Ulūka Dūtāgamana Parva: The Messenger of Insults

The Ulūka Dūtāgamana Parva covers Chapters 160 to 163 of the Udyoga Parva in the Mahābhārata. On the eve of the Kurukshetra war, Duryodhana sends Ulūka, the son of Śakuni, to the Pāṇḍava camp. Ulūka brings insulting messages for each Pāṇḍava hero, and each hero answers.

The embassy

The armies have gathered and the war is now openly declared. Duryodhana sends Ulūka, the son of Śakuni, as his last messenger to the Pāṇḍava camp. Ulūka is therefore Duryodhana’s cousin.

Earlier, Kṛshṇa and Sañjaya had gone as messengers. This embassy is different. It carries no offer of peace.

Duryodhana’s messages

Duryodhana’s messages are made to wound each hero at his most tender point:

To Yudhishṭhira, a reminder of the shame of the dice game, the exile, and the need to depend on the goodwill of others. The message mocks his claim to be above others in dharma, given what he accepted.
To Bhīma, a challenge to his pride as the strongest man alive, and a dare to prove his boasts.
To Arjuna, a challenge about whether his Gāṇḍīva bow and his divine weapons will prove as fearful as his name.
To Kṛshṇa, a taunt about his role as an unarmed charioteer.
To Virāṭa, Drupada, Dhṛshṭadyumna and Śikhaṇḍī, challenges aimed at each man’s own pride and part in the coming battle.

Each hero answers with his own declaration. Each states again his commitment to dharma and his readiness for war, without stooping to Duryodhana’s level of insult. Yudhishṭhira’s answer is calm and dignified. He states that the Pāṇḍava cause is just, and he does not fall into abuse.

The Baiḍāla-vrata parable

During the episode the parable of the Baiḍāla-vrata is told. The words mean “the vow of the cat”. In the parable a cat takes on the look and conduct of a righteous ascetic. It stands on one leg, gazes at the sun and holds its breath. In this way it wins the trust of the fish and birds around it. When their guard is down, the cat eats them.

The parable is offered as a comparison for Duryodhana’s conduct. The dice game, the invitation to Khāṇḍavaprastha and the false invitations all follow the pattern of the cat that pretends to be good in order to prey.

What follows

Ulūka returns to the Kaurava camp with the Pāṇḍava answers. Dhṛshṭadyumna then gives each Pāṇḍava warrior a chosen opponent (Chapter 164):

Arjuna against Karṇa
Bhīma against Duryodhana
Dhṛshṭaketu against Śalya
Uttamaujas against Kṛpa
Nakula against Aśvatthāman
Śaibya against Kṛtavarman
Sātyaki against Jayadratha
Śikhaṇḍī against Bhīshma
Sahadeva against Śakuni
Cekitāna against Śala
The five sons of Draupadī against the Trigarta kings
Abhimanyu against Vṛshasena
Dhṛshṭadyumna against Droṇa

The Pāṇḍava army then marches to Kurukshetra.

Sources

Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapters 160–163 (with Chapter 164 for the choice of opponents)