Part II
Chapter – I

Chandri Decides Not to Trouble the Acharya

Praneshacharya wakes up at the middle of the night from Chandri’s lap. Hunger, tiredness and his intimacy with Chandri gave him a sound sleep making him wonder for a short time as to why he was there at night. When he comes to his senses, he feels that he has lost all his priestly powers because of his physical intimacy with Chandri. Wanting to be honest to his priesthood and not to deceive the people in his agrahara, he asks Chandri to reveal the truth to the people in the agrahara the following morning.  When they cross the river and go to the agrahara, Chandri follows him little later than Praneshacharya.

Chandri reaches the agrahara alone at night. Then she decides whether to sleep in the veranda of Praneshacharya’s house or in her house. She is little afraid of going to her house at night because of the dead body of Naranappa lying there. At the same time, she does not want to sleep in the veranda of Praneshacharya, just not to trouble the acharya. Moreover, she feels that when she gives something to Praneshacharya, it only leads to his trouble. When she gave her golden ornaments to solve burial ritual of Naranappa, it created trouble for him. And, now, when she gives herself to him, it has caused trouble for him. Hence, she decides to go back to her house and sleep in the veranda.

Chandri goes to her house to sleep in the veranda but flees immediately to Sheshappa’s house. When she enters her house, the door is slightly open, and this gives her the fear that dogs or foxes might have been attracted to the dead body.  Then she goes upstairs with a lantern to lit incense sticks to dispel stench from the house, and when she sees the disfigured dead body appearing ghastly, she flees out of her house to the cart man Sheshappa’s house, seeking his help to cremate Naranappa’s body.  When he, being a dalit,  hesitates to cremate a Brahmin’s body, she leaves his house without a word, and goes to a fish merchant, Ahmad Bari.  She knew him because Naranappa had given loan to him earlier.  He accepts to cremate Naranappa’s body and does it immediately.  Then she goes to her house and takes her dress, money, and golden ornaments.  Then she leaves the agrahara early morning, without bidding bye to Praneshacharya. She walks alone through the forest path to catch the morning bus going to Kundapura.