Book VIII—The Book of Death
Canto 3
Death in the
The sky was crowded with a throng of gods
And golden Durga with sword in her hand
Guarded the kingly tree since the early dawn
And Satyavan and Savitri moved in the peace
Of that rich forest, destiny’s rendezvous.
Year is the body and Satyavan must die
And three great times he uttered the mantric name.
The noon was filled with the creator’s shadow
And the still river watched the motionless crane,
As if eternity had come to its end.
In the campanile of death tolled the hour
And no more was there Savitri’s Satyavan.
The fated day of Satyavan’s death has arrived and
Savitri gets ready well before the sunrise. In that auspicious hour or
Mahamuhurta she worships Durga, the Protectress of the World. Then, taking the permission
from her parents-in-law, she accompanies her husband to the forest where he has
to go for the daily work. Even as they enjoy each other’s company in the
happiness of nature, Savitri is at the same time haunted by the foretold doom
which will befall on Satyavan when arrives the marked moment. While Satyavan is
attending to his job, of cutting the branch of a tree, he suddenly feels
exhausted, and there is profuse sweating, as well as intense pain. He comes
down from the tree and puts his head in the lap of Savitri. The noon has become
dark with the presence of Yama, the God of Death. Savitri knows that Satyavan
is there no more now with her.