Mirabai Snake Becomes Garland

Dadi**: "Guddu, you know the poison miracle with Mirabai. But there was another attempt on her life - with a snake!"

Guddu**: "A real snake?"

Dadi**: "A cobra! After the poison failed, the Rana tried another method. He sent a basket to Mira with a message: 'This contains a garland of flowers for your beloved Lord Krishna.'"

Guddu**: "But it wasn't flowers?"

Dadi**: "Inside was a deadly cobra - ready to strike whoever opened the basket. Mira received it while she was absorbed in worship."

Guddu**: "Oh no! Did she open it?"

Dadi**: "Of course! Mira never refused anything given in the name of her Lord. She finished her meditation, then happily opened the basket expecting beautiful flowers."

Guddu**: "What happened?"

Dadi**: "When she reached inside, her hand didn't touch cold scales. Instead, she felt something soft. She pulled out... a lovely garland of flowers! The cobra had transformed!"

Guddu**: "The snake became flowers!"

Dadi**: "Some accounts say she also found a beautiful idol of Krishna inside the basket. Either way, what was meant to kill her became a divine gift."

Guddu**: "Did she know what had happened?"

Dadi**: "Mira simply garlanded her Krishna deity with the transformed flowers and continued her worship. Perhaps she knew, perhaps she didn't. Either way, her faith was absolute."

Guddu**: "The Rana must have been shocked!"

Dadi**: "His every plan was failing! He tried poison - it became nectar. He tried a snake - it became flowers. He tried a bed of nails next."

Guddu**: "What happened with the bed of nails?"

Dadi**: "He sent her a special bed, covered with soft flowers on top. But beneath the flowers were sharp nails - designed to pierce her when she lay down. Mira lay on it to rest after her worship..."

Guddu**: "And?"

Dadi**: "She slept peacefully! The bed of nails had transformed into a bed of roses. She woke up refreshed, completely unharmed."

Guddu**: "Everything dangerous became harmless!"

Dadi**: "More than harmless - beautiful! This is why there's a famous saying about Mira: 'For her, poison became nectar, snakes became garlands of flowers.' Her devotion transformed everything."

Guddu**: "Dadi, how did this happen?"

Dadi**: "The Puranas teach that when devotion reaches its peak, the devotee and the Divine become one. Nothing can harm such a person because harming them means harming God himself."

Guddu**: "She was that close to Krishna?"

Dadi**: "She had dissolved her ego completely. There was no 'Mira' left to be harmed - only Krishna's love walking in Mira's body. And who can harm love itself?"

Guddu**: "That's powerful protection!"

Dadi**: "The most powerful. Not armor, not guards, not walls - but surrender so complete that the universe itself protects you. That's Mira's legacy."

Guddu**: "I want that kind of faith."

Dadi**: "It grows slowly, beta. Each prayer, each act of devotion, each moment of surrender - they build that connection. Mira started as a little girl with a small idol. Her faith grew over a lifetime."

Guddu**: "Small steps become big faith."

Dadi**: "Perfect! Now sleep, protected not by cobras-turned-garlands, but by your grandmother's love - which is also quite powerful!"