Narakasura's End - The Liberation of Sixteen Thousand

Dadi**: Guddu beta, do you know why we celebrate Diwali? One of the reasons is a story of a terrible demon and a brave queen!

Guddu**: A demon on Diwali? I thought Diwali was happy!

Dadi**: It's happy because the demon was destroyed, beta! His name was Narakasura, and he was the king of a place called Pragjyotishpura. He did terrible things - he stole earrings from Aditi, the mother of all gods, and kidnapped sixteen thousand princesses!

Guddu**: Sixteen thousand?! That's so many!

Dadi**: He locked them all in his fortress, treating them like prisoners. He even defeated Indra, the king of gods, and stole his royal canopy. The whole universe was terrified of this demon.

Guddu**: Couldn't anyone stop him?

Dadi**: There was a problem, beta. Narakasura had a special blessing from Lord Brahma - no god could kill him. So the gods came to Lord Krishna begging for help. "You are beyond gods," they said. "Only you can end his terror."

Guddu**: So Krishna went to fight him?

Dadi**: Yes, but here's the special part - He didn't go alone. Krishna called for his queen, the fierce and proud Satyabhama. "This battle is as much yours as mine," He said. "Will you ride with me?"

Guddu**: A queen going to battle? That's so cool!

Dadi**: Satyabhama was no ordinary queen, beta. She was a warrior princess, brave and strong. Together, they mounted Garuda, the divine eagle, and flew toward the demon's kingdom.

Guddu**: What was the fortress like?

Dadi**: Terrifying! Narakasura had surrounded his city with magical mountains, thick fog, and weapons that attacked automatically. Any normal army would have been destroyed instantly. But Krishna's arrows shattered the mountains. His Sudarshana chakra cut through the fog. His very presence disabled the magical weapons.

Guddu**: He's so powerful!

Dadi**: They landed at the palace gates as if the defenses had been nothing. Narakasura came out, massive and armored, laughing. "So the cowherd king comes to die? I defeated Indra himself! What chance does a mortal have?"

Guddu**: Oh no! What did Krishna say?

Dadi**: Krishna simply smiled. "Test that theory," He said. And the battle began. They fought fiercely - Narakasura was incredibly strong, the son of Mother Earth herself, protected by Brahma's blessing.

Guddu**: But no god could kill him! How did Krishna win?

Dadi**: Ah, here's where it gets clever, beta. The blessing said no GOD could kill him. But what if a mortal woman struck the final blow? Krishna fought until Narakasura was weakened. And then, at the perfect moment, He told Satyabhama, "Now, my queen. This is your moment."

Guddu**: Did she do it?

Dadi**: Satyabhama drew her bow, aimed true, and released the arrow that ended Narakasura forever. A mortal queen, not a god, delivered justice. The blessing had a loophole, and Krishna knew it all along.

Guddu**: That's so smart! What happened to the princesses?

Dadi**: Krishna freed all sixteen thousand of them. But here's the problem - in those times, society would have rejected them. They had been prisoners of a demon. Who would marry them? Who would give them respect?

Guddu**: That's not fair! It wasn't their fault!

Dadi**: Krishna agreed. So He did something extraordinary - He married all sixteen thousand of them Himself. Not because He needed wives, but to protect their honor, to give them the status that cruel society would otherwise deny them.

Guddu**: All sixteen thousand?!

Dadi**: All of them, beta. Each one felt like she was His only queen. Such is the infinite love of God - it doesn't divide when shared, it multiplies.

Guddu**: Is that why we light lamps on Diwali?

Dadi**: One of the reasons, yes! We celebrate the triumph of good over evil, the rescue of the innocent, and the destruction of tyranny. When you light a diya, remember that light always wins over darkness.

Guddu**: And that a queen helped defeat the demon!

Dadi**: Yes, beta! Never forget that. Women can be the fiercest warriors. Satyabhama's arrow, guided by devotion and courage, did what the gods themselves couldn't do. Tomorrow is a celebration of that victory. Happy Diwali, my brave Guddu!

Guddu**: Happy Diwali, Dadi!