Narayana was easily achievable with love. Her father's extensive ritualism wasn't easily available to everyone. But Narayana was beyond all of it. He was the sun's light which spread heat and light indiscriminately over the earth.
Even if the ritual part of Veda wasn't available to everyone, Vedanta was for everyone. Simhavalli knew him not through rituals but through Vedanta.
Where would the little demon child Prahlada find the way to perform extensive rituals to call on Hari? But Narasimha appeared out of a pillar to protect his devotee. The extensive roaring and fearful form didn't scare the little boy even a little bit.
While Srutiyasha went to the forest to find firewood for his agnihotra, Simhavalli followed along to find sandalwood sticks.
"Why are you being so stubborn, Valli? You are only going to stress yourself finding sandalwood for him here in this forest."
"You go, father, I will come after finding sandalwood. I know my Hari will be pleased with my devotion enough without any rituals. Love surpasses every ritual that Veda can dictate."
He sighed at her silliness but didn't return alone. He couldn't leave her alone in the forest where wild animals could harm her.
"Don't be silly. The forest has wild animals and they can harm."
Simhavalli chuckled, "What animal can harm me who has surrendered to the half-animal half-man? He is the lord of all creatures. Why fear anyone in his kingdom?"
Her logic didn't stand in his mind. She was being silly.
She softly sang a sweet song about the miracles of Hari while she looked for sandalwood sticks.
Narasimha's lion ears suddenly perked up hearing the sweet voice singing about him. It especially seemed to be coming from his heart. The love that he felt emerge out of the beautiful song captured him from so far away.
Srutiyasha kept on with her in the search for sandalwood.
'This is complete nonsense from her. I am trying to rationalize with a child. She knows nothing but being stubborn. Where will she find sandalwood in these forests? There are never any sandalwood trees here.' He sighed and caught Simhavalli's hand.
"Valli, let us go back home. Please. For my sake. We will never find sandalwood in this forests. Sandalwood doesn't grow here at all." Srutiyasha tried to convince. He almost begged her to return with him. His love for his little girl surpassed his annoyance at her refusing to believe the supremacy of karma kanda. He held her little chin trying to convince her.
"Appa, I am firm in my believe. Nothing can resolve him but love."
Srutiyasha hung the bag of firewood on his back and picked her up. "That's enough. I've tried to be nice and now you've become so adamant."
"Appa!!!" She protested at being manhandled by her father.
"Shshh. Stay silent, Valli. You're getting too adamant because I'm so lenient towards you."
"Narasimha!!!!" She shrieked loudly in protest.
"What? You want him to sudden appear here and take you out on a stroll to find sandalwood? Don't be silly. He has much more to do than play with a little child."
"That is pretty much what he is for. If his dharma isn't to reach out his devotees when they call for him, I don't know why he would bother with a form at all."
"His form is omkara. That pranava is Veda. That Veda is supreme."
"That is like saying my brain is supreme over my heart. Can there be anything more silly than that?"
"Brain is the organ that allows the heart to beat. It is the organ that signals the heart to beat non-stop. That logic holds weight."
"Appa, the brain and the heart work together. The heart provide the brain with the vayu it need through Vyana and Udana Vayu, the brain receives its half of the vayu to function. Without that vayu, it will stop and the person will die instantly. The heart will continue to beat after 3 hours of death but the brain doesn't. Now, how can you establish the supremacy of one organ over the other?"
Srutiyasha stopped for a moment. There was something about this girl that he couldn't put a finger on. Her arguments were spot on without ever having learnt Veda at all. What drove her knowledge, she didn't know.
It took a few moments and the smell of sandalwood spread around the forest. Srutiyasha turned around in surprise. In 30 years of his life, he hadn't ever felt the presence of sandalwood. There wasn't an inch of the forest that he didn't know.
"Appa!! Sandalwood!!!"
Surprised and shocked at the smell of sandalwood, Srutiyasha followed the scent while holding his little girl in his arms. After a while of searching for the smell, they saw a tall cowherd boy with a few cows. He had scratched a piece of wood which caused the smell to spread around the forest.
Hearing the sound of someone walking, the cowherd turned around. A cloth was tied on the top of his head which spilled some of his curly hair out. A little peacock feather and some wild flowers decorating his headdress. His dark skin decorated with sandalwood and some tulsi beads. Some jewellery decorated him. The beautiful yellow dhoti reached his ankles. Those ankles were decorated by anklets which had little tinkling bells.
Simhavalli forgot all her arguments seeing the cowherd.
"Did you get lost in forest?" He asked in a sweet voice.
"No... This sandalwood..." Srutiyasha still couldn't understand how sandalwood was here. He couldn't have missed it before. He had always ventured into the forests for firewood for his agnihotra.
"Yes. Sandalwood. Smells wonderful." The cowherd smiled mischievously and patted the sandalwood tree he was leaning against.
"It has never been here before."
The cowherd laughed out loudly, "I heard that brahmanas are extremely intelligent. How can sandalwood trees suddenly appear in the forest?"
"No. I come here in the forest often looking for firewood for agnihotra."
"Then you must have never noticed."
"Appa!!! Sandalwood!!!" Simhavalli jumped off his arms and ran towards the tree. She jumped over to try and reach the branches of the tree. The cowherd chuckled at her attempt.
"Do you need help?" He offered. His beautiful black eyes imprinted themselves in her mind.
"Yes, please." She put her hands up to let him lift her. He lifted her up allowing her to reach a height where she could collect the small branches.
"How did these trees get so scratched?" She asked seeing the grooves made by what she guessed to be claws. The cowherd laughed and winked at her.
"Shhsshhh. I scratched them. That's how. Don't tell anyone."
Simhavalli turned her eyes at his fingers that were holding her tiny form. She wondered how such soft looking fingers could scratch the tree bark.
"That is a secret. I have secret claws that can scratch even the hardest armour."
She collected as many branches as she could hold. Srutiyasha still couldn't figure where the sandalwood trees came from. It seemed impossible. Srutiyasha collected the wood from her hands and put them in the bag with his firewood. He picked her up and started walking away, still confused as to how he missed those trees.
As the two walked away, Simhavalli turned around to see the cowherd again. He leaned against tree, smiling at her brightly. His smile caught her heart instantly.
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Okay, guys, I'm so sorry for being gone on such a huge break but I had such a writer's block. Finally, the ideas are returning to me.
I was re-reading all that I wrote in this story and I didn't know if you got the gist.
Among all the astikas in Hinduism, one of them is pure ritualism. They are called karma kandis; the ones who perform karma kanda as prescribed in purva mimamsa.
Purva Mimamsa is all about rituals prescribed by Vedas like yagyas, homas, and agnihotras. Uttara Mimamsa is about Vedanta or the philosophy of the Vedas.
The debate is age long whether Purva Mimamsa is more applicable or Uttara Mimamsa. The infamous debate between Adi-Shankaracharya and Mandana Misra is on this topic. Mandana Misra argues that the Vedas hold more supremacy because they are the explanations on what Brahman is. Without Vedas, there cannot be discussion on what Brahman is. Hence, they hold more reverence than archana and vedanta. Adi-Shankaracharya argues that Vedas's core idea to bring the knowledge of Brahman to the people. Ritualism has no meaning if done mechanically without understanding the philosophy. The sole idea of Vedas is to sing praises of Brahman. Hence, Vedanta which explains Brahman and his nature hold more importance.
The debate here is kind of similar. Simhavalli is trying to ascertain that elaborate ritualism is useless and pointless if done without devotion to the deity. But, even if one does not perform rituals but has deep devotion for the deity, they will attain Moksha.
I hope it isn't confusing yet.