Mahabharata – 103

by 

Sankar Mukherjee

& Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

                                   Aadivamsavatarana Parva

The demons killed Kacha . Sukracharya brought him back to life. But Kacha was not out of fire. Another day Kacha was missing again.Devyani pined for him.Kacha came back to his preceptor’s house.

On interrogation Kacha  told  Devyani -- I was killed when I went into the woods for gathering flowers. The Danavas saw me. They again killed me & cut me into pieces. Then they threw those pieces into the waters of the ocean.

Finding Kacha not coming home the maiden Devyani again approached her father.And summoned again by Sukracharya with the aid of his Sanjivani, Kacha appeared & told everything as it had happened.

But the demons were bent on killing Kacha so that the mantra of reviving of the dead could not pass on to the gods from Sukracharya via Kacha. So next time  they hit upon a plan. They killed Kacha for the third time. They turned him into ashes.They mixed the ashes  with  wine. They served wine to  Sukracharya. And Sukracharya drunk the wine.  

This reminds the readers of Thyestes composed by the great playwright Seneca.

 Kacha did not come back to his preceptor’s household. Seeing this Devyani rushed to her father & said--  'Oh Father, the obedient Kacha was sent to gather flowers. But he has not returned yet. He is not to be seen. It is sure that he has been killed or he has been lost. I tell you truly, I will not live without him.

Vaisampyana said--Oh king Janamejaya! Sukracharya hearing Devyani,called Kacha by name.But this time the miracle did not take place.Kacha did not show up.Sukracharya now said to Devyani --   Oh Daughter!,the son of Vrihaspati has  gone to the region of the dead. I have tried over & over again to revive Kacha who has been assassinated over & over again .I am now fed up. What,indeed,am I to do? Oh Devayani!,Do not suffer.Do not cry.One like you should not suffer or lament for one who is mortal. Even if Kacha is revived to life the demons will kill him once again.So we are helpless.

But Devyani protested -- 'Why shall I,Oh father!, not grieve for him whose grandfather is old Angiras himself, & whose father is Vrihaspati, He himself too was a Brahmachari and an ascetic; always wakeful and skilled in everything. I shall also follow the way Kacha has gone. The handsome Kacha  was dear  to me.

Sukracharya  said, in anger, 'Certainly, the Asuras seek to injure me. Because, they slay my innoscent disciple again & again. These Asuras desire to stain my character of a Brahmin. And they have been always insulting me. Truly, this crime is a terrible one. The crime of slaying a Brahmin would even burn Indra himself.

Vaisampayana continued--  Oh King Janamejaya! Having said this, the great Rishi Sukracharya, on frequent request of Devyani  called Kacha again by name. But Kacha, summoned with the aid of the science, of Sanjivani was apprehensive of the misfortune of his Guru Sukracharya.So he did not want to speak. But the mantra of Sanjivani made him to speak. So feebly did he reply from within the stomach of his preceptor, saying-- Be graceful to me, Oh lord! I am worshipping you. I am like your son.

 Sukracharya then said -- 'By what path, Oh! Kacha you have entered my stomach? & how are you staying there?  Tell me.

Kacha replied --- By your grace, memory has not failed me. Indeed, I do recollect everything as it happened. My ascetic virtues have not been destroyed through this kind of death. It is, therefore, that I am able to bear this almost insufferable pain.

Oh Lord! slain by the Asuras and burnt and turned  to ashes, I have been given to you mingled with wine. Sir you are omniscient. You could easily find out the truth. But it is you who

taught the demons the skill of employing maya or magic. They employed maya & hence you could not guess that the wine was mingled with my ashes. Although I  could dissipate the maya with my own powers but I did not think that I should show my spiritual power where you are present.

Hearing this, Sukracharya said, 'Oh my daughter!, what good can I do to you? It is with my death that Kacha can get his life back. Oh Devayani,there is no other way of his coming out except by  opening my stomach.

 Devayani replied, 'Both the events --- the death of Kacha as well as your death shall, burn me like fire The death of Kacha & your own death are to me the same! The death of Kacha would deprive me of life. If you also die, I shall not be able to bear my life.

 Then Sukracharya said, 'Oh Kacha! you have, indeed,  already  achieved the vow of ascetism, because Devayani adores you so well ! you have been very obedient. Accept the science that I will today impart to you.If you are really Kacha son of Vrihaspati this knowledge will help you but if you are Indra the king of gods in disguise of Kacha then this knowledge will be of no help to you. None can come out from my stomach, recalled to life other than a Brahmana. Therefore, accept the science. I impart it to you.

Start your life as my son  & the  inheritor  of the knowledge attained by me. Take care that, on coming out of my body,revive me & act gracefully. Focused on virtue by receiving knowledge from the Guru be wise.

 'Receiving the science imparted to him by his preceptor the handsome Kacha,  opening the stomach of Sukracharya , came out to the world  like the moon of the bright fort-night. Kacha come back to life piercing the stomach & entrails of great Sukracharya looked at the  body of Sukracharya with great sorrow.His silver skin was laced with golden blood.He looked like a mountain of wisdom,knowledge & penance aglow with love & light.Kacha with all reverence chanted the Sanjivani mantra.And lo! Sukracharya came back to life & shone in great spiritual & mundane effulgence. Sukracharya blessed Kacha profusely.Sukracharya told Kacha that henceforth he was as powerful as Sukracharya himself.He was now as powerful as Brahma himself.Kacha said -- Sir henceforth you are not merely my preceptor.You are my father.You are my mother also.I will never ever do any harm to you.I will not entertain any harm to you even in my thoughts.

Sukracharya felt  how harmful drinking wine is. Because the wine he had taken offered by the demons was adulterated with the body & blood of the great soul Kacha. Hence he thundered that whichever Brahmin drinks wine henceforth will be damned here & hereafter. Sukracharya addressed the demons & told them that deluded by ignorance they had killed the great soul Kacha. Now Kacha has learned the Sanjivani mantra. So he is at par with Sukracharya himself. Kacha is now as great as Brahma the creator himself.

Kacha took leave of Sukracharya.Then he went to bid farewell to Devyani.There was a long conversation between Devyani & Kacha. There was some difference of opinions. Be that as it may Kacha took leave of Devyani & set out for heaven.