KARNATAKA TEXTBOOK SOCIETY
SUB. ENGLISH (SL)
CLASS – 5
PROSE – 5
Shabale (Sabala)
Summary of the lesson- :
The lesson revolves around a sage named Vasishta who lived in a forest with a miraculous cow named Shabale (also known as Nandini). This cow could provide anything Vasishta asked for, making their lives comfortable.
One day, a powerful king named Kaushika, along with his soldiers, visited the forest while hunting. Vasishta welcomed them and, with Shabale’s help, provided them with a delicious meal. Impressed by Shabale’s abilities, Kaushika wanted to take her to his palace and offered Vasishta ten thousand cows, but Vasishta refused. Even when Kaushika offered his entire kingdom, Vasishta declined, explaining that Shabale belonged to the Gods and should not be misused.
Frustrated, Kaushika tried to take Shabale by force, but she resisted. To protect her master, Shabale underwent a remarkable transformation, growing larger and emitting fire. She also produced fierce warriors from her body, who drove away Kaushika and his men without harming them.
Realizing his power was insufficient, Kaushika abandoned his kingdom and decided to become a sage. Through years of prayer and meditation, he transformed into Vishwamitra, meaning ‘the friend of the world’.
# Warm-up Activity
Task A: Sentence Rearranging
Rearrange the following words to form meaningful sentences:
1. are / beings. / Animals / living
Ans. – Animals are living beings.
2. us. / Animals / feel / also / like
Ans. – Animals also feel like us. 3. useful / us. / to / are / Animals
Ans. – Animals are useful to us.
Task B: Discuss with your partner
Think about why a cow is useful. Discuss with your partner.
Glossary:
1. Sage : A wise person, especially one with knowledge in spiritual matters.
2. Greet : To welcome or acknowledge someone’s arrival.
3. Entire : Complete, whole, or full.
4. Drag : To pull something with effort or force.
5. Amazing : Causing wonder or surprise.
6. Udder : The part of a cow where milk is stored.
7. Chased : To follow rapidly in order to catch or overtake.
8. Wisdom : Knowledge or understanding, especially in making decisions.
9. Devotion : Strong love or loyalty, particularly towards God or religious practices.
10. Meditation : The act of focusing the mind in prayer or reflection.
11. Gushed : To flow out quickly and in large amounts.
12. Greedy : Wanting more than what is needed, especially excessively.
Opposite Words:
1. Sage ✗ Fool
2. Greet – Ignore
3. Entire – Partial
4. Drag – Push
5. Amazing – Ordinary
6. Chased – Escaped
7. Wisdom – Ignorance
8. Devotion – Apathy
9. Gushed – Trickle
10. Greedy – Generous
Vocabulary
V1: Are these sentences right (✓) or wrong (✗)?
1. Vasishta lived in a forest. (✓)
2. Kaushika did not ask Vasishta to give Shabale to him. (✗)
3. Kaushika decided to take Shabale by force. (✓)
4. Finally, Shabale went with Kaushika. (✗)
V2 Tick the correct word.
1. Shabale was also known as ______________.
a) Nandini (✓)
b) Kamadhenu
c) Surabhi
2. Kaushika was a _____________.
a) sage
b) soldier
c) king (✓)
3. Who wanted to take Shabale to his palace?
a) Vasishta
b) Kaushika (✓)
c) Valmiki
4. Kaushika put a ____________ around Shabale’s neck and dragged her.
a) rope (✓)
b) thread
c) cover
Comprehension
C1: Answer these questions
1. Who was Vasishta?
Ans. – Vasishta was a sage who lived in the forest.
2. Where did he live?
Ans. – He lived in a forest.
3. What was special about Shabale?
Ans. – Shabale could provide anything that Vasishta asked for, like food, drink, or clothes.
4. What did Kaushika ask Vasishta?
Ans. – Kaushika asked Vasishta to give him Shabale in exchange for ten thousand cows or even his entire kingdom.
5. What did Kaushika realize?
Ans. – Kaushika realized that force could not win everything, and later he became a sage named Vishwamitra.
C2 Read the sentences and put them in the appropriate columns.
• She gave him food, drink, clothes etc.
• She underwent an amazing change.
• She was producing fierce warriors to protect her master.
• Her head and neck grew larger.
• Balls of fire came out from her tail.
• Many soldiers came out from her mouth, udder and her sides.
| Shabale with Vasishta | Shabale with the King Kaushika |
| 1.She gave him food, drink, clothes, etc. | 1.She underwent an amazing change. 2.She was producing fierce warriors to protect her master. 3.Her head and neck grew larger. 4.Balls of fire came out from her tail. 5.Many soldiers came out from her mouth, udder and her sides.der, and her sides |
Language Exercises
L1 Write the past tense forms of:
1. pray – prayed
2. drag – dragged
3. refuse – refused
4. give – gave
5. ask – asked
6. go – went
7. order – ordered
8. kill – killed
L2 Discuss with your partner and complete the passage using the correct form of the verbs given in brackets:
One morning, a king went (go/went) to a village. He saw (see/saw) an old woman planting mango saplings. She looked (look/looked) weak and tired. The king asked (ask/asked) her how many years it would take for the saplings to grow and give fruit. The old woman replied (replied/reply) that it would take around ten years. The king asked (ask/asked) if she would be alive to eat them. She said (said/say) that she was (is/was) not planting them for herself, but for others. The king felt (feel/felt) happy and gave (gave/give) her a silver mango. She thanked the king and smiled (smile/smiled).