Brihaspati’s eldest son, who was extremely handsome and a favourite of the devas.
Antecedents: Vishnu – Brahma – Angiras – Brihaspati – Kacha
The devas and asuras were constantly at war. Brihaspati was the devas’ guru and the asuras had Shukra as theirs. Shukra knew a skill that Brihaspati didn’t, and that was the Mritasanjeevani. Despite the devas cutting down the asuras several times, they kept coming back because Shukra revived them with the mritasanjeevani, which brought the asuras back to life. The devas understood the importance of learning that skill and sent Kacha to Shukra. Kacha told Shukra that he was Brihaspati’s son and would serve Shukra for a thousand years to learn under his guidance. Shukra was pleased by his humility and accepted him. Shukra’s daughter Devayani fell in love with him and they became very close. The asuras weren’t too happy with Kacha’s presence and understood what he was there for. Once, when Kacha went alone into the forests to graze the cows, the asuras captured him and fed him to wolves. The cows returned home without Kacha. Devayani waited for him in vain, and finally expressed her fears to her father that Kacha had been killed. Shukra was moved by his daughter’s tears, went to the forest with her and called out Kacha’s name. Kacha’s body parts immediately made their way out of the wolves’s bodies and congregated to return Kacha to his old form. They returned to the hermitage but the asuras grew angrier. Later they killed him, made a paste and flung it into the ocean. Again Shukra called him and he came back alive. The third time, the asuras killed him, made a paste, mixed it in liquor and gave it to Shukra. Once again, the cows returned without Kacha and Devayani went crying to her father. Shukra meditated and understood that Kacha was in his own stomach. If he brought Kacha out, he would die, but otherwise, Devayani would be heartbroken. Shukra was in a fix. He finally asked Kacha how he got there and Kacha narrated what happened. Shukra taught Kacha the mritasanjeevani and then called him out. Kacha came out, splitting Shukra’s stomach, but revived him with the mritasanjeevani. From then Shukra gave up liquor and proclaimed that it was taboo for brahmins. He also said that since Kacha had emerged from his stomach, he was like a son. Kacha soon finished his education and bade farewell to Shukra and Devayani. Devayani pleaded with him to marry her, but he said that since Shukra considered him a son, Devayani was like a sister to him. Devayani was furious and cursed that Kacha would not be able to use anything he learned. Kacha cursed back that no brahmin would marry Devayani. Kacha took solace in the fact that though he could not use the skill, he could teach the devas. The devas greeted him warmly and he taught them the skill as per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapters 76 -78.
Kacha was among those who visited Bhishma when was lying on the bed of arrows as per Mahabharata Shantiparva Chapter 47 verse 9.