Avvaiyar was a ninth century Tamil poet greatly revered for her wisdom. She travelled on foot from place to place, kingdom to kingdom, spreading noble thoughts.
One day, hungry and tired with her travels, she sat under a tree to rest. All of a sudden, she heard a voice calling out to her. “Paati, do you want some fruits?” It was a little boy perched atop a branch.
(Avvai literally means old woman or more affectionately, paati or grandmother.)
Avviayar looked up to see that it was a Jamun tree and she was delighted. She told the boy she would love to have some fruit. Next, the boy asked: “Do you wish to eat roasted fruits or unroasted ones?” Who had ever heard of roasted and unroasted fruit? May be the boy was ignorant, thought Avvaiyar to herself. But they would not give her fruits if she didn’t specify whether she wanted them roasted or unroasted.
So the wise woman said rather dismissively that she preferred unroasted fruits. The boy the tree and some fruits fell to the ground. Avvaiyar picked them up and blew on them. “Ha! Paati, why are you blowing on the fruits? They are unroasted and so should not be hot,” said the boy. We blow on something when it is to be cooled or when we need to clean it by blowing away any dust. This is what the boy had meant and Avvaiyar, who thought she was all-knowing, couldn’t guess that.
She looked at the boy with new eyes. No ordinary boy could have stumped her so. Indeed, it was none other than Murugan, also known as Karthikeya, who wanted to reveal to Avvaiyar her arrogance.
It was then that the poet came up with the famous line: “That which we know is but a fistful; that which we do not know, is the size of the universe itself.”
To Avvaiyar, this was the lesson in humility. It is great to ‘know’ but even greater to be aware that there is so much more to know. Awareness awakens the desire to know. When we are not aware that there is something to know, we attribute it to being a miracle. This could lead to superstitions, blind beliefs and intellectual stagnation.
This is perhaps why a pilgrim is called seeker.
Q1. On the basis of your reading of the story, write ten difficult words and their synonyms. Use the words in sentences of your own.
Q2. Write the theme of the story in your own words.
Q3. On the basis of the reading of the passage, write three adjectives for the boy and three for Avvaiyar.
Answers
Avvaiyar was a ninth century Tamil poet greatly revered for her wisdom. She travelled on foot from place to place, kingdom to kingdom, spreading noble thoughts.
One day, hungry and tired with her travels, she sat under a tree to rest. All of a sudden, she heard a voice calling out to her. “Paati, do you want some fruits?” It was a little boy perched atop a branch.
(Avvai literally means old woman or more affectionately, paati or grandmother.)
Avviayar looked up to see that it was a Jamun tree and she was delighted. She told the boy she would love to have some fruit. Next, the boy asked: “Do you wish to eat roasted fruits or unroasted ones?” Who had ever heard of roasted and unroasted fruit? May be the boy was ignorant, thought Avvaiyar to herself. But they would not give her fruits if she didn’t specify whether she wanted them roasted or unroasted.
So the wise woman said rather dismissively that she preferred unroasted fruits. The boy the tree and some fruits fell to the ground. Avvaiyar picked them up and blew on them. “Ha! Paati, why are you blowing on the fruits? They are unroasted and so should not be hot,” said the boy. We blow on something when it is to be cooled or when we need to clean it by blowing away any dust. This is what the boy had meant and Avvaiyar, who thought she was all-knowing, couldn’t guess that.
She looked at the boy with new eyes. No ordinary boy could have stumped her so. Indeed, it was none other than Murugan, also known as Karthikeya, who wanted to reveal to Avvaiyar her arrogance.
It was then that the poet came up with the famous line: “That which we know is but a fistful; that which we do not know, is the size of the universe itself.”
To Avvaiyar, this was the lesson in humility. It is great to ‘know’ but even greater to be aware that there is so much more to know. Awareness awakens the desire to know. When we are not aware that there is something to know, we attribute it to being a miracle. This could lead to superstitions, blind beliefs and intellectual stagnation.
This is perhaps why a pilgrim is called seeker.
Q1. On the basis of your reading of the story, write ten difficult words and their synonyms. Use the words in sentences of your own.
Q2. Write the theme of the story in your own words.
Q3. On the basis of the reading of the passage, write three adjectives for the boy and three for Avvaiyar.