Hanuman Chalisa Miracle - Monkeys Siege

Dadi: "Guddu, do you know who wrote the Hanuman Chalisa that we recite?"

Guddu: "Wasn't it Tulsidas? The same person who wrote the Ramcharitmanas?"

Dadi: "Yes! But do you know WHERE he wrote those forty verses? In a prison cell."

Guddu: "Prison? What happened?"

Dadi: "Tulsidas lived during the time of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Word of the saint's devotion and miracles reached the emperor, who was curious. Akbar summoned Tulsidas to his court at Fatehpur Sikri."

Guddu: "What did the emperor want?"

Dadi: ""Show me a miracle," Akbar demanded. "I've heard so many stories about you." But Tulsidas humbly replied, "I am not a miraculous saint, only a devotee of Shri Ramji. The Lord is the true worker of miracles, not me.""

Guddu: "That sounds very humble."

Dadi: "It was. But Akbar mistook humility for defiance. Angered, he ordered his soldiers to throw Tulsidas into prison, bound in iron chains."

Guddu: "Just for saying he couldn't do miracles?"

Dadi: "Kings don't like to be refused, beta. But what happened next is beautiful. Instead of despairing, Tulsidas began to compose the Hanuman Chalisa - one verse each day."

Guddu: "Forty verses for forty days in prison?"

Dadi: "Exactly! As he wrote, his heart overflowed with love for Hanuman. He praised Hanuman's divine qualities, his strength, his devotion. Each verse was a prayer, a tribute, a song of surrender."

Guddu: "Did anything happen while he was writing?"

Dadi: "On the fortieth day, when the last verse was complete, something extraordinary occurred. An army of monkeys descended on the city!"

Guddu: "Real monkeys?"

Dadi: "Thousands of them! They wreaked havoc everywhere - in the palace, in the bazaar, in people's homes. They laid siege to the prison where Tulsidas was held. Akbar's soldiers couldn't control them."

Guddu: "The monkeys came because of the Hanuman Chalisa?"

Dadi: "That's what everyone believed. The emperor was shocked. He had heard of Tulsidas's devotion, but this was beyond anything he expected."

Guddu: "What did Akbar do?"

Dadi: "He rushed to the prison himself. "Please," he asked Tulsidas, "make them stop." Tulsidas simply closed his eyes and offered a prayer to Hanuman. And just like that - the monkeys disappeared."

Guddu: "Wow!"

Dadi: "Akbar apologized profusely. He released Tulsidas with great respect. And from that day on, the emperor became a friend of the saint for the rest of his life."

Guddu: "So the Hanuman Chalisa was born from hardship!"

Dadi: "The most beautiful things often are, beta. Tulsidas said that since Hanuman had freed him from prison by sending his monkey army, anyone in trouble should recite these forty verses. "They will be free of any problems in their life," he promised."

Guddu: "Is that why people recite it when they're scared or in trouble?"

Dadi: "Yes. The Hanuman Chalisa is believed to remove obstacles, protect from evil, and give courage to the fearful. Millions recite it every day, especially on Tuesdays and Saturdays."

Guddu: "Dadi, I want to learn all forty verses!"

Dadi: "*smiles* We can start tomorrow. But remember - it's not just the words that matter. It's the devotion behind them. Tulsidas didn't write clever poetry in that prison cell. He poured out his heart. That's why the verses have power."

Guddu: "Devotion makes the difference."

Dadi: "Always. A simple prayer with true feeling reaches further than a thousand verses recited without heart. Now, rest well. Perhaps tonight, Hanuman will visit your dreams."

Guddu: "Jai Hanuman! Goodnight, Dadi!"