Devi Mallika herself felt that there was something lacking. Art was still held in great esteem, but the public was not drawn to it. The knowledge of the nuances of art was there, but not the devotion to them. The cage was beautiful, but the songbird within lacked vivacity. Seasoned musicians like Marul, Apit and Lomak, would emit from their aged throats the purest of notes; the older dancer Udumber would, with his skeletal body, display many difficult, complicated postures, portraying different emotions; Pritha, too, would likewise give flawless expositions of her art.

To take delight in such art required knowledge, and an effort of will and taste, just as persistent practice was needed for meditation and reflection. This was pure art, unblemished by secondary considerations such as a sweet voice or a pretty face. But for the ordinary people art had become a lifeless formality. It was as arduous to enjoy it as it was to appreciate abstract discussions on the nature of the soul freed from the bondage of the body. Art lovers held Mallika in great regard, but sought satisfaction in the concert halls of Vasumitra and Kusumsena, which were vibrant with the breath of youth. The dedicated art lovers from far and near, however, still came to Devi Mallika’s assemblies.

After the downfall of Prithusen, Madulika, feeling penitent and remorseful, came to Mallika to beg for forgiveness. Mallika, however, did not take her back. Art loses its purity and dignity in the hands of the unworthy who give precedence to physical pleasures.

After turning her back on Madulika, Devi Mallika began to feel more uneasy in her mind. ‘When the caste system is being given its proper place, should the pursuit of art be denied its rightful appreciation?’ she asked herself. Her lifelong effort and hard work had gone to give art a place of eminence and authority. Did this mean that with her death, her art would perish too? Was it that the throne of the Laureate of Art would be disgraced by some undeserving and unworthy person! That was as painful to her as seeing it all go to ruin before her eyes.

Wealth held no attraction for Devi Mallika. She believed that all the wealth she possessed was merely an offering made to the supremacy of art. She accepted the offerings as a living symbol of art. Mallika had not only accumulated possessions; she had also earned fame and the esteem of the art lovers. Wealth was only the tangible reflection of that eminence and repute.

In her young age, Devi Mallika had borne a child in the hope of leaving a successor. Having been blessed with a beautiful daughter, she dedicated herself to Saraswati, the goddess of art, and took a vow that she would not bear another child lest her interest in dance and music should flag. A cruel fate snatched that child away from her, but Devi Mallika did not break her vow. Fate was unkind to the devotee, but the devotee’s faith remained unshaken.