Uddalaka Aruni - The Devoted Disciple

Dadi: "Guddu, would you believe me if I said two young boys once traveled to a holy city with no money, no food, and weren't allowed to beg - and still came back happy and fed?"

Guddu: "That's impossible, Dadi! How can you travel without money?"

Dadi: "This story is from the Autobiography of a Yogi. Young Yogananda was visiting his brother Ananta, who didn't believe in divine protection."

Guddu: "What do you mean by divine protection?"

Dadi: "Faith that God takes care of those who trust Him completely. Ananta challenged Yogananda: "Go to Brindaban with your friend Jitendra. Take no money. Don't beg or reveal your situation. Return by midnight without going hungry.""

Guddu: "That's a tough challenge!"

Dadi: "It was meant to make them fail! Ananta hoped Yogananda would come back hungry and admit his faith was foolish. But Yogananda accepted confidently."

Guddu: "What happened on the train?"

Dadi: "On the way, two strangers befriended them. Nobody knows why these strangers appeared - but they took the boys to a hermitage where a grand meal was prepared!"

Guddu: "Lucky!"

Dadi: "Was it luck? The meal was originally for two princes who had cancelled at the last minute. Exactly enough for two hungry boys!"

Guddu: "Wow! But what about the rest of the day?"

Dadi: "Jitendra complained: "That meal was accidental! How will we see the city with no money?" Yogananda replied: "You forget God quickly now that your stomach is full!""

Guddu: "That's funny!"

Dadi: "They rested under a tree. Soon, a young man approached them. His name was Pratap Chatterji, and he said something incredible."

Guddu: "What?"

Dadi: ""I had a vision of you both! You appeared to me as Lord Krishna. I knew I had to help you!" He offered to guide them through the city, gave them sweets, money, and train tickets back home!"

Guddu: "Without being asked?"

Dadi: "Without being asked. Divine providence had sent exactly what they needed, exactly when they needed it."

Guddu: "What happened at midnight?"

Dadi: "They entered Ananta's room right before midnight - well-fed, carrying rupees, with sweets to share! Ananta's face was pure shock!"

Guddu: "He must have been so surprised!"

Dadi: "They had left with nothing and returned with abundance. Yogananda taught both Jitendra and Ananta the Kriya Yoga meditation that night."

Guddu: "Did Ananta believe then?"

Dadi: "How could he not? He had set up an impossible test, and God had passed it spectacularly."

Guddu: "So if we trust God, He sends help?"

Dadi: "The story teaches that faith must be tested to become strong. Easy faith is untested faith. Yogananda didn't just believe in his room - he walked into difficulty with his belief. And the universe responded."

Guddu: "Like taking a test at school - you study, but you have to sit in the exam room to prove it!"

Dadi: "Perfect! Faith is like that. You can believe in your safety at home. But can you believe when you're hungry in a strange city with empty pockets?"

Guddu: "That's hard faith."

Dadi: "That's real faith. And somehow, for those who have it, strangers become guides, cancelled princes make room for hungry boys, and midnight arrives with pockets full."