"My darling daughter, for the last seven or eight years you have
been taking lessons under the Brahmin, your master, in the various
departments of knowledge, and you must now pay a large fee to
remunerate your master's labours in having taught you so much. You
are at liberty to take as much money as you please from my hoard."
So saying she handed over the key to her daughter, and Chandralekha,
delighted at her mother's sound advice, filled up five baskets with
five thousand mohars in each, and setting them on the heads of five
maid-servants, went to her master's house with betel leaves, areca nut,
flowers and cocoanuts in a platter in her hand, to be presented along
with the money. The servants placed the baskets before the master and
stood outside the house, while Chandralekha took the dish of betel
leaves, nuts, &c., and humbly prostrated herself on the ground before
him. Then, rising up, she said:--
"My most holy guru (master), great are the pains your holiness
undertook in instructing me, and thus destroying the darkness of my
ignorance. For the last eight years I have been a regular student
under your holiness, and all the branches of knowledge hath your
holiness taught me. Though what I offer might be insufficient for
the pains your holiness took in my case, still I humbly request your
holiness to accept what I have brought."
Thus said she, and respectfully pushed the baskets of mohars and
the betel-nut platter towards the Brahmin. She expected to hear
benedictions from her tutor, but in that we shall see she was soon
disappointed.