Shloka 27
सावित्री-यमसंवादः
Sāvitrī’s Dialogue with Yama and the Restoration of Satyavān
असकृत् त्वं मया पूर्व निर्जितो जीवितप्रिय: । मुक्तो ज्ञातिरिति ज्ञात्वा का त्वरा मरणे पुन:
asakṛt tvaṃ mayā pūrvaṃ nirjito jīvitapriyaḥ | mukto jñātir iti jñātvā kā tvarā maraṇe punaḥ ||
Markandeya said: “Many times before, you—so fond of life—have been overcome by me. Yet I released you, knowing you to be a kinsman. Why, then, this haste to meet death again?”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical restraint and compassion: even when one has the power to defeat another, recognizing kinship (jñāti) and choosing to spare life is a dharmic act; it also questions reckless self-destructive urgency.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses an opponent who has been defeated repeatedly. He reminds him that he was previously released out of regard for kinship, and challenges the opponent’s renewed rush toward death.