Today I found myself thinking of the story of Savitri. For those who don't know, Savitri was a strong and intelligent princess who chose to marry the equally intelligent Satyavan, even though he was destined to die a year from their wedding. On the day that he died, Savitri followed her Lord Yama (the god of death) to the land of the dead, where she tricked him into bringing her husband back to life. I love this story, because here in the Western religions we rarely see a powerful portrayal of feminine wit like we do in the Eastern traditions, and I really liked that she was just a regular mortal woman, whose devotion and brilliance saved the day.
As much as I love the stories of powerful Hindu goddesses, I prefer the stories of the average woman, for while goddesses can be seen as an exception to the rule in many male-centric societies, the stories regarding human women cannot be made so. These women are just like any other, and there is nothing to keep any one of us from being powerful and intelligent as Savitri was.
I sometimes wonder if I would ever be as in love as Savitri was with Satyavan. Surely it takes a great deal of love to be courageous enough to stand up to the Lord of Death like she did. Even choosing to enter the land of the dead would be a terrifying thought, sure to keep most people from ever attempting what she did. Many of us like to say that we're willing to die for the one we love, but how many of us actually would risk death with no knowing as to whether or not we could save our beloved, let alone save ourselves? I can only hope that if the situation arose in my life I could be half as strong as Savitri was.
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