Scriptures

Śrīmad Devī Bhāgavatam

BOOK 9 • CHAPTER 27
Ch 27 Verse 1-2 Verse
Sanskrit Text
९.२७ सप्तविंशोऽध्यायः । सावित्र्युपाख्याने यमसावित्रीसंवादवर्णनम् । श्रीनारायण उवाव स्तुत्वानेन सोऽश्वपतिः सम्पूज्य विधिपूर्वकम् । ददर्श तत्र तां देवीं सहस्रार्कसमप्रभाम् ॥ १ ॥ उवाच सा च राजानं प्रसन्ना सस्मिता सती । यथा माता स्वपुत्रं च द्योतयन्ती दिशस्त्विषा ॥ २ ॥
English Translation
Nārāyaṇa said :-- O Nārada! After having chanted the above hymn to the Goddess Sāvitrī and worshipped Her in accordance with due rites and ceremonies, the king Aśvapati saw the Devī, effulgent like the lustre of thousand suns. She then smilingly told the king, as a mother to her son, whilst all the quarters were illumined with the lustre of Her body :--
Ch 27 Verse 3-4 Verse
Sanskrit Text
सावित्र्युवाच । जानाम्यहं महाराज यत्ते मनसि वाञ्छितम् । वाञ्छितं तव पत्न्याश्च सर्वं दास्यामि निश्चितम् ॥ ३ ॥ साध्वी कन्याभिलाषं च करोति तव कामिनी । त्वं प्रार्थयसि पुत्रं च भविष्यति क्रमेण च ॥ ४ ॥
English Translation
Sāvitrī said :-- “O King! I know your desire. Certainly I will give what you and your wife long for. Your chaste wife is anxious for a daughter, while you want a son. So, one after another, the desires of both of you will be fulfilled.” Thus saying, the Devī went to the Brahma Loka.
Ch 27 Verse 5-6 Verse
Sanskrit Text
इत्युक्त्वा सा तदा देवी ब्रह्मलोकं जगाम ह । राजा जगाम स्वगृहं तत्कन्याऽऽदौ बभूव ह ॥ ५ ॥ आराधनाच्च सावित्र्या बभूव कमला परा । सावित्रीति च तन्नाम चकाराश्वपतिर्नृपः ॥ ६ ॥
English Translation
The King also returned to his house. First a daughter was born to him. As the daughter was born, as if a second Lakṣmī was born after worshipping Sāvitrī, the King kept her name as Sāvitrī.
Ch 27 Verse 7-8 Verse
Sanskrit Text
कालेन सा वर्धमाना बभूव च दिने दिने । रूपयौवनसम्पन्ना शुक्ले चन्द्रकला यथा ॥ ७ ॥ सा वरं वरयामास द्युमत्सेनात्मजं तदा । सत्यवन्तं सत्यशीलं नानागुणसमन्वितम् ॥ ८ ॥
English Translation
As time rolled on, the daughter grew, day by day, like the phases of bright fortnight moon, into youth and beauty. There was a son of Dyumat Sena, named Satyavāna, always truthful, good natured and endowed with various other qualifications.
Ch 27 Verse 9-10 Verse
Sanskrit Text
राजा तस्मै ददौ तां च रत्नभूषणभूषिताम् । सोऽपि सार्धं कौतुकेन तां गृहीत्वा गृहं ययौ ॥ ९ ॥ स च संवत्सरेऽतीते सत्यवान् सत्यविक्रमः । जगाम फलकाष्ठार्थं प्रहर्षं पितुराज्ञया ॥ १० ॥
English Translation
The daughter chose him for her bridegroom. The King betrothed her with jewels and ornaments, to Satyavāna, who gladly took her home. After one year expired, the truthful vigorous Satyavāna gladly went out, by his father’s command, to collect fruits and fuel.
Ch 27 Verse 11-12 Verse
Sanskrit Text
जगाम साध्वी तत्पश्चात्सावित्री दैवयोगतः । निपत्य वृक्षाद्दैवेन प्राणांस्तत्याज सत्यवान् ॥ ११ ॥ यमस्तं पुरुषं दृष्ट्वा बद्ध्वाङ्गुष्ठसमं मुने । गृहीत्वा गमनं चक्रे तत्पश्चात्प्रययौ सती ॥ १२ ॥
English Translation
The chaste Sāvitrī, too, followed him. Unfortunately Satyavāna fell down from a tree and died. Yama, the God of Death, saw his soul as a Puruṣa of the size of one’s thumb and took it and went away. The chaste Sāvitrī began to follow Him.
Ch 27 Verse 13 Verse
Sanskrit Text
पश्चात्तां सुदतीं दृष्ट्वा यमः संयमनीपतिः । उवाच मधुरं साध्वीं साधूनां प्रवरो महान् ॥ १३ ॥
English Translation
The high souled Yama, the Foremost of the Sadhus, seeing Sāvitrī following Him, addressed her sweetly :--
Ch 27 Verse 14 Verse
Sanskrit Text
धर्मराज उवाच । अहो क्व यासि सावित्रि गृहीत्वा मानुषीं तनुम् । यदि यास्यसि कान्तेन सार्धं देहं तदा त्यज ॥ १४ ॥
English Translation
O Sāvitrī! Whither are you going in your this mortal coil? If you like to follow after all, then quit your this body.
Ch 27 Verse 15-16 Verse
Sanskrit Text
गन्तुं मर्त्यो न शक्नोति गृहीत्वा पाञ्चभौतिकम् । देहं च मम लोकं च नश्वरं नश्वरः सदा ॥ १५ ॥ भर्तुस्ते पूर्णकालो वै बभूव भारते सति । स्वकर्मफलभोगार्थं सत्यवान् याति मद्गृहम् ॥ १६ ॥
English Translation
The mortal man, with his transient coil of these five elements, is not able to go to My Abode. O Chaste One! The death time of your husband arrived; therefore Satyavāna is going to My Abode to reap the fruits of his Karma.
Ch 27 Verse 17-19 Verse
Sanskrit Text
कर्मणा जायते जन्तुः कर्मणैव प्रलीयते । सुखं दुःखं भयं शोकः कर्मणैव प्रणीयते ॥ १७ ॥ कर्मणेन्द्रो भवेज्जीवो ब्रह्मपुत्रः स्वकर्मणा । स्वकर्मणा हरेर्दासो जन्मादिरहितो भवेत् ॥ १८ ॥ स्वकर्मणा सर्वसिद्धिममरत्वं लभेद् ध्रुवम् । लभेत्स्वकर्मणा विष्णोः सालोक्यादिचतुष्टयम् ॥ १९ ॥
English Translation
Every living animal is born by his Karma. He dies again through his life long Karma. It is his Karma alone that ordains pleasure, pain, fear, sorrows, etc. By Karma, this embodied soul here becomes Indra; by Karma he can become a Brahmā’s son. What more than this that Jīva, by his Karma, can be in Hari’s service and be free from birth and death! By one’s own Karma all sorts of Siddhis and immortality can be obtained; the four blessed regions as Viṣṇu’s Sālokya, etc., also can be obtained by Karma.
Ch 27 Verse 20-25 Verse
Sanskrit Text
सुरत्वं च मनुत्वं च राजेन्द्रत्वं लभेन्नरः । कर्मणा च शिवत्वं च गणेशत्वं तथैव च ॥ २० ॥ कर्मणा च मुनीन्द्रत्वं तपस्वित्वं स्वकर्मणा । स्वकर्मणा क्षत्रियत्वं वैश्यत्वं च स्वकर्मणा ॥ २१ ॥ कर्मणैव च म्लेच्छत्वं लभते नात्र संशयः । स्वकर्मणा जङ्गमत्वं शैलत्वं च स्वकर्मणा ॥ २२ ॥ कर्मणा राक्षसत्वं च किन्नरत्वं स्वकर्मणा । कर्मणैवाधिपत्यं च वृक्षत्वं च स्वकर्मणा ॥ २३ ॥ कर्मणैव पशुत्वं च वनजीवी स्वकर्मणा । कर्मणा क्षुद्रजन्तुत्वं कृमित्वं च स्वकर्मणा ॥ २४ ॥ दैतेयत्वं दानवत्वमसुरत्वं स्वकर्मणा । इत्येतदुक्त्वा सावित्रीं विरराम स वै यमः ॥ २५ ॥
Sanskrit Colophon
इति श्रीमद्देवीभागवते महापुराणेऽष्टादशसाहस्र्यां संहितायां नवमस्कन्धे सावित्र्युपाख्याने यमसावित्रीसंवादवर्णनं नाम सप्तविंशोऽध्यायः ॥ ९.२७॥
English Translation
What more than this that by Karma, a being becomes divine, human, or a King, or Śiva or Ganeśa! The state of Munīndra, asceticism, Kṣattriyahood, Vaiśyahood, Mlechahood, moving things, stones, Rākṣasahood, Kinnaras, Kingship, becoming trees, beasts, forest animals, inferior animals, worms, Daityas, Dānavas, Asuras, all are fashioned and wrought by Karma and Karma alone. O Nārada! Thus speaking, Yama remained silent. Here ends the Twenty-seventh Chapter of the Ninth Book on the birth, etc., of Sāvitrī in Śrī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharṣi Veda Vyāsa.