The Magic Potion of Rama Natha

POORVI-GRADE six

Let us read

I

Rama Natha was the son of a rich landlord. His father left him large tracts of land when he died. But Rama Natha did not spend even one day looking after his land. This was because he had a funny idea-he believed there was a magic potion that could turn any object into gold. He spent all his time to learn more about this potion. People cheated him often, promising to tell him about it, but he did not give up. His wife, Madhumati, was tired of this and also worried because she saw how much money Rama Natha was spending. She was sure that soon they would be without money.

One day, a famous sage called Mahipati came to their town. Rama Natha became his follower and asked him about the potion. To his surprise the sage answered, "Yes, in my travels in the Himalayas, I heard how you could make such a potion. But it is difficult."

"Tell me!" requested Rama Natha, not believing his luck.

"You have to plant a banana plant and water it regularly with your hands. In winter, the morning dew is on the leaves. You have to collect the dew and store it in a bottle. When you have five litres of dew, bring it to me. I will chant some magic words, which will turn it into the magic potion. A drop of the potion will change any object into gold."

Rama Natha was worried. "But winter is only for a few months. It will take me years to collect five litres of dew."

"You can plant as many banana plants as you want. But remember, you must look after them yourself and collect the dew with your own hands."

Let us discuss

One. What did Rama Natha believe?

Two. How did the sage help Rama Natha?

Three. Do you think Rama Natha will be able to collect the dew? Give a reason.