Gujarat Board GSEB Class 9 English Textbook Solutions Beehive Chapter 5 The Snake and the Mirror Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers, Notes Pdf.
Gujarat Board Textbook Solutions Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 5 The Snake and the Mirror
GSEB Class 9 English The Snake and the Mirror Text Book Questions and Answers
Thinking about the Text
I. Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30-40 words) :
Question 1.
“The sound was a familiar one.” What sound did the doctor hear ? What did he think it was ? How many times did he hear it ? (Find the places in the text.) When and why did the sound stop ?
Answer:
The doctor lived in a room which was full of rats. He heard the sounds of the rats. There was a regular traffic of rats to and from the beam. He heard the sound thrice. The sound stopped suddenly as rats had seen a snake.
Question 2.
What two ‘important’ and ‘earth-shaking’ decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror ?
Answer:
The doctor took two ‘important’ and ‘earth-shaking’ decisions while he was looking into the mirror. First, he decided to shave daily and grow a thin moustache. Second, always to keep an attractive smile on his face.
Question 3.
‘I looked into the mirror and smiled,” says the doctor. A little later he says, “I forgot my danger and smiled feebly at myself.” What is the doctor’s opinion about himself when:
(i) he first smiles, and
(ii) he smiles again ? In what way do his thoughts change in between, and why ?
Answer:
(i) When the doctor first smiles, he has an inflated opinion of himself, admiring his looks and profession.
(ii) In the second instance, the doctor smiles at his foolishness and helplessness. His thoughts change after his encounter with the snake – from being a proud doctor he moves on to accept his stupidity.
II. This story about a frightening incident is narrated in a humorous way. What makes it humorous ? (Think of the contrasts it presents between dreams and reality. Some of them are listed below.)
Question 1.
(i) The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions)
(ii) The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition)
Answer:
(i) The doctor is a poor person. He has hardly any money. He lives in an unelectrified house. It is a small rented room with plenty of rats living in it. He has just started his medical s practice. So he is not a man of possessions or money.
(ii) The person wants to be rich. He also would like to have good appearance. That’s why he decides to grow a thin moustache.
Question 2.
(i) The person he wants to marry
(ii) The person he actually marries
Answer:
(i) The doctor wants to marry a woman doctor with good medical practice and a lot of money. She would be fat as not to run after him and catch him.
(ii) He marries a thin reedy woman who j has a gift of sprinter.
Question 3.
(i) His thoughts when he looks into the mirror.
(ii) His thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm.
Answer:
(i) His thoughts are full of joy and satisfaction. He decides to grow a thin moustache and keep smiling always. He finds his smile attractive.
(ii) He turned to stone. He sat like a stone image in the flesh. However, his mind was very active. He felt the great presence of creator. ‘? He decides to write the words ‘O God’ outside his little heart.
Thinking about Language
I. Here are some sentences from the text. Say which of them tell you, that the author: (a) was afraid of the snake, (b) was proud of his appearance, (c) had a sense of humour, (d) was no longer afraid of the snake.
(1) I was turned to stone.
(2) I was no mere image cut in granite.
(3) The arm was beginning to be drained of strength.
(4) I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O God’.
(5) I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out.
(6) I looked into the mirror and smiled. It- was an attractive smile.
(7) I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood.
(8) I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it!
(9) The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness…! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water.
(10) Was it trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead ?
Answer:
II. Expressions used to show fear.
Can you find the expressions in the story that tell you that the author was frightened ? Read the story and complete the following sentences :
(1) I was turned ……………. .
(2) I sat there holding ………….. .
(3) In the light of the lamp I sat there like ………….. .
Answer:
(1) I was turned to stone.
(2) I sat there holding my breath.
(3) In the light of the lamp, I sat there like a stone image in the flesh.
III. In the sentences given below some words and expressions are italicised. They variously mean that one
- is very frightened.
- is too scared to move.
- is frightened by something that happens suddenly.
- makes another feel frightened.
Match the meanings with the words/expressions in italics, and write the appropriate meaning next to the sentence :
(The first one has been done for you.)
(1) I knew a man was following me, I was scared out of my wits, (very frightened)
(2) I got a fright when I realised how close I was to the cliff edge.
(3) He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him.
(4) You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that.
(5) Wait until I tell his story – it will make your hair stand on end.
(6) Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his abductors.
(7) The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle.
Answer:
(1) 1 knew a man was following me, I was scared out of my wits, (was very frightened)
(2) 1 got a fright when I realised how close I was to the cliff edge, (was frightened by something that happened suddenly)
(3) He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him. (was very frightened)
(4) You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that (was frightened by something that happens suddenly)
(5) Wait until I tell his story – it will make your hair stand on end. (make another feel frightened)
(6) Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his abductors, (too scared to move)
(7) The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle, (too scared to move)
IV. Reported questions Study these sentences :
- His friend asked, “Did you see the snake the next day, doctor ?” His friend asked the doctor whether/if he had seen the snake the next day.
- The little girl wondered, “Will I be home before the TV show begins ?” The little girl wondered if/whether she would be home before the TV show began.
- Someone asked, “Why has the thief left the vest behind ?”
Someone asked why the thief had left the vest behind.
The words if/whether are used to report questions which begin with : do, will, can, have, are, etc. These questions can be answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Questions beginning with why / when / where / how / which / what are reported using these same words.
The reporting verbs we use in questions with if/whether/why/when etc. are:ask, inquire and wonder.
Remember that in reported speech,
- the present tense changes to past tense
- here, today, tomorrow, yesterday, etc. change to there, that day, the next day, the day before, etc.
- I/you change to me/him/he, etc., as necessary.
Examples :
- He said to me, “I don’t believe you.”
He said he did not believe me. - She said to him, 7 don’t believe you.’
She told him that she did not believe him.
Report these questions using if / whether or why / when / where / how / which / what:
Remember the italicised verbs change into the past tense:
(1) Meena asked her friend. “Do you think your teacher will come today ?”
(2) David asked his colleague, “Where will you go this summer ?”
(3) He asked the little boy, “Why are you studying English?”
(4) She asked me, “When are we going to leave ?
(5) Pran asked me, “Have you finished reading the newspaper ?”
(6) Seema asked her, “How long have you lived here ?”
(7) Sheila asked the children. “Are you ready to do the work ?”
Answer:
(1) Meena asked her friend if she thought her teacher would come that day.
(2) David asked his colleague where he would go that summer.
(3) He asked the little boy why he was studying English.
(4) She asked me when we were going to leave.
(5) Pran asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.
(6) Seema asked her how long she had lived there.
(7) Sheila asked the children if they were ready to do the work.
Writing
Question 1.
Try to rewrite the story without its humour, merely as a frightening incident. What details or parts of the story would you ? leave out ?
Answer:
On a hot summer night, at about ten, I returned to my room after having my meal at a restaurant. I heard a noise from above but ignored as there were many rats in the room. I changed my clothes and sat on the chair in front of a mirror. At that time I heard a dull thud as of a rubber tube fallen on the floor, but I did not think anything to worry about. Then as I s turned, a fat snake wriggled over the back of my chair and landed on my shoulder. I was so frightened that I turned to be a stone image. ? My mind was alert and active.
If I moved or trembled, I would invite death. It coiled around my left arm, spread out its hood and extended its head, hardly three or four inches from my s face. I was just stunned and out of breath, literally waiting with eyes closed, when it would strike me. I could see in the mirror my pale face and felt and the whole body turning cold.
I was making desperate effort not to tremble or shiver a bit if at all I wanted to save my s life. To my good luck, at last after about five minutes, it unwound itself and slithered down my body on to the floor.
Question 2.
Read the description given below this sketch from a photograph in a newspaper I (Times of India, 4 September 1999). Make up a story about what the monkey is thinking, or why it is looking Into a mirror. Write a paragraph about it.
A monkey preens itself using a piece of mirror; in the Delhi ridge.
(‘To preen oneself’ means to spend a lot of time making oneself look attractive, and then admiring one’s appearance. The word, is used in disapproval.)
Answer:
Closely looking at the picture, it seems that the monkey is greatly confused. He is not ready to take the reflection as his own. He must be thinking that it is the other monkey staring at him. Now his efforts start to verify how dangerous the other one is to him. First he raises his eyebrow and the same is found with the other monkey. Then he starts grinning and the other one starts doing the same to him. The monkey looking into the mirror-piece is not only curious but bewildered too. He makes different facial gestures and the same is reflected to him. Then he takes the mirror-piece a little away and besides his face, his body is also seen. Then getting greatly frightened at this estranged reaction of the monkey in the- mirror, the monkey threw away the piece of mirror and jumped away.
(Note: It is not thinkable that the monkey looking into the mirror takes the reflection in the mirror as his own and being enchanted, starts preening himself.)
GSEB Class 9 English The Snake and the Mirror Additional Important Questions and Answers
Reading Comprehension
Read the following passages and select the most appropriate answers for the questions given below them:
Question 1.
I went back into the room and sat down on the chair. I opened the box beneath the table and took out a book, the Materia Medica. I opened it at the table on which stood the lamp and a large mirror; a small comb lay beside the mirror.
One feels tempted to look into a mirror when it is near one. I took a look. In those days I was a great admirer of beauty and I believed in making myself look handsome. I was unmarried and I was a doctor. I felt I had to make my presence felt. I picked up the comb and ran it through my hair and adjusted the parting so that it looked straight and neat.
Again I heard that sound from above.
Questions:
1. The table that the writer was sitting at was a ……………….
A. dining table.
B. dressing table.
C. games table.
D. writing table.
Answer:
B. dressing table.
2. What is the writer by professions ?
A. Writer
B. Painter
C. Doctor
D. Architect
Answer:
C. Doctor
3. The writer started combing his hair to ……………….
A. look more handsome than he was.
B. look into the mirror.
C. make his presence felt there.
D. All of these three
Answer:
C. make his presence felt there.
4. What was the writer busy doing when he heard the sound from above ?
A. combing his hair.
B. Reading his medical book.
C. Admiring beauty.
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Answer:
A. combing his hair.
Question 2.
I didn’t jump. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out. There was no time to do any such thing. The snake slithered along my shoulder and coiled around my left arm above the elbow. The hood was spread out and its head was hardly three or four inches from my face !
It would not be correct to say merely that I sat there holding my breath. I was turned to stone. But my mind was very active. The door opened into darkness. The room was surrounded by darkness. In the light of the lamp I sat there like a stone image in the flesh.
Questions:
1. What could the writer’s expressions have been on finding the snake on his shoulder ?
A. Jumping
B. Trembling
C. Crying out
D. All of these three
Answer:
D. All of these three
2. How close did the writer find the snake ?
A. Coiled around his left arm.
B. With his head three or four inches away from his face.
C. With his head spread.
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Answer:
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
3. What was the writer’s reaction with the snake coiled around his left arm ?
A. He sat breathless.
B. The speed of his breathing increased to a great frequency.
C. He went towards the door.
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Answer:
A. He sat breathless.
4. What are the words ‘a stone image in the flesh’ used for?
A. The snake looking into the mirror.
B. The writer with a snake coiled around his left arm.
C. The stone image the writer was sitting in the front.
D. None of these three
Answer:
B. The writer with a snake coiled around his left arm.
Question 3.
At my slightest movement the snake would strike me ! Death lurked four inches away. Suppose it struck, what was the medicine I had to take ? There were no medicines in the room. I was but a poor, foolish and stupid doctor. I forgot my danger and smiled feebly at myself.
It seemed as if God appreciated that. The snake turned its head. It looked into the mirror and saw its reflection, I do not claim that it was the first snake that had ever looked into a mirror. But it was certain that the snake was looking into the mirror. Was it admiring its own beauty ? Was it trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead ?
Questions:
1. The writer would not move even slightest because ………………
A. he had lost courage.
B. in that case, the snake would strike him.
C. it would disturb the snake.
D. in that case, the snake would run away.
Answer:
B. in that case, the snake would strike him.
2. The writer did not have any medicine in his room because ……………..
A. they were all at his clinic.
B. they had run out.
C. he was a poor doctor.
D. All of these three
Answer:
B. they had run out.
3. What was the snake doing looking itself into the mirror, according to the writer ?
A. Admiring its own beauty.
B. thinking about growing a moustache.
C. deciding about using eye shadow and mascara.
D. All of these three
Answer:
D. All of these three
4. What colour is ‘vermilion’?
A. Vivid red
B. Reddish orange
C.Yellow
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Answer:
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Answer the following questions in three to four sentences each:
Question 1.
What was the doctor thinking while he was seated before the mirror ?
Answer:
The doctor thought of various medicines he had and if any medicine was good enough to save him if the snake did bite him. He also realized that God had punished him for being so proud and arrogant.
Question 2.
Why did the doctor run from his house ?
OR
Why did the doctor run away to his friend’s house ?
Answer:
From writer’s arm the snake slithered into his lap, crept onto the table and then moved towards the mirror. The writer revived, got up from the chair quietly went out through the door into the veranda and leapt into the yard and ran to his friend’s house to save his life.
Question 3.
How did the doctor show the presence of mind when he encountered the snake ?
Answer:
The doctor showed great presence of mind on seeing the snake. He neither jumped nor cried out. He sat on the chair holding his breath. His body was still but his mind remained very active.
Question 4.
How did the snake change the writer’s opinion about himself?
Answer:
The writer was proud of being a doctor. Coming face-to-face with the snake made him humble. He thought he was only a poor and stupid doctor who should not be proud of his profession.
Question 5.
While looking into the mirror, what important and earth-shaking decisions did the doctor make ?
OR
What were the two important decisions taken by the doctor while looking into the mirror ?
Answer:
The two important decisions made by the doctor was that he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache, to look more handsome.
The earth-shaking decision made by the doctor was that he would always keep an attractive smile on his face.
Question 6.
What did the doctor do on seeing the snake ?
Answer:
The doctor saw the snake’s reflection in the mirror. He, then, went to have a closer look. He got up from the chair and ran away from the house.
Question 7.
What type of woman did the doctor in the story “The Snake and the Mirror”, want to get married to and why ?
Answer:
The doctor wanted to get married to a woman who had plenty of money and good medical practice and, who was fat. The reason he gave was that if he, the doctor husband ever made any mistake, and tried to run away, she would not be able to catch him and stop him from escaping.
Question 8.
Why did the author of “The Snake and the Mirror” fantasize a fat woman as his wife ?
Answer:
The author of “The Snake and the Mirror’ fantasizes a fat woman as his wife since she would never be able to catch the doctor for his mistakes. She would not be able to run after him and he would be saved of all kinds of punishments. Thus, the author fantasizes a fat woman as his wife.
Question 9.
Why did the snake leave the doctor’s arm ?
Answer:
The snake left the doctor’s arm because it saw its reflection in the mirror and was fascinated by it and so wanted to enjoy its own reflection by having a closer look.
Question 10.
What made the doctor utter “Death lurked four inches away” ?
Answer:
The doctor was under the grip of the snake, and its head was hardly three or four inches from his face. He knew very well that the snake would bite him at the slightest movement. This is what made him utter these words.
Answer the following questions in five to six sentences each:
Question 1.
“Birds of the same feathers flock together” goes the saying. Does the encounter between the snake and the doctor in the story ‘The Snake and the Mirror’ support the saying ? Why or why not ?
Answer:
Yes, the story supports the saying which means that the people of similar habits and tastes find each other. The doctor enjoyed self¬appreciation and could not resist the temptation of looking at his reflection in the mirror. He also takes a number of decisions, so as to improve his looks. The snake that coiled itself on the doctor’s arm, kept staring at its reflection in the mirror for a long time, enjoying its beauty and appreciating its form. The snake was so much engrossed in its beauty that it forgot as to why it had come to the author’s house.
Question 2.
Without mirror, the story will lose its charm and reality. Justify.
Answer:
The story would lose its charm and reality without the mirror because it fascinates both the characters i.e., doctor and the snake. The doctor makes two important decisions – shaving daily and growing thin moustache to making himself more handsome and keeping a smile on the face all the time while looking at himself in the mirror. The snake also feels attracted to look at himself in the mirror and leaves the doctor’s arm. It sits on the table in front of the mirror and the doctor finds an opportunity to move away to save himself. Thus, the story does revolve around the mirror and therefore it is important.
Question 3.
What are the similarities between the doctor and the snake ?
Answer:
The doctor and the snake had striking similarities. Both were victims of self-adoration. This is clearly visible in two decisions of the doctor-to shave daily and grow thin moustache and also to wear an attractive smile on his face to look handsome. While the snake enjoyed looking at his reflection at closer quarters. It did move from the doctor’s arm and later crept onto the table and moved towards the mirror.
Question 4.
Justify the title of the story ‘The Snake and the Mirror’.
Answer:
The story revolves round the narrator, the snake, and the mirror. The narrator hears some familiar sounds – a dull thud and a snake lands on his shoulder. The doctor is terrified and sits there like a stone. He suddenly feels the presence of the creator of the world and death lurking 4-inches away. He forgets danger and smiles feebly. The snake looks into the mirror, moves towards the mirror and wants to enjoy a close reflection in the mirror. Thus the title is justified as the story revolves around the snake and the mirror.
Question 5.
Describe in detail the doctor’s feelings when he saw the snake coiled around his arm.
Answer:
The doctor was so engrossed in his day dreaming that he did not realize that a fat snake had wriggled over the back of the chair and landed on his shoulder and coiled around his left arm with its hood spread out. The doctor sat there without moving an inch, he was afraid lest the snake might strike.
He thought of various medicines he had and if any one of them was good enough to save him if the snake struck him. He realized the presence of God and felt that it was a punishment for being proud and arrogant.
Vocabulary And Grammar
Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks choosing the correct words given in the brackets:
(1) (handsome, look, tempted, admirer)
One feels …………a…………. to look into a mirror when it is near one. I took a …………b………….. In those days I was a great ……………c…………… of beauty and I believed in making myself look ……………..d…………. .
Answer:
a. tempted
b. look
c. admirer
d. handsome
(2) (suppose, presence, something, universe)
I felt then the great ………….a…………. of the creator of this world and His …………..b………….. God was there, …………..c………….. I said …………..d………… and he did not like it.
Answer:
a. presence
b. universe
c. Suppose
d. something
Grammar
Rectify the errors in the passage:
(1)
Answer:
The house was not electrical; it was a small rented room. I have just set up my medical practise and my earnings were meagre. I had about sixty rupees in my sutcase. Along with some shirts and dhotis, I also possess one solitary black coat whom I was then wearing.
| Errors | Corrections |
| (a) electrical | electrified |
| (b) have | had |
| (c) practise | practice |
| (d) sutcase | suitcase |
| (e) possess | possessed |
| (f) whom | which |
(2)
Answer:
I got up, passed up and down the room. Then another lovely thought strike me. I would marry.
I would get married to a woman doctor which had plenty of money and a good medicine practice. She has to be fat; for a valid reason.
Unless I made some silly mistake and needed to run away, she would not catch me.
| Errors | Corrections |
| (a) passed | paced |
| (b) strike | struck |
| (c) which | who |
| (d) medicine | medical |
| (e) has | had |
| (f) Unless | If |
(3)
Answer:
At my slight movement the snake would strike me ! Death lurks four inches away. Suppose it struck, which was the medicine I had to take ? There were some medicines in the room. I was such a poor, foolish and stupid doctor. I forgot my danger and smiled feeble at myself.
| Errors | Corrections |
| (a) slight | slightest |
| (b) lurks | lurked |
| (c) which | what |
| (d) some | no |
| (e) such | but |
| (f) feeble | feebly |
Fill in the blanks using article(s), conjunctions(s) and preposition(s) at the correct places:
(1) I took …………a……………. close look …………b…………. my face in ………….c…………. mirror. I made …………..d………….. important decision-I would shave daily ……………e……………… grow …………….f…………… thin moustache to look more handsome.
Answer:
a. a
b. at
c. the
d. an
e. and
f. a
(2) I went back ……………..a…………. the room ……………b………….. sat …………..c…………. on the chair. I opened ……………d……………. box ……………e…………. the table and took ……………f………… a book.
Answer:
a. into
b. and
c. down
d. the
e. beneath
f. out
Punctuate the following passage:
Phew each of us heaved a sigh of relief somebody asked doctor is your wife very fat no the doctor said god willed otherwise.
Answer:
“Phew!” Each of us heaved a sigh of relief. Somebody asked, “Doctor, is your wife very fat?”
“No,” the doctor said, “God willed otherwise.”
Convert the following into Indirect Speech:
“My life companion is a thin reedy person with the gift of a sprinter.”
Someone else asked, “Doctor, when you ran, did the snake follow you ?”
The doctor replied, I ran and ran till I reached a friend’s house. Immediately I smeared oil all over myself and took a bath.”
Answer:
The doctor said that his life companion was a thin reedy person with the gift of a sprinter. Then someone else asked the doctor if the snake had followed him when he had run. The doctor replied that he ran and ran till he had reached a friend’s house and added that immediately he had smeared oil all over himself and had taken a bath.
Rewrite as directed:
(1) All of us fell silent. (Turn into Negative.)
(2) I had my meal at the restaurant and returned to my room.(Turn into Simple.)
(3) I made my bed and pulled it close to the wall. (Change the Voice.)
(4) I adjusted the parting so that it looked straight and neat. (Use ‘with a view to’.)
( 5 ) With such thoughts in my mind, I resumed my seat in the chair. (Make it Compound.)
(6) No sooner did I turn than a fat snake wriggled over the back of the chair. (Use ‘Hardly…when’.)
(7) I did not know anything for certain. (Turn into Affirmative.)
Answer:
(1) All of us did not utter anything / make any noise.
(2) Having my meal at the restaurant, I returned to my room.
(3) My bed was made by me and it was pulled close to the wall.
(4) I adjusted the parting with a view to making it look straight and neat.
(5) I had such thoughts in my mind and I resumed my seat in the chair.
(6) Hardly had I turned when a fat snake wriggled over the back of the chair.
(7) I was quite unaware of everything for – certain.
The Snake and the Mirror Summary in English
The Snake and the Mirror Introduction:
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (19 January, 1908-5 July, 1994) was a Malayalam fiction writer from the state of Kerala in India. His notable works include Balyakalasakhi, Shabdangal, Pathu mmayude. Aadu, Mathilukal, Ntuppuppakkoranen darnnu, Janmadinam and Anargha Nimisham. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1982. He is fondly remembered as the Beypore Sultan.
The Snake and the Mirror Summary:
It is a story about a doctor, who had only recently commenced his practice. He lived in a small rented room which was an outhouse. It had two windows and a tiled roof. The tiles were supported by gables which rested on the beam and there was no electricity. The room was infested with rats. One hot summer night, he had his meals at the restaurant and returned home. He lighted the kerosene lamp, took off his coat and shirt and opened the two windows.
He settled on the chair and took out a medical book to read. There was a large mirror on the table on which stood a lamp. Since it was too hot to sleep, and he had nothing better to do, he sat down in front of the mirror, admiring himself, admiring his looks and smile and planning what he should do to look more presentable. Gradually, his thoughts shifted from self-admiration to planning his future marriage. He thought that he would marry a rich doctor having a good practice and that he would choose a fat lady as his wife so that she would not be able to run and catch him.
He was so engrossed in his day dreaming that he did not give much importance to the sudden silence. The rats had stopped scampering and there was a sound of something falling behind him. But he was slow to react. By the time he turned round to have a look, a snake had wriggled over the back of the chair and landed on his shoulders and coiled round his left arm above the elbow. It was a dangerous cobra and its hood spread out, hardly three or four inches from his face. The doctor sat there like a stone statue, afraid to move, lest the snake may strike.
He thought of various medicines he had and if any was good enough to save him if the snake did bite him. In this moment of fear of death, he realized the presence of God. God had punished him for being too proud and arrogant. He realized that he was but a mere human, a poor man, nothing to boast about. The moment he accepted his true worth, the Gods appeared pleased and the snake of its own freewill left him and sat on the table in front of him.
The doctor got up silently and rushed out of the door. Next morning when he came back, all his belongings had been pilfered but for his dirty vest which was too dirty even for the thief. The story clearly highlights the fact that one should not be proud of oneself because whatever he has is a gift of God. Without his benign support, you are nothing. The moment he realized this, the Gods recalled the snake, who left without hurting him.