The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa BOOK 1 ADI PARVA SECTION LXXVI (Sambhava Parva continued)

 

 The Mahabharata of

Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa BOOK 1

ADI PARVA

SECTION LXXVI

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Janamejaya said, 'O thou of the wealth of asceticism, tell me how our

ancestor Yayati, who is the tenth from Prajapati, obtained for a wife the

unobtainable daughter of Sukra. I desire to hear of it in detail. Tell me

also, one after another, of those monarchs separately who were the

founders of dynasties.'

"Vaisampayana said, 'The monarch Yayati was in splendour like unto Indra

himself. I will tell thee, in reply to thy question, O Janamejaya, how

both Sukra and Vrishaparvan bestowed upon him, with due rites, their

daughters, and how his union took place with Devayani in special.

"Between the celestials and the Asuras, there happened, of yore, frequent

encounters for the sovereignty of the three worlds with everything in

them. The gods, then, from desire of victory, installed the son of

Angiras (Vrihaspati) as their priest to conduct their sacrifices; while

their opponents installed the learned Usanas as their priest for the same

purpose. And between those two Brahmanas there are always much boastful

rivalry. Those Danavas assembled for encounter that were slain by the

gods were all revived by the seer Sukra by the power of his knowledge.

And then starting again, into life,--these fought with the gods. The

Asuras also slew on the field of battle many of the celestials. But the

open-minded Vrihaspati could not revive them, because he knew not the

science called Sanjivani (re-vivification) which Kavya endued with great

energy knew so well. And the gods were, therefore, in great sorrow. And

the gods, in great anxiety of heart and entertaining a fear of the

learned Usanas, then went to Kacha, the eldest son of Vrihaspati, and

spoke unto him, saying, 'We pay court to thee, be kind to us and do us a

service that we regard as very great. That knowledge which resides in

Sukra, that Brahmana of immeasurable prowess, make thy own as soon as

thou canst. Thou shalt find the Brahmana in the court of Vrishaparvan. He

always protects the Danavas but never us, their opponents. Thou art his

junior in age, and, therefore, capable of adoring him with reverence.

Thou canst also adore Devayani, the favourite daughter of that

high-souled Brahmana. Indeed, thou alone art capable of propitiating them

both by worship. There is none else that can do so. By gratifying

Devayani with thy conduct, liberality, sweetness, and general behaviour,

thou canst certainly obtain that knowledge.' The son of Vrihaspati, thus

solicited by the gods, said 'So be it, and went to where Vrishaparvan

was. Kacha, thus sent by the gods, soon went to the capital of the chief

of the Asuras, and beheld Sukra there. And beholding him, he thus spoke

unto him, 'Accept me as thy disciple. I am the grandson of the Rishi

Angiras and son of Vrihaspati. By name I am known as Kacha. Thyself

becoming my preceptor, I shall practise the Brahmacharya mode of life for

a thousand years. Command me, then, O Brahmana!'

"Sukra (hearing this) said, 'Welcome art thou, O Kacha! I accept thy

speech. I will treat thee with regard; for by so doing, it is Vrihaspati

who will be regarded.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Kacha commanded by Kavya or Usanas himself,

called also Sukra, then said, 'So be it,' and took the vow he had spoken

of. And, O Bharata, accepting the vow of which he had spoken, at the

proper time, Kacha began to conciliate regardfully both his preceptor and

(his daughter) Devayani. Indeed, he began to conciliate both. And as he

was young, by singing and dancing and playing on different kinds of

instruments, he soon gratified Devayani who was herself in her youth.

And, O Bharata, with his whole heart set upon it, he soon gratified the

maiden Devayani who was then a young lady, by presents of flowers and

fruits and services rendered with alacrity. And Devayani also with her

songs and sweetness of manners used, while they were alone, to attend

upon that youth carrying out his vow. And when five hundred years had

thus passed of Kacha's vow, the Danavas came to learn his intention. And

having no compunctions about slaying a Brahmana, they became very angry

with him. And one day they saw Kacha in a solitary part of the woods

engaged in tending (his preceptor's) kine. They then slew Kacha from

their hatred of Vrihaspati and also from their desire of protecting the

knowledge of reviving the dead from being conveyed by him. And having

slain him, they hacked his body into pieces and gave them to be devoured

by jackals and wolves. And (when twilight came) the kine returned to the

fold without him who tended them. And Devayani, seeing the kine returned

from the woods without Kacha, spoke, O Bharata, unto her father thus:

'Thy evening-fire hath been kindled. The Sun also hath set, O father! The

kine have returned without him who tendeth them. Kacha is, indeed, not to

be seen. It is plain that Kacha hath been lost, or is dead. Truly do I

say, O father, that without him I will not live.'

"Sukra hearing this said, I will revive him by saying, 'Let this one

come.' Then having recourse to the science of reviving the dead, Sukra

summoned Kacha. And summoned by his preceptor, Kacha appeared before him

in the gladness of heart tearing by virtue of his preceptor's science the

bodies of the wolves (that had devoured him). And asked about the cause

of his delay, he thus spoke unto Bhargava's daughter. Indeed, asked by

that Brahman's daughter, he told her, 'I was dead. O thou of pure

manners, burdened with sacrificial fuel, Kusa grass, and logs of wood, I

was coming towards our abode. I sat under a banian tree. The kine also,

having been brought together, were staying under the shade of that same

banian tree. The Asuras, beholding me, asked 'Who art thou?' They heard

me answer, 'I am the son of Vrihaspati.' As soon as I said this, the

Danavas slew me, and hacking my body into pieces gave my remains to

jackals and wolves. And they then went home in the gladness of heart. O

amiable one, summoned by the high-souled Bhargava, I after all come

before thee fully revived.'

"On another occasion, asked by Devayani, the Brahmana Kacha went into the

woods. And as he was roving about for gathering flowers, the Danavas

beheld him. They again slew him, and pounding him into a paste they mixed

it with the water of the ocean. Finding him long still (in coming), the

maiden again represented the matter unto her father. And summoned again

by the Brahmana with the aid of his science, Kacha appearing before his

preceptor and his daughter told everything as it had happened. Then

slaying him for the third time and burning him and reducing him to ashes,

the Asuras gave those ashes to the preceptor himself, mixing them with

his wine. And Devayani again spoke unto her father, saying, 'O father,

Kacha was sent to gather flowers. But he is not to be seen. It is plain

he hath been lost, or has died. I tell thee truly, I would not live

without him.'

"Sukra hearing this said, 'O daughter, the son of Vrihaspati hath gone to

the region of the dead. Though revived by my science, he is thus slain

frequently. What, indeed, am I to do? O Devayani, do not grieve, do not

cry. One like thee should not grieve for one that is mortal. Thou art

indeed, O daughter, in consequence of my prowess, worshipped thrice a day

during the ordained hours of prayer, by Brahmanas, the gods with Indra,

the Vasus, the Aswins, the Asuras, in fact, by the whole universe. It is

impossible to keep him alive, for revived by me he is often killed.' To

all this Devayani replied, 'Why shall I, O father, not grieve for him

whose grandfather is old Angiras himself, whose father is Vrihaspati who

is an ocean of ascetic merit, who is the grandson of a Rishi and the son

also of a Rishi? He himself too was a Brahmacharin and an ascetic; always

wakeful and skilled in everything. I will starve and follow the way Kacha

has gone. The handsome Kacha is, O father, dear unto me.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'The great Rishi Kavya, then, afflicted by what

Devayani said, cried in anger, 'Certainly, the Asuras seek to injure me,

for they slay my disciple that stayeth with me. These followers of Rudra

desire to divest me of my character as a Brahmana by making me

participate in their crime. Truly, this crime hath a terrible end. The

crime of slaying a Brahmana would even burn Indra himself.' Having said

this, the Brahmana Sukra, urged by Devayani, began to summon Kacha who

had entered the jaws of Death. But Kacha, summoned with the aid of

science, and afraid of the consequence to his preceptor, feebly replied

from within the stomach of his preceptor, saying, 'Be graceful unto me, O

lord! I am Kacha that worshippeth thee. Behave unto me as to thy own

dearly-loved son.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Sukra then said, 'By what path, O Brahmana,

hast thou entered my stomach, where thou stayest now? Leaving the Asuras

this very moment, I shall go over to the gods." Kacha replied, 'By thy

grace, memory hath not failed me. Indeed, I do recollect everything as it

hath happened. My ascetic virtues have not been destroyed. It is,

therefore, that I am able to bear this almost insufferable pain. O Kavya,

slain by the Asuras and burnt and reduced to powder, I have been given to

thee with thy wine. When thou art present, O Brahmana, the art of the

Asuras will never be able to vanquish, the science of the Brahmana.'

"Hearing this, Sukra said, 'O daughter, what good can I do to thee? It is

with my death that Kacha can get his life back. O Devayani, Kacha is even

within me. There is no other way of his coming out except by ripping open

my stomach.' Devayani replied, 'Both evils shall, like fire, burn me! The

death of Kacha and thy own death are to me the same! The death of Kacha

would deprive me of life. If thou also diest, I shall not be able to bear

my life.' Then Sukra said, 'O son of Vrihaspati, thou art, indeed, one

already crowned with success, because Devayani regards thee so well.

Accept the science that I will today impart to thee, if, indeed, thou be

not Indra in the form of Kacha. None can come out of my stomach with

life. A Brahmana, however, must not be slain, therefore, accept thou the

science I impart to thee. Start thou into life as my son. And possessed

of the knowledge received from me, and revived by me, take care that, on

coming out of my body, thou dost act gracefully.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Receiving the science imparted to him by his

preceptor the handsome Kacha, ripped open his stomach, came out like the

moon at evening on the fifteenth day of the bright fort-night. And

beholding the remains of his preceptor lying like a heap of penances,

Kacha revived him, aided by the science he had learned. Worshipping him

with regard, Kacha said unto his preceptor, 'Him who poureth the nectar

of knowledge into one's ears, even as thou hast done into those of myself

who was void of knowledge, him do I regard both as my father and mother.

And remembering the immense service done by him, who is there so

ungrateful as to injure him? They that, having acquired knowledge, injure

their preceptor who is always an object of worship, who is the giver of

knowledge, who is the most precious of all precious objects on Earth,

come to be hated on Earth and finally go to the regions of the sinful.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'The learned Sukra, having been deceived while

under the influence of wine, and remembering the total loss of

consciousness that is one of the terrible consequences of drink, and

beholding too before him the handsome Kacha whom he had, in a state of

unconsciousness, drunk with his wine, then thought of effecting a reform

in the manners of Brahmanas. The high-souled Usanas rising up from the

ground in anger, then spoke as follows: "The wretched Brahmana who from

this day, unable to resist the temptation, will drink wine shall be

regarded as having lost his virtue, shall be reckoned to have committed

the sin of slaying a Brahmana, shall be hated both in this and the other

worlds. I set this limit to the conduct and dignity of Brahmanas

everywhere. Let the honest, let Brahmanas, let those with regard for

their superiors, let the gods, let the three worlds, listen!' Having said

these words that high-souled one, that ascetic of ascetics, then

summoning the Danavas who had been deprived by fate of the good sense,

told them these words, Ye foolish Danavas, know ye that Kacha hath

obtained his wishes. He will henceforth dwell with me. Having obtained

the valuable knowledge of reviving the dead, that Brahmana hath, indeed,

become in prowess even as Brahman himself!'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Bhargava having said so much cut short his

speech. The Danavas were surprised and went away to their homes. Kacha,

too, having stayed with his preceptor for a full thousand years, then

prepared to return to the abode of the celestials, after having obtained

his preceptor's permission.'"