Chandanbala and Mahaviras Broken Fast

Dadi: "Guddu, have you ever had to wait a very long time for something?"

Guddu: "Like waiting for my birthday? That feels like forever!"

Dadi: "*smiles* Imagine waiting for almost six months. And not just waiting - but fasting. Not eating anything at all."

Guddu: "Six months without food?! That's impossible!"

Dadi: "For Lord Mahavira, the great Jain teacher, it was a spiritual test. He had made a vow that he would only accept food when many very specific conditions were met."

Guddu: "What kind of conditions?"

Dadi: "The food must come from someone who was once a princess... who had been made a slave... who was bald... who was wearing chains... who was standing with one foot inside and one foot outside a door... who was holding lentils in a basket... and who was crying."

Guddu: "That's SO specific! How would all that ever happen at once?"

Dadi: "Exactly. It seemed impossible. For five months and twenty-five days, Mahavira wandered from place to place, and no one could fulfill all the conditions."

Guddu: "Didn't he get hungry?"

Dadi: "He was beyond ordinary hunger, beta. But the universe was preparing something beautiful. Let me tell you about Chandanbala."

She was born Princess Vasumati, daughter of a king. But enemies attacked her kingdom. Her father was killed. Her mother died protecting her. Vasumati was captured and sold as a slave.

Guddu: "That's terrible!"

Dadi: "A kind merchant named Dhanavah bought her - not to keep as a slave, but to free her. He brought her home and treated her like his own daughter, giving her the name Chandanbala."

But his wife Moola grew jealous. One day, when Dhanavah was away, Moola had Chandanbala's head shaved, put her in chains, and locked her up without food or water for three days.

Guddu: "How cruel!"

Dadi: "When Dhanavah returned and found out, he was horrified. While the blacksmith was coming to remove her chains, the only food available was some dry lentils. He put them in a winnowing basket and gave them to Chandanbala."

Guddu: "Wait... she was a princess who became a slave... her head was shaved... she was in chains..."

Dadi: "And there she stood at the door, waiting for the blacksmith - one foot inside, one foot outside - holding lentils in a basket."

Guddu: "All the conditions!"

Dadi: "Almost all. At that very moment, Lord Mahavira appeared at the door, seeking alms. Chandanbala was overjoyed - she could offer food to a holy man! She held out the lentils."

But Mahavira looked at her... and turned to leave.

Guddu: "Why?! She had everything!"

Dadi: "Everything except tears. She wasn't crying. But when she saw Mahavira walking away, her heart broke. After all her suffering, even this simple offering was being refused. Tears began streaming down her face."

Guddu: "And then?"

Dadi: "In that moment, all conditions were fulfilled. Mahavira turned back and accepted the lentils from her hands, breaking his fast of almost six months."

The instant he took the food, miraculous things happened. Chandanbala's chains shattered. Her beautiful hair grew back instantly. Flowers rained from the sky!

Guddu: "Wow! And what happened to her after?"

Dadi: "She became the first nun in Mahavira's order. She led thousands of women on the spiritual path. The princess who lost everything gained something far greater."

Guddu: "Dadi, why did Mahavira have such strange conditions?"

Dadi: "Perhaps to show that the universe has a plan we cannot see. Perhaps to show that our suffering can have meaning. Perhaps to show that the most unlikely person, in the most broken moment, can become the answer to someone's prayers."

Guddu: "So Chandanbala's suffering had a purpose?"

Dadi: "Her suffering transformed into service. Her pain became her path. Sometimes, beta, the hardest things we go through prepare us for something beautiful we cannot yet imagine."