5. DEVAYANI AND KACHA:

5. DEVAYANI AND KACHA:
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IN ancient times, there was a bitter
struggle between the devas or gods and
the asuras or demons for the lordship of
the three worlds. Both belligerents had
illustrious preceptors. Brihaspati who was
pre-eminent in the knowledge of the
Vedas was the guiding spirit of the devas,
while the asuras relied on Sukracharya's
profound wisdom.

The asuras had the formidable advantage
that Sukracharya alone possessed the
secret of Sanjivini which could recall the
dead to life. Thus the asuras who had
fallen in the battle were brought back to
life, time and again, and continued their
fight with the devas. The devas were thus
at a great disadvantage in their long
drawn-out war with their natural foes.

They went to Kacha, the son of
Brihaspati, and besought his aid. They
begged him to win his way into the good
graces of Sukracharya and persuade him
to take him as a pupil. Once admitted to
intimacy and confidence, he was to
acquire, by fair means or foul, the secret
of Sanjivini and remove the great
handicap under which the devas suffered.

Kacha acceded to their request and set out
to meet Sukracharya who lived in the
capital city of Vrishaparva, the king of the
asuras. Kacha went to the house of Sukra,
and after due salutation, addressed him
thus: "I am Kacha, the grandson of the
sage Angiras and the son of Brihaspati. I
am a brahmacharin seeking knowledge
under your tutelage."

It was the law that the wise teacher should
not refuse a worthy pupil who sought
knowledge of him. So Sukra acceded and
said: "Kacha, you belong to a good
family. I accept you as my pupil, the more
willingly, that by doing so I shall also be
showing my respect for Brihaspati."

Kacha spent many years under
Sukracharya, rendering to perfection the
prescribed duties in the household of his
master. Sukracharya had a lovelydaughter,
Devayani, of whom he was extremely
fond. Kacha devoted himself to pleasing
and serving her with song and dance and
pastime and succeeded in winning her
affection, without detriment however to
the vows of brahmacharya.

When the asuras came to know of this,
they became anxious as they suspected
that Kacha's object was somehow to
wheedle out of Sukracharya the secret of
Sanjivini. They naturally sought to
prevent such a calamity.

One day, as Kacha was engaged in
grazing the cattle of his master the asuras
seized him, tore him to pieces and cast his
flesh to the dogs. When the cattle returned
without Kacha, Devayani was filled with
anxiety, and ran to her father with loud
lamentations: "The sun has set," she
wailed, "and your nightly fire sacrifice has
been performed; still Kacha has not
returned home. The cattle have come back
by themselves. I fear some mishap has
befallen Kacha. I cannot live without
him."

The fond father employed the art of
Sanjivini and invoked the dead youth to
appear. At once Kacha came back to life
and greeted the master with smiles. Asked
by Devayani the reason for his delay, he
told her that as he was grazing the cattle
the asuras came suddenly on him and slew
him. How he came back to life he knew
not, but come back to life he did, and
there he was.

On another occasion Kacha went to the
forest to pluck flowers for Devayani, and
again the asuras seized and killed him,
and pounding his body to a paste, mixed it
up in sea-water. As he did not return even
after a long time Devayani went as before
to her father who brought Kacha back to
life by his Sanjivini, and heard from him
all that had taken place.

For the third time again, the Asuras killed
Kacha and very cleverly as they thought,
burnt his body, mixed the ashes in wine
and served it to Sukracharya who drank it,
suspecting nothing. Once more the cows
returned home without their keeper, and
once again Devayani approached her
father with her distressful appeal for
Kacha.

Sukracharya tried in vain to console his
daughter. "Though I have again and again
brought back Kacha to life," said he, "the
asuras seem bent upon killing him. Well,
death is the common lot, and it is not
proper for a wise soul like you to sorrow
at it. Your life is all before you to enjoy,
with youth and beauty and the goodwill of
the world."

Devayani deeply loved Kacha, and since
the world began, wise words have never
cured the ache of bereavement. She said:
"Kacha, the grandson of Angiras and the
son of Brihaspati, was a blameless boy,
who was devoted and tireless in our
service. I loved him dearly, and now that
he has been killed, life to me has become
bleak and insupportable. I shall therefore
follow in his path." And Devayani began
to fast. Sukracharya, heart-stricken by his
daughter's sorrow, became very angry
with the asuras, and felt that the heinous
sin of killing a brahmana would weigh
heavily on their fortunes.

He employed the Sanjivini art and called
upon Kacha to appear. By the power of
the Sanjivini Kacha dispersed as he was in
the wine which was inside Sukracharya's
body at the time, regained life, but
prevented by the peculiarity of his
location from coming out, he could only
answer to his name from where he was.

Sukracharya exclaimed in angry
amazement: "O brahmacharin, how did
you get into me? Is this also the work of
the asuras? This is really too bad and
makes me feel like killing the asuras
immediately and joining the devas. But
tell me the whole story."

Kacha narrated it all, in spite of the
inconvenience imposed by his position.
Vaisampayana continued: "The highsouled
and austere Sukracharya of
immeasurable greatness, became angry at
the deceit practised on him in his wine,
and proclaimed for the benefit of
humanity: 'Virtue will desert the man who
through lack of wisdom drinks wine. He
will be an object of scorn to all, This is
my message to humanity, which should be
regarded as an imperative scriptural
injunction.' Then he turned to his daughter

Devayani and said: Dear daughter, here is
a problem for you. For Kacha to live, he
must rend my stomach and come out of it,
and that means death to me. His life can
only be bought by my death."
Devayani began to weep and said: "Alas!
It is death to me either way. For if either
of you perish, I shall not survive."
Sukracharya sought a way out of the
difficulty. The real explanation of it all
flashed on him.

He said to Kacha: "O son of Brihaspati, I
now see with what object you came and
verily you have secured it! I must bring
you out to life for the sake of Devayani,
but equally for her sake I must not die
either. The only way is to initiate you in
the art of Sanjivini so that you can bring
me back to life after I shall have died
when a way is torn out through my
entrails for you. You should employ the
knowledge I am going to impart to you
and revive me, so that Devayani need not
grieve for either of us."

Accordingly Sukracharya imparted the art
of Sanjivini to Kacha. Immediately Kacha
came forth from Sukracharya's body,
emerging like the full moon from a cloud,
while the great preceptor fell down
mangled and dead.
But Kacha at once brought Sukracharya
back to life by means of his newly
acquired Sanjivini. Kacha bowed down to
Sukracharya and said: "The teacher who
imparts wisdom to the ignorant is a father.
Besides, as I have issued from your body
you are my mother too."

Kacha remained for many more years
under the tutelage of Sukracharya. When
the period of his vow ended, he took leave
of his master to return to the world of the
gods.

As he was about to depart Devayani
humbly addressed him thus: "O,
grandchild of Angiras, you have won my
heart by your blameless life, your great
attainments and nobility of birth. I have
loved you long and tenderly, even while
you were faithfully following your vows
of a brahmacharin. You should now
reciprocate my love and make me happy
by marrying me. Brihaspati as well as
yourself are fully worthy of being honored
by me. "

In those days, it was no uncommon thing
for wise and learned brahmana ladies to
speak out their mind with honorable
frankness. But Kacha said:
"O faultless one, you are my master's
daughter and ever worthy of my respect. I
got back my life by being born out of your
father's body. Hence I am your brother. It
is not proper for you, my sister, to ask me
to wed you."

Devayani sought in vain to persuade him.
"You are the son of Brihaspati," said she,
"and not of my father. If I have been the
cause of your coming back to life, it was
because I loved you as indeed I have
always loved you as my husband. It is not
fit that you should give up one like me
sinless and devoted to you."
Kacha replied: "Do not seek to persuade
me to unrighteousness. You are
enchanting more so now than ever,
flushed as you are with anger. But I am
your brother. Pray bid me adieu. Serve
unto perfection, ever and always, my
master Sukracharya."

With these words Kacha gently
disengaged himself and proceeded to the
abode of Indra, the king of gods.
Sukracharya consoled his daughter.