nd renunciation of the
world. That which is called religious merit is said to consist of true
knowledge. The wise, therefore, have declared religious merit to be the
foremost of all things and not the passage through the four successive
modes. By practising the duties of even one of these four modes agreeable
to the directions of the wise, we have attained to true merit, and,
therefore, we do not desire the second or the third mode, viz., celibacy
with study or renunciation. It is for this again that the wise have
declared religious merit to be the foremost of all things!' Hearing these
words of hers, Yama said, 'Do thou desist! I have been pleased with these
words of thine couched in proper letters and accents, and based on
reason. Do thou ask for a boon! Except the life of thy husband, O thou of
faultless features, I will bestow on thee any boon that thou mayst
solicit!' Hearing these words, Savitri said, 'Deprived of his kingdom and
bereft also of sight, my father-in-law leadeth a life of retirement in
our sylvan asylum. Let that king through thy favour attain his eye-sight,
and become strong 'like either fire or the Sun!' Yama said, 'O thou of
faultless features, I grant thee this boon! It will even be as thou hast
said! It seems that thou art fatigued with thy journey. Do thou desist,
therefore, and return! Suffer not thyself to be weary any longer!'
Savitri said, 'What weariness can I feel in the presence of my husband?
The lot that is my husband's is certainly mine also. Whither thou
carriest my husband, thither will I also repair! O chief of the
celestials, do thou again listen to me! Even a single interview with the
pious is highly desirable; friendship with them is still more so. And
intercourse with the virtuous can never be fruitless. Therefore, one
should live in the company of the righteous!' Yama said, 'These words
that thou hast spoken, so fraught with useful instruction, delight the
heart and enhance the wisdom of even the learned. Therefore, O lady,
solicit thou a second boon, except the life of Satyavan!' Savitri said,
'Sometime before, my wise and intelligent father-in-law was deprived of
his kingdom. May that monarch regain his kingdom. And may that superior
of mine never renounce his duties! Even this is the second boon that I
solicit!' Then Yama said,--'The king shall soon regain his kingdom. Nor
shall he ever fall off from his duties. Thus, O daughter of a king have I
fulfilled thy desire. Do thou