Kartikeya Slays Tarakasura

Dadi: "Beta Guddu, tonight I'll tell you why a baby was chosen to lead an army of gods!"

Guddu: "A baby? Leading an army? That sounds like a fairy tale!"

Dadi: "It's better than any fairy tale because it teaches us that age doesn't matter - purpose does! Once there was a terrible demon named Tarakasura who did such severe penance that Lord Brahma himself appeared before him."

Guddu: "What did the demon ask for?"

Dadi: "He was clever, beta. He asked for a special boon: "Let me only be killed by a seven-day-old child of Lord Shiva." He thought this was as good as immortality - how could a week-old baby defeat the mightiest demon?"

Guddu: "That is clever! Babies can barely hold their heads up!"

Dadi: "Exactly what Tarakasura thought! With this boon, he became fearless. He attacked heaven and drove out all the gods! He threw Indra from his throne. He made the sun and moon his servants. The whole universe trembled under his rule."

Guddu: "Couldn't the gods do anything?"

Dadi: "They were helpless, beta. No matter how hard they fought, they couldn't kill him. So they came up with a plan - they would make Shiva fall in love and have a child!"

Guddu: "But Shiva was meditating, right?"

Dadi: "Deep in meditation, yes! They sent Kamadeva, the god of love, to wake him up. But when Kamadeva shot his flower arrow at Shiva, the great god opened his third eye in anger and burned Kamadeva to ashes!"

Guddu: "Oh no!"

Dadi: "But eventually, Parvati's devotion won Shiva's heart. They married, and from the spark of Shiva's third eye, a divine child was born - so radiant that even the gods had to shield their eyes!"

Guddu: "Baby Kartikeya!"

Dadi: "He had six faces, beta - that's why he's also called Shanmukha. And here's the amazing part: this child was not ordinary. Within days, he was ready for battle!"

Guddu: "But he was still a baby!"

Dadi: "A divine baby! When the gods saw him, they heard a heavenly voice: "You can only defeat the demons if you fight under Kartikeya's leadership." So they made a seven-day-old child the commander of their army!"

Guddu: "Did the baby ride an elephant?"

Dadi: "He did! Imagine, beta - all the greatest gods: Indra, Vayu, Varuna, all following a child into battle! They marched to an island between the Ganga and Yamuna rivers where Tarakasura waited."

Guddu: "Was the demon scared?"

Dadi: "At first, he laughed! "You send a BABY to fight me?" he roared. But when he faced Kartikeya, he quickly realized this was no ordinary child. The battle was fierce!"

Guddu: "What happened then?"

Dadi: "Tarakasura used all his tricks. He created illusions, he grew ten thousand arms, he hurled mountains! But Kartikeya was calm. Even as a child, his wisdom was greater than the ancient demon's cunning."

Guddu: "How did he win?"

Dadi: "Young Kartikeya raised his divine spear - the Vel given by his mother Parvati. With perfect aim, he threw it. The spear flew like lightning and struck Tarakasura's heart. The demon who thought he was immortal fell at the feet of a week-old child!"

Guddu: "Wow! So being young didn't matter at all!"

Dadi: "That's the lesson, beta! Tarakasura thought age meant weakness. But divine purpose doesn't care about age. You're never too young to be brave, too young to be wise, too young to fight against wrong."

Guddu: "So even kids can do big things?"

Dadi: "Some of the biggest things! Think about it - you learn faster than adults, you see truth more clearly, you haven't learned to make excuses yet. The gods trusted a child because they knew his heart was pure."

Guddu: "I'm going to lead like Kartikeya when I grow up!"

Dadi: "You don't have to wait to grow up, beta. Lead with kindness now. Lead with honesty now. Lead by example now. That's what Kartikeya teaches us - your age is just a number, but your character is your power."

Guddu: "Goodnight, Dadi. I'll dream about having six faces!"

Dadi: "(laughing) One good face is enough, beta, as long as it always tells the truth! Sweet dreams!"