Tulsidas Transformation by Wifes Rebuke

Dadi: "Guddu, you've heard the story of Tulsidas and his wife Ratnavali?"

Guddu: "Yes! She scolded him for climbing a snake and floating on a corpse!"

Dadi: "Tonight let me tell you more deeply about what that moment taught - about letting go of attachment."

Guddu: "But isn't loving someone a good thing?"

Dadi: "Loving is wonderful, beta. But there's a difference between love and obsession. Tulsidas didn't just love his wife - he couldn't exist without her."

Guddu: "What's wrong with that?"

Dadi: "Think about it. He crossed a flooded river in a storm. He grabbed a dead body thinking it was wood. He climbed a poisonous snake thinking it was rope. His need was so desperate it blinded him to reality."

Guddu: "He could have died!"

Dadi: "Many times over. And for what? Just to see his wife who had gone to visit her parents for a few days. That's not love, beta - that's slavery to desire."

Guddu: "What did Ratnavali mean when she said those words?"

Dadi: "She meant: "Look at the intensity of your devotion! You crossed death itself to reach me. If you directed even half that passion toward God, you would find eternal peace instead of temporary pleasure.""

Guddu: "So she was helping him?"

Dadi: "Helping him see his chains. He later wrote: "She showed me my bondage. Only one who sees their chains can remove them.""

Guddu: "What happened after he left?"

Dadi: "He became a wandering monk. He composed poetry that millions still sing. He wrote the Ramcharitmanas. He built temples. He started traditions that continue to this day."

Guddu: "All because he let go of his attachment?"

Dadi: "When he stopped pouring all his energy into one person, he had energy for the entire world. He later said: "I could not have written it if I had stayed with her. Not because she prevented me, but because my mind was so full of her that there was no room for Rama.""

Guddu: "Like when I think too much about video games and can't concentrate on homework?"

Dadi: "Exactly! Whatever fills your mind becomes your whole world. If it's games, you can't study. If it's one person, you can't connect with others. If it's worry, you can't feel peace."

Guddu: "So we should empty our minds?"

Dadi: "Not empty - just not too full of one thing. Tulsidas said, "We do not renounce because the world is evil. We renounce because we love the world too much, in the wrong way.""

Guddu: "What's the right way to love?"

Dadi: "Freely. Without clinging. Without making someone else responsible for your happiness. Love your mother, love your friends, love me - but know that your peace comes from inside you, not from us."

Guddu: "That sounds hard."

Dadi: "It is hard, beta. But the reward is beautiful. Tulsidas released his attachment to one woman and received the ability to love the whole world. He let go of one love and was given eternal love."

Guddu: "I think I understand."

Dadi: "The man who crossed rivers on corpses became the poet who carried millions across the ocean of suffering. All because he learned to let go."