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Mahabharata -Rajagopalachari
4.DEVAYANI AND KACHA
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.
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