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देवयानी उवाच कच यदि चोदितः धर्मकामार्थे मां प्रत्याख्यास्यसि ततः ते एषा विद्या सिद्धिं न गमिष्यतिdevayānī uvāca kaca yadi coditaḥ dharmakāmārthe māṃ pratyākhyāsyasi tataḥ te eṣā vidyā siddhiṃ na gamiṣyatiDevayani said: O Kacha, if, though entreated by me, you reject me in the matter of dharma, love, and profit, then this learning of yours will not bear fruit
कचः उवाच गुरुपुत्री इति कृत्वा अहं प्रत्याचक्षे न दोषतः गुरुणा च अभ्यनुज्ञातः कामं एवं मां शपस्वkacaḥ uvāca guruputrī iti kṛtvā ahaṃ pratyācakṣe na doṣataḥ guruṇā ca abhyanujñātaḥ kāmaṃ evaṃ māṃ śapasvaKacha said: I refuse you because you are the daughter of my teacher, and not out of any fault; and I have been released by my teacher; if you wish, then curse me
देवयानि अहं आर्षं धर्मं ब्रुवाणः यथा त्वया शप्तः कामतः न धर्मतः अद्य शापस्य न अर्हः अस्मिdevayāni ahaṃ ārṣaṃ dharmaṃ bruvāṇaḥ yathā tvayā śaptaḥ kāmataḥ na dharmataḥ adya śāpasya na arhaḥ asmiO Devayani, I, who speak according to the dharma of the sages, am cursed by you out of caprice, not out of dharma; therefore I do not deserve this curse
तस्मात् भवत्याः यः कामः सः न तथा भविष्यति ते कः चित् ऋषिपुत्रः जातु पाणिं न ग्रहीष्यतिtasmāt bhavatyāḥ yaḥ kāmaḥ saḥ na tathā bhaviṣyati te kaḥ cit ṛṣiputraḥ jātu pāṇiṃ na grahīṣyatitherefore your wish will not be fulfilled as you desire: no sage's son will ever take your hand in marriage
यत् त्वं माम् आत्थ ते विद्या न फलिष्यति [इति] तत् तथा [अस्तु] तु यं अध्यापयिष्यामि तस्य विद्या फलिष्यतिyat tvaṃ mām āttha te vidyā na phaliṣyati [iti] tat tathā [astu] tu yaṃ adhyāpayiṣyāmi tasya vidyā phaliṣyatiAs for what you have said to me — 'your learning will not bear fruit' — so let it be; but for him whom I shall teach it, the learning will bear fruit
वैशंपायनः उवाच द्विजश्रेष्ठः कचः देवयानीं एवं उक्त्वा शीघ्रं त्रिदशेशालयं जगामvaiśaṃpāyanaḥ uvāca dvijaśreṣṭhaḥ kacaḥ devayānīṃ evaṃ uktvā śīghraṃ tridaśeśālayaṃ jagāmaVaishampayana said: Kacha, best of the twice-born, having spoken thus to Devayani, swiftly departed for the abode of the lord of the gods
देवाः इन्द्रपुरोगमाः तं आगतं अभिप्रेक्ष्य बृहस्पतिं सभाज्य मुदान्विताः कचं इदं आहुःdevāḥ indrapurogamāḥ taṃ āgataṃ abhiprekṣya bṛhaspatiṃ sabhājya mudānvitāḥ kacaṃ idaṃ āhuḥthe gods, headed by Indra, seeing him arrived, having honored Brihaspati, joyful, said this to Kacha
यत् त्वं अस्मद्धितं परमाद्भुतं कर्म चकर्थ ते यशः न प्रणशिता नः भागभाक् भविष्यसिyat tvaṃ asmaddhitaṃ paramādbhutaṃ karma cakartha te yaśaḥ na praṇaśitā naḥ bhāgabhāk bhaviṣyasisince you have accomplished a most wondrous deed for our benefit, your fame shall not perish, and you shall share in our portion
देवयान्य्devayānyoriginal form "devayāny", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सिद्धिम्siddhimoriginal form "siddhim", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कचkacaoriginal form "kaca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
गुरुपुत्रीतिguruputrītioriginal form "guruputrīti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कृत्वाहंkṛtvāhaṃoriginal form "kṛtvāhaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चाभ्यनुज्ञातःcābhyanujñātaḥoriginal form "cābhyanujñātaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कामम्kāmamoriginal form "kāmam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ब्रुवाणोbruvāṇooriginal form "bruvāṇo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽहं'haṃoriginal form "'haṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शप्तोśaptooriginal form "śapto", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नार्होnārhooriginal form "nārho", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽस्मि'smioriginal form "'smi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कामतोkāmatooriginal form "kāmato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽद्य'dyaoriginal form "'dya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तस्माद्tasmādoriginal form "tasmād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भवत्याbhavatyāoriginal form "bhavatyā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कामोkāmooriginal form "kāmo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऋषिपुत्रोṛṣiputrooriginal form "ṛṣiputro", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कश्kaśoriginal form "kaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चिज्cijoriginal form "cij", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
माम्māmoriginal form "mām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वैशंपायनvaiśaṃpāyanaoriginal form "vaiśaṃpāyana", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एवम्evamoriginal form "evam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
द्विजश्रेष्ठोdvijaśreṣṭhooriginal form "dvijaśreṣṭho", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कचस्kacasoriginal form "kacas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तदाtadāoriginal form "tadā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
द्विजसत्तमःdvijasattamaḥoriginal form "dvijasattamaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तम्tamoriginal form "tam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आगतम्āgatamoriginal form "āgatam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
देवाdevāoriginal form "devā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सभाज्येदंsabhājyedaṃoriginal form "sabhājyedaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कचम्kacamoriginal form "kacam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आहुर्āhuroriginal form "āhur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्वम्tvamoriginal form "tvam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
परमाद्भुतम्paramādbhutamoriginal form "paramādbhutam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भागभाङ्bhāgabhāṅoriginal form "bhāgabhāṅ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नोnooriginal form "no", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here comes the sorrowful denouement: a mutual curse. It is telling that love, when spurned, turns into a curse: Devayani, wounded by the refusal, curses Kacha — "your learning will not bear fruit"; Kacha answers in kind — "no sage's son will take your hand." A bitter lesson lies here: passion, denied what it desires, easily turns to malice; even noble Devayani yields to anger. Yet Kacha's fairness is also notable: he accepts the curse ("so let it be") while pointing out its injustice ("I am cursed out of caprice, not out of dharma"); and for that reason the curse loses part of its force — the learning will fail to bear fruit only for him (in his own use of it), while it retains its power for those he teaches. Thus dharma softens an unjust curse. Note too that Devayani's curse ("no sage's son will take your hand") foreordains her marriage to the kshatriya Yayati — and so binds this tale to the great genealogy. The verse thus shows that anger and wounded desire are poor counselors, and that what is born of passion bears bitter fruit — as Devayani's later fate will also reveal.