then did you cross the river?”
“Good God!” muttered Moti. “You, who can remember hundreds of pages of scriptures, forgot the secret you passed on to me the other day?”
“What do you mean?” asked the Pundit, intrigued.
“I just utter the name of Vishnu and walk across the river!
“The water remains ankle-deep for me!”
“Ankle-Deep? But isn’t the river in spate? Isn’t it fact that even in the hottest summer there is enough water in the river for boats to ply?” asked the Pundit.
Explanation:
The Pundit could not control himself, and he let out a hearty laugh, thinking about her innocence.
The ceremony of promise, which the Pundit had undertaken ended after some days. He told Moti that she had fulfilled her duties well. He appreciated her for the pain she had taken to wake up in the early hours of the morning, milking the cow, crossing the river and supplying it to him. He blessed her.
Moti bowed to him, as a mark of respect. She asked if she could go back to the old routine of delivering milk after sunrise. The Pundit agreed. He suddenly remembered the boatman. He realized that the boatman had also helped his cause, by driving the boat for Moti, so that she delivered the milk on time. So the Pundit wanted to bless the boatman too. He told Moti to inform the boatman that he was happy about his service to him.
Moti replied that she had not disturbed the boatman at all, because she knew he could not come at early hours in the morning. The surprised Pundit asked her who drove the boat, for which she replied that she did not need it. The Pundit asked how she managed to cross the river without the boat.
Moti told him in a low voice that he, the Pundit who remembered hundreds of pages of sacred books had forgotten the secret that he had passed to her earlier! The Pundit's curiosity aroused. He asked Moti what she meant. Moti replied that she uttered the name of God Vishnu and she just walked on the river! She said the water level was only till her ankle, so she could walk easily.
“The water remains ankle-deep for me!”, said Moti.
The Pundit asked how the river could be just ankle-deep, especially during the flooding season. He added that even during the hottest summers, there was enough water in the river for boats to sail.
Meanings of difficult words:
No. | Words | Meanings |
1 | guffaw | a loud and hearty laugh |
2 | naivety | lack of experience, wisdom, or judgement; innocence |
3 | muttered | say something in a low voice, hardly audible |
4 | scriptures | the sacred writings of a religion |
5 | intrigued | arouse the curiosity |
Reference:
State Council of Educational Research and Training (2019). Term-2 English Standard-8. Crossing the River - Manoj Das (pp. 131-137). Published by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation.
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