Flowers brought Kacha and Devyani together. The flowers Kacha brought for Devyani were gorgeous, to say the least. He created each exotic bouquet carefully and thoughtfully ensuring it was a riot of colours, textures, and smells that made Devyani’s senses feel delightfully overwhelmed. Her love for him increased with every bunch of flowers he brought for her from the deep wilderness while taking her father’s cattle for grazing. 

“How do you manage to find such marvellous and rare flowers for me? Don’t you feel scared to go so deep into the forest? And don’t you get hurt by the stinging thorns and rough jungle paths you have to tread on?”

“A beautiful, loving woman like you deserves only the best. Bearing the pain of thorn pricks and facing my fears are a small price to pay for your radiant smile!” He replied, his eyes shining with love. 

Devyani blushed happily at Kacha’s words. She remembered the day when he landed on the doorsteps of their home proudly and bravely announcing himself as the son of Brihaspati, the guru of the Devas (also known as Adityas), arch-rivals of the Asuras. 

It was quite a shock initially for everyone. The Asura (they were also known as Daityas) warriors wanted to kill him immediately, believing he was sent here by the Devas for a specific purpose. Initially, her father, Shukracharya, the Guru of the Asuras, was also hesitant to accept the son of his rival as his disciple.

“Why can’t your father be your teacher? Why come to me?”

“Because I have learned whatever my father could teach me. Now, I want to expand my knowledge.”

“Are you here to trick me into teaching you the mrit sanjeevani vidya?”

“No, I am not. I will learn whatever you teach me.”

Shukracharya felt a wee bit superior that the son of his rival thought he could teach him than his own equally illustrious father. 

Also, highly impressed with the lad’s unrelenting enthusiasm to learn, he chose not to discriminate against him for being from the opposing camp and took Kacha as his student. 

And so, the years of training started for Kacha. Days passed into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, and years into many more years. As Kacha learned and imbibed whatever his teacher taught him, he found himself deeply attracted to Devyani too. The attraction seemed mutual as the two of them were found often talking and laughing in each other’s company.

The Daityas were not at all happy with the situation. Their guru had access to the powerful mritsanjeevani vidya, given by Lord Shiva, which helped revive Asuras who died in battles. Therefore, the number of Asura warriors never dwindled, considering the dead ones were brought alive and new warriors were continuously added to their ranks. 

The Asuras were becoming more powerful than the Adityas whose numbers were rapidly declining, thanks to the relentless battles between the two. The Asuras feared that Kacha was sent here by the Devas to learn that powerful mantra. 

They approached Shukracharya with their fears. But, the guru allayed their apprehensions. “Don’t worry, my dear children. I will not teach him that mantra at all. Trust me! He is an excellent student, and as a teacher, it is my duty to impart knowledge to all seekers without discrimination.”

And yet, the growing camaraderie (which seemed to go deeper than mere friendship) between Kacha and Devyani worried the Asuras. What if their guru agreed to their marriage? Then, wouldn’t he share his secret with his own son-in-law? These fears drove the Asuras to take matters into their own hands, despite the assurances and reassurances from their guru. 

One day, while Kacha was grazing cattle in the forest, the Asuras killed him and fed his body to a wolf, and happily returned home thinking their problem was solved. But, they had underestimated the power of Devyani’s love for Kacha, and Shukracharya’s love for his daughter. 

When Kacha didn’t return in the evening, Devyani rushed to her father for help who realized the Asuras might have been up to some mischief. Angry at them, he quickly invoked the mritsanjeevani mantra. 

Kacha came alive ripping open the wolf’s stomach, and to the utter delight of Devyani, stood before her, hale and hearty. The Asuras were furious with their guru but didn’t have the courage to say anything to his face. Instead, they kept killing the poor lad and feeding him to the wild animals. And each time, Guru Shukracharya revived Kacha from the dead.  

Finally, the Asuras decided that it was time to put an end to this drama once and for all. So, they came up with an ingenious plan, or so they thought. They killed Kacha, burned his body, and mixed the ashes with soma, the favoured intoxicant of the heavenly beings. They offered the specially concocted soma to their guru who happily drank up the offering, completely unaware of the Asuras’ devious plans. 

In the evening, when Kacha failed to return home, Devyani went to her father again. Just as the guru was about to recite the mantra, he heard Kacha’s voice coming from his abdomen.

“Guru, don’t recite the mantra because I am in your stomach. If you recite it, I will come alive only to find you dead. I don’t want a life that kills my guru. I would rather be dead myself.” This was exactly what the Asuras wanted. 

Devyani burst into tears. She was caught between her love for her father and her lover. Who would she choose? Seeing his daughter in such deep pain, and fueled by his fury against the Asuras for indulging in this vile act, Guru Shukracharya took a decision.

“Don’t worry, Kacha. There’s a way out of this. I will teach you the mrit sanjeevani mantra so that you can use it for me after you are revived.”

So, he taught his most ardent student the mantra which Kacha learned quickly and efficiently. Once he was ready, his guru invoked the mantra and revived Kacha. 

When Kacha returned from the dead, he found himself next to the corpse of Guru Shukracharya and the teary-eyed, beautiful Devyani. Now, he was in a dilemma. Should he revive Shukracharya or should he simply leave for his home now that his mission was accomplished?

Yes, Kacha was sent by his father, Guru Brihaspathi to get the mritsanjeevani mantra, and he had successfully learned it. He could leave Shukracharya to die and go back home and he would get a hero’s welcome. The tables would turn with the Asura numbers dwindling and that of the Devas increasing exponentially, a situation which was beyond the expectations of the Devas. But Kacha couldn’t do it. 

He had fallen in love with Devyani and was completely mesmerized by her beauty and innocence, and he couldn’t bring himself to leave without telling her the truth. Even though a part of him wanted to leave right away, he knew he would never be able to live with himself if he did that.

So, he used the mantra he learned just a few minutes ago and gave the power of life to his dead guru’s body. As he looked at the happy faces of his guru and his beloved as they hugged each other joyfully at being reunited, he knew it was time to leave. 

He prostrated before his guru and said, “I have to now take your leave, Guru. I should go back to my home. And you know why.”

Shukracharya knew this would happen as soon as he taught the lad the special mantra. And yet, he did nothing to stop him. Neither was he angry. Instead, he blessed him and said, “Go! You have worked hard and have earned your knowledge and wisdom. The Asuras deserve this because they lacked faith in me.” 

Kacha then turned to Devyani and said, “Now that we are born of the same father, you have become my sister, and so, I cannot see you as my lover or wife. Forgive me!”

While her father was able to let go of Kacha, Devyani couldn’t do so easily. She was appalled at the sudden, unexpected turn of events, and livid with rage. She felt humiliated and deceived. Also, she knew Kacha had fallen in love with her, even if unwittingly. And yet he was willing to leave her and go. Someone else was more important to him than she. 

Her anger and humiliation needed to be appeased. So, she cursed him, “You will not be able to use the mantra that you learned from my father through deceit and deception.”

He bowed humbly, “I happily accept that punishment. But you must know that I can teach others including my father and they will be able to use it well.”

He turned and walked away from the two people he loved the most before they saw his tears. He paid this price for his father because the duty of being a son came first and above all else. 

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
in collaboration with Dr. Preeti Chauhan.

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