1st PUC ENGLISH NOTES - WATCHMAN OF THE LAKE - 2 MARKS / 3 MARKS / 4 MARKS - QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
8 WATCHMAN OF THE LAKE
Answer the following questions 2 Marks Questions
1. Who was Mara?
Ans:
Mara was a humble villager chosen by the Goddess to be the watchman of the lake
in the play.
2. What did the Goddess tell
Mara in his dream?
Ans: She told Mara to ask
the king to build a tank to store the sacred river Veda's water.
3. Why did the people laugh at
Mara?
Ans:
They laughed because they didn’t believe his story about the Goddess appearing
in his dream.
4. How did the king respond to
Mara’s message?
Ans:
The king believed Mara’s words and ordered the construction of a tank for the
river.
5. What was the duty given to
Mara?
Ans:
Mara was made the watchman of the lake and told to protect the water and its
surroundings.
6. Why did Mara meet the king
on a stormy night?
Ans:
Mara warned the king about the Goddess’s anger and asked for permission to
sacrifice his life.
7. What did the Goddess plan
to do during the storm?
Ans:
She wanted to destroy the tank and flood the land with river Veda’s water.
8. How did the king honour
Mara after his death?
Ans:
He built a shrine with idols of the Goddess and Mara to honour his sacrifice.
9. Why was the river Veda
sacred?
Ans:
It was believed to have originated when a piece of the Sanjeevini mountain fell
during the Ramayana.
10.
What lesson does the play teach about nature?
Ans:
The play shows that nature is powerful, sacred, and should be respected and
protected by all.
Answer the following
questions 3 Marks Questions
1. Why did Mara meet the king
for the first time?
Ans:
Mara met the king for the first time because the Goddess of the river Veda
appeared in his dream and told him to inform the king to build a tank. She
wanted a home for the river and did not want the river to leave the village.
Mara, though a simple villager, followed her command and made great efforts to
reach the king. He finally got the opportunity and conveyed her message. The
king believed Mara and ordered the construction of a tank, storing the sacred
waters of river Veda, and making Mara the watchman.
2. How did the king react to
Mara’s suggestion for saving the lake?
Ans:
When Mara told the king that the Goddess wanted to destroy the tank, the king
was worried. Mara begged the king to stop him from returning to the Goddess by
having him executed. Though the king disliked the idea and hesitated at first,
he later agreed after seeing Mara’s strong will and sacrifice. This emotional
moment shows the king’s wisdom and respect for devotion. He ordered Mara’s
execution and later built a shrine to honour him. The king’s action not only
saved the people but also recognized Mara’s sacrifice for the greater good.
3. How did Mara prove to be a
responsible watchman of the lake?
Ans:
Mara took his duty seriously. He followed the Goddess’s instructions and made
sure no one harmed the area. He protected the birds, fish, and trees around the
lake. He warned people not to fish or hunt in the sacred place. During the
storm, when he saw the Goddess angry and wanting to flood the villages, he
risked his life. He informed the king and sacrificed himself to protect the
land. Mara was not only obedient but also brave, loyal, and deeply respectful
of nature and duty, proving himself a noble watchman of the lake.
4. Why did the king build a
shrine in honour of Mara?
Ans:
The king built a shrine for Mara to honour his great sacrifice. Mara had
offered his life to protect the tank, the people, and the king’s kingdom. By
choosing to be executed, he stopped the Goddess from flooding the land. The
king was touched by Mara’s dedication and wanted to keep his memory alive. He
built a shrine where Mara’s idol was placed just below the Goddess’s idol. The
king asked the villagers to worship them every Tuesday and Friday. This showed
the king’s respect for loyalty, sacrifice, and the divine connection of Mara.
5. What qualities of Mara made
him a unique character in the play?
Ans:
Mara was brave, honest, loyal, and full of devotion. He trusted the Goddess and
followed her commands even when others laughed at him. He respected nature and
protected it by warning others not to harm birds or fish near the lake. He was
not greedy and never used his position for personal gain. He also showed great
love for people and the king by sacrificing himself to save them. His deep
understanding of nature, spiritual connection with the Goddess, and readiness
to give his life make him a unique and unforgettable character.
Answer the following
questions 4 Marks Questions
1. Describe Mara’s meeting
with the king during the stormy night.
Ans:
On a stormy night, Mara saw signs of danger. The winds were strong, and the
waves in the tank were rising dangerously. He realized that something was wrong
and rushed to the Goddess’s shrine. The Goddess appeared with a sword, looking
fierce. She told Mara to leave his hut and save his life, as she was going to
destroy the tank and flood the area. Mara pleaded with her to wait until he
informed the king. The Goddess agreed. Mara ran to the palace and told the king
about the warning. He requested the king to stop him from returning, suggesting
execution. Though the king was shocked, he understood Mara’s deep devotion and
sacrifice. He agreed to Mara’s request. Mara was executed, and the Goddess waited
for his return, never destroying the tank. This brave act saved the kingdom. It
showed Mara’s courage, loyalty, and love for people. It also revealed the
king’s respect for true devotion. This meeting is the emotional climax of the
play, where a simple man’s faith and duty save an entire region.
2. Explain how the play shows
both the protective and destructive powers of nature.
Ans:
The play clearly shows that nature has both protective and destructive sides.
The river Veda is sacred and gives life to the villagers by providing water for
farming and daily use. The Goddess of the river is happy when the river is
respected and protected. This shows the caring, protective side of nature.
However, nature can also turn dangerous. During the storm, the angry Goddess
decides to break the tank and flood the land. This shows that when nature is
angered or ignored, it can cause great destruction. The play teaches that
humans must treat nature with care, devotion, and understanding. If nature is
respected, it supports life. If it is misused or taken for granted, it can
destroy lives and property. The building of the tank to store the river, and
Mara’s role in protecting it, show how people and nature can live in harmony.
The flood threat during the storm warns us of the dangers of forgetting
nature’s power. So, the play presents nature as a force of balance: it nurtures
those who respect it and punishes those who ignore it.
3.
What instructions did Mara give his son, Ganga, about the
duties of the watchman of the lake?
Ans: Mara reminded his son that he had to be
the watchman of the lake after his death. Mara also shared with his son what
the Goddess had Instructed Mara to do. She had commanded that nothing that
flew, swam or walked those parts, where the lake existed, be killed as the
place was scared. So Mara told his son that no killers should be allowed there,
whether they came with arrows for the gulls which skimmed over the water or
with the rod for the fish. These instructions are given by Mara to his son,
first of all, show that Mara was obedient to the Goddess. Secondly, it shows
that he was a great lover of nature. Thirdly, it shows his sense of
responsibility. He wanted the lake and the bank to be taken care of in an
exemplary way. At the same time, he was authoritative too. He did not allow
anyone to exploit the bank. Yet, he did not deny anyone the just use of the
water of the bank. Thus, we see that Mara was a noble watchman of the lake.
4.
Give an account of Mara’s meeting with the king on a
stormy night in ‘Watchman of the Lake’.
Ans: When Mara fell at her feet, the Goddess
asked him to rise up and hear her intently. She told him that she was the
Goddess of the Lake and that river Veda was her plaything. She asked him to
leave the hut at once and save his life. Mara asked her what was going to
happen. She told him that she was going to destroy the tank that imprisoned
Veda. When Mara told her that they had built the tank at her command, the
Goddess replied that she was in a different mood and wanted to splash away the
waters of Veda. Mara told the Goddess that the waters of Veda would wash away
hundreds of villages and towns and the king’s capital beyond if the bank was
removed. Mara prostrated before her and begged her to stay her hand and not to
carry out the devastation until he came back after informing the king about it.
After meeting the king he requested the king to get him executed and prevent
him from returning to the Goddess. Though the king disliked the suggestion,
finally he granted Mara’s wish and got him executed. The Goddess stayed her
hand, did not destroy the tank and waited for Mara’s return. Thus, Mara saved
the lake.
5. Why was the shrine
dedicated to Mara by the king in ‘Watchman of the Lake’?
Ans: ‘Watchman of the Lake’ by R.K. Narayan
enacts the legendary story of the martyrdom of Mara, an innocent villager of
Sakkarepatna situated in the eastern base of Baba Budan Hills, In Karnataka. It
was once the capital of a king called Rukmangada. One night Mara saw in his
dream, the Goddess of the River Veda which flows down the hills throughout the
year. The Goddess told Mara to meet the king and ask him to build a tank and to
give her a home. Though no one believed Mara’s story and made fun of him, Mara
managed to meet the king one day and narrate his story. The king, unlike the
others, believed Mara’s account and eventually got a tank built and stored the
waters of the river Veda. The king made Mara the watchman of the lake and saw
to it that the water of the lake was properly utilized for agricultural and
other useful purposes. Many years later, one evening Mara noticed that there
was going to be a thunderstorm and owing to strong winds, there were waves in
the tank rising very high and hammering at the bank. Mara at once realized that
it was a dangerous situation and the waters of the lake might overflow the
banks and destroy his village. He feared for the lives of the people and their
property in the village. Mara, at once, went down on his knees and prayed
earnestly to the Goddess of the river. The Goddess appeared before him carrying
a sword in her hand and her forehead was splashed with vermilion. She told Mara
to move out of his hut at once and save himself. She told him that she was
going to break out of the tank and flow over the villages and the towns and the
king’s capital beyond it. Mara immediately prostrated before her and begged her
to give him enough time to go and inform the king about it. He requested her to
wait and not do anything until he returned.
Later Mara met the king, narrated the whole
story and also gave him a suggestion as to how he could save the tank and his
people. He requested the king to get him executed so that he would never return
to his place and the Goddess would continue to wait for Mara. Though the king
was not ready to accept Mara’s suggestion, Mara persuaded the king to get him
executed so that the tank and the people of his kingdom could be saved. The
king agreed and as per his wish, got Mara executed. Next, he got a shrine built
for Mara in which the top pedestal had the idol of the Guardian Goddess of the
village and just below it was the idol of Mara. The king ordered that the
villagers should worship those idols every Tuesday and Friday to commemorate
the martyrdom of Mara.
6. Why did Mara meet
the king for the first time in ‘Watchman of the Lake’?
Ans: The Goddess of the river asked Mara to
inform the king to build a tank for the river Veda. The king would listen. The
river Veda was a sacred place when Hanuman was carrying the Sanjeevini mountain
a small piece fell down and from the same spot, a river arose which was the
lifeblood of the people of the villagers. The Goddess told Mara to ask the
king, not to let the river Veda to leave that village and to give her a home.
7. How does the play
‘Watchman of the Lake’ bring out both the protective and destructive faces of
nature?
Ans: The play makes it very clear that nature
is both protective and destructive and that we are at the mercy of nature. We
see the same river Veda as the life-giver, life maintainer and life destroyer.
The play shows ¡t as the whim and fancy of the Goddess, for whom River Veda is
a plaything. But, what the author tries to show is that nature can impact us in
different ways at different times and we are not in a position to understand
why it acts as it does. But, what is important is that we should protect nature
and not exploit it.
8.
How does the play ‘Watchman of the Lake’ bring out both
the protective and destructive faces of nature?
Ans: Nature has god in general, it knows whom
to treat and how, when to treat and where to treat. If people protect, it
protects the people if they destroy, it also destroys them. So nature is a
mirror of people. The play also brought the same idea, when people did not use
river Veda properly, it advises the people in the form of a dream to Mara, to
build a tank for proper utilization of water. It is a productive way for people
which nature had gifted them. And when they become too much selfish by
utilizing water and not remembering the goddess, she incarnates the avatar and
causes floods and deluge. The good instance is the present floods of Uttarkhand
where thousands of people disappeared at Kedarnath temple. This happens because
of not nature’s fluctuation but men’s too much polluting the rivers causes
anger to nature so she cautions in the form of floods. In the same way, ‘Veda’
causes floods in the village to remind her presence. So the king gets awareness
and built a temple in the name o Mara and goddess. So nature is both productive
and destructive.
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