King Shrenika and Monk Yamadhar

Dadi: "Guddu beta, tonight I'll tell you how a cruel king learned humility from a meditating monk."

Guddu: "What happened?"

Dadi: "King Shrenika of Magadha was a follower of Buddhism, while his wife Queen Chelna followed Jainism. The king was skeptical of Jain monks - he thought their famous composure and self-control were just an act."

Guddu: "He didn't believe they were really peaceful inside?"

Dadi: "He thought it was fake. So one day, while hunting in the forest, he spotted a Jain monk named Yamadhar sitting in deep meditation. "Perfect," the king thought. "Let me test how real this so-called inner peace is.""

Guddu: "What did he do?"

Dadi: "First, he unleashed his hunting dogs on the meditating monk."

Guddu: "That's terrible!"

Dadi: "The dogs barked and snapped around Yamadhar. But the monk didn't move, didn't flinch, didn't even open his eyes."

Guddu: "Maybe he was just frozen with fear?"

Dadi: "That's what Shrenika suspected! So he escalated. He started shooting ARROWS at the monk!"

Guddu: "Arrows?! He could have killed him!"

Dadi: "Miraculously, the arrows missed - some say they curved around the monk. Frustrated, the king did something even crueler. He wrapped a dead snake around Yamadhar's neck and left."

Guddu: "A dead snake on a meditating person..."

Dadi: "Shrenika went home and told his wife everything. Queen Chelna was horrified. She convinced her husband to go back to the forest."

Guddu: "What did they find?"

Dadi: "The monk was STILL sitting in the same position. But now - because the snake was decomposing - ants and insects were crawling all over his body, biting him."

Guddu: "And he still didn't move?!"

Dadi: "Not a single movement. He was enduring everything - the bites, the crawling, the pain - without any reaction at all."

Guddu: "That seems impossible..."

Dadi: "Queen Chelna gently cleaned off the ants, removed the snake, and applied sandalwood paste to soothe his wounds. After some time, Yamadhar opened his eyes."

Guddu: "Was he angry at the king?"

Dadi: "Here's the most amazing part, beta. When Yamadhar blessed them, he showed NO DIFFERENCE between Shrenika who had tortured him and Chelna who had helped him. He treated them both with equal kindness!"

Guddu: "Even after all that cruelty?"

Dadi: "That's true equanimity - treating pain and pleasure, friend and enemy, with complete impartiality. The monk had gone so deep into spiritual practice that external things simply couldn't disturb his inner peace."

Guddu: "What did King Shrenika think?"

Dadi: "He was completely transformed. He realized that THIS was genuine - no act could survive dogs, arrows, snakes, and ants without breaking. He fell at the monk's feet and became a devoted follower of Jainism alongside his wife."

Guddu: "The cruel king became humble?"

Dadi: "That's the power of witnessing real spirituality, beta. When you see someone who truly practices what they preach, it changes you."

Guddu: "Dadi, I don't think I could sit still with ants biting me!"

Dadi: "(laughing) Neither could most people! But the story teaches something we CAN apply. Sometimes we doubt others - think they're showing off or being fake. Before judging, maybe we should test ourselves first."

Guddu: "What do you mean?"

Dadi: "If someone else can remain calm during traffic, but you honk and shout - whose practice is real? If a friend stays patient when things go wrong, but you complain - who has genuine peace?"

Guddu: "So instead of doubting others, check myself?"

Dadi: "Exactly! And the story has another lesson - if you can't achieve what someone else has achieved, don't mock them. Show respect, offer support, don't cause pain. Doubting their willpower just creates bad karma for yourself."

Guddu: "Like how Shrenika created bad karma by torturing the monk?"

Dadi: "Yes! But he fixed it by learning and changing. That's always possible, beta - no matter how wrong we've been, we can turn toward right."

Guddu: "I'll try not to doubt people who seem better than me."

Dadi: "And maybe try to learn from them instead! Now sleep, my thoughtful one. May your heart be as steady as Yamadhar's!"