Unit – 1
THE HEAVENLY PARASOL
I. Comprehension:
A. Answer the following questions in one or
two sentences each:
1) What
was the name of the beautiful princess of Pragjyotisha?
Ans: The name of
the princess of Pragjyotisha was Amritaprabha.
2) What was arranged for her, when she
attained the age of marriage?
Ans: A Swayamvara was arranged for her, when she
attained the age of marriage.
3) Who was Meghavahana?
Ans: Meghavahana
was the great-grandson of a former king of Kashmir.
4) Why did the priest cry out in surprise?
Ans: The priest
cried out in surprise because the parasol of Varuna had cast its shadow over
Meghavahana.
5) What was the uniqueness of the parasol?
Ans: The parasol
was of Varuna, the lord of the seas, it casted its shadow on none else but a
sovereign of the whole world. It was the uniqueness of the parasol.
6) Why did the ministers of the Kashmir court
make an offer to Meghavahana to be their king?
Ans: The ministers
of the Kashmir court make an offer to Meghavanaha to be their king because they
were dissatisfied with their present ruler and the king had devoted himself to
a life of prayer and neglected the affairs of the kingdom and people were
suffering due to that.
7) What was the law imposed by Meghavahana in
his kingdom?
Ans: Meghavahana
became the king of Kashmir and proclaimed a law against the killing of living
beings.
8) Why did Meghavahana want to conquer the
island of Lanka?
Ans: Megahavanaha
wanted to conquer the island of Lanka because he thought that it was the right
time to teach demons the ways of peace.
9) What did Meghavahana witness in the middle
of the wood?
Ans: Meghavahana
witnessed that a human sacrifice was in progress on the steps of a temple of
Chandika (Durga) in the middle of the wood.
10) Why did the barbarian want to kill an
innocent man?
Ans: The barbarian
wanted to kill an innocent man because his son was ill and dying, to save his
son’s life he had to sacrifice a human being to please god and save his son’s
life.
11) How did Meghavahana rescue both the
victim and the barbarian’s son?
Ans: Meghavahana rescued both the victim and the
barbarian’s son by offering his body in sacrifice to Chandika (Durga).
12) What happened when Meghavahana was about
to strike himself?
Ans: The barbarian
was not ready to strike Meghavahana, at that time Meghavahana drew out his
sword to strike himself, his head was covered with divine flowers of exquisite
colour and perfume, and someone held back his arm.
B. Answer the following in about 150-200
words each:
1) Describe the incident of how Meghavahana
got the heavenly parasol.
Ans: There was once
a beautiful princess in the town of Pragjyotisha called Amritaprahba. When she
came of age, the king held a swayamvara to enable her to choose her husband. Among
illustrious suitors, Meghavahana, the great-grandson of a former king of
Kashmir was garlanded by Amritaprabha. Meghavanaha was surprised and he rose to
his feet, unable to contain his joy. The couple moved forward to seek the
king’s blessings. The priest cried out in surprise because the parasol of
Varuna had cast its shadow over Meghavahana. The parasol was of Varuna, the
lord of the seas, it casted its shadow on none else but a sovereign of the
whole world. It was the uniqueness of the parasol.
Ans: The ministers
of the Kashmir court make an offer to Meghavanaha to be their king because they
were dissatisfied with their present ruler and the king had devoted himself to
a life of prayer and neglected the affairs of the kingdom and people were
suffering due to that. Meghavahana became the king of Kashmir and proclaimed a
law against the killing of living beings. Megahavanaha wanted to conquer the
island of Lanka because he thought that it was the right time to teach demons
the ways of peace. Meghavahana witnessed that a human sacrifice was in progress
on the steps of a temple of Chandika (Durga) in the middle of the wood. The
barbarian wanted to kill an innocent man because his son was ill and dying, to
save his son’s life he had to sacrifice a human being to please god and save
his son’s life. Meghavahana rescued both the victim and the barbarian’s son by
offering his body in sacrifice to Chandika (Durga). The barbarian was not ready
to strike Meghavahana, at that time Meghavahana drew out his sword to strike
himself, his head was covered with divine flowers of exquisite colour and
perfume, and someone held back his arm.
II. Read the following statements and answer
the questions that follow:
1) “It casts its shade on none else but a
sovereign of the whole world… ”
a) Who
said this?
b) Who
was it said to?
c) When
was it said?
b)
It was said to Meghavahana.
c)
When the parasol casted its shadow on Meghavahana then it was said.
2. “You wretch! You dare to threaten
another’s life in my realm.”
a) Who said this?
b) To whom was it said?
c) Why was it said?
b)
It was said to the barbarian.
c)
The barbarian was sacrificing a human being.
III. Language Activity:
Fill in the blanks with appropriate
prepositions:
2. There is a roof
us over (above, over)
3. I bought a gift for
my brother. (to, for)
4. Sheetal took
leave from her office. (of, from)
5. They climbed up
the stairs, went the on terrace to have a view of the star studded sky.
(on, up, above)
6. I have to go to
a meeting at12-30 p.m.(at, on)
7. I cried “Help,
Help” when the boy fell into the well. (down, into)
8. Shika travels from
Chandigarh to Delhi every week. (on, from, to)
9. My sister’s
wedding is at Hotel Taj in
Mumbai. (in, on, at)
10. Shashank took
an express bus to Mysore, which goes through Mandya. (by, through)
IV. Dictionary Use:
A. Choose the appropriate specialists given
below in brackets for the following ailments:
[Gynaecologist, Paediatrician, Obstetrician,
Dermatologist, Ophthalmologist, Cardiologist, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Orthopaedician,
Physiotherapist]
2. Priya cannot see
the letters on the board. She has to see an ophthalmologist
3. The child is suffering
from fever. The parents have to take him to a pediatrician
4. Kiran fell from
the cycle and his bones got injured. He immediately consulted an orthopaedician
5. Students are
under stress due to their exams. They should have a session with a psychologist
6. My grandfather
had a pain in the chest. We took him to a cardiologist
7. This person has
really gone mad. He needs the help of a psychiatrist
8. Rohan always suffers
from muscle catch and cramps. So, he always visits his physiotherapist
9. Ritu introduced
me to an obstetrician who delivered her baby.
10. A gynecologist
specialises in treating the ailments of women.
VII. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate
word chosen from the brackets:
1. I can’t hear you
from such a distance. Come here and tell me. [here, hear]
2. Arjun used some
formula to solve the sum. [sum, some]
3. Veena has lakhs
of rupees but still she lacks peace. [lacks, lakhs]
4. Two years ago,
the shop was seized and so it ceased to exist. [ceased, seized]
5. We should know
how to say no without hurting others. [no, know]
