The Forest Fire - Krishna Swallows the Flames

Dadi: "Guddu beta, today I'll tell you about the time Krishna swallowed an entire forest fire to save his friends!"

Guddu: "Swallowed a fire?! That's impossible!"

Dadi: "For us, yes. But Krishna was the Supreme Lord in a cowherd boy's form. Listen to what happened."

Guddu: "I'm listening!"

Dadi: "Summer had come to Vrindavan. The forest was dry as paper. The grass crackled underfoot, leaves rustled, and every breeze smelled of dust and heat. The cowherd boys knew fire was dangerous - they had been warned since childhood."

Guddu: "But fires can start suddenly, right?"

Dadi: "Exactly. No one knew how it began - maybe a spark from somewhere. One moment, Krishna and his friends were peacefully grazing their cattle. The next moment, they were surrounded by a wall of flames!"

Guddu: "Surrounded?!"

Dadi: "The fire had circled them completely. It was coming from every direction, driven by winds that seemed to blow from all sides at once. The cows bellowed in terror. The boys screamed for help."

Guddu: "Was there any escape?"

Dadi: "None. The flames were closing in. And in the middle of this chaos, Krishna stood calmly."

Guddu: "He wasn't scared?"

Dadi: "He said quietly, "Stay calm. Everyone, close your eyes.""

Guddu: "Close their eyes? In a fire?!"

Dadi: "The boys were panicking, but something in Krishna's voice made them obey. They pressed their hands over their eyes. Even the cattle somehow sensed the command and stood still."

Guddu: "Then what happened?"

Dadi: "Krishna turned to face the fire. And he inhaled."

Guddu: "He... breathed in?"

Dadi: "The flames that had been roaring toward them suddenly reversed direction! They flowed toward Krishna like water going down a drain. That wall of fire - unstoppable, deadly - now seemed desperate to reach him."

Guddu: "He was pulling the fire toward himself?"

Dadi: "He kept inhaling. The fire entered his mouth. Not burning him - feeding him! Flames that could melt stone and destroy forests poured into this small boy's body and simply... disappeared."

Guddu: "He ATE the fire?!"

Dadi: "Every tongue of flame, every spark, every ember - all of it, drawn in and absorbed. The heat vanished. The smoke cleared. The terrible roaring was replaced by silence."

Guddu: "And then?"

Dadi: "Krishna said, "You can open your eyes now." The boys looked around. The fire was completely gone. Not extinguished - gone, as if it had never existed. The trees still stood. The cattle were unharmed. Even the grass was only slightly singed."

Guddu: "That's amazing!"

Dadi: "And Krishna just wiped his mouth as if he had finished a meal. "We should head home," he said. "Your parents will worry.""

Guddu: "Did the boys ask him how he did it?"

Dadi: "They tried! "But the fire - you - we saw -" But Krishna just smiled and said, "You saw a fire that died down quickly. Very fortunate." Then he added, "Aren't you hungry? I'm starving.""

Guddu: "*laughs* He was hungry after swallowing a fire!"

Dadi: "Consuming elemental forces apparently works up an appetite! The boys were confused - they KNEW what they had seen was impossible. But Krishna was already walking home with the cows following, and it seemed easier to just... accept."

Guddu: "Like so many other impossible things he did?"

Dadi: "Exactly. The parents heard about the fire and the miraculous escape that night. They heard the boys' confused explanations. And they just looked at each other with that familiar look."

Guddu: "What look?"

Dadi: "The look that said, "Our children are being raised alongside a god, and we just have to accept it.""

Guddu: "That's what "normal" looked like in Vrindavan!"

Dadi: "Where else would children survive forest fires because their friend swallowed the flames?"

Guddu: "What does this story teach, Dadi?"

Dadi: "Many things. First, that Krishna protects those who trust him completely. The boys closed their eyes and trusted. Their faith was rewarded."

Guddu: "Second?"

Dadi: "Second, that for the Divine, nothing is impossible. Fire is one of the most powerful forces in nature - and Krishna simply absorbed it."

Guddu: "Third?"

Dadi: "Third, that sometimes protection comes in unexpected ways. The boys expected to die. They could never have imagined that someone would SWALLOW the fire to save them."

Guddu: "And Krishna didn't even make a big deal about it!"

Dadi: "That's the fourth lesson. True divine action often appears simple, quiet, humble. Krishna didn't say, "Look what I did! Worship me!" He just suggested they go home before their parents worried."

Guddu: "He was so cool about it!"

Dadi: "That's the nature of true power, beta. It doesn't need to show off. And later, in the forest, new shoots were already pushing through the ash. The forest would recover."

Guddu: "Life goes on?"

Dadi: "Life always goes on. The cattle were safe. The children were safe. And somewhere in Vrindavan, a small boy who had swallowed an inferno was asking for seconds at dinner."

Guddu: "That's a perfect ending, Dadi!"

Dadi: "In Vrindavan, this was what normal looked like. Butter-stealing, flute-playing, fire-swallowing - all in a day's work for the Divine Cowherd!"

Guddu: "I wish I could have been there!"

Dadi: "*hugs him* In a way, you are. Every time you hear these stories, Krishna's presence comes alive again. Now, let's have our dinner - no fires to swallow, I promise!"