The Devas and Yaksha - Uma's Teaching

Dadi: "Guddu beta, today I'll tell you a story from the Upanishads about how the gods learned a very important lesson about humility."

Guddu: "The gods needed to learn humility? But they're gods!"

Dadi: "Even gods can become proud, beta. And pride is dangerous for anyone. Listen to what happened."

Guddu: "Tell me, Dadi!"

Dadi: "Once, the gods won a great victory against the demons. But instead of feeling grateful, they became boastful. "We alone achieved this victory!" they said. "All the glory belongs to us!""

Guddu: "They forgot who really helped them?"

Dadi: "Exactly. Brahman - the Supreme Divine Consciousness - saw their vanity and decided to teach them a lesson. Suddenly, a strange being appeared before the gods. It was called a Yaksha - an ethereal spirit. The gods couldn't understand what this strange being was."

Guddu: "What did they do?"

Dadi: "They sent Agni, the god of fire, to find out. Agni rushed toward the Yaksha, full of confidence. Before he could ask anything, the Yaksha asked, "Who are you?""

Guddu: "Agni introduced himself?"

Dadi: "Proudly! He said, "I am Agni! I am known as Jataveda, the all-knowing one!" The Yaksha asked, "What can you do?" And Agni boasted, "I can burn anything on earth! I can reduce anything to ashes!""

Guddu: "He was showing off!"

Dadi: "The Yaksha simply placed a single blade of grass on the ground. "Burn this," he said."

Guddu: "That should be easy for the god of fire!"

Dadi: "You would think so! But when Agni tried with all his might, he couldn't burn that tiny blade of grass. Not even a little. He returned to the other gods, ashamed and confused."

Guddu: "Wow! What happened next?"

Dadi: "They sent Vayu, the god of wind. He rushed to the Yaksha, equally confident. "I am Vayu!" he declared. "I can blow away anything on earth!""

Guddu: "Let me guess - he tried to blow away the grass?"

Dadi: "The Yaksha placed the same blade of grass before him. "Blow it away," he said. Vayu blew with all his power - power that could uproot trees and move mountains - but that tiny blade of grass didn't even flutter."

Guddu: "The grass was more powerful than the wind god!"

Dadi: "He returned to the others, equally confused. Finally, they sent Indra, the king of the gods himself. But as Indra approached, the Yaksha disappeared!"

Guddu: "It vanished? Why?"

Dadi: "In the very same spot where the Yaksha had stood, a beautiful goddess appeared. It was Uma - the divine mother, daughter of the Himalayas. Indra asked her, "Who was that Yaksha?""

Guddu: "Did she tell him?"

Dadi: "She said, "That was Brahman itself - the Supreme Consciousness. It was in the victory of Brahman that you gods achieved your glory. You should not be proud of your own strength. Through Brahman alone you conquered. Without that divine power, you cannot even move a blade of grass.""

Guddu: "The gods couldn't do ANYTHING without Brahman's power?"

Dadi: "Not even burn a grass blade. The Yaksha had shown them that their powers - fire, wind, lightning - were all borrowed from the Supreme. When that connection was withdrawn, they were helpless."

Guddu: "That's a powerful lesson, Dadi!"

Dadi: "The symbolism goes deeper, beta. Agni represents our physical energy. Vayu represents our mental energy. Indra represents our conscious awareness. All these powers that we think are "ours" actually come from a source beyond us."

Guddu: "So when I think "I am strong" or "I am smart"..."

Dadi: "Those abilities come through you, not from you alone. True power emerges when we recognize ourselves as part of the infinite whole - allowing universal consciousness to work through us."

Guddu: "Why couldn't Agni and Vayu do it, but Uma could teach them?"

Dadi: "Because Agni and Vayu approached with arrogance. "Look what I can do!" But Indra approached with curiosity. His attitude was humble and questioning, not boastful. That made him ready to receive wisdom."

Guddu: "The attitude matters more than the power!"

Dadi: "Exactly. The Yaksha could only bless those who came with the right attitude. Pride closes the door to learning. Humility opens it."

Guddu: "What's the lesson for me, Dadi?"

Dadi: "When you succeed at something - a test, a game, anything - remember that your abilities come from somewhere greater than yourself. Be grateful instead of boastful. Thank God, thank your teachers, thank your parents. Don't say "I did it all by myself.""

Guddu: "Because without the divine power working through me, I couldn't even move a grass blade?"

Dadi: "*smiles* Now you understand like Indra did. Even the mightiest gods learned that without connection to the Source, their power was nothing."

Guddu: "I'll try to stay humble, Dadi. Even when I win!"

Dadi: "Especially when you win, beta. Victory is when pride is most dangerous. Now, shall we offer some gratitude before dinner?"

Guddu: "Yes! Thank you, universe, for everything - even the grass blades!"

Dadi: "*laughs* Perfect, mere bacche. Perfect."