For a while, she clung to his neck—she would not come down from his lap. The other women began chanting auspicious verses from behind the curtain. Baburam Babu, overwhelmed by emotion, could not speak for some time. Motilal thought to himself, “Saved by the boat capsizing—otherwise, I would have lost my life facing my mother.”

Outside, in the courtyard, the Brahmins who had performed the svastyayani ceremony, seeing the master, blessed him and then said, “Nach daibat param balam”—there is no strength greater than fate. Sir, you are already virtuous, and now fate itself has favored you—what harm could possibly befall you? Had it not been so, we would not be true Brahmins.”

At these words, Thakchacha burst out, “If all the trouble was warded off by their incantations, then what of my hard work? Did I just sit there twiddling my thumbs?”

At once, the Brahmins softened and tried to appease him, saying, “Oh, just as Krishna was Arjuna’s charioteer, so you were the master’s charioteer—it is by your wisdom and strength that all was accomplished. You are an avatar of sorts; wherever you are, wherever we are, misfortune flees in terror.”

Banchharam Babu, who had been like a snake bereft of its gem, now began to weep a little, just enough to show Baburam Babu, with a sly glance, that he was deeply moved. At this, his chest swelled with pride, and he became firmly convinced that if he so much as cast a line, a fish would bite. Hearing the Brahmins’ words, he rushed forward, waving his right hand, and exclaimed, “What, am I to be beaten by a child? If misfortune were to befall the master, would I be cutting grass in Calcutta?”

9. The lack of proper education and good upbringing led to Motilal’s gradual decline, and, finding many companions, he became a full-fledged babu and began to mistreat respectable young women.

Once a boy goes astray, it is almost impossible to set him right again. It is the duty of guardians to instill good habits from childhood, so that noble tendencies may gradually ripen and, instead of inclining toward vice, the mind is drawn powerfully toward virtue. But if, in childhood, a boy falls into bad company or receives poor guidance, the restlessness of youth may overturn everything. Therefore, as long as a child’s mind is immature, it is essential to cultivate in him all manner of good habits. If such training continues until the age of twenty-five, there is little chance of him straying onto the wrong path. By then, his mind becomes so pure that even the mention of wrongdoing provokes anger and disgust.

It is exceedingly difficult for children of this country to receive such an education. Firstly, there are no good teachers; secondly, there are no good books. What is needed are books that, when read, instill noble feelings and sound judgment, which gradually become steadfast. But the common belief is that true education consists merely in learning the meanings