Story of Kacha and Devayani

This is the story of Kacha and Devayani which appears in the Adiparva of  Mahabharata.

    Wars were frequent between Devas, the gods and Asuras, the demons. The Asuras who died were revived to life by their guru Shukracharya by his knowledge of Mritasanjeevini mantra, a hymn which could bring back the dead to life. But the guru of Devas, Brihaspati didn't know this mantra and hence could not revive the dead gods to life. Hence the gods decided to send one of them to Shukracharya to learn this mantra, and they selected Kacha, the son of Brihaspati for this task. Kacha agreed readily and went to Shukracharya as a disciple who accepted him. Kacha served him as an obedient disciple, took his cattle for grazing and did many other works. He also had to entertain Shukracharya's daughter Devayani by singing, dancing, talking to her, getting her flowers etc.He was doing all this with respect as a guru's daughter, but she began loving him seriously. Meanwhile, the demons,who doubted that Kacha had come to learn the secret mantra, found him alone grazing the cattle, and killed him off! The cattle returned but Kacha did not, and Devayani, worrying much, begged her father to find his whereabouts. Shukra, by his divine vision, understood what had happened, and chanting the mantra brought Kacha back to life. Devayani felt very happy. However, the demons again killed Kacha, cut his body into pieces, and threw them to dogs and jackals to eat, thinking that he could not be revived. But when Devayani cried for him, Shukra again brought him back to life by chanting the mantra. Next the demons did a different plan. They killed Kacha, burnt his body, and mixed his ashes in wine, and gave to Shukracharya himself to drink! Shukra, without knowing, drank. When Devayani again missed Kacha and begged her father for him, Shukra chanted the mantra, and Kacha became alive in his stomach! He related him what happened to him at the hands of demons, and now Shukra had no other way but teach Kacha the mantra, so that he would come out tearing his stomach and thus killing him, and then revive him to life by the mantra. He did so,and Kacha learning the mantra, came out of Shukra's stomach, and then revived the guru to life by chanting the mantra.

     Now,Shukra got extremely angry on the demons for giving him the wine and got angry on himself for drinking it. He scolded the demons, and then cursed that if ever Brahmins drink wine, they would incur sin.Hence,from then on brahmins were restricted to drink wine. 

     Now, Kacha, having his purpose served, got ready to leave. Devayani now expressed her love to him. But he told her that he never saw in the direction of love but just treated her as a guruputri. And moreover, since he came out of her father's stomach, he was now like her brother, he said. Angry at this, Devayani cursed him that the mantra would be of no use to him. Kacha too cursed her that she wouldn't get a brahmin husband and said that even if he couldn't use the mantra, he could teach it to others. So saying, he left.