Shloka 43
ययाति–देवयानी संवादः
Yayāti–Devayānī Dialogue and Śukra’s Consent
ततस्तृतीयं हत्वा त॑ दग्ध्वा कृत्वा च चूर्णश: । प्रायच्छन् ब्राह्मणायैव सुरायामसुरास्तदा,तत्पश्चात् असुरोंने तीसरी बार कचको मारकर आगमें जलाया और उनकी जली हुई लाशका चूर्ण बनाकर मदिरामें मिला दिया तथा उसे ब्राह्मण शुक्राचार्यको ही पिला दिया
tatas tṛtīyaṃ hatvā taṃ dagdhvā kṛtvā ca cūrṇaśaḥ | prāyacchan brāhmaṇāyaiva surāyām asurās tadā ||
Then, for the third time, the Asuras killed Kaca; they burned his body, ground it into powder, mixed it into liquor, and made the Brāhmaṇa Śukrācārya himself drink it. The episode underscores a grim ethical inversion: violence and deceit are used not merely to destroy a person, but to defile a teacher’s body and conscience by turning him into an unwitting instrument of the crime.
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how adharma escalates: cruelty is compounded by deception aimed at corrupting a revered teacher. It warns that unethical means can target not only the victim but also the moral and ritual integrity of others, turning them into unwilling participants.
The Asuras kill Kaca for the third time, burn his body, grind it to powder, mix it into liquor, and give that liquor to Śukrācārya to drink—so that Kaca cannot be revived and so that Śukra is implicated through unwitting consumption.