Twenty-Eight Hells of Naraka

Dadi: "Guddu, tonight's story is about the same moment we've discussed - Tulsidas's transformation - but told in more detail."

Guddu: "The snake and corpse story?"

Dadi: "Yes, beta. Goswami Tulsidas was so attached to his beautiful wife Ratnavali that he followed her everywhere like a shadow."

Guddu: "Was that bad?"

Dadi: "It became unhealthy. One day, while Tulsidas was out, Ratnavali's brother came to take her to visit their parents. She left without telling Tulsidas."

Guddu: "That must have upset him."

Dadi: "Upset is too mild a word. He was devastated. Frantic. He couldn't think of anything else. Despite a terrible storm, dark night, and flooded river, he decided to go to her immediately."

Guddu: "In a storm? At night?"

Dadi: "He jumped into the swollen River Yamuna. In the darkness, he grabbed what felt like a log floating by - but it was a dead body. He held onto it to cross the river."

Guddu: "Gross!"

Dadi: "He didn't notice. His mind was only on reaching Ratnavali. When he arrived at his father-in-law's house, it was late night with all doors locked. Her room was upstairs."

Guddu: "How did he get up?"

Dadi: "He saw what looked like a thick rope hanging from her balcony. He grabbed it and climbed up. Only when he knocked on her door and she opened it with a lamp did they both see the truth."

Guddu: "The rope was a snake."

Dadi: "A huge poisonous snake! Ratnavali was horrified. She told him the "log" in the river was actually a corpse. And then she spoke those life-changing words."

Guddu: ""If you loved Ram as much as my body...""

Dadi: ""...your life would have been blessed." In another version: "...you would achieve liberation and true happiness.""

Guddu: "Was she being cruel?"

Dadi: "She was being honest. Sometimes the truth sounds cruel. Tulsidas expected sympathy - he had risked his life to see her! Instead, she held up a mirror to his obsession."

Guddu: "What did he see in that mirror?"

Dadi: "A man so blinded by physical love that he didn't notice corpses or snakes. A man whose devotion was misdirected. A man with incredible capacity for love - wasting it on temporary things."

Guddu: "And that changed him?"

Dadi: "That very night, he decided to renounce worldly desires. He left, became a wandering monk, traveled across India visiting holy places, and eventually became one of the greatest saint-poets in history."

Guddu: "All from one harsh sentence?"

Dadi: "Sometimes we need someone to shake us awake, beta. Most people saw Tulsidas's behavior as romantic. Only Ratnavali saw it as spiritual potential being wasted."

Guddu: "She redirected his passion."

Dadi: "Beautiful way to put it! She didn't kill his passion - she showed him a worthier target. The same fire that made him cross dangerous rivers could warm the hearts of millions through devotion to Ram."

Guddu: "So harsh words can be a gift?"

Dadi: "If spoken with truth and heard with humility, yes. Tulsidas's transformation shows that spiritual awakening can come from the most unexpected moments - a wife's rebuke in the middle of the night."

Guddu: "I'll try to listen when people correct me, even if it hurts."

Dadi: "That's wisdom, beta. The greatest saints had the humility to hear difficult truths about themselves."