Chapter 4 – Folk-Tales of Bengal – The Man Who Wished To Be Perfect Solutions

Content Structure

1. About the author – Lal Behari Dey
2. Summary of the story The Man Who Wished To Be perfect
3. Word meanings

1. About the author – Lal Behari Dey

Lal Behari Dey was born on 18 December 1824 in Bengal during British rule. He was well known as an Indian writer, journalist, and Christian missionary. He was famous for his English writing and for collecting and publishing Bengali folktales. He studied in a missionary school and later became a teacher and pastor. His most popular book is Folk-Tales of Bengal, which shares the rich culture and stories of rural Bengal. He wanted people to appreciate his simple and powerful writing, which was respected widely. He died on 28 October 1892.

2. Summary of the story The Man Who Wished To Be perfect

One day, a holy man came to a king who was worried about the future ruler of his kingdom. The holy man told him that he would give medicine to the queen, but with one condition: after taking the medicine, the queen would give birth to twin sons, and the holy man would take one son. The king agreed, so the queen took the medicine and gave birth to two children. Many years passed, but the holy man did not return. The princes grew up strong, wise, and handsome, but one day, when they turned sixteen, the holy man came to take one son, which broke the hearts of the king and queen because both sons were dear to them, after sorrow and discussion, they decided to fulfill their promise. As a result, the elder son went with the holy man and before leaving, he planted a tree in the palace courtyard and said, “This tree is my life. If it stays green, I’m fine. If it fades a little, I’m in danger. If it dies, then I am dead.” On the way, the older prince entered a forest. A puppy and a young hawk followed him, and they happily reached the mendicant’s hut. The mendicant told him he could go anywhere but never to the north, because there was danger. According to the holy man, every day the prince had to collect flowers at dawn, and the mendicant would leave until sunset. One day, the prince chased a deer and forgot the warning so he ran north and saw a beautiful lady with a dice table. She invited him to play so he agreed and lost first his hawk, then his puppy, and finally himself. The lady was actually a Rakshasi who ate humans. At the palace, the younger prince noticed that the leaves of the tree were fading so he understood that his brother was in danger. He planted a tree for himself and went to find his brother. On the way, a puppy and a hawk joined him. He reached the mendicant’s hut, but his brother was not there. The mendicant told him the elder prince had gone north, where a Rakshasi lived who ate people so the younger prince went north and met the Rakshasi. She invited him to play dice, but this time, he won all three games and got back the hawk, the puppy, and his elder brother. The Rakshasi begged for her life and revealed a secret: the mendicant worshipped Kali and wanted to become powerful. He had already killed six people in her temple, and the elder prince was to be the seventh and final victim. The brothers went to Kali’s temple, where the elder prince saw the skulls of the victims who spoke to him, warned him, and gave him advice: “When the mendicant asks you to bow before Kali, tell him you don’t know how and ask him to show you. When he bows, cut off his head with your sword. Then we will all return to life.” The next day, the mendicant took the elder prince to the temple and as planned, the prince tricked the mendicant into bowing and then cut off his head. After that, the goddess Kali appeared and blessed the prince, and all the dead men came back to life and then the two princes returned to their kingdom with great joy.

WB 11 all notes

The Man Who Wished To Be Perfect Extra Questions and Answers

3. Word meanings

Word	Meanings
Mendicant	A person who asks for money or food
Swallowing	Eating
Anxious	Feeling nervous or scared about something
Appearance	Look
Flesh	The soft part of the body like skin or muscles
Plunged	Fell or jumped into something quickly
Lamentation	Crying
Fade	Disappear
Embracing	Hugging
Wending	Slowly walking or moving in a direction
Gladly	Doing something with joy
Depth	Deepness
Devotions	Prayers
Pierced	Made a hole through something
Stag	A male deer
Stowed	Stored
Courtyard	Open space inside or near a building
Steed	Horse
Dismounted	Got down
Astonished	Surprised
Exquisite	Beautiful
Demurred	Refused
Devotions	Prayers or religious acts
Prostration	Bowing down

Chapter 4 – Folk-Tales of Bengal – The Man Who Wished To Be Perfect Solutions

Content Structure

1. About the author – Lal Behari Dey

2. Summary of the story The Man Who Wished To Be perfect

3. Word meanings

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