For five hundred years, Kacha, the devoted son of Brihaspati, faithfully observed his vow, living among the Asuras as a disciple of the great sage Shukra, also called Kavya. The Danavas, realizing the purpose of his stay—to learn the secret knowledge of reviving the dead—grew increasingly wary. One day, as Kacha tended the cows alone in the forest, the Danavas, burning with hatred for Brihaspati and determined to guard their own secret, seized the opportunity. They killed Kacha, and, to ensure his end, fed his remains to wolves. With their herdsman gone, the cows returned home by themselves. When the cows came back without Kacha, Devayani, the wise and perceptive daughter of Shukra, noticed at once. She spoke to her father, saying, “Father, the fire sacrifice is done, the sun has set, and the cows have returned without their herdsman, but Kacha is nowhere to be seen. Surely he must be dead or slain; without him, I cannot live—this is the truth I tell you.” Moved by his daughter’s distress, Shukra used his divine knowledge of reviving the dead and called for Kacha. Responding to his teacher’s summons, Kacha miraculously emerged, breaking through the bodies of the wolves that had devoured him. He was filled with joy at being restored to life through the power of knowledge. When Devayani asked why he had been gone so long, Kacha explained to her what had happened: “Weighed down by fatigue, I took shelter under a banyan tree, and all the cows gathered there too. Then the Asuras approached and asked who I was. I told them I am Kacha, son of Brihaspati. At once, they killed me, crushed me to pieces, and fed my remains to the jackals and wolves before returning to their own abode. But your great-souled father summoned me back with his knowledge, and so I have returned to you, my life somehow restored.” Devayani, hearing this, asked Kacha to bring her flowers. Obediently, Kacha went again into the forest. The Danavas saw him once more and, determined to thwart his purpose, killed him again, crushed his body, and scattered his remains in the waters of the ocean. When Kacha was gone for a long time, Devayani told her father once more of his absence. Again, Shukra summoned Kacha by his powerful knowledge, and Kacha returned, recounting all that had happened to him. But the Asuras were relentless. For a third time, they killed Kacha, burned his body, and reduced it to ashes. They mixed these ashes into wine and gave it to Shukra to drink, as well as to themselves. That evening, as the cowherds brought the cows home, Devayani, suspecting something was amiss, again approached her father. “Father,” she said, “Kacha, whom you sent to gather flowers, is not to be seen. Surely he has been killed or has died; without him, I cannot live. I speak the truth to you.” Hearing his daughter’s words, Shukra once again summoned Kacha with a mantra, not realizing that Kacha’s very essence was now within his own belly. He said, “O daughter, Kacha, son of Brihaspati, has gone to the realm of the dead; though revived by knowledge, he is killed again and again—what should we do?” He tried to comfort her: “Do not grieve so, Devayani. No mortal like you grieves thus, for you are cherished by Brahma, the Brahmins, Indra, the Vasus, and the Ashvins. Even the enemies of the gods and all the world bow before you. That twice-born one cannot be revived; though restored to life, he is killed again and again.” Yet Devayani’s sorrow was deep. “Angiras, the eldest, is his great-grandfather, and Brihaspati, the treasure of austerity, is his father. How could I not grieve or weep for the son or even the grandson of such a sage? He is a celibate, rich in austerity, ever diligent and skilled in his duties. I will follow the path of Kacha and will not eat, for Kacha, handsome and dear to me, is gone, father. What sin, even the slaying of a Brahmin, would not burn Indra?” Urged by Devayani’s grief, Shukra, the great sage, summoned Kacha yet again with fierce intent. Now Kacha, wise and powerful, but fearful of his teacher, spoke from within Shukra’s belly: “Be gracious, O venerable one, I am Kacha; I salute you. May you regard me as a beloved son.” Astonished, Shukra asked, “By what means have you come here, and why do you dwell in my belly? Speak, O Brahmin! For at this very moment, having destroyed the Asuras, I am going to the gods.” Kacha replied, “By your grace, memory does not abandon me; I remember everything as it happened. Otherwise, my austerities would be diminished, and so I endure this terrible suffering. The Asuras killed, burned, and ground me, then gave me to you in the drink of the gods. O Kavya, the Brahmin’s magic and the Asura’s magic—how could they surpass you while you remain?” Shukra, torn by the dilemma, said, “What favor shall I do for you today, my child? By my death, Kacha would live; but in no other way than by splitting my belly would Kacha, who is within me, be seen by Devayani. Two griefs, like fires, would consume me: the loss of Kacha and your own destruction. If Kacha perishes, I have no happiness; if you are harmed, I cannot live.” He continued, “You are accomplished, O son of Brihaspati, since Devayani, devoted, seeks you. Obtain this knowledge that gives life; otherwise, today you will become Indra in Kacha’s form. No one else, once alive, has ever returned from my belly except a Brahmin; therefore, obtain this knowledge. Having become my son, honor me as one who is honored; after emerging from my body, observe proper conduct, and, having obtained knowledge from your teacher, be learned.” Thus instructed, Kacha learned the sacred knowledge from his teacher even while within his body. Then, using this wisdom, he split open Shukra’s belly and emerged—handsome and radiant, appearing like the full moon at the end of the bright fortnight. Seeing his teacher fallen, a mass of Brahmanic energy, Kacha used his newly acquired knowledge to revive Shukra himself. Having attained the perfected wisdom, Kacha bowed reverently and addressed his venerable teacher.