Shitala Mata - Goddess of Cooling and Disease

Dadi: "Guddu, have you ever heard of a goddess who rides a donkey and carries a broom?"

Guddu: "A donkey? That's unusual for a goddess! Most ride lions or swans or eagles."

Dadi: "That's what makes Shitala Mata special. She's different from the grand goddesses you usually hear about. She's the goddess villages pray to when children get sick, when fevers rage, when pox covers little bodies."

Guddu: "The goddess of sickness? That sounds scary!"

Dadi: "Ah, but here's the mystery, beta. She both causes disease AND cures it. She both brings the heat AND takes it away. Her name means 'the cooling one.'"

Guddu: "How can she do both?"

Dadi: "Let me tell you her story. Long ago, Lord Brahma created Shitala Mata. He gave her lentil seeds to carry and promised she would be worshipped on Earth if she brought them safely. When she asked for a companion, Lord Shiva created Jvara Asura - the fever demon - from his own sweat."

Guddu: "The fever demon was made from sweat? That makes sense!"

Dadi: "*chuckling* It does, doesn't it? Shitala Mata and Jvara Asura lived in the realm of gods, carrying their seeds on a donkey. But then something terrible happened - the seeds mutated into disease germs."

Guddu: "The lentils became germs?!"

Dadi: "And they infected even the gods themselves! The suffering was unbearable. So the divine beings asked Shitala Mata to take her load of germs down to Earth."

Guddu: "Wait - they SENT disease to Earth on purpose?"

Dadi: "It's a strange tale, beta. When Shitala Mata arrived on Earth with Jvara Asura, she went to King Birat, who was a devoted follower of Lord Shiva. She asked him to worship her."

Guddu: "Did he agree?"

Dadi: "He said yes - but with one condition. 'You can be worshipped here, but Shiva remains supreme. I won't put you above him.'"

Guddu: "That seems fair!"

Dadi: "Shitala Mata didn't think so. In rage, she unleashed seventy-five different kinds of pox across his kingdom. Disease spread everywhere. Many, many people died."

Guddu: "*shocked* That's horrible! Over hurt pride?!"

Dadi: "Only when the king finally surrendered and worshipped her properly did she cure everyone. And from that day, her worship spread across North India."

Guddu: "Dadi, I don't understand. If she causes disease, why would people worship her?"

Dadi: "*nodding thoughtfully* That's the wisdom hidden in this story. In old times, people understood that the same force that makes you sick can also heal you. The same fever that burns you also kills the germs inside. The same sun that can give you heatstroke also grows your food."

Guddu: "So... they worshipped her to stay on her good side?"

Dadi: "Partly. But also to understand the balance. Shitala Mata is usually shown with special tools - a silver broom, a fan, a small bowl, and a pot of holy Ganga water. She sweeps up the germs with her broom, collects them with her fan, dumps them in the bowl, and then sprinkles Ganga water to purify everything."

Guddu: "She cleans up the disease she brings?"

Dadi: "That's her dual nature. She both tests and heals. There's even a special festival for her - Shitala Ashtami. On that day, no fire is lit in any kitchen."

Guddu: "No cooking? Why?"

Dadi: "To keep Shitala Mata cool, beta. Fires make heat. Heat angers her. So families prepare all their food the day before and eat it cold on her festival day."

Guddu: "Cold food to please the cooling goddess! That's clever."

Dadi: "In villages across North India, mothers still pray to Shitala Mata for their children's health. 'Keep the fevers away,' they ask. 'Spare my child from the pox.'"

Guddu: "Does she listen?"

Dadi: "Here's what I believe, beta. Whether or not she's literally real, the tradition teaches something true. Illness and healing are two sides of one coin. The body that gets sick is the same body that fights back. Respecting the power of disease - taking it seriously - is the first step toward defeating it."

Guddu: "Like how we wash hands and take medicine and rest when we're sick?"

Dadi: "Exactly. That's respecting Shitala Mata. That's acknowledging her power and asking for her mercy. The goddess who rides a humble donkey instead of a grand vehicle reminds us that healing comes in unexpected forms."

Guddu: "I like that she rides a donkey. It makes her feel... real."

Dadi: "The gods and goddesses of villages are different from the grand ones in temples, beta. They're closer to everyday life. They understand mud and fever and crying children. Shitala Mata is one of those - a goddess who walks through villages, broom in hand, cleaning up messes she herself sometimes makes."

Guddu: "*yawning* Dadi, next time I have a fever, I'll think of her."

Dadi: "And you'll drink water and rest and take your medicine. That's how you worship the cooling goddess - by taking care of yourself when the fire comes."

Guddu: "Goodnight, Dadi. May Shitala Mata keep us cool."

Dadi: "*stroking his hair* And may all our fevers be brief. Sleep well, my healthy boy."