Brahma Vimohana - When Brahma Stole the Calves

Dadi: "Beta, have you ever doubted something that seemed too good to be true?"

Guddu: "Sometimes, Dadi. Like when something seems impossible."

Dadi: "Even gods have doubts! Let me tell you about the time when Lord Brahma, the creator of the entire universe, doubted little Krishna and decided to test him."

Guddu: "Brahma doubted Krishna? But Krishna is God!"

Dadi: "That's exactly what Brahma wasn't sure about, beta. He had heard that the Supreme Lord had incarnated as a simple cowherd boy in Vrindavan. But could it really be true? Could the source of all existence be playing in mud and tending calves?"

Guddu: "So what did Brahma do?"

Dadi: "He decided to test Krishna. One day, while Krishna and his friends were eating lunch by the riverside, their calves wandered off into the forest. Krishna went to find them, leaving his friends behind."

Guddu: "Then what happened?"

Dadi: "Brahma saw his chance! Using his divine power, he put all the cowherd boys into a magical sleep. Then he took them, along with all the calves, and hid them in a cave in his own realm."

Guddu: "He kidnapped Krishna's friends?"

Dadi: "Yes! In Brahma's realm, a whole year on Earth would pass like just a moment. He thought, "Now let's see what this 'God' does when his friends have vanished!""

Guddu: "What did Krishna do?"

Dadi: "Krishna returned to the riverbank and found it empty. No friends. No calves. And he knew immediately who had done this and why."

Guddu: "Was he angry?"

Dadi: "No, beta. Krishna smiled and thought, "Brahma wants a demonstration? Very well. He shall have one.""

Guddu: "What kind of demonstration?"

Dadi: "Krishna expanded himself! From his own being, he created exact copies of every missing cowherd boy and every missing calf. Not illusions - real beings, identical to the originals in every way. But each one was actually a form of Krishna himself!"

Guddu: "That's incredible! Did anyone notice?"

Dadi: "That's the beautiful part. These expansions walked into Vrindavan as if nothing had happened. They played with other children, ate dinner with their families, tended the cattle - everything the original boys had done."

Guddu: "And no one realized they were different?"

Dadi: "No one! But something strange happened, beta. The mothers found themselves loving their children MORE than ever before. The calves seemed more beautiful. An inexplicable joy filled every home. No one knew why, but everyone felt happier."

Guddu: "Because they were loving Krishna himself!"

Dadi: "Exactly! For a whole year, the mothers of Vrindavan were unknowingly loving God himself in the form of their sons. Can you imagine the blessing?"

Guddu: "That's amazing! What about Brahma?"

Dadi: "After a year, Brahma came back to check on his experiment. He was confused! The cowherd boys were still playing in Vrindavan. The calves were still grazing. Nothing had changed."

Guddu: "He must have thought his plan failed!"

Dadi: "He went to his cave - the original boys and calves were still there, sleeping. Then who was in Vrindavan? He looked again with his divine vision, and what he saw made his four heads spin!"

Guddu: "What did he see?"

Dadi: "Every cowherd boy began to shimmer with divine light! Every calf blazed with cosmic radiance! Before his eyes, each one transformed - revealing four arms, holding conch and discus and mace and lotus. Infinite forms of the Infinite One!"

Guddu: "They all showed their true nature as Vishnu!"

Dadi: "Brahma fell from the sky and landed at Krishna's feet, trembling. "Forgive me! I was proud. I thought I could test God. But God cannot be tested - he can only reveal himself, in his own time, in his own way!""

Guddu: "What did Krishna say?"

Dadi: "Krishna was gentle. "Stand up, Brahma. You are the creator of the universe. You shouldn't bow before a cowherd boy.""

Guddu: "But Brahma knew better now!"

Dadi: "Yes! Brahma replied: "You are not just a cowherd boy. You are the source of everything - including me. I create worlds, but you create creators. I thought my position gave me understanding. I was wrong.""

Guddu: "What happened to the original boys and calves?"

Dadi: "Krishna returned everything to normal. The original boys and calves woke up, remembering nothing. They thought only a moment had passed since lunch. Brahma returned to his realm, humbled and enlightened."

Guddu: "What about the village mothers?"

Dadi: "Something lingered in their hearts, beta. For one year, they had loved their children with the love one gives to God. That love didn't fade when the year ended. They held their sons closer, watched them with more wonder. Something holy had walked among them."

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

Dadi: "So many things, beta! First, that the Divine can be found in the most ordinary places - playing in mud, eating lunch, tending cows. Second, that even the wisest and most powerful beings can be humbled. Brahma created the universe, but he still had to learn!"

Guddu: "And Krishna didn't punish him for the test?"

Dadi: "No! That's Krishna's nature. He didn't scold Brahma or hold a grudge. He simply demonstrated the truth in a way Brahma could understand. True power doesn't need to punish - it illuminates."

Guddu: "I like how the mothers got a blessing without even knowing!"

Dadi: "That's the sweetest part, beta. Krishna's gift wasn't a miracle to amaze people. It was love that transformed them from the inside. The mothers didn't need to know they were loving God - their love was purified simply by being directed at him."

Guddu: "So God is hidden in the people we love?"

Dadi: "Perhaps, beta. Perhaps every act of love - for a child, a friend, even a calf - is secretly an act of devotion. The Vrindavan mothers learned this without even trying. And that's Krishna's real gift to the world."

Guddu: "I'll remember this story when I love my family, Dadi!"

Dadi: "That's the wisdom, beta. Every time you truly love someone, you're touching something divine."