Week 9, Reading Diary A, Star-Crossed Lovers

Amar Chitra Katha Vol 661

Star-Crossed Lovers

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This is a very new experience for me. I am not familiar with reading comic books at all, much less one from another culture. So, I am going to move out of my comfort zone of doing the same thing and do something brand new.

This story caught my attention because I love the idea of soul mates, twin souls, soul monads and that we reincarnate over and over with our loved ones. I have felt in my life that I have been star-crossed with more than one person.

So what I am noticing is that things move very quickly in this story. There is the villain side that is battling the good side and the bad guys (Asuras?) know this guy, Shukracharya, who knows the art of bringing the dead back to life ( Sanjivani) and the good guys do not have this knowledge.

The valiant Devas (the good guys) go to ask, Kacha, the son of Brihaspati, to go and learn this art in order to be able to win in the unequal battles.

Meanwhile, it appears that Kacha is smitten with a lovely lady, Devayani who appears to be the daughter of his Guru?  And then he romances her and she is also smitten with him.

Kacha studies with the Guru and the Asuras grow suspicious of his motives, they plot against him and eventually killed him, cut to  pieces, fed to dogs. His lover, Devayani notices that he does not come home on time with his cattle. She worries that he is dead.

The Guru brings Kacha back to life and Devayani scolds him for worrying her. But he tells of the Asuras killing him and then coming back to life. Time passes and Devayani asks Kacha to go to the forest and bring her flowers and Kacha is ambushed again by the Asuras and is killed, his body in the water. Once again when he is late coming home his lady and Guru miss him and Guru brings him to life. The Asuras again know that he lives. The Asuras get him again and burn him, put him in wine. They give the wine to the Guru and he drinks it.

Devayani knows he is dead and asks Guru to bring him back, he tells her there is no point. So then Devayani decides she does not want to live with out Kacha.

The Guru cursed himself by drinking the wine, and now it's forbidden for those engaged in pursuit of wisdom. Kacha is going to come out of the Guru but it will kill him an Devayani is upset that he will die. So he teaches her the craft of Sanjivani, Kacha also knows the art now. Kacha brings the Guru back to life. The Guru goes to scold the Asuras, because he believes that Kacha loves his daughter.

Kacha learned what he came for and decides to leave the girl and the guru. They had both hoped he was going to stay and marry. But Kacha feels his duties are greater.

The girl forgets about the boy and life goes on.