The night of the storm is a dark night for Mara, the watchman of the lake, who realises that the lake which until then had been the life-giver is on the verge of turning into the life-destroyer. After we see that Mara is worried about the rising levels of the water, we see him at the palace seeking permission to speak to the king late at night. Mara, who is drenched in water and has mud splashed all over him, confides with the king that the Goddess had appeared in his dream again and had warned him about Veda overflowing the banks of the lake. She hadn’t relented even when Mara had reminded her that it was at her behest that the bank had been built. Mara adds that the Goddess seemed to be in a destructive mood. Mara tells the king that if the water overflowed, then the whole kingdom would be destroyed.
Even as the king gets ready to inform his subjects about the impending deluge and , Mara tells him that there is one way of saving the kingdom. He says that the Goddess had promised not to overflow the bank until Mara returned and the king could ensure that Mara didn’t return by ** him. Thus, we see that Mara sacrifices himself for the ** of the king and his subjects. His only request is to make his son the next watchman and his grandson and great-grandsons after his son to be subsequent watchmen of the lake.
