Curse of Jaya and Vijaya

Dadi: "Tonight, Guddu, I'll tell you about two brothers who chose to be born as villains—and it was actually the wisest choice they could make."

Guddu: "Villains? Why would anyone choose to be a villain?"

Dadi: "Patience, beta. First, let me tell you who they were. Jaya and Vijaya were the gatekeepers of Vaikuntha—Lord Vishnu's heavenly abode. Imagine the most beautiful place you can think of, then make it a thousand times more glorious!"

Guddu: "And they got to guard the gate? That sounds like an important job!"

Dadi: "Very important! But one day, four young sages came to visit. They were the Kumaras—born from Brahma's mind itself. Though they looked like little children, they were ancient and incredibly wise."

Guddu: "Little kids who were actually super old? That's funny!"

Dadi: "It was! And that's exactly the problem. When these child-sages arrived at the gates, Jaya and Vijaya looked at them and thought, "These are just children. Lord Vishnu is resting. We can't let children disturb him.""

Guddu: "Uh oh. They judged them by their looks!"

Dadi: "Exactly. They blocked the sages from entering. The Kumaras were furious! "How dare you stop devotees from seeing the Lord!" they thundered. And in their anger, they cursed the two brothers: "You will lose your divine forms and be born as mortals on Earth!""

Guddu: "That's a terrible curse! Just for making a mistake?"

Dadi: "Jaya and Vijaya were devastated. They fell to their knees, begging. Just then, Lord Vishnu himself appeared. "My dear Kumaras, please have mercy on my gatekeepers.""

Guddu: "Did Lord Vishnu cancel the curse?"

Dadi: "He couldn't cancel it—even gods must respect a sage's curse. But he offered Jaya and Vijaya a choice. "You can be born seven times as my devotees, living peaceful lives... or three times as my enemies, fighting against me directly.""

Guddu: "Wait—why would anyone choose to be God's ENEMY?"

Dadi: "Here's the beautiful part, Guddu. Jaya and Vijaya couldn't bear to be apart from their Lord for seven whole lifetimes. If they were his enemies, they would still be connected to him—he would come to fight them personally! "Three lives as your enemy means we return to you sooner," they said. "We choose that.""

Guddu: "That's... actually really sweet. They loved him so much!"

Dadi: "So much that even being his enemy was better than being far from him. Their first birth was as the demon brothers Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyaksha was so powerful he dragged the entire Earth to the bottom of the cosmic ocean!"

Guddu: "The whole Earth?! How did anyone stop him?"

Dadi: "Lord Vishnu came as Varaha—a giant boar—and dove into the ocean. He lifted the Earth on his tusks and defeated Hiranyaksha after a battle lasting a thousand years! Later, Narasimha—the half-man, half-lion—defeated Hiranyakashipu."

Guddu: "That's one life down. What about the other two?"

Dadi: "In their second birth, they became Ravana and Kumbhakarna. You know that story—Lord Rama defeated them. And in their third birth, they were Shishupala and Dantavakra, defeated by Lord Krishna himself."

Guddu: "So they kept fighting God... and losing?"

Dadi: "And each time they died at the Lord's hands, a part of their curse was lifted. When Krishna finally defeated them in their last birth, something magical happened. Everyone watching saw a brilliant light leave their bodies and merge into Krishna himself."

Guddu: "They went back home!"

Dadi: "Back to Vaikuntha, back to guarding the gates, back to their beloved Lord. Some say if you visit a Vishnu temple today, the statues of gatekeepers you see are Jaya and Vijaya themselves—finally home."

Guddu: "So even though they were "villains," they were really devotees the whole time?"

Dadi: "The greatest devotees of all. Their love was so strong that they accepted being hated, feared, and killed—three times over—just to be close to God. The sages Jiva Goswami says that even in their demon bodies, their souls remained pure."

Guddu: "Dadi, this story is making me think... sometimes people who seem bad might have a story we don't know?"

Dadi: "That's wisdom beyond your years, beta. We never know the full story of anyone's journey. What looks like opposition might be the deepest love in disguise."

Guddu: "Being born three times as a villain... for love. That's the strangest love story ever!"

Dadi: "*smiling* The divine works in mysterious ways. Now go to sleep, little one. And remember—things are not always what they seem."

Guddu: "Good night, Dadi. I hope Jaya and Vijaya are happy at their gate right now!"

Dadi: "I'm sure they are, beta. I'm sure they are."