Summary
The next section continues with Putta following Praneshacharya around. Praneshacharya tries to shake him off, but finds him to be remarkably persistent in matching the pace of his walking. Putta talks incessantly, asking Praneshacharya a number of questions, including several riddles. Praneshacharya essentially ignores his questions as they walk along, and continues to think about Chandri. He decides that rather than be pulled around, he will make a conscious choice to be with Chandri. He answers Putta's riddle, much to Putta's satisfaction.
Meanwhile, in the village, the Brahmins attempt to get everything in order as they await Praneshacharya's return. Putta and Praneshacharya reach the town of Melige. Praneshacharya worries again that someone might recognize him. They walk into a shop together and notice various villagers. Putta encourages him to drink a cup of coffee. Initially, Praneshacharya declines, but eventually he agrees to drink one.
Putta then tells him to come watch a cockfight. They go over to a crowd of people who are part of a lower caste. Two roosters with razorblades attached to their bodies fight to the death as people cheer and gamble on the sidelines. Praneshacharya is disturbed by this display of human depravity. Putta appears unbothered by all of this and is primarily happy to have won a little money on the fight. Praneshacharya feels a moment of affection for Putta, imagining that he might have raised him as a son.
He tells Putta that he will be on his way, but Putta remains determined to stay at his side. Praneshacharya tries to come up with an excuse, saying he is going to go see a goldsmith, but Putta persists, questioning him about the goldsmith. Finally Putta claims that he understands Praneshacharya and that he is someone who should not be traveling alone. He says he will put him on a bus, but first has to see a friend. Praneshacharya thinks to himself that Putta is virtually unshakable.
Putta tells him there is a grove nearby where a beautiful woman named Padmavati lives. He tells him he would be welcome to stay the night there. They go to her home together. She meets Praneshacharya and encourages him to stay. Praneshacharya suddenly feels panicked, as he senses there is something wrong. Praneshacharya says he does not intend to stay the night and that he really must leave. He senses that both of them are watching him very closely.
He leaves with Putta, saying he will go to the temple for a meal. He walks to the temple, reflecting on his various misfortunes. He invites Putta to dine with him, but Putta says this is impossible, as he is not a Brahmin himself. He does not go with Praneshacharya. Praneshacharya enters the temple alone and feels immediately uncomfortable. Someone motions him over to a free spot and he feels dizzy. He continues to think about his guilt throughout the meal.
Finally, he resolves to take on the duty of Naranappa's last rites. He leaves the dinner and goes outside. Putta asks why he left so soon. He says he must return to his hometown. Putta says Padmavati will be disappointed. Praneshacharya lies and says his brother is dying and he must leave at once. Still, Putta persists. The two of them eventually find a cart, which has only a single free spot. Praneshacharya takes it, at Putta's urging, and heads back to the village. Praneshacharya looks up at the sky and anxiously awaits the future.
Analysis
Faith is a key theme in the book's conclusion. Praneshacharya continually wrestles with the question of how his actions shape who he is. He believes that in his worst moments, he is simply being pulled about by his impulses, like a string in the wind. He tries to come to a better understanding of why he slept with Chandri and what he should do next. In the end, he resolves to be with Chandri, admits to sleeping with her, and performs Naranappa's funeral rites. Unlike the Brahmins around him, Praneshacharya appears determined not to be pulled into decisions unconsciously, but to go into them with complete awareness. He is disturbed by the idea that he was drawn to Chandri by unthinking lust. By resolving to be with her, he can admit his deeper feelings for her and also own up to what he has done. The Praneshacharya the reader sees at the book's end is one who has made some measure of peace with his choices and feels relief at his newfound sense of the world.
Desire is another important theme in this section of the novel. Putta brings Praneshacharya to Padmavati's house and tries to compel him to stay the night. It is strongly implied that he expects Praneshacharya to become involved with her, as he makes repeated reference to her beauty and insists that he sleep there. Praneshacharya grows increasingly anxious at this suggestion, as he finds himself attracted to Padmatavi and also carefully watched by both Putta and Padmatavi. He resolves to leave, and is emphatic about having to do so, to avoid any resulting problems or conflicts. Padmavati represents a potential danger to Praneshacharya's well-being, as he does not want to be drawn in by base desires again. Unlike Chandri, Padmavati is someone with whom he has no prior emotional relationship. His attraction is solely the result of physical attraction. In this way, his feelings for her act as a foil for his feelings for Chandri, as it demonstrates what a truly unconscious relationship might look like.
Greed is also a theme in these closing pages. Putta takes Praneshacharya to a cock fight where two roosters slash each other to death with razors. All around the fighting ring, people cheer and bet money on the outcome of the match. Putta wins some money and is excited about it. Praneshacharya is greatly disturbed by the sight. To an almost comic extent, the fight goes against all of Praneshacharya's values, as it encourages greed and violence. People are happy to engage in animal cruelty as long as there is some potential for financial dividends. In this way, the fight is another instance of the lengths to which the characters will go for material gain.
Devotion is another central theme in the novel's final pages. Praneshacharya ultimately resolves to return to the village and perform Naranappa's funeral rites. He knows that this is the right thing to do both in accordance with tradition but also for his morals. Similarly, he plans to confess to sleeping with Chandri and then move in with her. He commits himself to doing his best to live a life of awareness and focus. In this way, he devotes himself again to being a spiritual leader, as he feels firm in his decisions. His choice to go back to the village and face whatever fallout awaits him shows the extent of his dedication to this role. He has found his sense of purpose once more, and in doing so has found a more honest way to serve his community and religion.
The book's ending is bittersweet. Praneshacharya seems to solve his spiritual issues and finds the resolve to face his problems head-on. At the same time, Ananthamurthy's portrait of the society around him is an extremely dark one. The Brahmins in the novel abuse their class status and mistreat each other and people in lower castes. Greed abounds and communal values appear to be in tatters. What Praneshacharya does not know is that the village that awaits him is in a state of terrible disrepair, wracked by a string of sudden deaths and social unease. His decisions have been made, but his ability to help the people around him appears greatly limited, as there does not appear to be any shared sense of common good.
