Page:The Curse at Farewell.pdf/61

 THE CURSE AT FAREWELL

starve and follow the way Kacha hath gone. The handsome Kacha is, O father, dear unto me.’ ““... 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 at the consequences to hiy preceptor, feebly replied from within the stomach of his preceptor. And Kacha said, ‘ Be gracious unto me, O Lord! I am Kacha that worshippeth thee. Behave unto me as to thine own dearly loved son.’. . . Sukra said, ‘O daughter, what good can I do to thee? It ts with my death that Kacha can have back his life. O Devayant, Kacha is even within me. There is no other way of his coming out except by ripping open my stomach.’ Devayant replied, ‘ Both evils shall like fire, burn me. The death of Kacha and thine own death too are to me as one. The death of Kacha would deprive me of life. If thou also diest I shall not be able to bear life.” “hen Sukra said, crowned with success, because Devayant regardeth thee so well. Accept now the science that I will to-day impart to thee, if indeed thou art 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, having received ie from me and revived by me, look thou that
 * O son of Brhaspati, thou art, indeed, one alread

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