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Summary
Amritaprabha was the princess of Pragjyotisha. She was a beautiful young lady. When she attained the age of marriage, the king arranged a swayamvara. She was free to choose her husband. Many suitors, who had heard of her great beauty, came to Pragjyotisha to marry her. Meghavahana, the prince of Kashmir, also came there. Amritaprabha entered the court hall, had a look at all the suitors, and then put the garland around Meghavahana’s neck.
He became very happy. Meghavahana and Amritaprabha moved towards the king to take his blessings. The priest cried out in surprise saying that the parasol of Varuna had cast his shadow over the prince. The king also noticed it and said to Meghavahana that he was favored by the gods. Meghavahana saw by his side, a beautiful, dazzling, white parasol with exquisite decorations that was casting its shadow over him. The king explained that it was the parasol of Varuna, the god of the seas, and it cast its shadow only on a sovereign of the whole world. The king was sure that Meghavahana was destined to become great and famous.
YOU ARE READING: THE HEAVENLY PARASOL Chapter 1 Summary OF Karnataka Board Class 8 English Prose
Meghavahana was happy with the good omens. He returned home with Amritaprabha and the heavenly parasol. The then ruler of Kashmir had taken to a life of prayer and neglected the affairs of the kingdom. The ministers requested Meghavahana to become their king for he was brave, famous, and good-natured. Meghavahana accepted their offer and became the king. Meghavahana passed a law against the killing of living beings in his kingdom. His ambition was to conquer other kingdoms and impose that law on them also. He set out to fulfill his ambition.
Once, he was resting near the sea in the shade of palm groves, with his army. He thought of conquering the island of Lanka and teach the demons the peaceful ways of life. But, he did not know how to cross1 the sea with his army. All of a sudden he heard a cry in the air and a call which said even under the rule of Meghavahana, he was being killed. It seemed to come from a wood nearby. Meghavahana was agitated. He ran towards the wood. He came near a Durga temple and saw some sort of human sacrifice in progress on the steps of the temple. And, he found a man pleading for mercy and a barbarian standing over him with a raised sword. Meghavahana ordered him to stop.
YOU ARE READING: THE HEAVENLY PARASOL Chapter 1 Summary OF Karnataka Board Class 8 English Prose
The barbarian recognized the king and fell at his feet. He said that he was the leader of the barbarians and his son had fallen prey to a deadly disease and was on his death bed. He wanted to kill the man and appease the gods to save his son. Also, he said, if his son died, the rest of his group would give up their lives. Meghavahana felt sorry for the boy. The barbarian said that the man was wandering about alone and friendless in the forest. According to the barbarian, the life of the victim was insignificant when compared to the lives of his son and troop members.
Meghavahana looked at the terrified man and made his decision. He told the barbarian that he would save his son as well as the victim. He asked the barbarian to kill him and offer his body in sacrifice to the goddess. The barbarian could not believe his ears. He told Meghavahana that he was the king and his life should be protected at all times. He requested the king to kill the victim as his life was of no value. Meghavahana insisted on being killed to save the lives of the victim and the barbarian’s son.
YOU ARE READING: THE HEAVENLY PARASOL Chapter 1 Summary OF Karnataka Board Class 8 English Prose
The barbarian hung his head and kept quiet. Meghavahana decided to kill himself. He drew his sword and was about to strike himself with it. Then someone held back his hand. God Varuna appeared before him. God Varuna praised Meghavahana for his nobility of mind and compassion. He said that he had created that illusion to test Meghavahana. God Varuna said that he had come to reclaim his parasol, which was carried away by King Bhauma, the father of Meghavahana’s father-in-law. The parasol had the powers to suppress the calamities in his land. Meghavahana bowed to god Varuna and returned the parasol to him.
He requested god Varuna to help him cross the seas and conquer the island of Lanka. God Varuna granted him the boon and promised to pull away from the water whenever Meghavahana wanted. The next day, Meghavahana rode into the sea on his horse. The seawater parted and Meghavahana was able to reach Lanka with his army. He befriended Vibhishana, the king of Lanka, and everything ended peacefully. When Meghavahana returned home, Amritaprabha found the parasol missing. She asked him about it. Meghavahana told her that it was not his at any time, but its owner’s blessings would guide him through his life.
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