Vatsasura - The Calf Demon

Dadi: "Guddu, do you know what Krishna's first job was as a child in Vrindavan?**Guddu:** Umm... playing the flute?**Dadi:** *laughs* That was his hobby! His actual responsibility was taking care of the calves. Every morning, he and the cowherd boys would lead them to the forest for grazing.**Guddu:** That sounds like fun work!**Dadi:** It was simple, joyful work - the kind that lets the mind wander and the heart sing. But there was a problem. Kansa kept sending demons to kill Krishna.**Guddu:** Even when he was taking care of calves?**Dadi:** Yes! One demon named Vatsasura had a very clever plan. He could transform himself into a perfect calf - not just any calf, but exactly the kind that would blend into Krishna's herd.**Guddu:** A demon disguised as a baby cow?**Dadi:** His plan was simple: join the herd, get close to Krishna, and when the moment was right - reveal his true form and kill the boy before anyone could react.**Guddu:** That's sneaky!**Dadi:** Very sneaky. One morning, Vatsasura joined the herd looking exactly like a young calf with soft brown eyes and an innocent expression. The other calves didn't notice. The cowherd boys didn't notice either.**Guddu:** But Krishna noticed?**Dadi:** Krishna always notices, beta. He said nothing at first. He just watched the false calf move through the herd, trying to position itself closer to him. He watched its eyes - not quite right, too calculating, too focused.**Guddu:** How could he tell?**Dadi:** He noticed that the other calves subtly avoided the demon-calf. Animals sense things, beta. They knew something was wrong even if they couldn't identify what.**Guddu:** So what did Krishna do?**Dadi:** He walked casually toward the impostor, as if he didn't know anything. The demon-calf saw him coming and had to make a choice: wait for a better opportunity, or strike now.**Guddu:** Which did he choose?**Dadi:** Patience was not a demon's strength! Vatsasura lunged forward, shedding his calf disguise instantly. He revealed his true form - a massive demon with razor teeth and crushing hooves, built to trample and destroy!**Guddu:** Was Krishna scared?**Dadi:** He didn't even flinch! As the demon charged past, Krishna grabbed him by the hind legs. With a casual motion - like a child swinging a toy - he whirled the demon around his head once, twice, three times...**Guddu:** And then?**Dadi:** He released! Vatsasura flew through the air and crashed into a wood-apple tree with such force that the trunk shattered. The demon's body broke apart. The tree fell, scattering fruit everywhere.**Guddu:** Whoa!**Dadi:** The cowherd boys came running, alerted by the noise. They found Krishna standing amid fallen fruit, the demon's body already dissolving, and the real calves grazing peacefully as if nothing had happened.**Guddu:** Did they ask what happened?**Dadi:** They shouted, "Krishna! What - how -" And Krishna said simply, "One of the calves was sick. I had to put it down."**Guddu:** *laughs* That's a funny way to describe killing a demon!**Dadi:** The boys looked at the massive demon body, looked at their small friend, looked at each other. "That's... that's not a calf," they said. Krishna replied, "Not anymore. Now who wants wood-apples? The tree dropped plenty."**Guddu:** He made a snack out of the situation!**Dadi:** That was Krishna - protecting the innocent, destroying the wicked, and then sharing fruit with his friends. The parents in Vrindavan just nodded when they heard. This was becoming a pattern.**Guddu:** What did Kansa think?**Dadi:** In Mathura, Kansa added another name to his list of failed assassins. He began to wonder if deception was even possible against someone who seemed to know everything before it happened.**Guddu:** You can't fool God.**Dadi:** Never, beta. After that day, the calves grazed more peacefully than before. One less predator in their midst, one less threat wearing friendly skin. And Krishna continued his work - protecting the innocent while looking like an ordinary cowherd boy.**Guddu:** But he was never ordinary, was he?**Dadi:** Not for a moment. The Divine often appears in humble forms - a baby, a cowherd, a simple friend. But when evil approaches, that humble form reveals its true power. Vatsasura learned this the hard way."