Satyavan - Savitri

Once upon a time, in Madra desh (now Punjab, India) lived a king called Ashwapati. He had many wives but no children. After 16 years of worshipping goddess Savitri, the daughter of Lord Surya (sun) appeared before him and granted him a boon saying, “O King, I am pleased with your worship. You will have a child soon. You’ll be the father of a virtuous and beautiful daughter.”

As per the boon, days passed by and queen Malavi gave birth to a daughter. Happy beyond words, King Ashwapati named her Savitri, in honor of the goddess. Just like the goddess had predicted, she turned into a fine young woman. She studied many scriptures and arts. Her eyes were radiant like the Sun himself.

Now the old king and queen were looking for suitable husband for their loving Savitri. But no man came forward, fearing her radiance and skills. Finally, the king one day said to Savitri, “Dear daughter. Men fear your beauty and your virtues. So it is becoming difficult for us to find a suitable  match for you. Go out in the world and find a man worthy of you. I’ll arrange for your marriage.”

So Savitri set out. Along with her trusted servants and councilors, Savitri traveled near and far. While travelling, she came upon a hermit’s ashram in the Shalwa country. There she met the exiled, blind Shalwa King Dyumatsen and his young son, Satyavan. Savitri and Satyavan saw each other and fell in love.

When Savitri returned to her father and told him of her decision to marry Satyavan, King Ashwapati got worried. “O daughter, I know after many hardships and tiring travels you have found a man to get married with. But sage Narada has foretold a fault with him. Satyavan has only one more year to live. Please dear Savitri, find someone else to marry.”, he pleaded.

But Savitri had already made up her mind.

With preparations that would only suit a princess as graceful and learned as herself, Savitri married Satyavan and went to live with his family in the forest. King Ashwapati and queen Malavi bade farewell to their daughter with tearful, worried eyes.

For about a year Savitri and Satyavan lived happily. When the day for the predicted demise of her husband was three days ahead, Savitri resolved to face the future. She started fasting and praying for her husband’s health.

On the very day of his death, she accompanied him into the forest where he was going to chop some wood. She sat below a Vat Vriksha (Banyan tree) and wove flowers into garlands. By noon, Satyavan felt tired and restless. He rested his head on Savitri’s lap and fell asleep.

At that time, Savitri saw a princely man coming through the woods to meet them. He looked darker than the darkest night, but had an aura of divine power about him.

“Who are you, o nobleman?”, Savitri asked trembling.

“I am Yama, the lord of death. Satyavan is a virtuous man, but his time has come. I’ve come to take his life.”, he replied and took Satyavan’s soul. He walked away leaving Savitri with the lifeless body of her beloved husband.

Knowing it was useless to sit in the forest, Savitri rose from her place and started following Yama.

“Princess, your time has not yet come. I cannot allow you to come to the land of the dead. Please return back to your home.”, Yama warned her.

But Savitri was firm. “I will go wherever my husband goes.”, she said and kept on the path. Rough stones, sharp thorns tore at her skin and clothes but she persisted nonetheless.

“I am impressed with your courage, Savitri. I’ll give you one boon. After that please do go back.”, Yama said to her.

“If you are pleased with me, please restore the kingdom and eyesight of my father-in-law.”, Savitri requested. So it was done.

Even then Savitri continued on her journey. After some time, Yama spoke to her again, “Your duty as a wife has ended. Satyavan must go with me. He has lived a good life and will be happy in my kingdom too. For your persistence I grant you another wish. Ask, my child.”

Savitri replied, “O lord of the dead, may my father be blessed with many children.”. Yama said, “Tathastu.” meaning “so be it” and it was done.

On went Savitri not caring for the blood that trickled from her foot or for the sweat that ran down her forehead.

“Princess Savitri, I am really awed by your love for your husband, but I cannot take you along with me any further. Ask for another boon and go back to your life.”, Yama told her.

“Lord Yama, may I have many children.”, she replied. Yama granted her wish but then realized that this seemingly fragile young woman had tricked him. How could she have many children when he was taking her husband away? He was dumbstruck.

“Savitri, you are as witty as you are wise. I am returning your husband’s life due to your relentless efforts. May you both live long happy lives before I come to fetch you again. You will always be remembered for your pure love for your husband.”, Yama said and returned the soul of Satyavan back to his body.

So it happened. A young unarmed woman, conquered death and restored happiness to her husband, her father and in-laws.

To this day, women across India celebrate this day with fasting, prayers and offering to the sacred Vat tree under whose shade, Satyavan rose back from death. They tie white thread seven times across the trunk of banyan tree wishing for the same husband's company in seven births.

Indian literature abounds in such love stories. These are also symbolic and convey a much deeper meaning. Yama is a symbol of adversities, of problems. Satyavan is the human being who, in spite of leading a virtuous life, is bound to face adversities. Savitri is the spirit of tireless effort, faith and love. The three essential things that can conquer any adversity. The Vat vriksha (Banyan tree) is the symbol of long life and good health. Ayurveda, the Indian science of medicine abounds in examples of its usage to heal diseases.

Amazing, isn't it?

Here's to our rich and varied cultural heritage!!!

Liked this story? You can get many such stories delivered to your door step by FlipKart. Prices are reasonable and shipping in India is free. They can be great collectibles, bed time tales for your kids or even gifts.

To try, click one of the links below…

If you are interested in reading any particular tale here on Reading Habit, do write to me at varada dot sharma at gmail dot com or drop a comment below. I always respond to your comments. :)

Dark Chocolate and Paulo Coelho

I feel Paulo Coelho’s books are like dark chocolate. Either you like it or you don’t. There’s no in-between.


You can’t start reading one of his books and wait for yourself to ‘develop a taste’ for it. You would be better off putting the book down and moving on to lighter stuff.


On the other hand, if you like his books, even his 2-page prologue makes you pause and think about it. Relate to it. Breathe the words in.


I am reading Brida. In fact I just finished the two page prologue and I am already thinking about things. Writing this. Sharing my thoughts with you. (Yeah right, this post is NOT a book review…Sorry…)


This book has always tantalized me. Every time I visited book shops there it would sit with a woman’s back staring at me. I would read the last page of its cover -

“As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to transform herself.”

Very ME. You could change the name Brida to Varada.


But I never bought the book before. Like they say, “I had chosen the book, but the book had not chosen me.” Not yet.


Yesterday it was like the book drew me towards it. I had already walked away from the store buying something else. But I felt compelled to go back and get Brida. Make her my own. Be hers.


Here are Paulo’s exact words that set me thinking to myself

“An anonymous text from the Tradition says that, in life, each person can take one of two attitudes: to build or to plant…”

I can understand what he means before I read the next words. From my own experiences.


I’ve been a builder till now. Building, amassing things. For me and as I keep telling myself – for people I love, people to whom I am responsible. Over the last couple years I am beginning to feel that the process of building is coming to a stop. Losing its charm. The excitement over my achievements in building are fading out.
I am feeling a growing urgency in my heart to turn my life the other way.
To start planting. 

To watch things grow.
To seek my destiny.
To create my legacy.
To leave something behind for which I’ll be remembered.
To pay attention to what My Kanhaji is telling me.
Lovingly.


~* Amen *~

Summer Times - The (very local) newsletter

One of the best things I did during the recent school vacations - guess - give up? I helped our colony kids put together their first ever NEWSLETTER!!! Yes, Yes, Yes!!!

I seriously wanted to get kids to do some "together" kind of activity that was stimulating to their brains (watching a movie ruled out) yet could provide some fun to parents (parties and get-together's ruled out - ask someone who cleans the mess afterwards). Outdoor sports event was an option, so was an evening of dance-drama-fashion show etc. But with my little baby still not stable enough for me to leave her for extended hours, I chose to put together something in print.

We decided to create our very own newsletter. Kids got their contributions together - poems, puzzle, drawings, jokes were collected. We also did one interview with one of our colony members who is a cricket coach for players like Ashish Nehra.

We did not want to go overboard with spending too much money, since we would have to ask parents to shell out. So we collected 5/- rupees each for about 10 families. Got one print out and several photocopies of the newsletter. Distributed to every home in our colony. Were parents pleased? You bet!!!

Here are the final results: (Click on the images to see details or click here to download.)

How did you like it? Do you think we should continue this effort now that schools have re-opened?
Look forward to hearing from you…

How did the squirrel get three dark lines on her back?

Rama the exiled prince of Ayodhya wanted to cross the Indian ocean to reach Lanka. Demon king Ravana had abducted Rama's lovely wife Seeta and Rama wanted to free her. The monkey king Sugreev with his ministers like Hanuman, Jambuvant, nephew Angad and other great monkey warriors was helping prince Rama in his task.


First Rama prayed the ocean lord to give way. "O great ocean. You know my plight. Please give us way to reach the land of Lanka. We must save princess Seeta from the demon king.", Rama requested. But the ocean did not budge. As time went by, Rama got angry. He lifted his bow and arrow and threatened the ocean lord, "You have become insolent due to pride. You do not value righteousness anymore. I'll dry you up with my arrow and you'll learn your lesson."


When the ocean lord heard this he appeared in human form in front of Rama and prayed with folded hands, "O great prince of Ayodhya, you are very just and wise. I cannot disregard the laws of nature, so I cannot give way to your army. But you have Nal and Neel with you who are ace architects. Ask them to build a bridge over my waters and I'll gladly support it. Using the bride you can go across to Lanka."


Rama was pleased with this solution and proceeded to do so. As per instructions from Nal and Neel, the team of monkeys lifted great boulders, huge stones and threw them into the ocean. But the stones were heavy, so they drowned instantly. How would the bridge float? Hanuman the supreme devotee of Rama had an idea. On each of these boulders, he wrote the name "Rama" with sand. Now when the stones were thrown into water, they all floated.


But there was another difficulty. The stones would not stick to each other and kept drifting away. A tiny squirrel noticed their plight and came to the rescue. She brought grains of sand and small pebbles, as many as she could carry on her back and put them on the bridge cementing, sealing the gaps and making each boulder stick to the other. The monkeys noticed her going back and forth. They were irritated to see a tiny little thing like the squirrel scampering, scurrying about near their feet and tried to push her away. But she would not relent. 


Rama noticed this. In recognition for her efforts, he patted her back lovingly and blessed her. "You have proven today, little one, that no effort done with sincere heart is insignificant. You'll always be remembered for your efforts in helping bring Seeta home.", he said. Even today you can see three dark lines on her back that his fingers made when then ruffled her fur.


This tale from the Indian epic Ramayan tells us to be sincere in our efforts, no matter how insignificant they might seem to be. If we persist with a good intention we'll surely make a difference. :)


Related posts
"Be a squirrel" on Naari - The Woman

Robin Sharma on Leadership

Who does not want to be a leader these days? From young kids in kindergarten to high powered professionals, everyone wants to be the authority, be the leader in their game. But are getting first rank in class or being promoted to the next level only ways to make your mark as a leader?

“No.”, says, Robin Sharma – leadership guru for million’s of people over the globe including yours truly. He teaches us to be good human beings above all else. To inculcate greatness in our daily lives, to reach out to others and make a difference in their lives. After all we all want someone to cry when we die, don’t we?

I am averse to most newsletters / subscriptions since after a while you tend to ignore them or get tired of them. However there’s one exception to this – Robin Sharma’s monthly newsletter. It comes as a breath of fresh air and fills your mind with positive energy every month. You can check out Robin’s thoughts by subscribing yourself. Or if you are more interested in listening to him speak, he also has a free leadership audio program download.

Over time I’ve become a great fan of his books. Have built a collection for myself as well as gifted few copies to others. You can grab your copies here:

Check it out for yourself. And don’t forget to share your thoughts with me.

Happy journey to your new life as a leader 

Twilight – by Stephnie Meyer

“I’d  never given much thought to how I would die…”, began the video of “Twilight”. I watched in curiosity.

What started as a dream for Stephnie Meyer and took the young adult readers, specially females, by storm also has me mesmerized ever since I laid my hands on the book with the same title.

More inclined towards “Agatha Christie” creations rather than quixotic stuff, I never thought I would be so taken by any romantic novel, but this is different. Twilight and rest of the four books from this series, have had me captivated. Here are some strong characters – each having their own significance in the tale, each with a story of their own. Stephnie Meyer’s language, treatment of the plot is amazing. Her dialogs make the emotions reach out to readers. Readers can relate to the predicament of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, can sympathize with Jacob Black, tend to respect Carlisle’s abstinence and love Alice’s charm. Not surprisingly I am hooked.

Stephenie tells the whole story mostly from Bella’s perspective. Her emotions, her opinions, her life. However, she also created a draft of Twilight that was the way story unfolded from Edward’s eyes (in my view, more potent than Bella’s books :) ). Unfortunately it circulated on the internet without her consent. Finally she did share it on her website. You can more about the draft and the draft itself from Stephenie Meyer’s official website here.

The movie does not disappoint either. From Kristine Stewart and Rob Pattison as Bella and Edward, to the Cullen family, Chief Swan, Black family – each character plays to perfection. A remember-to-blink-if-you-can entertainment!

Check it out: