The Trials of Prahlad

Dadi: "Guddu, have you heard of the festival called Holi?"

Guddu: "Yes! The festival of colors!"

Dadi: "Do you know why we celebrate it? It's because of a boy named Prahlad who could not be destroyed by his evil father."

Guddu: "What happened to him?"

Dadi: "Prahlad's father was the demon king Hiranyakashipu, who wanted everyone to worship only him. But Prahlad loved Lord Vishnu with all his heart. This made his father furious."

Guddu: "Why couldn't Prahlad just pretend to worship his father?"

Dadi: "Because for Prahlad, love of God was not pretense - it was his very breath. He couldn't stop chanting Vishnu's name any more than he could stop breathing."

Guddu: "What did his father do?"

Dadi: "First, he sent teachers named Shanda and Amarka to educate Prahlad in demonic ways. But when they asked him what he had learned, Prahlad spoke only of the nine forms of devotion to Lord Vishnu."

Guddu: "Nine forms?"

Dadi: "Hearing God's names, chanting them, remembering Him, serving Him, worshipping Him, offering prayers, considering yourself His servant, befriending Him, and complete surrender."

Guddu: "The teaching failed!"

Dadi: "Hiranyakashipu was enraged. He ordered his guards to kill the boy. They struck him with weapons..."

Guddu: "*worried* What happened?"

Dadi: "Prahlad sat in meditation, and the weapons shattered! The guards couldn't harm him."

Guddu: "His devotion protected him!"

Dadi: "They threw him before mad elephants - but the elephants bowed before him. They cast him from mountain peaks - he floated down gently. They imprisoned him with venomous serpents - the snakes became his garlands!"

Guddu: "Nothing could hurt him!"

Dadi: "They tried to starve him, poison him, burn him - nothing worked. Through every trial, Prahlad never cursed his father, never stopped chanting "Om Namo Narayanaya.""

Guddu: "He didn't even get angry?"

Dadi: "His heart was so full of love that there was no room for anger. Even as his father tried to kill him, Prahlad prayed for his father's welfare."

Guddu: "That's hard to understand, Dadi. His father was trying to murder him!"

Dadi: "That's what makes Prahlad's devotion so extraordinary. He saw beyond his father's actions to his father's suffering. Hiranyakashipu was miserable in his rage, and Prahlad pitied him."

Guddu: "What about Holika? That's where Holi comes from, right?"

Dadi: "Yes! Hiranyakashipu's sister Holika had a special boon - she couldn't be burned by fire. So she sat with Prahlad in a blazing pyre, planning to hold him until he burned."

Guddu: "But she had fire immunity!"

Dadi: "Her boon only worked when she entered fire alone. By taking Prahlad with her, she voided her protection. Prahlad emerged unscathed while Holika burned to ashes."

Guddu: "Evil destroyed itself!"

Dadi: "That's exactly the teaching. We celebrate Holi remembering how evil's own fire consumed it while devotion remained untouched. The colors we throw represent joy and the triumph of good over evil."

Guddu: "What finally happened to Hiranyakashipu?"

Dadi: "That's the story of Narasimha - Lord Vishnu emerging from the pillar. But even before that moment, the real victory was already won."

Guddu: "What do you mean?"

Dadi: "Every trial Prahlad faced became a proof of divine protection. His enemies became instruments of his glory. His trials became his teachings. He won by not fighting - by remaining steady in love."

Guddu: "That's a different kind of victory."

Dadi: "The highest kind. Physical strength can be overcome. But love that remains constant through every attack? That cannot be defeated. That's what Prahlad teaches us."

Guddu: "To keep loving even when things are hard?"

Dadi: "To keep your center steady even in storms. To not let others' hate poison your heart. To trust that truth protects those who hold it."

Guddu: "I'll remember Prahlad when things get difficult."

Dadi: "And you'll remember that the weapons of anger shatter against the shield of love. Sweet dreams, mera bachcha. May you have Prahlad's steadfast heart."