A River Sutra

Tariq Mia asks the narrator if he thinks the Narmada has the power to help the musician’s daughter, and the narrator says he does not. The narrator complains that he feels caught in the webs of other people’s lives, and Tariq Mia tells him that he came to the Narmada to embrace the world through other people’s stories—not to escape the world. Tariq Mia teases the narrator by singing a song about the Narmada, and the narrator is irritated until he listens to the words of the song. Tariq Mia explains that he learned the song from an ascetic of Shiva called the Naga Baba of the Naga sadhus (or ascetics); Tariq Mia met him in the jungle by a waterfall. The ascetic was teaching this song to a young girl, who ran away when they spotted Tariq Mia, and Tariq Mia stayed to hear the ascetic’s wisdom. The ascetic sang the song to the Narmada, explaining the Sanskrit words to Tariq Mia. Then the young girl returned, still frightened by Tariq Mia’s presence. The narrator asks why the girl was afraid, and Tariq Mia asks if the narrator truly wants to know. Then, he begins narrating the ascetic’s story.