ॐ Hindu Of Universe ॐ
“God’s light is within you, It never leaves you.”
Shukra Avatar
“Open your eyes, Sukra, for I am here,” Lord Shiva’s voice resonated like a melodious echo.
As Sukra opened his eyes, he witnessed the divine presence of Lord Shiva, unveiled in his full glory. Sukra gazed upon the third eye, the embodiment of all-seeing wisdom, situated majestically on Lord Shiva’s forehead. His eyes then traced the serpentine garland, symbolizing dominion over the cycles of life and death. The crescent moon atop Lord Shiva’s head whispered secrets of time’s ceaseless dance.
Sukra’s gaze then fell upon the mighty trident, a symbol of creation and dissolution, and the delicate damaru, a small drum that echoed with the vibrations of cosmic creation.
With a heart overflowing with emotion, Sukra softly spoke, “Lord of lords, your divine presence moves me to tears. I am humbled that you have deemed me worthy of your darshana.”
Lord Shiva, in his infinite grace, replied without hesitation, “Dear Sukra, ask of me what your heart desires.”
With reverence, Sukra implored, “Oh, revered Shiva, as the balance in nature wanes with the dwindling demon populace, I beseech you to bestow upon me the Sanjeevani mantra. Through this sacred gift, I aspire to restore harmony to the eternal laws that govern our existence.”
Shukra, also known as Venus is the preceptor of the Asuras or demons in Hinduism. As an avatar of Brahma, Shukra’s wisdom and knowledge of astrology, spirituality, and the Vedas were considered to be unparalleled. He is often associated with wealth, pleasure, and fertility. He is also credited with authoring the Shukra Niti. It is a scripture detailing principles of governance, statecraft, and ethics.
Guru Shukracharya
Guru Shukracharya was a sage who was the descendant of sage Kavi. He belonged to the Atharvan branch.
In Devi Bhagavata Purana Guru Shukracharya mother is referred to as Kavyamata. He was born on Friday in the year Parthiva on Sraavana Suddha Ashtami. Shukracharya studied the Vedas under rishi Angirasa. However he was disturbed by Angirasa’s favoritism for his son Brihaspati. Thereafter he studied under sage Gautama. Later he performed penance to Lord Shiva and obtained the Sanjivani mantra.
He married Priyavrata’s daughter Urjaswathi. They had four sons: Chanda, Amarka, Tvastr, Dharaatra and a daughter by name Devayani. Brihaspati meanwhile became the preceptor of the Devas. Shukracharya had hatred towards Vishnu. He supposed that his mother was killed by him as she had given shelter to some asura whom Lord Vishnu was hunting. Shukracharya therefore became the Guru of Asuras. He helped them win over the Devas. He used his knowledge to revive the dead and wounded among them.
Once Vamana (incarnation of Lord Vishnu) comes to take the three worlds as alms from the asura king Bali. Lord Vishnu wanted to deceive the king Bali who was the grandson of Prahlada in order to help the Devas. Shukracharya identifies him and warns the King. The King however offers the gift to Vamana. Shukracharya was annoyed with and shrunk himself with his powers and sits in the spurt of the vase. From this water has to be poured in order to seal the promise to the deity in disguise. Lord Vishnu understands immediately and picks a straw from the ground and directs it up the spout thereby poking out the left eye of Shukracharaya. Since this day he is known to be half blind.
His daughter was Devayani who was rejected by the son of Brihaspati, Kacha. She later marries the founder of Kuru dynasty, Yayati.
Shukracharya – The Embodiment of Unselfishness
“Shukracharya the Great Guru who liberates all Living Beings may it be Gods, Demons and Humans from Maya and the circle of the rebirths. ”
These are the lines that describe the greatness of Shukracharya, who has been considered as one who will liberate us from the cycle of birth and death. These lines tell us what powers were there with Shukracharya, but there are many wrong myths that surround his personality. He is believed by the people that he was the Guru of the Asuras and had Asuric powers.
Shukracharya, the Guru with immense powers and knowledge, was born on Friday in the year Parthiva on Sraavana, Suddha Ashtami when Svati-Nakshatra is on the ascent. His name also carries his birth day as Friday is called Shukra in Indian Languages. He was a Great, Learned, Scholar and a Yoga Expert. He was the son of Saint Bhrigu. He was sent to the Sage Angiras to acquire his teachings. At the Ashram, along with him was Brihaspati, the son of Sage Angiras, who was also acquiring knowledge. Shukracharya had a thirst for knowledge from his childhood, and that led him to perform many hard penances and acquire knowledge.
Why Did He Go with The Asuras?
The era we are talking about was a world divided into two groups- Devas- The Gods and Asuras or the Dananvas-The Demons. Brihaspati was the son of Sage Angiras, and so Sage Angiras favoured him a lot. This was not liked by Shukracharya. The Devas accepted Brihaspati as their Guru. This enraged Shukracharya. So, this made Shukracharya become the Guru of the Asuras.
As mentioned in our Scriptures, many Devasur Sangram took place between the Devas and the Asuras. In many of the wars, the Devas won, and there was a great loss to Asuras. This enraged Shukracharya, and he went on to think about what can be done to protect the Asuras. So, he thought of going for penance to please Lord Shiva to get the Sanjeevani Mantra. This Mantra would infuse life into the body of the deceased even after he was killed. So, he went to the forest and left the Asuras under the protection of his mother. To take advantage of his absence, Lord Indra attacked Asuras, Khyati Mata’s powers stunned Lord Indra. To rescue Lord Indra, Lord Vishnu had to come for his help. In the war, Lord Vishnu went on to cut the head of Khyati Mata. This enraged Sage Bhrigu, and he gave a curse to Lord Vishnu that he would have to go through the pain of birth and death again and again. It is said that because of the curse, Lord Vishnu had to take the form of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna on the earth.
Shukracharya went through a very severe penance in the forest. He attained his objective by hanging himself upside down from a tree. He gave up food and water. He survived by inhaling the smoke coming from burnt leaves. His determination and his severe penance to get the Sanjivan enraged Lord Indra, the King of the Devas. He tried many ways to disrupt the penance.
In order to disrupt the penance, Jayanti- the daughter of Lord Indra- mixed chillies to the burnt leaves. The chillies made blood ooze out of Shukracharya’s eyes, nose and mouth. But this did not create any effect on Shankaracharya’s penance. Standing as a pillar, he continued his penance. After seeing the pain and pleased by his devotion, Lord Shiva had to give the boon of Sanjeevani Mantra to Shukracharya. Shukracharya went on to use this mantra in reviving the Asuras who had been killed in the war. This made the Asuras gain victory over the Devas.
Jayanti was really sorry and impressed by Shukracharya. She asked for an apology and urged him to give her a chance for marriage. They both married, and ,thus, the daughter of the King of the Devas went on to become the wife of the Guru of the Danavas.
Shukaracharya – A Teacher Without Prejudice
Brihaspati sent his son Kacha to Shukracharya for learning the MritSanjivaniVidya. Shukracharya, accepted Kacha as his pupil though he was the son of his rival Brihaspati. Danavas were not happy with the decision of Shukracharya. They tried many ways to kill Kacha. But every time, Kacha was brought back to life by Shukracharya. Then one time, the Asuras were able to kill Kacha without Shukracharya knowing about it. They burned the body of Kacha and powdered his bones and mixed it with the wine which was served to Shukracharya. When Shukracharya called for Kacha and heard the voice of Kacha from his own gut. Shukracharya gave the last part of the MritSanjivani knowledge to Kacha when he was in the stomach of Shukracharya. Kacha tore open the stomach of Shukracharya and came to life. Kacha, when he came out, brought Shukracharya to life as by this time he had learnt the MritSanjivani Vidya.
At this time, Shukracharya understood his mistake and knew what mistake he had done. He laid down a code of conduct for the Brahmins. The Mandabuddhi Brahmin who consumes “Madir”, his whole Dharma would be destroyed, if he does this than he would suffer the sin of “Brahma Hatya” and will be cursed in this Loka and the Parlok as well. In this way, Shukracharya made the code of conduct for the Brahmanas.
He was a great Bhakta of God. He was the one who was ready to impart knowledge to everyone. So devoted his life to providing Dharma Siksha to everyone. His attitude of providing everyone with religious knowledge transformed the life of Prahlad, Virochan, Bali etc, and they transformed into great Bhaktas of God. The list of the people who were his students was:
Kacha: The son Of Brishaspati, the rival of Shukracharya. Kacha learned the art of resurrection from Shukracharya.
Vrishaparva: King of the Asuras and father of Sharmishtha, one who was the ancestress of the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
Prahalad: Devotee of Vishnu and the most powerful King of the Asuras.
Bali: Grandson of Prahalada King of Asuras and a devotee of Vishnu
Danda: The youngest and the most irresponsible son of King Ikshvaku of Ayodhya. He was an obedient student of Shukracharya. But he violated Shukracharya’s daughter against her will, and as a result of it, he was slain. As a result, his former kingdom turned into the Dandaka forests.
Prithu: The first blessed King and the first true Kshatriya.
Bhishma: He was the son of King Shantanu. He studied all branches of knowledge and statecraft from Shukracharya.
Shukracharya As A Good Observer-Vishnu Puran Shukracharya
It is said that Shukracharya was a good observer and used to notice the things around him very minutely and keenly. The story goes that one time when King Bali, the King of Asuras was performing Yagna. Lord Vishnu takes Vaman Avataar and comes over there. He takes the vow from Bali that he would give him what he asked for. Lord Indra had come to take the three-world from King Bali. Shukracharya immediately recognizes him and pays respect to him by the following words;
“Bhagvan, all mistakes, and lapses done in Mantra, Tantra, Desh Kala, Paatra or subjects, would be condoned with Naam-Sankeertan of your name. Your name has the Power to remove all the shortcomings.”
Kin Bali did not listen to Shukracharya and kept his words, and offered the gift. This annoyed Shukracharya, so he used his powers and to shrink his body. He shrank his body and sat on the spout of the Kamndalu, from which the water was to be poured to seal the promise. Lord Vishnu, who was in the form of the Vamana, knew about the trick of Shukracharya. He picks up a grassblade from the ground to clear the outlet of the water vessel. This spout poked into the left eye of Shukracharya. Since this day, Shukracharya has become half-blind. So, he has also been called Ekaksha
Shukracharya- Why Is He Called the Son of Shiva
Shukracharya used his powers of Yoga to bind up Kubera and rob him of his riches. So angry Kubera went to Lord Shiva and told him everything. Lord Shiva was very angry, and he took out his spear and started searching for Shukracaharya. Shukracarya was terrified. This terror did not make him understand what he should do, whether he should run or stay there. Then he used his power of Yoga and sat on the top of Lord Shiva’s spear. So, for Lord Shiva it became difficult to release the spear. Lord Shiva then bent his spear with his hands into the shape of a bow, which brought Shukracharaya into the palm of his hand. Lord Shiva then tossed Shukracharya down his mouth, and now Shukracharya started wandering in the stomach of Maheshwara. Shukracharya, again and again, prayed to Lord Shiva to allow him to come out of his stomach. Lord Shiva, at last, agreed after Shukracharya had made so many requests. He was allowed to exit from the pennis. In this way, Shukracharya emerged from the body of Lord Shiva and began to be known as Shukra. Seeing Shukra, Lord Shiva was ready to kill him. But Mahadev was restrained by his wife, Parvati. She said that someone who had emerged from Mahadev’s stomach did not deserve to be killed; Lord Shiva melted and let Shukracharya go wherever he liked. So Shukracharya owed his life to the compassionate Lord Shiva and Parvati.
Shukra Niti
A great knowledgeable person who was respected even by the Devas and Saints. He was an expert in Political Science. He founded the Shukra Niti. In his niti he has laid down the following points:
One should never reveal certain things in front of others.
It’s great if you are loved and respected by all, but don’t show it off in front of others- doing so will lower your respect in the eyes of others
If you have to face insult at any point in your life, it’s best to keep it to yourself; telling that to everyone you know will make you feel insulted in front of others as well.
If you pray to God every day and have a secret mantra that you chant for it, its best to keep that to yourself. If you tell that in front of everyone, who wishes will not get fulfilled.
The amount of money you have should be strictly kept to yourself. Disclosing it puts your money at risk, and people will get jealous of you.
The age of a person has nothing to do with a person’s capability, so until asked for it, do not reveal your age to anyone.
Your intimate details about you and your partner should not be disclosed to anyone.
Someone going through a bad phase in life and having plenty of grah doshas, he/she should keep their problems to themselves, sharing them won’t solve them.
One should keep the details of the doctor they are consulting to themselves; those doctors keep all the record of the persons well being and might share their weaknesses with your enemies.
Donating is an act of kindness but boasting about it in front of others makes it unkind, so if you donate, keep it to yourself.
One must always do good deeds; as it is said, you reap what you sow; thus, one should always do good deeds.
If destiny is not in your favour, then it will be very difficult for you to achieve the goals. So do not try to fight with destiny.
Your good Karma may have the power to change destiny, so do great Karmas.
All actions that you do are based on your destiny and karma based on your previous birth, so always do good karma.
It is not destined that you will do bad karma in all lives. You may have done bad karma in the previous life, but you may do good karma in this one.
Our mind is sometimes taken by the heart. When the heart takes our mind, many times, wrong decisions are made.
According to the Caste System businessman or who sell things are businessmen and the one who does husbandry and farming are called Vaishyas.
Kshatriyas are one those who are brave warriors; their main aim is to protect the world and uplift the downtrodden.
Your deeds and actions define your caste.
A man under the influence of a woman does, corruption gets poor owing due to his bad karmas, and he is worse than a dead man, even if he is alive.
Shukracharya- A Guru who was Personification of Selfless Love.
Om Shum Shukraya Namah||
Shukracharya – Stories of Asura Guru Shukracharya (Venus)
Son of Maharishi Bhrigu and Kavyamata, Guru Shukracharya is one of the greatest sages in Hindu history. Like other greatest sages like Saptarishis, Shukracharya also possesses vast wisdom and spiritual powers.
Even though he was a highly knowledgeable sage, blessed by Lord Shiva, he did not get the respect and acknowledgment from Devas that he deserved. Feeling disrespected, he chose to become the teacher and guide of Asuras. Guru Shukracharya taught skills of war, politics, and weaponry to Asuras.
The epic Mahabharata mentioned that Shukracharya dedicated his entire life to meditating and making constant efforts to win over heavenly gods. Besides that, he created numerous mantras, rasas, and medicines, which he passed down to his disciples.
In Vedic astrology, Guru Shukracharya is one of the navagrahas (planets), Planet Venus. It governs over Taurus and Libra zodiac signs. Venus represents femininity, beauty, romance, reproduction, art, and pleasure.
Stories of Shukracharya (the Guru of Asuras/Daityas)
Sage Shukracharya’s father was Maharishi Bhrigu, and his mother was Kavyamata or Khyati. To pursue his education, Shukracharya started learning from the great Angiras rishi alongside Brihaspati (son of sage Angiras). But he realized that maharishi Angiras favored his son Brihaspati more than him. So, he left the ashram and started learning from the sage Gautama.
Guru Shukracharya had four sons – Chanda, Amarka, Tvastr and Dharaatra from his wife Urjaswati. From his second wife, Jayanthi (the daughter of Lord Indra), he had a daughter called Devyani.
Shukracharya’s mother’s death
The mind-born rishi Bhrigu’s wife, Khyati, was a powerful ascetic woman. There is a story in Devi Bhagavata Purana which narrates the war between Devas and Asuras. In that war, Devas were overpowering the Asuras. So, to protect themselves from deities, the asuras went to sage Bhrigu’s hermitage. But, sage Bhrigu and Shukracharya were not present; instead, Devi Kavyamata was there. So, the asuras asked her to protect them, which she gladly accepted as Athiti dharma. A powerful invisible energy shield protects the hermitage from the outside danger, which even the Devas could not breakthrough. So, with a single glance of Kavyamata, all the Devtas fell into a deep sleep.
All the Devtas’ efforts failed. Then they went to supreme Lord Vishnu for help. So, to maintain the universe’s balance, Lord Vishnu ordered his divine Sudarsan Chakra, which broke the protective shield and beheaded Kavyamata’s head. When Bhrigu rishi came to know about the incident, he cursed Vishnu to be born as a human on earth and bear the pain and suffer the separation from his wife. When Shukracharya knew about this mother’s death, he started hating Lord Vishnu and prohibited the worship of Vishnu among Asuras.
Sanjeevani Mantra
Feeling furious and tired of Asura’s defeat. Asura Guru Shukracharya, with a motive for victory over gods, performed intense penance to please Lord Shiva. He hung upside down for thousands of years. After hearing about Shukracharya’s austerity, Lord Indra sent his daughter, Jayanti, to interrupt his penance. But she failed in her mission as the rishi did not respond to her actions. Pleased with rishi’s extreme penance, Lord Shiva appeared and offered the sage a boon. Shukracharya asked for the knowledge of Sanjeevani – a mantra that could revive dead people. However, Lord Shiva warned him not to misuse it before leaving. With the help of the Sanjeevani mantra, the demon’s Guru brings back dead Asuras to life to fight against the gods.
Meaning of the name Shukra
Once there was a war between Asuras and Lord Shiva’s soldiers. Nandi was the commander-in-chief of the Shiv army. Even the heavenly deities were helping Shiv armies in this battle. However, the asuras outnumbered the Shiv army and were on the verge of victory. Nandi, along with Devas, went to Lord Shiva for assistance. When Lord Shiva knew Shukracharya’s misuse of the Sanjeevani mantra, he swallowed and kept him inside his stomach. The demon guru lived for thousands of years inside Lord Shiva’s stomach, searching for a way out, which he failed to do.
Finally, he realized his mistake and started penance to clear his sins. Lord Shiva seeing rishi’s devotion forgave him and emitted it out in the form of semen (Shukra). For this reason, Maharishi was named Shukracharya. As the sage came out of Shiva’s genitalia, he was one of the sons of Lord Shiva.
Ekaksha
Guru Shukracharya is also known as Ekaksha, which means one-eyed person. The story behind his one-eye was that the Lord of Asura, King Bali, and Shukracharya were performing a grand havan. On that religious site, Lord Vishnu appeared as a dwarf brahmin, Vamana (the sixth avatar), and asked for three steps of land as a donation. But unfortunately, sage Shukracharya realized that the young brahmin was Lord Vishnu himself. So, to stop Mahabali from giving the 3-step land to the brahmin, the sage transformed himself into the subtle form and sat on the opening of the Kamandalam(water pot) to block water.
Omniscient Lord Vamana understood the act to Shukracharya. So, Lord Vamana put a straw inside the pot opening and poked one eye of Shukracharya. With pain, Shukracharya came out, causing water to flow out, and Mahabali was able to fulfill his donation. From that incident, Shukracharya’s one eye was permanently damaged and later known as Ekaksha.
Kacha and Shukracharya
Kacha was the son of sage Brihaspati. He ordered his son Kacha to go to Shukracharya and learn the knowledge of Sanjeevani. Knowing that Kacha was Brihaspati’s son, Shukracharya accepted him as a disciple regardless of every demon’s disapproval. In acquiring knowledge, Kacha fell in love with Devyani, the daughter of guru Shukracharya. Having hatred towards Kacha, all the demons killed him when Shukracharya was out. When Devyani came to know about Kacha, she requested her father to revive him, which he did.
However, Kacha was murdered for the second time alone in the forest. The demons burned his body and mixed his ashes into the wine, and gave it to their Guru to drink. Again, Devyani requested her father, but this time Shukracharya had to sacrifice his own body to resurrect Kacha’s dead body. The sage’s boundless love for her daughter encouraged him to take his own life to revive his daughter’s love. When Kacha returned to life, he used the same Sanjeevani mantra to resuscitate Shukracharya. After this incident, sage Shukracharya prohibited wine from being taken by Brahmins as it destroyed their purity. Moreover, he said drinking wine is a sin that equals killing a brahmin.
Guru Shukracharya, was the son of Bhrigu Rishi and Ushana, also known as Usha, the daughter of Rishi kashyap. In this story Guru Shukracharya was the preceptor of the Asuras (the demons).
Shukracharya had been to Maharshi Angira for education but dropped out upon seeing his excessive favoritism towards his son Brihaspati. He then went to study with Rishi Gautam instead.
In this Story Guru Shukracharya undertook an arduous penance and invoked the blessings of Shiva. He asked for a mantra, which would ensure that the demons never lost.
Shiva agreed to do so, but Shukracharya would have to perform a certain ritual for a thousand years and live only on smoke during this period. Shukracharya began this ritual in order to get the mantra from Shiva.
Meanwhile, the devtas (deities) learnt of Shukracharya’s plans. They decided to destroy the demons while Guru Shukracharya was away and before he acquired the divine mantra.
As instructed by Guru Shukracharya, the demons were residing at the hermitage of Sage Bhrigu, Shukracharya’s father.
The demons pleaded that they had given up their weapons and were leading a peaceful life and hence it was unfair for them to be attacked at this time. But the devtas carried on regardless.
Since Bhrigu was away, the demons requested his wife, Usha, to come to their aid. Summoning her mystical powers she rendered Indra, the King of the devtas, immobile.
When Bhrigu returned and saw the decapitated body of his wife, he cursed Vishnu. Since Vishnu was guilty of killing a woman he would have to take birth on earth time and again.
This provided the basis for the incarnations of Vishnu. Bhrigu then used his divine powers to rejoin the head and body of Usha and gave her fresh life.
After his failure with the demons, Indra turned his attention to Shukracharya.
He sent his daughter, Jayanti, with instructions to either distract Shukracharya using her charms or win him over with her service.
Jayanti’s modest behavior prevented her from seducing the Sage, so she followed the second option.
For the remaining part of the thousand years Jayanti devotedly served Shukracharya.
When the period of the penance was over, Shiva appeared and taught Shukracharya a mantra that would bring a dead person back to life. This mantra was known as the ‘Mritsanjivni’ or ‘the one which brings the dead to life”
Indra now hatched another plan. He told his teacher, Brihaspati, that the demons were expecting Shukracharya, but unknown to them Shukracharya was living with Jayanti.
Indra asked Brihaspati to impersonate Guru Shukracharya and live with the demons. Some fortune would chance upon them sooner or later. Brihaspati did so and over the next ten years he won the demons over completely.
After ten years when Shukracharya returned, he was aghast to see that an imposter had taken his place.
As expected accusations were traded, but Brihaspati had replicated Shukracharya so accurately that it was impossible to tell who was the real Shukracharya.
Finally the demons settled for the man who had been guiding them for the last ten years and chased the real Shukracharya away.
In this story Guru Shukracharya could not bear this insult, especially after the thousand year penance he had undergone for their benefit.
He was a hot-tempered person and immediately cursed the demons that they would never be able to conquer the devtas (deities).
Indra heaved a sigh of relief and Brihaspati assumed his true form; the demons realised that they had been tricked but now had no recourse.
After this, Brihaspati sent his son Kacha to Shukracharya to learn the Mrita Sanjivani Vidya. Shukracharya accepted Kacha as his student. But other demons didn’t like it.
As the time progressed Kacha fell in love with the daughter of Shukracharya, Devyani. This annoyed the demons even further.
One day, in the absence of Shukracharya, the demons killed Kacha. This news upset Devyani a lot.
On the request of his daughter, Sage Shukracharya brought Kacha back to life with the help of “Mritsanjivni” knowledge.
From there on the love between Kacha and Devyani grew day by day.One day while Kacha was alone in the forest, the demons killed him for the second time.
They burnt his body and mixed his ashes in a drink, which they gave to Shukracharya.
When Devyani came to know about this she was shocked. She requested her father to revive Kacha for the second time.
The agony of his daughter was unbearable for Shukracharya. Again he used his powers to bring life back to Kacha.’
Realising his mistake of consuming Sura (wine), and its harmful aftereffects, Shukracharya prohibited the Brahmins from consuming it and warned them that it would destroy their religiousness and that they would acquire the sins similar to that of killing a Brahmin and would be condemned both in this world and the other world.
Devyani was happy to found both of them alive. But a new problem erupted.
Kacha declined to marry Devyani on the grounds that since he was reborn from the stomach of Shukracharya he was now his son, and so he could not marry his daughter Devyani. This was a bitter shock for her.
In this Story, there is a mention of Guru Shukracharya in the incidents during the Narsimha incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashyap tried many ways to kill his son Bhakt Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu.
Shukracharya, who was against Vishnu, helped Hiranyakashyap in this shameful act.
Devi Ganga had asked Shukracharya not to indulge himself in this sinful act but Shukracharya did not desist from his support of the demons.
Similarly, during the Vaman incarnation of Lord Vishnu, when King Bali was donating the land to Lord Vaman, Shukracharya shrunk himself with his powers and sat in the spout of the vase, from which water has to be poured to seal the promise to the deity in disguise.
Lord Vishnu, in the disguise of Vaman, understood immediately what was happening, and picked up a stalk of durva grass and stuck it in the spout, poking out the left eye of Shukracharya in the process.
Shukracharya And Kacha: The Unlikely Guru And Disciple
Shukracharya is known to be the guru (teacher) or asuras (demons), and his teaching would always help them win against the devas. In the ever-persistent war of good and evil, the devas would do much harm to the asuras, but every time, Shukracharya would bring the fallen demons back.
The Story of Shukracharya
The asura-acharya knew the ’Mrita-Sanjivani Mantra’ with which he could revive all the dead asuras who were brought to him. Devatas were fed up with this trick of Shukracharya and decided to send Kacha, deva-acharya Brihaspati’s son, to Shukracharya. It was devised that he would become the guru’s disciple and learn the ‘mrita-sanjivani mantra’ from him. This would help Devas to even out their battlefield and win against the Asuras.
Kacha did as instructed with due diligence, impressed the asura-acharya, and asked him to make the former his disciple. Shukracharya accepted the young deva, and Kacha started his training under the guru in his ashram. Shukracharya’s daughter Devyani also resided in the ashram and fell in love with Kacha.
The two became inseparable over time, and the asura became unhappy about the whole situation. They were getting suspicious of Kacha’s training in the ashram, and with Devyani’s giving him her attention, they became even more jealous of the young boy amidst them.
The Attempt of Asuras
The Asuras finally decided that they would kill Kacha. One day when the boy went for cattle grazing, the demons followed him to the jungle. They caught him deep in the forest, killed him, and fed him to the wolves. When the cattle came back alone in the evening with no sign of Kacha, Devyani got worried and appealed to his father to see where he was.
Shukracharya divined Kacha’s fate and brought him back to life. The asura got infuriated and, after a few days, caught him again. This time they killed him and threw his body in the ocean. Asura-acharya brought him back to life again with his life-saving mantra.
Now the asuras were irked. They changed their plan of killing Kacha. This time after killing the boy, they burnt his body, converting it to ashes. The asuras then mixed the ashes in wine and tricked Shukracharya into drinking it. As soon as Shukracharya drank it, he realized their treachery, but it was too late.
Getting Kacha Back
The ‘mrita-sanjivani mantra’ could not be used to bring back Kacha to life as this would mean the death of Shukracharya. Devyani started bawling when she came to know about the situation. Shukracharya could not bear to see his daughter in pain and devised a new plan.
He took a vow from Kacha, now inside his stomach, that he would teach him the nuances of ‘mrita-sanjivani mantra’, but he would use it to revive Shukracharya once he was out of his stomach. Kacha agreed to do this, and once he tore his way out of the asura-acharya’s stomach, he brought Shukracharya back to life.
Now that he knew the mantra, Kacha asked leave of Shukracharya. Seeing this, Devayani asked him to stay and marry her as she was in love with him, but Kacha denied her request.
This angered the girl, who cursed him that Kacha would forget his knowledge when he needed it the most. Enraged by this treatment, Kacha also cursed Devyani that she would never marry a rishi-putra. Kacha returned with a heavy heart to the devlok taking the mantra with him for the deva’s win.
1. Who was Shukracharya?
Shukracharya was the son of great sage Vasishta. He later came to be known as the Guru of the Asuras.
2. Was Shukracharya guru of Ravan?
According to some texts and beliefs SHukracharya is known to be the guru of Ravana.
3. What is the religion of Shukracharya?
Shukracharya is known to be a Hindu.
4. Who swallowed Shukracharya?
In the battle of Devtas and Asuras, Lord Shiva swallowed Shukracharya and kept him in his belly.
5. Was Shukracharya an asura?
No, Shukracharya was not an Asura. However, he was the leader of the teacher, known as the Guru, of Asuras.
6. Who is Shukracharya in Vedas?
In Vedas, Shukracharya is known to be born from the sacred fire of Lord Brahma. He said to be a great Acharya or teacher.
Kacha and Devyani Story
Introduction to the Story
As the name suggests, it is the story of Kacha and Devyani. Until the Devas’ positions became secure and the Asuras felt threatened, they had to flee and seek refuge with Shukracharya, the Guru of the Asuras. Shukracharya then decided to engage in penance to acquire spiritual powers to defeat the Devas while simultaneously requesting that the Asuras keep a low profile and refrain from fighting the Devas. It’s a love story and the battle between gods and demons in the story. Let’s go further in the article for more details.
Kacha and Devyani Story
God and the devil were at war with each other. However, every time the demons were put to death, Guru Shukracharya brought them back to life through the secret of Mritasanjeevani. The gods also wanted to know the secret, so they sent Kacha, the handsome son of Guru Brihaspati, to Shukracharya, his ashram.
Kaha fell in love with Devyani, the daughter of Shukracharya. When they found out that the gods had sent Katya, the demon put him to death. They mixed the wine Shukracharya was drinking with his body. Upon learning that Katya was dead, Devyani asked his father to bring him back to life. But if Shukracharya took Kacha out of his stomach, he would die.
Shukracharya brought Katya back to life, and he died. Katya then brought Shukracharya back to life. Two lives were thus saved.
Kacha returned to heaven and taught the gods the secret of Mritasanjivani.
Shukra and her Daughter with Kacha
Kacha and Devyani Story Summary
In Hindu mythology, Murita Sanjivani is the secret to killing demons and bringing them back to life. The gods wanted to know the secret, so they sent Kacha, son of Guru Brihaspati, to the ashram of Shukracharya. When Devyani’s father found out that Kacha was dead, he asked his father to bring him back to life.
Characters of the Story
Kacha
In Hindu mythology, Kacha (Sanskrit: कच, Kaka) is an ancient sage and son of Brihaspati and Tara. Kacha narrations are mentioned in the Mahabharata, Matsya Purana and Agni Purana. He was known to have learned from his Guru, his Shukracharya, his Mrichu, and his Sanjivini mantras (hymns to revive the dead). However, due to the wrath and curse of Shukracharya daughter Devayani, he could not revive many of the dead devas. She finally married Yayati after her love was rejected by Brihaspati’s son Kacha. She had two sons named Turvasha and Yadu.
When the asura princess Sharmishta insulted her, she persuaded her father, Shukla, to stay away from the asura council. Only when Sharmishta agreed to become her servant did she relent.
Despite her promise to Shukla to maintain her monogamy, Yayati made Sharmishta her concubine. Devayani, deeply hurt by his betrayal, went to her father’s house. Shukla then cursed Yayati for being precocious.
Kacha and Devyani
Shukra
Shukra (Sanskrit: शुक्र, IAST: Shukra) is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘clear’ or ‘bright’. It has other meanings, such as the name of the lineage of ancient sages who advised the asuras in Vedic history. In medieval mythology and Hindu astrology, the term refers to Venus, one of his in Navagraha.
Guru Shukracharya He taught Asura the art of warfare, politics and weapons. The epic Mahabharata states that Shukracharya devoted his life to meditation and made unremitting efforts to acquire the heavenly gods. He also created many mantras, rasas and medicines, which he passed on to his students.
He married Urjaswati, an intelligent daughter of King Priyavartha. Shukracharya had four sons, Chand, Amak, Twasura and Dharatra, and a daughter named Devyani, who later married Yayati (son of Hindu king Nahusha and his wife, Ashokasundari). Chand and Amak later became the guru of Hali Bakt, his Prahlad.