The Mark Of Vishnu

About the author

Khushwant Singh is an Indian short-story writer, novelist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and diplomat. He won the Padma Vibhushan Award in 2007.

About the story

• The story ‘The Mark of Vishnu’ was published in The Mark of Vishnu and other stories in 1950.

• This is a fictional story that is told from the third-person point of view. It depicts the consequences of blindfolded beliefs and superstition.

• There is a clash between old and new generations, science and superstition, traditional outlook and modern outlook, rational thoughts and irrational thoughts, and knowledge and blind faith.

• The story revolves around Gunga Ram, a group of four boys and a science teacher at school.

• The main theme of the story is superstition, blind faith, illiteracy, and ignorance.

Summary 

Gunga Ram was an illiterate Hindu Brahmin. He worked as a servant in the narrator’s house. He believed in the power of Trinity-Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. He was very much devoted to Vishnu, so he smeared his forehead with a V mark in sandalwood paste and worshipped Kala Nag as a mark of Vishnu. He believed in the sanctity of life. He gave milk to the Kala Nag every night. The narrator along with his brothers laughed at his beliefs and guessed that the cat drank the milk. They explained to Gunga Ram how the Kala Nag couldn’t drink the milk. They also shared how many snakes had been put in the school lab, and some reactions of snakes. They also threatened Gunga Ram with the fun that they would kill his Kala Nag.

One day the boys hit the Kala Nag and caught him. They put it in the biscuit tin and decided to take him to their school. It was night when the narrator asked Gunga Ram if he was going to give milk to the Kala Nag. He mocked him that the frogs would taste better than his milk, as he did not add sugar to the milk. The next day the boys put the tin in their school bus and showed the tin to Gunga Ram indicating his Kala Nag when their bus departed. Gunga Ram was shocked and looked at the departing bus. 

After the boys reached school, they gave the tin to their science teacher. When the teacher loosened the cord of the tin, the lid of the tin flew into the air, and the Kala Nag came out. Then Kala Nag examined his surroundings and tried hard to get out of the room. In the meantime, Gunga Ram stood on the threshold with a saucer of milk, and the Kala Nag bit him on his forehead where he had a ‘V’ mark. The science teacher wiped Gunga Ram’s face with his handkerchief and saw a ‘V’ mark which was created by the fang of the Kala Nag. 

Analysis

The story ‘The Mark of Vishnu’ depicts various shades of superstition and blind faith by projecting the character of Gunga Ram and the unsympathetic behavior and arrogant approach of the new generation by projecting the character of four boys. In the story, Gunga Ram is an illiterate and conservative person. He has blind faith that Kala Nag will not bite anyone in his house as he used to give him milk. On the other hand, the narrator and his brothers are full of rational thoughts and modern scientific ideas. They share their knowledge of snakes with Gunga Ram mockingly, but they have a lack of respect for Gunga Ram. So, there is a conflict between Gunga Ram and a group of four boys. Gunga Ram can not learn what the boys explain to him because of his blind faith and illogical thoughts. Again, the boys did not have sympathy to understand Gunga Ram because of their modern outlook and insensitiveness.

In the middle of the story, the boys catch Kala Nag and take him to school only to make fun of Gunga Ram, and 

to be appreciated by the teacher. On the other hand, Gunga Ram goes to their school to give milk to the snake as he has so much respect for the snake as the mark of Vishnu. It is the time when the Kala Nag tries hard to save his life and observes Gunga Ram with a saucer of milk on the threshold of the room as a barrier on his way. The Kala Nag bites him on his forehead where he has a ‘V’ mark with sandalwood paste. At the end of the story, the science teacher wipes the blood from Gunga Ram’s forehead and sees a ‘V’ mark which the Kala Nag has made with his fang. There is situational irony at the end of the story when Gunga Ram has to pay for his blind faith and superstition.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Gunga Ram was a superstitious Brahmin who was most devoted to – i)Flora ii)Psyche iii)Odin iv)Vishnu

2.Khuswant Singh won the Padma Vibhushan award in –i)2011 ii)2007 iii)2009 iv)2004

3. The ‘V’ mark stands for-  i)Lord Vishnu ii)Vanish iii)Vinitosh iv)Visa

4. The youngsters consist of _____ brothers.-i)three ii)five iii)four iv)six

5. Who loosened the cord of the tin which contained the Kala Nag in it?-i)The science teacher ii)Gunga Ram iii)the youngsters iv)the narrator

6. After catching the snake the youngsters took it to–i)Church ii)school iii)temple iv)a hole

7. Name the part of Kala Nag which was undamaged.-i)Back ii)tail iii)Head iv)eyes

8. The youngsters caught the snake with a –-i)stick ii)basket iii)net iv)knife

Short Answer Type Questions

1.Where did Kala Nag live?

Ans: Kala Nag lived in the hole near the wall.

2.How did Kala Nag look?

Ans: Kala Nag looked big, rounded, and fleshy as the narrator’s wrist. He was almost six feet in length.

3. What did the teacher tell youngsters about snakes?

Ans: The teacher told youngsters that snakes eat only once in several days.

4. Who is known as the Trinity? Who believed in the power of the Trinity?

Ans: Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are three Gods who are known as the Trinity.

Gunga Ram believed in the power of the Trinity.

5. Name the snake whom Gunga Ram respected very much.

Ans: The snake whom Gunga Ram respected very much was a cobra, who was Kala Nag.

6. How did Gunga Ram honor Lord Vishnu?

Ans: Gunga Ram smeared his forehead with a V mark in the sandalwood paste to honor Lord Vishnu.

7. Who was belittling Gunga Ram with their new-fangled ideas?

Ans: The youngsters were belittling Gunga Ram with their new-fangled ideas.

8. Why could the phannyar not have laid a hundred eggs?

Ans: As the phannyar is the male, it could not have laid a hundred eggs.

9. Which part of the Kala Nag was still undamaged?

Ans: The head of the Kala Nag was still undamaged.

10.How long was the Kala Nag?

Ans: the Kala Nag was six feet long.

11. Who did the youngsters present the tin to? What was there in the tin?

Ans: The youngsters presented the tin to their science teacher in school.

Kala Nag was there in the tin.

12. How did the teacher wipe out the little drops of blood on Ganga Ram’s forehead?

Ans: The teacher wiped out the little drops of blood on Ganga Ram’s forehead with a handkerchief.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. What did Gunga Ram pour into the saucer? Where did he put the saucer every night and why?

Ans: Gunga Ram poured the milk into the saucer.

He put the saucer outside the hole near the wall every night.

He worshipped Kala Nag as the mark of Vishnu and believed that Kala Nag used to drink milk. So he put the milk into the saucer.

2. How does Khushwant Singh criticize the superstitious beliefs of common people in his story ‘The Mark Of Vishnu’?

Ans: In the story ‘The Mark of Vishnu’, Khushwant Sing depicts how superstitious beliefs and blind faith are rooted in the heart and minds of the common people through all the activities of Gunga Ram. He was an old Brahmin who was devoted to Lord Vishnu and worshipped Kala Nag by giving the milk near the hole of Kala Nag with a firm conviction that Kala Nag would not bite anyone in the house as he gave milk to it. Again, he smeared his forehead with sandalwood paste and made the shape of ‘V’ as the mark of Vishnu every day. At the end of the story, Kala Nag was in terrible trouble due to the four mischievous boys, and he tries to escape from the danger. In the meantime, Gunga Ram stood on the threshold with a saucer of milk, and the Kala Nag bit him on his forehead where he had a ‘V’ mark. It was the time when the ‘V’ mark of sandalwood paste was replaced with the ‘V’ mark made by the snake bite. This way Gunga Ram suffered the most pathetic consequences because of his superstitious beliefs, and Khushwant Singh criticizes the superstitious beliefs of common people by portraying the central character Gunga Ram with his blind faith.

3.”You will pay it for one day”-Who said this and why?

Ans: Gunga Ram told the four young boys.

Gunga Ram was devoted to Lord Vishnu and worshipped Kala Nag as a symbol of Lord Vishnu. Gunga Ram used to put a saucer of milk near the hole of Kala Nag, but the four boys thought it was a cat who drank the milk. They had no regard for Kala Nag, so Gunga Ram said this.

4.”As long as I give him milk, he will not bite anyone in this house”-Who said to whom? Why did the speaker say so?

Ans: Gunga Ram said this to the four young boys who had no respect for Kala Nag.

The speaker worshipped Kala Nag as the mark of Vishnu. Offering the milk to Kala Nag seemed to be serving Lord Vishnu to him. So he had a profound faith that Kala Nag would not bite anyone in the house as he used to give the milk to him.

5. Write a character sketch of Gunga Ram.

Ans: Gunga Ram is an illiterate Hindu Brahmin who follows the old concept of God and the religion of his ancestors. He believes in the power of Trinity-Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. He is very much devoted to Vishnu. He smears his forehead with a V mark in sandalwood paste and worships Kala Nag as a mark of Vishnu. He gives milk to the Kala Nag every night. He believes in the sanctity of life. He has stuck to his blind faith and superstitions so much that the narrator along with his brothers cannot make him understand that the snake does not drink milk. As a servant, he is a calm person who does not get excited when the four boys laugh at him. He is a good human being and loyal to his master. So he gives the milk to him and expects Kala Nag will not bite anyone in the house. He is conservative and obstinate, so he fails to build an elderly relationship with the boys who have modern and scientific beliefs. He does not have the intellect to understand the situation, so he stands on the threshold with a saucer of milk, and the Kala Nag bites him on his forehead. Due to his lack of knowledge, he is subjected to pathetic consequences and pays the price for his blind faith.

Exercise

A. Answer the following:

1.”We’ll soon have a hundred Gunga Rams “-Who said to whom and Why? Why did the speaker say so?

2. How did the four brothers trap the Kala Nag?

3. When did the Kala Nag sit in an open patch on the lawn? How did he look then?

4. When did Gunga Ram look sullen and suspicious?

5. What happened to Gunga Ram after Kala Nag bit him?

6. How did superstitious beliefs bring pathetic consequences to Gunga Ram?

7. When did the science teacher fall on the floor?

8. What did the youngsters do to the Kala Nag?

9. How did Gunga Ram know that the youngsters had captured Kala Nag? How did he react to this news?

10. What happened to Gunga Ram at the end of the story?

11. What happened to the grass snake which swallowed a frog?

12. Who stood with a pot of milk outside the classroom and why?

Textual Grammar

 B. Do as directed:

1. He said to Gunga Ram, “Aren’t you going to take any milk for the Kala Nag tonight?” (Change the Narration)

2. The tin is presented to the science teacher. (Split into two simple sentences)

3. We saw a grass snake that had just swallowed a  frog. (Split into two simple sentences)

4. The boys said to Gunga Ram, “Don’t you snakes don’t drink milk? (Change the Narration)

5. He fell out of the tin onto the floor with a loud plop. (Split into two simple sentences)

6. There are so many frogs. They must taste better than your milk. (Join into a single sentence)

7. Outside the classroom Gunga Ram stood in a saucer a jug of milk. (Correct the errors)

8. As soon as he saw Kala Nag come up he went down on his knees. (Change into a negative sentence)

9. We left him standing speechless, staring at the departing bus. (Split into two simple sentences)

10. I won’t let you. (Change the voice)

11. We’ll catch them alive and send them to Bombay. (Split into two sentences)

12. Gunga Ram said to the youngsters, “It’s laid hundred eggs, and if you kill it all eggs become cobras and the house will be full of them. (Change the narration)

Word Meaning:

♦contempt-hatred, ♦patronage-support, ♦blob-a drop of a thick liquid, ♦dissolve-melt, ♦pious-holy, ♦smeared-covered, ♦udders-milk gland, ♦battered-injured, ♦basking-enjoying the heat, ♦lawn -an area of grass in the garden, ♦yelled -a loud cry of excitement, ♦slithered-slipped