Sathyavan Savithri Charithram Translation

     
      Hey guys. I finished translating the third Satsangam my mom did called Sathyavan Savithri Charithram. I finished it like a week ago, but I posted the live stream of my mom's Satsangam instead. It's really long, but really good. Again if you want to hear my mom's satsangams in Tamil, go to https://www.mixcloud.com/krishvidhya2000/. Well, here's Sathyavan Savithri Charithram translated to English.

Sathyavan Savithri Charithram translated to English

By: Vageeshwar Srinivasan 8^th grade Lawson Middle school Cupertino

 

Shuklam bharatharam vishnum sashivarnam chaturbujam prasanna vadhanam dhyayeth sarvavignopashanthayeth

Gurubrahma gururvishnu gururdevo maheshvaraha gurussaakshaath parabrahma tasmaishree guravenamaha

Gurave sarvalokanam bishaje bavaroginam nidhaye sarvavidhyanam dakshinamoorthayenamaha

Tennarudaya periyava potri ennatavarkum eraiva potri sarvagna sarvavyaabi periyava charanam mayapiraparukkum mahaperiyava potri

 

Parathma (God) is always an embodiment of Vedam. The only way to acknowledge about Parathma is through our Vedas and Sasthras (holy Hindu scriptures). If you lead a normal worldly life, you don’t need to possess that amount of Vedic knowledge. All you need is a simple structure of knowledge to identify these worldly objects. If a tangible object like a table or chair is in our way, we can see and realize it. But, if we want to attain or realize Paramathma, it is possible only through the knowledge of  Vedas and Sasthras. If you ask why, it’s because we always have little recognition of God. No matter what we do like Pooja, Anushtanam (daily rituals), prayers, etc., our realization of God will still be very little. That is why it is said that through these Vedas and Sasthras you could understand Paramathma.  But why do people want to know this? It’s all because it will help people in having a peaceful life. Without any usefulness, people don’t need to know about this. There are two things we need to be aware of:  One is Dhrishtam (what we can see (tangible)), such as  Sareeram (our body) and senses that could be experienced by our Indriyas (sense organs), etc. We know our Sareeram very well, and know that we always need to keep our Sareeram safe and protected. Therefore, under all conditions, we will keep our sareeram well maintained.  The other thing is called Adhrishtam (what we can’t see, isn’t perceptible by sight), we have to take a different route, such as study of the Vedas and Sasthras to acknowledge Paramthma. The attainment of Paramathma is so Durlabam (rare). Only about one in a thousand or one in a million fully attains godly state. Like I said, we will only be willing to know something if we see the positive results from that knowledge. For example, let’s just say there’s one thing that you can’t be fully educated in by just knowing it. You have to be willing to work hard to fully acknowledge the issue. But, once you hear there’s nothing of use for you, your anxiousness to learn will die down. It’s all because of the benefit. We are always scouring to find what could be beneficial for us. All the jeevans (human beings) react the same way. When a baby is born, it says, “Kwaa kwaa,” which means “Where?” Where is my purpose? Where is my ambition? That’s how it’s born. From its birth, the baby says the same thing over and over. But it doesn’t stay that way until he or she dies because if one of its ambitions are satisfied, it starts fulfilling its next ambition. For someone to say that his purpose and ambitions have been fulfilled, he has to undergo or go through so many Janmams (incarnation or rebirths). It can’t be said for sure how specific the number of years he has to take. It all depends on his mind and his ambitions. So, you have to live through so many Janmams for you to say that your ambitions and purpose have been pleased. If a baby doesn’t cry, “Kwaa kwaa,” it is our Svabhavam (nature) for us to pour a little bit of water on the baby to see if it is ‘kwaa kwaa-ing’ . People’s Svabhavam makes them to pour water so that the baby can cry, “Kwaa kwaa,” meaning “Where? Where?” The reason why a man is finding his purpose or ambition in life is because there is Dukham (worries) and Sugam (happiness and luxury). Nobody will say, “It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced Dukham. I need to encounter it soon.” Nobody will say, “Kwaa kwaa,” to find Dukkam. They always wish for Sugam. Everybody will be in pursuit of another type of Sugam when they are finished experiencing one type of Sugam. But, Sugam has various dimensions. One person’s Sugam could be another person’s Dukkam. This is why there’s a variety of Sugam. Why do we want Sugam? We want Sugam because we have been in Sugam, nurtured in Sugam. Our heart is always in search of Sugam and Anandam (happiness). If one type of Sugam is done, we are in pursuit of another Sugam.  The ultimate Sugam or Anandam is when a person can say ‘I don’t  want any other type of Sugam.  It is Paramathma Sugam.   If we know Paramathma, there is no need for any another Sugam, because all other type of Sugam will be less blissful than Paramathma Sugam.  But, for us to know deeply about Paramathma, we need to read the Vedas and Sasthras. The Vedas and Sasthras cannot be read and understood in just one day and is nothing similar to an ordinary storybook. You have to read it continuously starting from your childhood or you should be an Athigari (officer or eligible person) of Vedas. It states that only certain people should read the Vedas. For example, a doctor is the only authorized person to prescribe your medicines. If a normal person prescribes it, that’s wrong. Like that, for Vedas, there are certain Athigaris qualified for it. This rule goes for Vedas, but for Sasthrams it’s different. There are  countless number of Sasthrams.  A person can’t read the Sasthrams in a span of even one lifetime. It is like a ray, there is no finish line for reading the Sasthrams. Does that mean it’s impossible for us to recognize Paramathma? To answer this question, many Rishis (sages) and Mahaans (great Godly people) with so much compassion come up with the answer. The Rishis and Mahaans would never lie because they have no reason to lie. So, to make things easier, the Rishis and Mahaans gave us Itihaasams and Puranams (all holy texts from Hindu scriptures). Anyone could read this anytime. Because of these texts, we can draw morals to worldly life (Loukikam). The Puranam is not a fictional fairy tale of some sort. Every word in it has something to relate with our Loukikam. It makes us ponder how other great Rishis lived and how they spent their daily lives praying, blessing, etc.  From the 18 Puranams and Ithihasams,  Mahabharatham and Ramayana are the most popular. The Mahabharatham has 1 lakh Granthams (100,000 verses). The whole 18 Puranas were written by Veda Vyasa. The story of Satyavan Savithri is taken from the Mahabharatham, which is an Ithihasam.

Before I start saying the story of Satyavan Savithri, I want to tell you about a personal incident.  This incident confirms that it is only Mahaperiyava, who is conducting these Satsangams, not me. I wasn’t initially planning on saying this Satyavan Savithri Charithram. I had a very hazy idea of what I should talk about in this Satsangam. Suddenly, my daughter, Shwetha, came to me and told me to say Satyavan Savithri Charithram in the next Satsangam. I thought to myself that the story of Satyavan Savithri is uncommon. I kept thinking, “Why and how did my daughter get this story so specifically? Afterwards, I decided that I should tell the Satyavan Savithri story because my daughter was asking for it. After a couple of days, I looked at the calendar to see if the next Satsangam was near. To my surprise, the Karadaiya Nombu (festival to celebrate Savithri) was happening that week. It was to my awe to find that both dates correlated. Afterwards, just out of curiousity I asked my daughter about why/how she chose this topic. She replied back to me, “I don’t know. I just felt like it. The topic just kept repeating in my ears so I thought I should let you know”. Then, I thought, “Why/how would my daughter, a college girl who is busy with her work could come up with an idea for the Satsangam topic?” That’s when I realized that Mahaperiyava is the only one who could have come up with this idea. The decision is not in our hands. We don’t choose this topic. Subsequently, when I attended the Mahaperiyava Conference, one lady talked about Samithi (meeting). In one Samithi with Bala Periyava (Sri Vijavendra Saraswathi Swamigal), he told me to tell stories that relate to events or festivals that happen during that month. That means, there is some link or tie between this. Then I thought, “Hey, I’m going to talk about Satyavan Savithri exactly in the month of Karadaiya Nombu,” and thought how special it was. You see, there’s an explicit indirect connection between Mahaperiyava and this Satsangam. This Satyavan Savithri story is straight from the Mahabharatham. I think everybody knows at least a glimpse of the stories in Mahabharatham. In Mahabharatham, Dharmaputhra (Yudhishtira) loses his crown because of gambling. Then, they exile Dharmaputhra for 13 years to the forest.  In the final 13^th year, Dharmaputhra was ordered to go Agnanavaasam (incognito). With Dharmaputhra, the rest of the Pancha Pandavas and Dhroupathi go to the forest. The reason he has the name Dharmaputhra, is because he’s the exact manifestation or representation of Dharmam.  That great of a person, is now walking to the forest away from his land, all of a sudden. When he goes to the forest, all the Rishis and Mahaans decide to go with him.  Although Dharmaputhra doesn’t go to the forest dejected since his surrounding Rishis and Mahaans keep his company by narrating stories on the way, he was a little bit worried because of his present state or condition. But, occasionally people come and visit Dharmaputhra. He uses this to kill time. At one point in time, Maarkhandeya came to meet Dharmaputhra. I think most of you know who he is. If you don’t know about him, I’ll tell you concisely. He is a sage who was granted the boon to live forever, as a 16 year old - by Lord Shiva himself.  I’ll elaborate on it another day.  Maarkhandeya approaches Dharmaputhra and tells stories from the Ramayana to him. He finishes telling the Ramayana to Dharmaputhra. Then he finishes the story by saying, “Dharmaputhra, you are a really lucky fellow to have Brathas (brothers) for support and help. In Ramayana, when Rama’s wife Sita was kidnapped he only had a gang of monkeys to go rescue her. You have it easier. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.” He was saying a lot encouragingly but Dhroupathi was suffering as well. That’s when this narration of Sathyavan-Savithri Charithram happens.  

Dharmaputra laments to Markandeya about the suffering of Droupathi and how she was insulted by Jayathrathan.  Should this chaste woman suffer even more?  Dharmaputhra asks, “If this beautiful girl comes crying to me, what am I to do? I don’t know.” He says to Maarkhandeya, “It’s not just about Dhroupathi’s suffering. Because of Dhroupathi, we got freedom from slavery.” This recalls back to the story where Duchchasana dragged Dhroupathi’s saree and Krishna saved her. After that happened, Panchali (Dhroupathi) makes an oath and she makes Bheema,  Arjuna, and all to take the oath as well. This alarmed Dhrudharashtran. He grants Dhroupathi two boons of her choice. She asks her first boon such that her five husbands be declared free (and not slaves of Duryadhana) and  her second boon was to let her husbands continue to possess their weapons and chariots.  Because she made that boon, Dharmaputhra and his brothers are free from their slavery. Without this boon, they would have surely been without independence and would have been enslaved by Dhuryodhanan. So Markhandeya says, “If it wasn’t for Dhroupathi,  you would have never gained independence from Dhuryodhanan.” Dharmaputhra finishes, “That’s why. I can’t keep a wife who has struggled so hard for our sake in suffering mode.” Markhandeya again starts to speak, “Listen, You’re saying that Dhroupathi struggled.  In the Puranas there is a story where Savitri was willing to give her life and confront Yaman (the God of death) to save her husband Sathyavan from the jaws of death.” Savithri’s name was first mentioned by Sita Devi in the Ramayana. She took the name of eleven chaste women while she was in Ashokavanam. One of the chaste women was Savithri. Out of the eleven chaste women, Sita praises highly about Savithri. She says that these types of people are extraordinary and unparalleled . That’s why Markhandeya told to Dharmaputhra that he will narrate the story of Sathyavan Savithri because Dharmaputhra was very depressed.  Markandeya wanted to cheer him up.

Savithri means energy. She is  Parashakthi (the active manifest of power). We say Shakthi (energy) right? A Shakthiman (man whose powers make him extraordinary) without Shakthi  will be nothing. So you can’t separate Shakthi from  Shakthiman and you can’t talk of Shakthiman without mentioning the word Shakthi.  Like that, they ever remain connected. That’s a family. Sathi (wife) and Pathi (husband) make up the family. A family is like putting beads on a piece of thread. The thread is the family. If the thread breaks, the beads will all fall off. Here, in America, people know what a family is but they keep searching and searching without trying to realize who their family is. But, we, on the other hand, know the value of family life.  But unfortunately, we also tend to lose this value. This story serves as a proof to how the Sathi and Pathi in our family system were balanced. It’s that Shakthi. Without Shakthi there’s no Shakthiman and to be a Shakthiman you need Shakthi. They can’t be separated. “So, I’ll be telling this story about these Sathi and Pathi that are like Shakthi and Shakthiman,” Markhandeya says as he begins to narrate the story of Sathyavan Savithri to Dharmaputhra. The essence of this story is that Savithri is such a chaste woman that she even dares to confront Yaman and go through all that trouble to get Sathyavan’s life back. Back then, people have said we would be acquire great Phalan (Punniyam) if you listen to the story of Sathyavan Savithri. There is a country called Mantradesam. The king of Mantradesam was named Ashwapathi. King Ashwapathi was a very righteous and nice person. He is a Dhanapathi (generous person) and a Satyasandhan (trustworthy person). What I mean by Satyasandhan is that he wouldn’t even think of a lie within his heart. That’s how honest King Ashwapathi was. What I mean by Dhanapathi is that he would give whatever he had that people asked for. Dhanapathi means giving whatever to whoever, but for Kings, it’s different. If a beggar comes to your house and asks for alms, you don’t have to become overfriendly and inquire about his situation, his wife, his kids etc, then you’ll turn into a beggar too. That’s not what it is. Whatever amount is needed to be given, he’ll give that amount without any further obligations. Even this is called a Dhanapathi. He is a majestic king. But, he gives how much ever amount is needed to satisfy the poor. So he is that type of Dhanapathi and Satyasandhan. While he was in rule, everybody in the town liked him very much. If a King could gain the people’s trust, he’ll surely be one of the best kings. After a while of ruling the kingdom, Ashwapathi becomes old. The Sasthram says that husbands will not feel the need of a child even when he gets older. They’ll always think that it’ll happen eventually. But, it’s not likewise for wives. Wives have the urge of getting a child as soon as they’re married. So he postponed and finally he was too old. At this time, he was yearning for a baby child. To attain this child, he went through a lot of time doing poojas and prayers to God. Everyday, he used to only eat in the evening. Like this, he accumulated all the Palans and Punyams out of these daily poojas and prayers. He kept doing countless Gayathri Homams everyday. Gayathri Devi is so powerful, that it’s said that daily you should say a thousand Gayathri Manthras. The Sasthram states that, you should wake up before dawn breaks at about 5 o’clock, take a bath, and then do Gayathri Manthra. If you do this consistently for three years, a spot in the Brahmalokham is guaranteed for him. The Gayathri Manthra shouldn’t be said fast like breaking a biscuit. It should be chanted with Gayathri’s picture in your mind. This is how he did Gayathri Manthra. In the morning she is Gayathri, at noon she is Savithri, and in the evening she is Saraswathi. So he fully visualizes and chants Gayathri Manthra. Doing ten Gayathri Manthras is not even considered in the Sasthram. You can only do ten Gayathri Manthra in very urgent and unconducive occasions, such as when you’re really sick. On the contrary, if you do only ten Gayathri Manthra daily in normal circumstances, then you’ll end up in that type of adverse situation, such as being sick, meaning, one should always try to chant as much Gayatri as possible, just not take the shortcut.  So, he did countless Gayathri Manthras day and night. As he did this, Gayathri Devi became very pleased with Ashwapati.   Whatever fire he was doing Pooja or Homam on, Gayathri arose from it. Ashwapathi couldn’t believe that he was viewing the same Gayathri that he was viewing inside of him in his heart while doing his Manthras. Without his knowledge, he starts to sing and chant many songs and Slokams to Gayathri Devi. Gayathri was overjoyed and asked Ashwapathi what he wanted. I’m telling exactly how it’s written and said to me in the Mahabharatha. Gayathri says, “Don’t give up your Dharmam (good deeds) because of your Aalasyam (laziness) because some people give up after they did Gayathri Manthra for a long time and they never saw Gayathri in person. You can’t witness Phalan. Phalan is not a tangible thing that you know when it’ll happen. You will enjoy that Palan without your knowledge and be grateful for it. So don’t leave your Dharmam.” After she says this, she repeats herself and asks for what he wants. Ashwapathi answers, “I want 100 children born to me.” Gayathri replies back, “Look, I’ll give you one girl child filled with Tejas (auras). Don’t ask me anything more.” She says like this because, even if you ask a fortuneteller he’ll only explain what happens to you in the future but doesn’t go in detail about the Phalans you’ll get from living like this or the symptoms. They’ll tell you what to do but won’t make explicit about the Palans, or else the Palans that you already accumulated will go away. She lastly says, “Don’t let go of your Dharmam and I’ll always be there for you,” and vanishes into thin air. Because he’s a king, he’ll have great understanding. So, he does Pooja in front of the idol of Gayathri Devi. After ten months, a beautiful Tejas girlchild is born to him. People said that it was like MahaLakshmi was reborn in the form of this baby. The King was really happy that he finally had a child after all these years and his wife felt the same way. The girl was shining with Tejas because she was born out of Gayathri Devi’s Tejas.  Back then, all the Kings will do a lot of Poojas, prayers, Homams, etc. That’s why through all his Tapas (penance) there will be at least one child born to him always. Because of all the Dharmam he did, he is able to get children with such amount of Tejas. That’s why poor people have a lot of children who are suffering and kings have only one child that is filled with Tejas. That child is the result of all the Dharmam accumulated by the king through these types of Poojas, prayers, and Homams. That is very rare. This is how Savithri was born.

She grows into her youth. In her youth, all the kings everywhere wanted to marry Savithri. But as soon as the princes and kings saw Savithri, they become so scared of her Tejas, Beauty and resplendence that they leave the place. The reason was her beauty. No one has seen that much beauty and Tejas in one lady. They thought, “Maybe if she was a regular human being we could start a family together, but she is nowhere close. She looks like a Devathai (angel).” Like this, no one wanted to marry Savithri. The King noticed this and became sad that he couldn’t find the ideal husband for Savithri. The Sasthram states, “If a woman doesn’t marry in the age she’s supposed to, all the Lokams will talk badly about her and she’ll be cursed.” There are three things said here. Of that, finding a husband for a woman of the right age, is said to be the most important. Ashwapathi searches and searches for a groom for Savithri and finds a solution. He decides that they should do Gowrivritham. He thought that if they do Gowrivritham, Savithri will get married. So, Savithri is doing Gowrivritham, meaning thinking of Parvathi and being on Vritham (fasting). She prays to Parvathi by doing Poojas and prayers as much as Ashwapthi did his Gayathri Manthras. By praying, I mean that she brings the picture of Parvathi in her heart and idolizes it. I just remembered something. “Andhar Mugha Samaaraadhya Bhahir Mookha Dhurlabha,” is a slokam in Lalitha Sahasranamam. One time, when doing Pooja, Mahaperiyava said, “Andhar Mukha Samaaraadhyai Namaha,” continuously. He repeatedly said this for about fifteen minutes. Tears dripped out of Mahaperiyava’s eyes. Andhar Mugham means the Ambal (Parvathi) we see inside of ourselves. Bhahir Mukham means the Ambal that we see outside. We see Ambal by drawings, sculptures, idols, etc. That’s how we internalize Ambal. But Mahaans (greats) already see it inside of them. Like this Savithri does Gowrivritham. Then, Savithri brings the Prasadam (religious offering of food) to her father. Ashwapathi had a thought. Because they were Kshathriyas, they could conduct a Swyamvara (function where the bride chooses her groom) or she could go herself to different cities and select her groom. Ashwapathi said to Savithri, “Go. Go look in forests. That’s where a lot of saints will be. Fall down to their feet. Fall to as many feet as you can. What will they do? They will do Aasirvaadam (wish you good luck or grant you with pleasure). With all of their wishes your marriage will happen really soon. If there are princes in the forests, choose one of them according to your consideration. Then, tell the name to me and I’ll do the rest.” Savithri asked if she could legitimately do this and Ashwapathi answered yes. Savithri went to the forest to get the blessings of Saints and to find her husband. For a long time, there was no communication from Savithri.  Ashwapathi becomes worried. As he remains in a gloomy state Naradha arrives to see Ashwapathi. Ashwapathi welcomes Naradha. In that particular moment, Savithri also arrives home. Naradha asks, “Is she your daughter? Have you started looking for groom for your daughter yet?” Ashwapathi explains to Naradha that she went to the forests only to find her groom.

Both of them turn to Savithri and ask how did things go and did she settle on who is going to be her husband. Savithri answered, “There is a town called Saalva. The king of Saalva’s name is Dhyumathsenan. He is blind. He’s not blind from birth, but he just has some eye defects. Because of this, the neighboring King captured his country and drove him to the forest with his wife and baby son.. The baby boy grew in the forest with his dad. Now he’s very Yuva (young) and his name is Sathyavan. I like him very much and I want to marry him.”

Ashwapathi becomes happy, but Naradha says, “Oh, you chose him? You’ve made a huge mistake.” Savithri inquires about the mistake. At first Naradha explains about how great of a person Sathyavan is, “Sathyavan is the name given to him because he was that honest. He is a youth filled with Dharmam. He does so many Dhanams (charities). There was a person named Ranthidevan who was a king. There was suddenly a drought in Ranthidevan’s kingdom. There was no food or water. Ranthidevan struggled for 48 days without food or water in this drought. As he was tolerating his starvation, he found some wheat flour. He thought of eating it so he divided it into four parts. As he was about to eat it, there was a mild shriek outside. When he looked outside, there was a Shandalan (man belonging to a lower caste) standing besides his door. He said he was really hungry and wanted something from the King. Ranthidevan, being generous, gave him a piece of the wheat flour. The Shandalan ate the piece of wheat flour given to him and left. When Ranthidevan went back inside to eat the leftover wheat flour, another mild shriek was heard. When he stepped outside, there was somebody belonging to an even lower caste than the Shandalan. Ranthidevan gave a part of the leftover wheat flour to the person as he said he was in extreme starvation. He was set and ready to eat again when another mild shriek was heard. Another man belonging to an even lower class than the previous persons, who had four dogs, asked for food. Ranthidevan gave parts of the wheat flour to him when he asked food for his dogs. Ranthidevan said, ‘If God stood in front of me, I wouldn’t ask for anything special. All I would ask for is that I should suffer through all the Pavams of everybody in the world. I want me to be the only person to suffer and all the other people to be happy.’ That’s how big of a giver Ranthidevan was. The four dogs turned into four Vedas. Like Ranthidevan, Sathyavan is also a giver. But, he has one Dhosham (defect) in his horoscope. That Dhosham is that, starting from today, he has only one year to live. Then, next year in this same date, he’ll die.” Savithri said, “If I fixed someone in my heart as my husband, there will be no further questions.” If a wife just had Kannikaadaanam (marriage) with her husband and suddenly decides that life with him isn’t going too well, doing Kannikaadaanam with another man is a great Paavam (sin). This is one type of Paavam. Another type of Paavam is when siblings divide their property and someone wants more so they say the division between them is wrong. Once the property has been divided, it’s been divided. The third type of Paavam is when you’re going to get back what you already gave for Dhaanam. These three types of Paavam are like abandoning Sathyavan. Savithri stood stubborn in marrying Sathyavan. Naradha thinks that this is all God’s way and leaves the scene.

Ashwapathi was confident in her daughter and her decisions. Ashwapathi allows Savithri to marry Sathyavan. Savithri is escorted to Dhyumathsenan’s kingdom. There Sathyavan helps out his father because of his inability to see. Ashwapathi and Savithri arrive at Dhyumathsenan’s place. Dhyumathsenan is a very great king regards to power, age and stature.  Ashwapathi does Namaskaaram (falling to the feet) to Dhyumathsenan and asks him for Sathyavan to his daughter. Dhyumathsenan emphatically says no because he himself is blind and he lost most of his kingdom. Savithri was a beautiful girl living in a king’s palace. Dhyumathsenan thought that their family with his family wouldn’t work out. Ashwapathi says, “It doesn’t matter about Sugam or Dukkam (opposite of Sugam). Sathyavan is the right person for my daughter. A life with Sugam at some point will have Dukkam and vice versa.” You shouldn’t leave your life because your life is filled with Dukkam. Sugam will be waiting for you. Ashwapathi knew that his daughter knew this very well. Dhyumathsenan says, “Oh, I’m so happy too. We were also talking about this at home, if he should marry Savithri or not. But, we didn’t think that our status and yours will match. Now God himself has given the opportunity.” Dhyumathsenan agrees to the marriage.

They called all the priests and did the marriage. All the Mahaans and Rishis came there to attend the function. Savithri gets all the Mahaans’ Aasirvaadam. Like this, Savithri starts her life with Sathyavan. Ashwapathi asks Savithri if she will stay in their house for a few days before she starts to live with her husband. Savithri says, “Wherever my husband is, that’s where I’ll be from now on.” Savithri didn’t disclose the information of Sathyavan’s life duration to anyone, not even Sathyavan. She kept it as a secret to herself. She’ll be happy on the outside, but on the inside she’ll be counting down the days that Sathyavan will still be alive. She packs up all of her jewelry and starts to live the simple life however Sathyavan is living in the forest. Time passes by. The time left for Sathyavan’s life still haunts Savithri at all times. But she doesn’t explicitly show it. There’ll be a lot of Rishis and Mahaans in the forest right? So, she’ll constantly go and seek Aasirvaadam from Rishis and Mahaans. As time goes, there is only one month left for Sathyavan. Even more time passes and then, Sathyavan only has four days to live. That day was Trayodasi and Mahapradosham. She begins her Vridham starting on that day. The next day was Chaturdasi, where Mahashivarathri happens. The day after that was Pournami (full moon), so she would see the big white light of the moon and pray. So, like this she is on Vridham for three straight days. All the Rishis look at Savithri with awe, appreciating her commitment to her Vridhams. But, the Rishis don’t want to bother her since she’s doing it for good deeds. The three days go, and it’s finally the last day of Sathyavan.

There is a Patanjali’s song. It goes like this:  “ Hay Parameshwara, you come. My time has come to a stop. I can’t see. When my life’s about to end, I’m struggling so much. My eyesight slowly disappears. My hearing ability recedes. If you’re standing outside, I’m not going to see you because I simply can’t. In this situation, I should see you inside. For the Paavams I did, Yaman is going to take me away. You need to come as Uma Maheshwari. I just need you inside and I can die in peace.” This is Pathanchali’s song.

So, three days go by with no food or water for Savithri. In the fourth day, you have to eat something to break the Vridham or break the fast. As she continuously prays to all the Rishis and Mahaans, they stop her and say that what she did is enough and that she should go break her fast. Savithri said, “Whenever my Phalan is attained, that’s when I’ll break my fast.” The Rishis let her do what is best for her, but they have the thought that she is starving.

Daylight starts to shave itself and it suddenly is evening. Sathyavan says, “I’ll go chop off some wood from a Peepal tree for Homam. I’ll also go gather some fruits and flowers for later Poojas.” When you’re doing something for a good purpose, you shouldn’t stop them from doing it. For example when you’re going to Kasi, you shouldn’t say don’t go to Kasi. Savithri doesn’t stop Sathyavan from going, but she goes with him. Sathyavan is confused why Savithri suddenly had the urge to come with him on that day. He asks his parents if she could come with him. His parents replied, “You were just on Vridham for three days. Is going with him really worth it? You must be totally exhausted.” Savithri said, “It has exactly been 364 days since I started living with you guys. Have I ever asked to go out with my husband for any occasion during that time? Today I am asking to go out with him and please don’t stop me.” Dhyumathsenan agrees with Savithri. But, Dhyumathsenan asks to take good care of Sathyavan.

Both Sathyavan and Savithri go deep in the forest.  Savithri’s body shakes like a tree in blizzard. Sathyavan, unware that it will be his last day, happily talks and laughs which makes Savithri smile on the outside, but on the inside she is worried about the time Naradha told about. He cuts off some fruits off a tree. As he cuts the fruit, Savithri stands extremely close to Sathyavan. Sathyavan wonders why Savithri is always so close to him. But, he doesn’t go into further thought and just moves along. He cuts the wood off a Peepal tree. The only use of the wood from a Peepal tree is for Homam.

At last, the appointed time has arrived.  As he cuts the wood, his head starts to feel heavy and hurt. His headache starts to increase.  He trembles and starts to faint.  He tells this to Savithri.  Savithri knows that the time has come. But instead, she says, “You see, you haven’t cut this hard of a wood before. That’s why you’re starting to feel pain in your head.” Savithri tells Sathyavan to sit down and relax for a while. Sathyavan describes his headache as someone throwing several boulders on him. This is how it is described. Patanjali, when he wrote songs about being on the brink of death, explains with such words like piercing one’s head with a thousand knives. At this time, you can’t say Siva Siva can you? It’s very difficult. Although one tries, he couldn’t say it. Most other people, they’ll only think of themselves and the pain they’re enduring at the time of death. They won’t have the intention to say God’s name during this time.

Sathyavan was falling unconscious. Savithri took a quick hold and caught him. She placed his body in her lap. After some time, he fainted. Savithri knows that the time that Naradha told has come. She looks up. In a pitch black forest, a ghost-like creature materializes. It’s a black ghost with shining white eyes. It has Vasthram (dress) filled with Tejas. Savithri keenly looks at the creature. The ghost-like creature bent down and looked at Sathyavan. Savithri stood up. She put his head on the ground and immediately fell to the feet of the creature. She said, “You’re some godly creature, I can tell. I need your Aasirvaadam. I wanted to ask who are you and why are you looking at us so sharply.” The creature said, “I don’t talk to humans, but since you asked, I tell; I’m Yaman.  Because you’re such a chaste women, you have the power to see me and talk to me. You asked what I came here for, right? I’m here to take the life of your husband and take it to Yamalogam.” He not only says it, but his hands also operate simultaneously. He does Angushtam (taking the life through your thumb). So, he takes the life of Sathyavan and goes. Savithri quickly follows him. Savithri again does Namaskaaram to Yaman. Yaman is taking the life of Sathyavan and walking towards the south side. That’s why you shouldn’t do Namaskaaram facing south. Vyaasa wrote that Savithri was working intelligently to get Sathyavan’s life back. His body was in the forest. What if some dog or wolf ate his body? So, she says a lot of Manthras. These Manthras gives total protection. That protection is such that no dog or wolf will even come close to Sathyavan’s dead body. Then, Savithri runs after Yaman. She says to Yaman that she wants to go with him too. Yaman looked back and asked her why she was following him. Savithri is having tears running from her eyes and her stomach is shrunk. With all of this, she is running towards Yaman. Yaman says, “Don’t come back. That’s all there is of your husband. You see, I go really fast. I don’t want to strain you. Please, just stay here and don’t follow me.” Savithri said, “You’re taking my husband to some place. The place where my husband is, is the place for me.” Yaman replied, “You can’t run that fast. Don’t strain yourself. You still have things to accomplish in your life. Go back.” Savithri says, “I can run because I have five.” Yaman asks what that five means. Savithri replies, “It’s all the Thapas (meditation), Guru Bhakthi (devotion), and the Aasirvaadam from the Saints that I’ve accumulated throughout my years. I’ve showed much compassion towards my husband in just one year. That’s why I’ll come with you. I could run at the same speed. I’ll tell you one additional thing. There’s all these Mahaans dwelling in the forests. They all live in isolated places. If we want to go to a place like that, we’ll take care of our accommodations and amenities first. We want the Sugam first, and then we want to be in that place. But Mahaans aren’t like that. They overcame their luxuries and reside in those isolated areas. There are four types of people. The first type is Grihasthas (family men). The second type is Vaanaprasthas (people who live by renunciation). The third type is Sanyaasi (a Hindu religious mendicant). The fourth type is Brahmacharis (unmarried bachelors).” She is a Grihani (wife of a Grihastha). Grihasthas and Vaanaprasthas are the two best classifications. Those people only are capable of doing service to multiple people and support others. Sanyaasi and Brahmachari only take Bikshai (alms) from everybody and only meditate. They won’t do any other job. After she describes this to Yaman, Yaman likes her ideas because he is the symbol of Dharmam and is fond of hearing positive conceptions of Dharmam. Yaman happily says, “Wow, I’m impressed! You’re just married and you have such a deep knowledge about Dharmam. Also, when saying the Slokam, there wasn’t a bit of grammatical mistake. I’ll give you a Varam (boon). You could ask for anything but Sathyavan’s life.” Then Savithri says, “My father-in-law’s name is Dhyumathsenan. He can’t see because he’s blind. Because he lost his eyesight, he lost most of his kingdom. I want you to bring his eyesight back. I want him to live happily and prosper.” She prays for her father-in-law first. Yaman grants the boon and asks her to leave. Savithri says, “My husband is everything to me. What will I do if I leave my husband? I have nothing to do. The only job that is reserved for me is to stay with my husband. I will tell you another piece of information.” She does Namaskaaram once to Yaman, gets up, and does two more Namaskaarams to him. Yaman gives Aasirvaadam to her and listens to what she’s about to tell. She says, “There are a lot of Mahaans wandering around. Even if we get the opportunity to meet just one of the Mahaans we will get so much Punyam. If we even talk for a little while with those Mahaans, that’s an even greater Punyam. If we spend some time with those Mahaans, like a couple days, that’s an even bigger Punyam. When Rama was sent to the forest for 14 years, 11 of those years were spent in Satsangam (in this case, meeting with Mahaans). That 11 years of experience with those Mahaans gave him 11,000 years of rule for him. That type of association is heavily praised. Like that, I’m here with you, a great Mahaan yourself, today. That is a big Punyam for me.” She does Namaskaaram again after she finishes her line. Yaman becomes even more gleeful. He says, “All of your words were very nice to hear. I feel like I want to give you another Varam. I’ll give you one more Varam, but you can’t ask for Sathyavan’s life.” Savithri answers, “You gave eyesight to my father-in-law, Dhyumathsenan. Like that, could you please give him his kingdom back. It would be nice to see the smile in his face when he gets his kingdom. He is a king and he should have the life of a King.  He needs to live a joyful and prosperous life.” Like this, she asks for the Varam. Yaman grants the boon and says, “He will get his lost Kindgom back. He’ll also be happier than ever. I’ll go now. I have many more operations to take care of. Don’t follow me. You won’t get anything out of me. Go back.” Savithri says, “With a Mahaan in front of me I have all the safety I need on this perilous journey. By the way, a Pathi and Sathi are always supposed to be together. Where will I go without my husband? So, wherever you take my husband, I’ll come with you. I’ll tell you another thing.”  Whenever Savithri picks up some great bullet points from the Sasthrams, Yaman is eager to listen to it. He is eager to listen to how she explains her thoughts on it. Savithri continues, “You know why Mahaans are called Mahaans? Because they protect and serve for Dharmam, they’re called Mahaans. Even when others do bad deeds, the Mahaans don’t think of the bad deeds that they did. That’s why they’re Mahaans. They are the only people who could think about the welfare of all living beings.  They are also the only people who could try to make that happen. That’s how great Mahaans are. If some person did something bad towards another person, that person will have the vengeance and keep repeating the same thing over and over. That person is now thinking of the bad deeds that the other person did. But, Mahaans aren’t like that. Mahaans don’t even have a trace of bad deeds inside of them. You are that type of Mahaan. You won’t leave without saving me.” After she says this, she again does Namaskaaram to Yaman. Even a very cruel and bad person might not trust himself and his words, but he might trust Mahaans and their words. They have that level of respect. She continues, “I came here trusting on you. Now, you should do whatever to save me from the situation I’m in right now.” Yaman becomes all the more happy. He gives Aasirvaadam to Savithri and says, “It’s becoming late. I need to go fast.” Savithri halts him and speaks, “I’ll tell you one more thing.” Yaman stops her and he offers her one more Varam. Like all the other times, he says that she could ask for anything other than Sathyavan’s life. Savithri recounts, “I have my father named Ashwapathi. I’m his only child. I want my dad to have a hundred children. He should have so much children that he shouldn’t ask for more. Of those children, there should be a good candidate to keep his kingly stature.” It is said in the Sasthram that if we pray for our fathers and forefathers (Pitrus), lots of children will be born. That’s why Bhageeradhan was able to dissolve his ancestor’s ash with the Ganga river. Like this, I want my dad to have a hundred children.” Yaman grants this wish and asks Savithri to go home. Savithri again starts to speak, “I’ll tell you another thing. Vaivaswathan is another name for the one and only Sun God, Suriya Bhagavan.  Suriya Bhagavan sees all of us equally. That’s how your court is. You see everyone equally. In your court you won’t say that you’ve made a mistake or wrong judgement in taking the life of a person. If he needs to go, he needs to go. That’s why you’re being compared to Vaivaswathan. You’re that great of a Mahaan. I always need the protection of great Mahaans like you.” After she says this, she again falls to his feet and does Namaskaaram.  On hearing his Kulam and Gothram, Yaman becomes as happy as ever. Yaman is the son of Suriya Bhagavan.  We always praise Parameshwara, right?  People chant Rudram. Saying Rudram is basically praising Siva or Parameshwara. That’s why Parameshwara becomes so happy when we chant Rudram. After Rudram, there’s Chamakam. Chamakam is not said by Sanyaasigal because those verses mean I want a good house, I want a good family, etc. Sanyaasigal only say Rudram, and not Chamakam because they don’t crave for the luxuries that are present today. If you ask why can’t  Sanyaasigal say it, Parameshwara will always grant the wish for anyone. He’ll even mistakenly grant the wish if a Sanyaasi said Chamakam. That’s why if Sanyaasigal want to remain Sanyaasigal, they shouldn’t say Chamakam. When Parameshwara became happy with Savithri’s excerpts from the Sasthram, Yaman also became happy. Yaman says, “Wow, you know the true meaning of who I am. You know all these Godly concepts. Now I understand that you’re a very mature girl. Ask for any Varam except for Sathyavan’s life.” Savithri immediately falls to the feet of Yaman and does Namaskaaram. Yaman gives her the Aasirvaadam. Savithri cleverly states, “Sathyavan and I should have hundred children.” But, Yaman grants her that boon says, “That’ll happen soon. Now go and do your remaining tasks.” Savithri exclaims, “What do I have left to do now? The Sun is only giving heat and light to a degree. If it gives more heat or light, the world, as you know it, would collapse. In the same way, an ocean stays within its limits.  It’s not flooding everywhere. You know what’s the reason behind this? It’s Sathyam. Because Mahaans have great Sathyam towards the people surrounding, the world is running peacefully. If not, the world would have fallen apart a long time ago. Whatever Mahaans say remains as Sathyam. The truth is always circling around you great Mahaans. As for you, you have to keep your word, right?” Yaman is puzzled and couldn’t recollect what he did wrong. Savithri says, “You granted my wish of having a hundred children with my husband, right? Then, why are you taking Sathyavan away from me? I need Sathyavan.” Yaman finally came to his senses. He thought, “What a brilliant girl?” Brilliance may be one reason for this, but she was clever as well. Having children with her husband is a wife’s one and only wish. She stated the correct boon as well as a clever way to get Sathyavan’s life back. Yaman opens his eye and hands over Sathyavan’s life to Savithri. No man alive has ever been touched by Yaman. Yaman says, “Since, I touched him. Nothing will happen to your husband what so ever. Go. He’ll be a good husband. You’ll live joyfully together. Take him home.” Yaman gives a final Aasirvaadam and then goes away. Savithri brings all of her Varams with her and runs back to Sathyavan’s dead body. After she arrives to his dead body, she puts his head on her lap. After a short period, Sathyavan starts to breathe. Sathyavan wakes up and softly says, “I don’t know what happened. I had this dream. In that dream, there was this ghostly creature taking me somewhere. You snatched me and brought me back to this place. I seriously don’t know what happened. I feel a little different. What actually happened?” Savithri ignores the subject and asks him to go home since it was getting late. Sathyavan stays stubborn and asks once more, “What happened?” Savithri chronicles the whole story over again, “You see, Yaman took you away. He gave Aasirvaadam to me and left.” Sathyavan still was blunt and didn’t know what happened. Then, Sathyavan looks around and notices it was night time. It was past midnight. Sathyavan pants, “Oh no! My parents can’t see. They must be worried sick.” Savithri says, “Don’t cry. We’ll go back home.” The woods in the forest were burning. Savithri broke off one branch and leads the way. She doesn’t speak to Sathyavan as she walks. There Dhyumathsenan regains his vision. As his vision comes back, he begins to think of how this happened. He was very concerned that Sathyavan and Savithri had not yet returned from forests. He begins to panic. He cries and searches for both of them in different parts of the forest. As his feet start to bleed, he still is in search of his son. One Rishi confronts Dhyumathsenan and asks him to sit down for a moment. He says, “Savithri went with Sathyavan, right? Then, everything will be all right. She’ll bring him back safely. Don’t worry.” Another Rishi says, “Whatever I said so far has never gone wrong. So, Sathyavan and Savithri will return safely.” Right after he said that, both Savithri and Sathyavan arrive. Sathyavan was extremely happy to see that his father could see again. Everyone over there, including Rishis, asked Sathyavan what happened. Sathyavan said, “Don’t ask me. I don’t know anything that happened. Ask Savithri.” Savithri describes the incident in a very passive way. She doesn’t brag about being the one to bring back her husband from the jaws of death. Savithri, Ashwapathi, and Naradha are the only people who know about Sathyavan’s life span. Not even her mother knew about this. Thus she brings back the life of Sathyavan. Everyone was so happy. If things couldn’t get better, the neighboring land’s king came to Dhyumathsenan and gave his kingdom back. So, Dhyumathsenan goes back to Saalva and has his Pattabhishekam. Sathyavan also has a Pattabhishekam there as the heir Prince. Savithri gets her Varam of having a hundred children.

Markhandeya told this very story to Dharmaputhra. Markhandeya says, “People have lived like this. You’re saying Dhroupathi is in a bad situation. Look at Savithri and be consoled.”

The people who listen to this Sathyavan Savithri Charithram will receive extra Punyam and Phalan. With that, I conclude this Sathyavan Savithri Charithram.

Namah Parvathi Pathaye

Hara Hara Maha Deva