the power to stand.’ Hearing these words,
Savitri quickly advancing, approached her husband,
and sat down upon the ground, placing his head upon
her lap. And that helpless lady, thinking of
Narada’s words, began to calculate the (appointed)
division of the day, the hour, and the moment.
The next moment she saw a person clad in red attire
with his head decked with a diadem. And his body
was of large proportions and effulgent as the Sun.
And he was of a darkish hue, had red eyes, carried
a noose in his hand, and was dreadful to behold.
And he was standing beside Satyavan and was steadfastly
gazing at him. And seeing him, Savitri gently
placed her husband’s head on the ground, and
rising suddenly, with a trembling heart, spake these
words in distressful accents, ’Seeing this thy
superhuman form, I take thee to be a deity. If
thou will, tell me, O chief of the gods, who thou
art and what also thou intendst to do!’ Thereat,
Yama replied, ’O Savitri, thou art ever devoted
to thy husband, and thou art also endued with ascetic
merit. It is for this reason that I hold converse
with thee. Do thou, O auspicious one, know me
for Yama. This thy lord Satyavan, the son of
a king, hath his days run out. I shall, therefore,
take him away binding him in this noose. Know
this to be my errand!’ At these words Savitri
said, ’I had heard that thy emissaries come
to take away mortals, O worshipful one! Why then,
O lord, hast thou come in person?’
“Markandeya continued, ’Thus addressed
by her, the illustrious lord of Pitris, with a view
to oblige her, began to unfold to her truly all about
his intentions. And Yama said, ’This prince
is endued with virtues and beauty of person, and is
a sea of accomplishments. He deserveth not to
be borne away by my emissaries. Therefore is
it that I have come personally.’ Saying
this, Yama by main force pulled out of the body of
Satyavan, a person of the measure of the thumb, bound
in noose and completely under subjection. And
when Satyavan’s life had thus been taken out,
the body, deprived of breath, and shorn of lustre,
and destitute of motion, became unsightly to behold.
And binding Satyavan’s vital essence, Yama proceeded
in a southerly direction. Thereupon, with heart
overwhelmed in grief, the exalted Savitri, ever devoted
to her lord and crowned with success in respect of
her vows, began to follow Yama. And at this,
Yama said, ’Desist, O Savitri! Go back,
and perform the funeral obsequies of thy lord!
Thou art freed from all thy obligations to thy lord.
Thou hast come as far as it is possible to come’.
Savitri replied, ’Whither my husband is being
carried, or whither he goeth of his own accord, I
will follow him thither. This is the eternal custom.
By virtue of my asceticism, of my regard for my superiors,
of my affection for my lord, of my observance of vows,
as well as of thy favour, my course is unimpeded.
It hath been declared by wise men endued with true
knowledge that by walking only seven paces with another,
Print
Word
PDF
