Shishupala Vadha - The Hundred Offenses

Dadi: "Guddu, if someone promised to forgive you exactly one hundred times, what would you do?"

Guddu: "I'd try really hard not to use up all hundred chances!"

Dadi: "*chuckling* That would be the wise thing. But tonight I'll tell you about a king who used every single chance, one by one, until the hundred-and-first... cost him everything."

Guddu: "Who was this foolish king?"

Dadi: "His name was Shishupala, and his hatred for Krishna began the day he was born. When baby Shishupala emerged from his mother's womb, everyone screamed in horror - he had THREE eyes and FOUR arms!"

Guddu: "Like a monster?!"

Dadi: "His parents were terrified. But a voice from heaven told them: 'The extra limbs will vanish when the child sits on the lap of the one destined to kill him.'"

Guddu: "That's creepy..."

Dadi: "They took the baby to every king and warrior in the land. Nothing happened. Then they visited Krishna. The moment baby Shishupala touched Krishna's lap, two arms fell away, and the third eye closed."

Guddu: "*gasping* So Krishna was destined to kill him! And they still let them meet?!"

Dadi: "Shishupala's mother was Krishna's own aunt. She fell at her nephew's feet, weeping. 'Promise me you'll give him chances. Don't kill him for the first offenses. Please - forgive him a hundred times.'"

Guddu: "What did Krishna say?"

Dadi: "He agreed. 'I will overlook one hundred offenses. After that, his fate is his own.' And so the counting began."

Guddu: "Did Shishupala know about this?"

Dadi: "He did. And instead of being grateful, instead of trying to control himself, he became obsessed with Krishna. Every success Krishna had felt like a personal insult to Shishupala. Krishna had taken Rukmini, whom Shishupala wanted to marry. Krishna had defeated Jarasandha, Shishupala's friend. Everything Krishna did, Shishupala hated more."

Guddu: "So he kept insulting Krishna on purpose?"

Dadi: "In courts, in messages, in public gatherings. He called Krishna a coward, a cowherd, a thief. Each insult noted. Each insult forgiven. The count crept higher: twenty, forty, sixty, eighty, ninety-nine..."

Guddu: "Only one left!"

Dadi: "The final confrontation came at Yudhishthira's great Rajasuya sacrifice. When Bhishma proposed that Krishna receive the first worship, Shishupala exploded."

Guddu: "What did he say?"

Dadi: "He couldn't stop himself. 'Krishna?! First worship to this cowherd? This killer of his own uncle? This stealer of brides? This pretender who claims to be God?' The insults poured out like poison from a snake."

Guddu: "Was Krishna angry?"

Dadi: "He sat completely still, face calm, as the count ticked upward. Ninety-eight. Ninety-nine. One hundred."

Guddu: "*holding breath* And then?"

Dadi: "Shishupala shouted one more curse. That was number one hundred and one. Krishna simply raised his hand. His Sudarshana Chakra flew from his finger, spinning with blinding light. Before anyone could blink, Shishupala's head separated from his body."

Guddu: "*wide-eyed* Just like that?"

Dadi: "Just like that. But then something unexpected happened. From Shishupala's fallen body, a brilliant light emerged - his soul, luminous and pure. It rose into the air and merged directly into Krishna himself."

Guddu: "WHAT?! The person who HATED him got absorbed into him?!"

Dadi: "Everyone was shocked. Someone whispered, 'How? He died cursing you. How can he be liberated?'"

Guddu: "That's exactly what I want to know!"

Dadi: "Krishna explained something profound. 'He thought of me constantly. Every moment of his life was dedicated to me - in opposition, yes, but dedicated nonetheless. Hatred fixed on God is still fixation on God.'"

Guddu: "I don't understand, Dadi."

Dadi: "Think of it this way, beta. What's the opposite of love?"

Guddu: "Hatred?"

Dadi: "Most people think so. But Krishna said the true opposite of love is indifference - not caring at all. Shishupala was never indifferent. He burned with Krishna constantly. He couldn't stop thinking about him, even if those thoughts were negative."

Guddu: "So... thinking about God all the time, even angrily, still connects you?"

Dadi: "That's what the story teaches. The soul that cannot stop thinking about the Divine, for any reason, is already on its way home. Of course, Krishna also said that love is much easier and kinder than hatred. Both paths lead to him, but one creates suffering along the way."

Guddu: "Dadi, this is the strangest liberation story I've ever heard."

Dadi: "*smiling* It disturbed many people back then too. Some called it the most disturbing blessing ever witnessed. Others called it the most hopeful."

Guddu: "Why hopeful?"

Dadi: "Because it means no one is beyond redemption, beta. If even someone who spent a hundred insults cursing God could find liberation at the end, what does that say about the rest of us? Our smaller angers, our doubts, our struggles - they cannot separate us from the Divine if we keep turning toward it."

Guddu: "But I'd rather love God than hate him."

Dadi: "And that's the wise choice. Shishupala's path was hard and painful and ended in violent death. The path of love is gentler. But both paths end in the same embrace."

Guddu: "*yawning* Dadi, I'm going to think about God with love, not anger."

Dadi: "*kissing his forehead* That's my good boy. And remember - you have infinite chances from God. Don't waste them counting curses like Shishupala did."

Guddu: "Goodnight, Dadi. May my thoughts always be loving."

Dadi: "And may they always lead you home, beta. Sweet dreams."