Upamanyu Devotion to Shiva

Dadi: "Guddu, before the great Kurukshetra war began, Duryodhana sent one final message to the Pandavas. And he chose a very insulting messenger."

Guddu: "Why would you insult people with a messenger?"

Dadi: "Because the messenger himself was meant to be an insult! His name was Uluka - which means "owl" - and he was the son of Shakuni, the gambler who cheated Yudhishthira at dice."

Guddu: "The son of the cheater!"

Dadi: "Sending such a low-status messenger to princes was itself a statement: "You're not worth a better envoy." But the message Uluka carried was even worse."

Guddu: "What did it say?"

Dadi: "Duryodhana mocked each Pandava! He reminded Yudhishthira of his gambling loss and compared him to a cat who pretends to be holy while preying on mice. He called him a hypocrite!"

Guddu: "That's mean!"

Dadi: "He mocked Bhima for working as a cook during their year in hiding. He made fun of Arjuna for teaching dancing! He laughed at their disguises."

Guddu: "What about Krishna?"

Dadi: "For Krishna, Duryodhana had the worst insults! He called Krishna's miracles "conjurer's tricks" and said armed warriors wouldn't be scared by magic shows!"

Guddu: "He insulted God himself?"

Dadi: "Pride makes people blind, beta. Duryodhana listed his massive army - forces from Kamboja, Shaka, Dravida, and many other regions. He compared the Pandavas to "a frog in a well" who doesn't know how big the ocean is."

Guddu: "How did the Pandavas react?"

Dadi: "Bhima trembled with fury. Arjuna repeated his vows to destroy the Kauravas. But Krishna remained calm."

Guddu: "What did Krishna say?"

Dadi: "He simply told Uluka to deliver a counter-message: "Tell Duryodhana to come to the battlefield tomorrow and show his prowess. All vows will be fulfilled.""

Guddu: "Short and powerful!"

Dadi: "No insults, no anger - just a quiet promise. When you're truly powerful, beta, you don't need to shout about it."

Guddu: "What happened to Uluka?"

Dadi: "He died on the last day of the war, along with his father Shakuni. Sahadeva, the youngest Pandava, killed Shakuni to avenge the dice game that had caused so much suffering."

Guddu: "So the message-bringer met the consequences of his message."

Dadi: "Words have power, Guddu. Uluka didn't write those insults - he only delivered them. But by choosing to carry poison, he became part of the poison."

Guddu: "Should he have refused?"

Dadi: "That's the moral question. Sometimes we're asked to do things we know are wrong. We can say "I was just following orders" - but that doesn't remove responsibility."

Guddu: "Like if a friend asks me to lie for him?"

Dadi: "Exactly. You can refuse. Uluka could have softened the message, delayed it, or warned Duryodhana about consequences. Instead, he delivered hatred enthusiastically. And hatred returned to him."

Guddu: "I'll be careful about what messages I carry."

Dadi: "Wise boy. Be a messenger of peace, not war. Carry words that heal, not wound. That's how you stay safe from the consequences that caught Uluka."