Tukaram - The Marathi Saint Poet

Dadi: "Guddu, do you know what happens when God takes three steps?"

Guddu: "Three steps? Like walking?"

Dadi: "These weren't ordinary steps, beta. These steps covered the entire universe! Let me tell you about Trivikrama - Lord Vishnu's cosmic expansion."

Guddu: "Is this the Vamana story?"

Dadi: "Yes! When King Bali agreed to give the dwarf brahmin three paces of land, Vamana began to grow. First to normal height, then taller than trees, then taller than mountains..."

Guddu: "Like a giant!"

Dadi: "Much bigger than any giant! His head pierced the clouds, his arms stretched across horizons. He kept growing - past the Moon, past the Sun, past the stars. His body became so large that all of creation was visible in him!"

Guddu: "Everything inside him?"

Dadi: "The earth was His feet. The sky was His body. The heavens were His head. This was Trivikrama - the one who covers three realms. Even Brahma, from his high position, could only reach Trivikrama's foot to wash it."

Guddu: "What happened when Brahma washed his foot?"

Dadi: "That water, sanctified by touching the Lord's foot, became the river Ganges! It flowed down through all the worlds - that's why the Ganga is so sacred."

Guddu: "Wow! Then what happened?"

Dadi: "With His first step, Trivikrama covered the entire Earth. Every mountain, every ocean, every land that Bali had conquered. With His second step, He covered all of Heaven - all the celestial realms."

Guddu: "That's only two steps. What about the third?"

Dadi: "That's the most beautiful part, Guddu. Vishnu asked Bali, "O King, with two steps I've covered everything you own. Where shall I place my third step? You promised me three paces. If you can't fulfill your promise, you'll suffer for breaking your vow.""

Guddu: "But there was nothing left!"

Dadi: "Exactly! Bali had lost everything. But he wasn't angry or scared. He understood who Vishnu truly was. And do you know what he said?"

Guddu: "What?"

Dadi: ""I have only one thing left that is truly mine - myself. Place your third step on my head.""

Guddu: "He gave himself!"

Dadi: "He bowed down and offered his own head for God's foot. That's the ultimate surrender, Guddu. Bali could have complained: "This isn't fair! You tricked me!" But instead, he gave the only thing he had left."

Guddu: "What happened to him?"

Dadi: "Lord Vishnu was so pleased that He made Bali the ruler of Sutala - a realm even better than heaven! And Vishnu promised to personally guard Bali's door forever."

Guddu: "So by losing everything, Bali gained even more?"

Dadi: "That's the secret, beta. When you surrender completely, when you give everything to God without holding back, you don't become empty. You become filled with something greater. Bali gave three steps of land and received eternal divine protection."

Guddu: "It's like when I gave my favorite toy to that sad kid at the park, and I felt happier than when I had the toy!"

Dadi: "Perfect example! True giving makes the giver richer, not poorer. Remember Bali's lesson: offer your head, your ego, your "I" to the divine. That's when the real blessings begin."