Devi Mahatmya - Durga Slays Mahishasura

Dadi: "Guddu, do you know about the future avatar of Vishnu?"

Guddu: "You mean the one who hasn't come yet? Kalki?"

Dadi: "Yes! And tonight I want to tell you about his divine horse - Devadatta."

Guddu: "He'll ride a horse?"

Dadi: "Not just any horse. This will be a gift from Lord Shiva himself. The name "Devadatta" means "Given by God.""

Guddu: "What's special about this horse?"

Dadi: "Everything. Devadatta is described as white as the moon, swift as the mind, and tireless as truth itself. Where his hooves step, dharma - righteousness - takes root again."

Guddu: "Like a magical horse?"

Dadi: "More than magical. Some say his mane contains the winds of change. His hooves carry the thunder of transformation. His whinny is the call to awakening."

Guddu: "When will Kalki come?"

Dadi: "According to the scriptures, at the very end of Kali Yuga - the age of darkness we live in now. When evil has completely overtaken the world, when people have forgotten dharma, when truth has become rare..."

Guddu: "That sounds scary."

Dadi: "It's meant to. But here's the hope - Kalki will ride forth on Devadatta, and they will restore righteousness. The darkness cannot last forever."

Guddu: "Why a white horse specifically?"

Dadi: "White represents purity, light, truth. In many cultures around the world, the white horse appears in prophecies about the end times. Scholars have noticed the parallels."

Guddu: "Other religions have white horses too?"

Dadi: "Yes! But in our tradition, Devadatta represents something specific. He's not a symbol of war. He's a symbol of swift, unstoppable restoration."

Guddu: "What does that mean?"

Dadi: "The horse moves so fast that darkness cannot touch him. He doesn't need to be guided - he knows instinctively where adharma, unrighteousness, has grown strongest. He carries Kalki exactly where he's needed."

Guddu: "Like the horse is also a hero?"

Dadi: "They work as one. Some wise commentators say Devadatta represents the awakened mind. When consciousness is perfectly aligned with dharma, it moves swiftly and surely. When the spiritual warrior is mounted on perfect understanding, no obstacle can stand."

Guddu: "So Devadatta could be a symbol, not just a real horse?"

Dadi: "Perhaps both. The sages don't say definitively. What they emphasize is the unstoppability of the combination - when the avatar of the age mounts the vehicle of divine purpose, dharma WILL be restored."

Guddu: "Will we be alive when Kalki comes?"

Dadi: "The scriptures say Kali Yuga lasts 432,000 years, and we're only about 5,000 years in. So probably not in our lifetimes."

Guddu: "That's a relief... and also disappointing?"

Dadi: "I understand. But here's the thing, beta. We don't need to wait for Kalki. Each of us can be a small Devadatta - carrying dharma wherever we go, moving swiftly toward what's right, being tireless in our goodness."

Guddu: "We can be the white horse?"

Dadi: "*smiles* In our own small way, yes. Every time you stand up for what's right, every time you're kind when it would be easier to be mean, every time you choose truth over lies - you're carrying dharma forward."

Guddu: "I like that idea."

Dadi: "The future avatar will restore the world. But until then, we restore our corner of it. One truthful step at a time, like hoofbeats of the divine horse."