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NARRATIVES
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Asit enter into Amar's house. Amar, finding the police in his house, flees. Mala is completely disillusioned. She understands the futility of human relationships and the truth of the only reality that is Krishna.
With the story of Mala, is related the story of Raka, a Bengali woman, who out of infatuation, has got married to, Kishanc hand, a doctor and uncle of Amar. Raka, after the birth of her baby-boy, Shukla, finds that she has been mismatched with her life-partner who is totally Westernised in his approach towards life. Because of Shukla she comes into close contact, first of all, with Mala and later on, with Asit. She, along with Asit, vainly tries to help Mala to lead a spiritual life. She, then, begins to stay at the Yoga-Ashram of Swayamananda as the spiritual colleague of Asit. Along with her attempts to aspire only for the love of Krishna, her struggle to forget the pleasures of the flesh is depicted.
The part of the Himalayas situated near Jhilam is the setting for many incidents of the novel. Swayamananda's Yoga Ashram is situated there. In fact, it appears to be at the centre of many events. Asit, the narrator of the story, generally stays there. Raka also goes there to stay permanently. Mala, too, likes to live there. Prabal and Suniti, who were opposed to the place earlier, are changed. Suniti begins to visit the Ashram frequently in order to solve the problems of her daughter's life. Asit's stay in the pious atmosphere of the Ashram and the Himalayas shows his own spiritual temperament. Jhilam, the river and the Himalayas are the constant backdrop to the action of the novel. Jhilam stands throughout the novel as a symbol of the ever changing flow of life. The heights of the Himalayas also symbolise holiness and spiritual heights, and they inspire the inmates of the Ashram with spiritual aspirations. Mala's search begins from here. She also returns here after her own disillusionment
The plot of the novel covers the time span of sixteen years and a few months. During this period many characters like Mala, Raka and Suniti are shown developing. The hypocrisy of Amar and Tapan is exposed. Prabal suffers and repents for his error. The spiritual progress of Asit, Raka, Mala, Suniti and even of Prabal at the end of the novel can be seen clearly. Thus the end becomes different from the beginning.
The motive of the narrative is to show the restoration of Mala from mundane life to that of spirituality to which she belonged earlier. Raka also reaches the same destination after having bitter experiences of worldly life. Swayamananda plays a major role in bringing about this restoration. Asit and Raka are pained at Mala's straying away from spirituality. But Gurudev, while solving their queries, give a kind of philosophical theory of causation explaining to them why men behave as they do. In fact, in an occult manner, he has helped Mala to reach the place of her soul's seeking. Gurudev, because of Mala's aspiration for Krishna,
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