Child Namdev and the Stone Deity

Dadi: "Guddu, do you ever talk to your toys like they're real?"

Guddu: "Sometimes... when no one's watching."

Dadi: "*smiles* There's a saint who talked to God the same way - like He was his best friend. His name was Namdev, and even as a tiny child, he was special."

Guddu: "How special?"

Dadi: "At just two years old, when he was learning to talk, the first proper word he said was "Vittala" - a name of God. Not "mama" or "papa" - but God's name!"

Guddu: "That's really unusual!"

Dadi: "His mother would take him to the temple of Lord Vithoba every day. Little Namdev would clap and dance with joy whenever he saw the deity."

Guddu: "Like me when I see ice cream?"

Dadi: "*chuckles* Even more joyful, beta. By age seven, Namdev had made little cymbals and would sing and dance all day, doing bhajan. He forgot to eat, forgot to study, forgot to sleep. All he wanted was to be with God."

Guddu: "His parents must have been worried!"

Dadi: "They were, but they saw his devotion was pure. Now, here's the beautiful story. Namdev's grandfather also loved God deeply. The old man had a stone deity he worshipped every day."

Guddu: "Like an idol?"

Dadi: "Yes. Little Namdev would watch his grandfather serve milk to the deity, and he wanted to do the same. He kept asking, "Let me serve God! I've learned how!""

His grandfather would say, "When you're older."

Guddu: "That must have been frustrating!"

Dadi: "Very. Then one day, his grandfather had to travel for a few days. He told Namdev, "You can serve the deity while I'm gone. Feed milk to God first, and only then eat yourself.""

Guddu: "Namdev must have been so happy!"

Dadi: "He was! The first morning, Namdev prepared milk very carefully and placed it before the deity. Then he waited for God to drink it."

Guddu: "And?"

Dadi: "Nothing happened. The milk just sat there."

Guddu: "Well, of course... it's a stone statue, Dadi."

Dadi: "That's what adults would think. But little Namdev didn't know the difference between a stone and the living God. To him, they were the same. He waited all day. The milk stayed untouched."

Guddu: "He must have felt bad."

Dadi: "He felt terrible! He thought, "Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe God doesn't like this milk. Maybe my service isn't good enough." He didn't eat that day. The second day, same thing. Still no response."

Guddu: "Two whole days without eating?"

Dadi: "Three, beta. By the third day, Namdev was desperate. He picked up a knife and said to the deity, "Please drink this milk! Otherwise, I'll hurt myself! My grandfather will take this service away from me. Please!""

Guddu: "Oh no!"

Dadi: "And in that moment of complete, innocent faith - God could not resist any longer."

The stone deity came alive. Lord Vithoba himself appeared, took the bowl from Namdev's hands, and drank the milk.

Guddu: "The stone became real?!"

Dadi: "Pure faith made it real. Namdev was overjoyed. He said, "Wait, don't drink it all! I haven't eaten in three days. Leave some for me!""

Guddu: "*laughs* He asked God to share?"

Dadi: "That's how close they were, beta. Like friends, like family. When the grandfather returned, Namdev told him everything. The grandfather didn't believe it at first. So Namdev took him to the deity, held up the knife again, and said, "God, please drink. Don't make me a liar!""

And the Lord appeared and drank the milk again, right before the grandfather's amazed eyes.

Guddu: "Wow! So his grandfather got to see God too?"

Dadi: "Because of Namdev's pure faith. The story teaches us something profound, Guddu. Children don't know the difference between what's "possible" and "impossible." They just love with their whole hearts."

Guddu: "Is that why God appeared?"

Dadi: "God cannot resist innocent love. Namdev grew up to be one of India's greatest saints, but he never lost that childlike faith. He always treated God as his friend, his playmate, his companion."

Guddu: "Can I talk to God like a friend too?"

Dadi: "You can talk to God however your heart tells you to, beta. With love, with trust, with innocence. That's the Namdev way."