Summary of Broken Ties
Chapter 1: Uncle
The story begins when the narrator of the story, identified as Srivilas in Chapter IV, comes across a student named Satish, who is infamous for his beliefs in atheism. Other students hold hatred towards him because of how his atheist beliefs conflict with Hinduism, mainly the caste system upheld by society. The “fanatical zeal” of Satish’s instructor, which causes him to favoritize Satish, and Satish’s sense of superiority causes other students to become more bitter to Satish.
The next subchapter sheds light on more information from Satish’s family; Jagamohan, Satish’s uncle, is introduced as a notorious atheist with stern, logical mindset. Jagamohan’s attitude towards Hinduism is shown through a simple description of a common argument Jagamohan uses against Hinduism. Jagahoman’s younger brother, Harimohan, is also introduced with a complete opposite attitude than his brother. Due to his poor healths since infancy, Harimohan was given less physically demanding work and more attention from his relatives. When Harimohan had married and produced children, Jagamohan took care of Satish while Harimohan looked over Purandar, Satish’s older brother. Jagamohan raised Satish in a manner unlike Harimohan’s upbringing, where Purandar was spoiled and given anything he wanted, but instead Jagamohan treated Satish like his companion, eliminating any sort of superficial sense of authority. One main point that Jagamohan teaches Satish is the constant doing of good in relation to others. Jagamohan and Satish are then shown in short examples of their acts of kindness, with the leatherworkers of the Muhammadans and the Mussulmans cooks. This situation greatly upsets Satish’s family because of the caste-crossing against Hinduism. Jagamohan ends the situation from Harimohan and Purandar by explaining how tangible Jagahoman’s “gods”, or fellow workers, are to him, unlike the immobile idols that Harimohan and Purandar worship.
Because the feast that Jagamohan had prepared with the cooks were a success, Harimohan “declared war” on his brother by removing him from the religious endowment given upon the property of the household through legal court. What came about was a physical partition of the house they reside in; a physical wall was brought up to divide the house. Once this occurred, Harimohan expected Satish to come back to the family, but instead he returned to Jagahoman. Once Harimohan had gone around town to denounce Jagamohan, however, Satish had no choice but to leave from being Jagamohan’s rumored hostage to the family as live off by himself. As both Jagamohan and Satish went about their secular lives getting scholarly jobs, Harimohan with Purandar following had done all they can to persuade parents to keep their children away from the teachings of Jagamohan.
After a long time of separation, Satish joyfully meets up with Jagamohan back at the household, but brings along with him a childbearing woman named Nonibala. Satish informs Jagamohan of her situation, how she had lived tortured by her cousin in her cousin’s house after her mom had died and when Nonibala was suspected of infidelity. Jagamohan had agreed to keep her with him and gratefully cared for her and her unborn child. Once the rest of the family heard about what Jagamohan is doing, they became enraged because having Nonibala would disgrace the household’s ancestors. They have worked against Jagamohan, like Harimohan again spreading word across the neighorhood, and Purandar attacking Nonibala herself. Purandar eventually sought out for Noni and even seduced her, with the approval of Harimohan when he found out. It came to a point where Purandar sought out for Noni’s cousin in order to take Noni away. Satish wanted to stop him by offering to marry Noni.
Harimohan complained to Jagamohan because the marriage of Satish and Noni would ruin the family name. He even tried to persuade his son himself out of the marriage, but Satish was determined to marry Noni. This plea from Harimohan was out of fear that Purandar would kill himself if the marriage followed through. In order for the marriage to work out, Satish had agreed to get to know Noni at least.
Noni, still being a theist, had wanted to keep some traditions in the marriage. She ended up committing suicide out of what Purandar had done to Noni’s conscience.
Chapter 2: Satish
At the beginning of chapter 2, Satish learns of his Uncle’s death. There is a plague spreading through Calcutta which caused a lot of the citizens to become ill. Satish’s uncle, Jagamohan, had been treating and helping the infected. He soon became ill as well, and passed away. Satish cared loved his uncle greatly, and after his passing, Satish fled home. For two years he traveled from place to place without any contact with the rest of his family. After two years of no contact, Srivilas heard the news of Satish being in a small village.
He learned that Satish was singing and dancing kirtans as a follower of Lilananda Swami. This came as a shock to Srivilas, he had known Satish to be an atheist, and now he was singing and dancing and following a religious leader. Srivilas begun the search for Satish, crossing rivers and valleys until he finally came upon Satish’s party. Satish had always been very reserved, but when he saw Srivilas he dashed to him with excitement, Srivilas described Satish as being “intoxicated.” Satish invites Srivilas to meet the Swami. Srivilas noticed that the Swami was treating Satish slave like, having him fetch things and rub his feet, this filled Srivilas with disgust. Srivilas later questions Satish on why he became a follower of the Swami. Satish explains that when his uncle was alive it gave him the freedom on shore, but now he is free on the ocean. Satish is transitioning from a child to a man. Srivilas needed to make a decision, leave Satish or join the dancing kirtans. Unable to make up his mind, he danced, sang, and followed the Swami. As time went on, Srivilas came to be “intoxicated” by this new lifestyle.
The dancing kirtans soon came to Calcutta. Through the death of one of the Swami’s close friends, Satish and Srivilas were granted residence in a nice house provided by the Swami. The two spent their time discussing emotions and the philosophy of spiritual emotion. The two then met one of the Swami’s servants, Damini. Before she was taken in by the Swami, she was married to a man named Annada. Annada fell for the Swami and gave everything to him, this included Damini herself. Damini was rebellious, from the way she dressed to how she treated the Swami. She did everything in her power to rebel against him.
The chapter ends with the Swami, Damini, Srivilas, and Satish pilgriming to an out-of-the-way-place away from the crowd of people and distractions. After many hours they arrived at a temple located by the coast. The group ends up spending the night there.
Chapter 3: Damini
Satish and Srivilas return to a house in the village that belonged to one of the Swami’s servants. From the little that they saw from Damini, they see that she seemed to be troubled in herself, which shows through her physical appearance and actions. Despite the many attempts to console her, she refuses to admit problems that they think trouble her. Damini’s defiance and wandering attention are apparent through things like Damini’s intentional defiance of the Swami, her preoccupation with many small objects found around town, etc.
Srivilas then goes off to give his idea of how women act based off what he knows. He states that women will give her trust to someone who either will not appreciate it or who is too unachieveable. Women would reject ordinary men because such men would not know how to take care of a women adequately. Women may find friends within the latter of the men but cannot love them. When women do find refuge in men, men only gain the respect or trust of the women in return for the self-dedication men give. This relates directly to the Master, because she cannot stand him, and Satish, because she carries affection for him. Srivilas is on neutral standing with Damini, which allows her to be more casual and friendly to Srivilas. What confuses Srivilas is how Satish could be enticed by the trivial talks Damini has in his periphery. Srivilas believes that his own absent-mindedness in other things had allowed him to be caught up with Damini’s trifling affairs, which caught the attention of Satish. Srivilas sees the interest Damini has in Satish and plays alongs as the middleman of the overall drama being played by the main characters, Damini and Satish.
Satish comes to the point where he wants to get rid of Damini. He tries to persuade Srivilas in doing so by explaining that Damini is only part of a trap of the god Mahamaya, the god of illusionary experience. Srivilas argues against it saying that Damini has her place in the world and must work along with her, not against her. With the Master’s indecisiveness on the matter, despite the many troubles that Damini had given him, Satish finally decided to confront Damini about her leaving. Damini became upset at the brash decision that Satish had come up with and tells him how she did not come in order to please the devotees or the Master. The situation left both Satish and Damini in a somber state of mind.
With the stableness of the group further thrown off balance, the Swami desperately tries to get Damini to leave the place in order to not cause trouble. She responds by telling him that her burden can only be on the Swami. She then had ordered Srivilas to order some Bengali books for her, which were presented to the Swami when they arrived. Then Srivilas and Satish had joined together to read the books, with Satish eagerly wanting to join in, but he could not. Satish eventually learned to forgive Damini for what he had said to her about leaving, and Damini had given respect to Satish thereafter.
Despite the newfound respect and tolerance of the doings in the temple, Damini could still not fully tolerate the Master. Damini even tried to keep Satish away from the Master as much as she could, but came to realize what she had been doing and stopped. Satish thus saw what she had been doing, and became interested in what Damini has done, but not Damini herself. Srivilas was no longer bother by Damini and the menial tasks she used to give him, which left him with nothing left to be interested in, not even the ceremonies that the Swami directs.
Satish and Srivilas are interrupted by Damini, who tells them that their neighbor’s wife had taken a poison due to the complications of a wedding arrangement by the husband. At evening, Satish confronts Damini as to what purpose she has on the earth, since she has not done anything remarkable in Satish’s eye. She finally tells Satish that the Swami had not done anything for her to help her, and requests that Satish be her guru , for he would be the only one that she respects.
The chapter ends with the evaluation of Satish’s life choices, and recounts how he went from being an atheist to a theist to just doing good deeds. And Srivilas marries Damini, and no one knows why. But who cares?
Chapter 4: Srivilas
Srivilas ruminates about how a certain area looked in the past and Damini during that time. He says how he knows that Damini was not some normal women but saw Damini for who she was. The death of Damini left him as a different person he was before.
Once they left Lilananda Swami, they were left to find a house of their own. Srivilas remembers that he was given the deed to the house under several conditions. With Srivilas and Damini deciding to go back to Calcutta, Satish decided to stay behind and no go to Calcutta with them until he finds guidance. Damini did not approve of having Satish wander off again in fear that he might become lost further in life. They instead decided to stay by the house by the river.
Srivilas is confused as to where Satish is going on his emotional satisfaction journey. What Srivilas sees is that Satish want to go about this by himself and no find a guru to help him. Satish seems to be lost in the teachings of Jagamohan, Swami, and himself. Damini expended herself to bring out Satish from his irregular routines in regards to his physical health. This situation troubles Damini and Srivilas because of their conflicting stances on Satish’s quest.
Satish had come back to the two in more normal circumstances than before, showing more attention to Damini than previously. He even came to a conclusion in regards to his spiritual quest: that he should go in a different direction than God sees to how him. After his revelation to his fellowmen, he went back to his old ways.
At night a great storm came upon them, blowing out all the lights on the veranda. That night no one could sleep. The next day Damini proclaims that she has sinned and asks for forgiveness from Satish. Through this, Satish also proclaims that he has sinned, and he can only forgive her once he has purged his sin. On their way to Calcutta, Damini planned to stay at her aunts. Somehow rumors were spread throughout the town, and her aunt would hwave none of that and kicked her out. Damini desperate for a place to stay, was tempted to go back to the Swami, but Srivilas persuaded her not to. He persuaded her by asking for her hand in marriage. At this time she shrugged it off, but as timed passed it became more tempting, and she eventually agreed.
As the two planned the date for the wedding, Damini had a single condition. She demanded that Satish be there to giver her away. The two planned to have a small wedding, but Satish objected. Eventually they were together, Srivilas working and Damini at home cooking and cleaning.
One springtime Damini had developed pain in her chest, which she told only Srivilas about. Srivilas did everything he could for her. He hired doctors to treat her, but after a while he ran out of money. Without any help Damini soon passed away, thus ending Broken Ties.
The story begins when the narrator of the story, identified as Srivilas in Chapter IV, comes across a student named Satish, who is infamous for his beliefs in atheism. Other students hold hatred towards him because of how his atheist beliefs conflict with Hinduism, mainly the caste system upheld by society. The “fanatical zeal” of Satish’s instructor, which causes him to favoritize Satish, and Satish’s sense of superiority causes other students to become more bitter to Satish.
The next subchapter sheds light on more information from Satish’s family; Jagamohan, Satish’s uncle, is introduced as a notorious atheist with stern, logical mindset. Jagamohan’s attitude towards Hinduism is shown through a simple description of a common argument Jagamohan uses against Hinduism. Jagahoman’s younger brother, Harimohan, is also introduced with a complete opposite attitude than his brother. Due to his poor healths since infancy, Harimohan was given less physically demanding work and more attention from his relatives. When Harimohan had married and produced children, Jagamohan took care of Satish while Harimohan looked over Purandar, Satish’s older brother. Jagamohan raised Satish in a manner unlike Harimohan’s upbringing, where Purandar was spoiled and given anything he wanted, but instead Jagamohan treated Satish like his companion, eliminating any sort of superficial sense of authority. One main point that Jagamohan teaches Satish is the constant doing of good in relation to others. Jagamohan and Satish are then shown in short examples of their acts of kindness, with the leatherworkers of the Muhammadans and the Mussulmans cooks. This situation greatly upsets Satish’s family because of the caste-crossing against Hinduism. Jagamohan ends the situation from Harimohan and Purandar by explaining how tangible Jagahoman’s “gods”, or fellow workers, are to him, unlike the immobile idols that Harimohan and Purandar worship.
Because the feast that Jagamohan had prepared with the cooks were a success, Harimohan “declared war” on his brother by removing him from the religious endowment given upon the property of the household through legal court. What came about was a physical partition of the house they reside in; a physical wall was brought up to divide the house. Once this occurred, Harimohan expected Satish to come back to the family, but instead he returned to Jagahoman. Once Harimohan had gone around town to denounce Jagamohan, however, Satish had no choice but to leave from being Jagamohan’s rumored hostage to the family as live off by himself. As both Jagamohan and Satish went about their secular lives getting scholarly jobs, Harimohan with Purandar following had done all they can to persuade parents to keep their children away from the teachings of Jagamohan.
After a long time of separation, Satish joyfully meets up with Jagamohan back at the household, but brings along with him a childbearing woman named Nonibala. Satish informs Jagamohan of her situation, how she had lived tortured by her cousin in her cousin’s house after her mom had died and when Nonibala was suspected of infidelity. Jagamohan had agreed to keep her with him and gratefully cared for her and her unborn child. Once the rest of the family heard about what Jagamohan is doing, they became enraged because having Nonibala would disgrace the household’s ancestors. They have worked against Jagamohan, like Harimohan again spreading word across the neighorhood, and Purandar attacking Nonibala herself. Purandar eventually sought out for Noni and even seduced her, with the approval of Harimohan when he found out. It came to a point where Purandar sought out for Noni’s cousin in order to take Noni away. Satish wanted to stop him by offering to marry Noni.
Harimohan complained to Jagamohan because the marriage of Satish and Noni would ruin the family name. He even tried to persuade his son himself out of the marriage, but Satish was determined to marry Noni. This plea from Harimohan was out of fear that Purandar would kill himself if the marriage followed through. In order for the marriage to work out, Satish had agreed to get to know Noni at least.
Noni, still being a theist, had wanted to keep some traditions in the marriage. She ended up committing suicide out of what Purandar had done to Noni’s conscience.
Chapter 2: Satish
At the beginning of chapter 2, Satish learns of his Uncle’s death. There is a plague spreading through Calcutta which caused a lot of the citizens to become ill. Satish’s uncle, Jagamohan, had been treating and helping the infected. He soon became ill as well, and passed away. Satish cared loved his uncle greatly, and after his passing, Satish fled home. For two years he traveled from place to place without any contact with the rest of his family. After two years of no contact, Srivilas heard the news of Satish being in a small village.
He learned that Satish was singing and dancing kirtans as a follower of Lilananda Swami. This came as a shock to Srivilas, he had known Satish to be an atheist, and now he was singing and dancing and following a religious leader. Srivilas begun the search for Satish, crossing rivers and valleys until he finally came upon Satish’s party. Satish had always been very reserved, but when he saw Srivilas he dashed to him with excitement, Srivilas described Satish as being “intoxicated.” Satish invites Srivilas to meet the Swami. Srivilas noticed that the Swami was treating Satish slave like, having him fetch things and rub his feet, this filled Srivilas with disgust. Srivilas later questions Satish on why he became a follower of the Swami. Satish explains that when his uncle was alive it gave him the freedom on shore, but now he is free on the ocean. Satish is transitioning from a child to a man. Srivilas needed to make a decision, leave Satish or join the dancing kirtans. Unable to make up his mind, he danced, sang, and followed the Swami. As time went on, Srivilas came to be “intoxicated” by this new lifestyle.
The dancing kirtans soon came to Calcutta. Through the death of one of the Swami’s close friends, Satish and Srivilas were granted residence in a nice house provided by the Swami. The two spent their time discussing emotions and the philosophy of spiritual emotion. The two then met one of the Swami’s servants, Damini. Before she was taken in by the Swami, she was married to a man named Annada. Annada fell for the Swami and gave everything to him, this included Damini herself. Damini was rebellious, from the way she dressed to how she treated the Swami. She did everything in her power to rebel against him.
The chapter ends with the Swami, Damini, Srivilas, and Satish pilgriming to an out-of-the-way-place away from the crowd of people and distractions. After many hours they arrived at a temple located by the coast. The group ends up spending the night there.
Chapter 3: Damini
Satish and Srivilas return to a house in the village that belonged to one of the Swami’s servants. From the little that they saw from Damini, they see that she seemed to be troubled in herself, which shows through her physical appearance and actions. Despite the many attempts to console her, she refuses to admit problems that they think trouble her. Damini’s defiance and wandering attention are apparent through things like Damini’s intentional defiance of the Swami, her preoccupation with many small objects found around town, etc.
Srivilas then goes off to give his idea of how women act based off what he knows. He states that women will give her trust to someone who either will not appreciate it or who is too unachieveable. Women would reject ordinary men because such men would not know how to take care of a women adequately. Women may find friends within the latter of the men but cannot love them. When women do find refuge in men, men only gain the respect or trust of the women in return for the self-dedication men give. This relates directly to the Master, because she cannot stand him, and Satish, because she carries affection for him. Srivilas is on neutral standing with Damini, which allows her to be more casual and friendly to Srivilas. What confuses Srivilas is how Satish could be enticed by the trivial talks Damini has in his periphery. Srivilas believes that his own absent-mindedness in other things had allowed him to be caught up with Damini’s trifling affairs, which caught the attention of Satish. Srivilas sees the interest Damini has in Satish and plays alongs as the middleman of the overall drama being played by the main characters, Damini and Satish.
Satish comes to the point where he wants to get rid of Damini. He tries to persuade Srivilas in doing so by explaining that Damini is only part of a trap of the god Mahamaya, the god of illusionary experience. Srivilas argues against it saying that Damini has her place in the world and must work along with her, not against her. With the Master’s indecisiveness on the matter, despite the many troubles that Damini had given him, Satish finally decided to confront Damini about her leaving. Damini became upset at the brash decision that Satish had come up with and tells him how she did not come in order to please the devotees or the Master. The situation left both Satish and Damini in a somber state of mind.
With the stableness of the group further thrown off balance, the Swami desperately tries to get Damini to leave the place in order to not cause trouble. She responds by telling him that her burden can only be on the Swami. She then had ordered Srivilas to order some Bengali books for her, which were presented to the Swami when they arrived. Then Srivilas and Satish had joined together to read the books, with Satish eagerly wanting to join in, but he could not. Satish eventually learned to forgive Damini for what he had said to her about leaving, and Damini had given respect to Satish thereafter.
Despite the newfound respect and tolerance of the doings in the temple, Damini could still not fully tolerate the Master. Damini even tried to keep Satish away from the Master as much as she could, but came to realize what she had been doing and stopped. Satish thus saw what she had been doing, and became interested in what Damini has done, but not Damini herself. Srivilas was no longer bother by Damini and the menial tasks she used to give him, which left him with nothing left to be interested in, not even the ceremonies that the Swami directs.
Satish and Srivilas are interrupted by Damini, who tells them that their neighbor’s wife had taken a poison due to the complications of a wedding arrangement by the husband. At evening, Satish confronts Damini as to what purpose she has on the earth, since she has not done anything remarkable in Satish’s eye. She finally tells Satish that the Swami had not done anything for her to help her, and requests that Satish be her guru , for he would be the only one that she respects.
The chapter ends with the evaluation of Satish’s life choices, and recounts how he went from being an atheist to a theist to just doing good deeds. And Srivilas marries Damini, and no one knows why. But who cares?
Chapter 4: Srivilas
Srivilas ruminates about how a certain area looked in the past and Damini during that time. He says how he knows that Damini was not some normal women but saw Damini for who she was. The death of Damini left him as a different person he was before.
Once they left Lilananda Swami, they were left to find a house of their own. Srivilas remembers that he was given the deed to the house under several conditions. With Srivilas and Damini deciding to go back to Calcutta, Satish decided to stay behind and no go to Calcutta with them until he finds guidance. Damini did not approve of having Satish wander off again in fear that he might become lost further in life. They instead decided to stay by the house by the river.
Srivilas is confused as to where Satish is going on his emotional satisfaction journey. What Srivilas sees is that Satish want to go about this by himself and no find a guru to help him. Satish seems to be lost in the teachings of Jagamohan, Swami, and himself. Damini expended herself to bring out Satish from his irregular routines in regards to his physical health. This situation troubles Damini and Srivilas because of their conflicting stances on Satish’s quest.
Satish had come back to the two in more normal circumstances than before, showing more attention to Damini than previously. He even came to a conclusion in regards to his spiritual quest: that he should go in a different direction than God sees to how him. After his revelation to his fellowmen, he went back to his old ways.
At night a great storm came upon them, blowing out all the lights on the veranda. That night no one could sleep. The next day Damini proclaims that she has sinned and asks for forgiveness from Satish. Through this, Satish also proclaims that he has sinned, and he can only forgive her once he has purged his sin. On their way to Calcutta, Damini planned to stay at her aunts. Somehow rumors were spread throughout the town, and her aunt would hwave none of that and kicked her out. Damini desperate for a place to stay, was tempted to go back to the Swami, but Srivilas persuaded her not to. He persuaded her by asking for her hand in marriage. At this time she shrugged it off, but as timed passed it became more tempting, and she eventually agreed.
As the two planned the date for the wedding, Damini had a single condition. She demanded that Satish be there to giver her away. The two planned to have a small wedding, but Satish objected. Eventually they were together, Srivilas working and Damini at home cooking and cleaning.
One springtime Damini had developed pain in her chest, which she told only Srivilas about. Srivilas did everything he could for her. He hired doctors to treat her, but after a while he ran out of money. Without any help Damini soon passed away, thus ending Broken Ties.