The sub - title of epic Savitri as “a legend and a symbol” is quite appropriate, because it is the symbolic treatment of the well-known legendary story of Savitri and Satyavan. This legend is quite popular in the Hindu households. In literature, it covers seven cantos in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata. It is narrated by Rishi Markendeya to Yudhishtira to convince him of the powers of wifely chastity and love.
The Mahabharata legend runs as follows. Aswapathy, the king of Madra, was childless. He did tapas, observed fasts and performed a hundred thousand sacrifices. After his tap of eighteen years, Goddess Savitri was pleased and blessed him with a daughter. In due course of time Aswapathy got a daughter. Since she was born as a boon from Goddess Savitri he named her ‘Savitri’. She was virtuous and beautiful and had all the attributes of a goddess. When she came of age, princes were afraid of her beauty and virtue and were not willing to marry her. Aswapathy was pained at this and he asked her to go round the country and choose her own husband. She went on such an errand along with an old minister and after two years travelling was able to detect Satyavan, son of King Dayumatsen who was living in a hermitage in the forest because his enemies had taken possession of his kingdom.
Since Satyavan was brave, intelligent, generous, forgiving, Savitri's parents approved of her choice for Satyavan as her husband. But Narad did not like it, because he, being the knower of the after past, present and future, knew that Satyavan was fated to die after one year. Even in the face of this prophecy, Savitri persisted in her choice, saying that one chooses a husband only once. The parents consented to her choice and she was accordingly married to Satyavan.
Immediately after marriage she led a simple and hard life full of austerities at the hermitage where Satyavan lived. On the fateful morning when Satyavan wanted to go to the forest to cut wood, Savitri insisted on going with him, and was allowed to go on her persistent requests. In the forest, after cutting some wood, Satyavan complained of a severe headache and Savitri offered her lap for him to rest his head. Soon Satyavan died and Savitri saw Yama, the Lord of Death. Yama took Satyavan's soul in his possession. But Savitri followed him and the soul of Satyavan separated from his physical body and tied to the noose of Yama.
On the way to the realm of Death, Savitri talked to Yama and tried to persuade him to release the soul of Satyavan and spare his life. Yama at first asked Savitri to retrace her steps and perform her husband's funeral rites. But she replied that wherever her husband went or was taken, there she must go. As she had already walked seven paces with Yama, she could claim the privilege of friendly talk with him. Of the four stages (ashrams) of human life, Savitri and Satyavan had been leading the second (of married life). Her argument was that Yama, who is also Dharma, should permit Savitri and Satyavan to continue their Dharma (the grihastha Ashrama) and not separate them.
Yama was pleased with her sweet persuasive talk and asked her to demand a boon except Satyavan's life. Savitri asked for the restoration of the eyesight of her father - in - law, and this was granted. But she kept on following and pleading. So Yama granted her a second boon and then a third one. First she desired that her father - in - law may regain his kingdom, and her father, Aswapathy may have a hundred sons of his own. Asked now to return, Savitri replied that her place was with her husband wherever he happened to be. She talked so sweetly that she invoked the grant of a fourth boon. She demanded, “May a hundred sons be born to me and Satyavan”, and Yama granted it and then begged her to return. But she followed him still, and spoke more sweetly and wisely than ever before, praising the efficacy of the good and the righteous. Yama was much pleased and granted her a final boon. Savitri told him naively that unless Satyavan's life was restored, the earlier boon of a hundred sons to them will be incapable of accomplishment. Yama too realised that she was right. As he was also Dharma, he could not go back on his words. He released Satyavan's life, blessed her heartily, and disappeared in a flame. Savitri hurriedly returned to the place in the forest where her husband's listless body lay.
She lifted Satyavan's head and placed it on her bosom. Satyavan came to life and looked at her with lingering addiction. They got up and moved towards the hermitage . As it was dark , it was somewhat difficult to trace the way back to the cottage : Savitri saw a withered , burnt tree still showing flickers of flame as the wind blew upon it : she therefore lighted some faggots , and since Satyavan was still weary they could spend the night in the forest and when the woods shall be visible in the morning , they would start for the hermitage . But Satyavan assured her that he was alright and besides his parents would be anxious. Thinking of his parents Satyavan wept bitterly.
When at last they reached the hermitage, they found that Yama's first boon had already brought about the restoration of Dayumatsen's eyesight. In order to explain the miracle, Savitri disclosed the truth Narad muni's prophecy, her vow, her accompanying Satyavan to the forest, Yama’s appearance there and the five boons granted by him. Next morning even as the hermits were talking to Dayumatsen about Savitri, there came to the hermitage some people with the news that the usurper had been jailed by his ministers, his troops had dispersed, and the people wanted their beloved king back in their midst. Thus Yama's second boon was fulfilled. The people were glad to see their king hale and hearty and endowed with sight. Dayumatsen, his Queen, his son and daughter - in - law marched towards the kingdom in a chariot. The other boons were also fulfilled in due course of time: Aswapathy became the father of a hundred sons, and so, also Savitri and Satyavan.
The simple story has been transformed by the alchemy of the great rishi's genius into a living symbol, and imparted a cosmic significance. The various names have been used symbolically. Thus Savitri is not merely an accomplished princess, but a being who embodies Divine Grace, the incarnation of goddess Usha, the Mother of Eternal Light, the great World - Mother descended on earth, to work out the salvation the light of Truth and wisdom, that struggles with the darkness of Ignorance symbolised by Yama, and overcomes it. Her struggle with Death for the life of Satyavan becomes symbolic of the struggle of the aspiring human soul to break the chain of determinism.
Aswapathy, the name of the father of Savitri, means the Lord of the life, the symbol of life - energy or vital power. In the epic he symbolizes the soul of man aspiring for self - knowledge. Thus, he is the aspiring human soul in search for the truth of himself, of the world and of God. He does tapas but he feels that unless the Divine Mother incarnates herself down on earth, it would not be possible to create the World of Truth here. The Supreme Mother incarnates in her infinite grace gives Aswapathy a boon that a human manifestation of her Grace would be born on earth. “A new light shall break upon the earth, a new world shall be born, things that were promised shall be fulfilled.” This new light is Savitri born in answer to Aswapathy's intense aspiration for the Divine's help in creating divine perfection on the earth. “The whole period of Aswapathy's Tapas as reported in the legend has been transformed by the poet into an epic climb of the human soul in its journey from the Inconscient to the very gates of the Superconscient and the whole symbol becomes full of a tremendous cosmic significance.” Aswapathy’s penances symbolise the trials and tribulations a of the evolving Soul of Humanity and his gains are the gains of the human race during its long struggle for attainment of the Truth, Savitri is conscious of both her divinity and humanity.
The episode of Narad's declaration of the fate of Satyavan has been raised to a very high pitch of spirituality wherein cosmic purposes and intentions, the destiny of man, are brought into play. The subtlety and cunningness shown by Yama during his argument with Savitri is symbolic of Ignorance's trickery and device.
Satyavan is truth, and Truth cannot die. He rises from the kingdom of Death to the region of Eternal Day where the Sun of Truth never sets, where Ignorance is unknown and Death has no place. After staying in this region of truth of some time, Savitri and Satyavan return to earth in order to accomplish their Divine Work the creation of a new humanity. Thus Satyavan is Truth, Beauty, love and power (the power of devotion and chastity) allied to truth can dare anything, achieve anything.
The Dawn with which Canto I of the epic begins, is symbolic of physical light as well as of the light of creation and the light of wisdom. Similarly, Night is the darkness of chaos as well as of Ignorance.
Briefly speaking, Savitri “is like a vast bank of lightning steadied into the poetic empyrean, illuminating the cosmos from end to end, from the deepest and darkest Night of the Nascence to the highest heights of the transcendent Divine, revealing the double ladder of divine dynamics, the ladder of the descent of the Divine and the ladder of Ascent of human soul. It points to a culmination in the descent of the Divine into the earth - consciousness and the consequent transformation of the earth- nature into the divine.”