The Mark of Vishnu by Khushwant Singh summary

 

"This is for Kala Nag," said Gunga Ram, pouring the milk into the saucer. "Every night I leave it outside the hole near the wall and it’s gone by the morning." "Perhaps it is the cat,” we youngsters suggested.

"Cat!" said Gunga Ram with contempt. "No cat goes near that hole. Kala Nag lives there. As long as I give him milk, he will not bite anyone in this house. You can all go about with bare feet and play where you like."

 

The story begins with the old Brahmin Gunga Ram’s routine action of pouring milk into a saucer and placing it near the hole in which Kala Nag lives. Gunga Ram is convinced that the milk is drunk every night, a belief that is mocked by the young boys. The boys mocked at Gunga Ram’s superstitious belief by affirming a scientific fact that the snake does not drink milk.

"You’re a stupid old Brahmin," I said. "Don’t you know snakes don’t drink milk?

 

It was no use of arguing with Gunga Ram. He is like all good Hindus, believed in the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the creator, preserver, and destroyer. Of these he was most devoted to Vishnu. Every morning he marks his forehead with a ‘V’ in sandalwood paste to honour the deity. Although a Brahmin, he was illiterate and full of superstition. To him, all

life was sacred, even if it was of a serpent or scorpion or even a  centipede.

 

Thus, he would never allow the young boys to beat such creatures. Many a time these creatures sting Gunga Ram but his faith remains resolute. This accounts for Gunga Ram’s deep regard for the snake, particularly the Cobra or the Kala Nag.

 

One day the boys threatened Gunga Ram to kill his Kala Nag, he resisted and stated that if they kill the Kala Nag it will not serve any purpose as the Nag had already laid a hundred of eggs that would soon become cobras. To tease Gunga Ram, the boys in return said that they would catch all the cobras alive and send to Bombay where they would be exploited for making antidote against the snake bite. In this manner Gunga Ram was often ridiculed by the boys for his blind and committed devotion towards snakes. Despite all these, he continued to feed and protect snakes.

 

It was monsoon time, when finally, the boys got to see the Kala Nag. Heavy rains had flooded Kala Nag’s hole forcing it to come out of it and sit in an open part of the lawn. The moment boys saw the Nag, they surrounded it with bamboo sticks in their hands, though the Nag tried its best to escape, but the boys managed to damage its back, leaving the head undamaged. The boys then kept it in a large biscuit tin securing it with string. All this while, Gunga Ram was away from home and had no clue as to what had happened to Kala Nag.

 

"Don’t damage the head," yelled one of us. "We’ll take Kala Nag to school."

 

The next morning as the school bus came and the students brought something in the tin to Gunga Ram shouting that the tin contained his Kala Nag.

 

"Here’s your Kala Nag. Safe in this box. We are going to put him in spirit."

 

Gunga Ram stood speechless and helpless. The boys presented the tin to the science teacher and their teacher appreciated them. As soon as the teacher untied the string around the tin, the lid flew into air and Kala Nag jumped at him. The teacher was frightened and the boys stood up on their desks and yelled hysterically. The Nag’s back had been broken by the boys, but it somehow dragged itself to the door of the classroom and sat at the threshold.

 

 

Outside the classroom stood Gunga Ram with a saucer and a jug of milk. As soon as he saw Kala Nag come up he went down on his knees. He poured the milk into the saucer and placed it near the threshold. With hands folded in prayer he bowed his head to the ground craving forgiveness. In desperate fury, the cobra hissed and spat and bit Gunga Ram all over the head—then with great effort dragged himself into a gutter.

 

 Gunga Ram groaned in agony, turned pale and blue and froth (foam) appeared on his mouth.

There were little drops of blood on his forehead which were wiped away by the teacher. Underneath was the V mark where the Kala Nag had dug its fangs.