Shloka 9

Dharma-pratyabhijñāna and Vara-pradāna (धर्मप्रत्यभिज्ञानम्—वरप्रदानम्)

Devanagari script

श्वोभूते भर्तमरणे सावित्र्या भरतर्षभ । दुःखान्वितायास्तिष्ठन्त्या सा रात्रिवर्यत्यवर्तत,भरतश्रेष्ठ कल ही पतिदेवकी मृत्यु होनेवाली है, यह सोचकर दुःखमें डूबी हुई सावित्रीकी वह रात खड़े-ही-खड़े बीत गयी

Transliteration

śvobhūte bhartṛmaraṇe sāvitr̥yā bharatarṣabha | duḥkhānvitāyās tiṣṭhantyā sā rātrir varyaty avartata ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O bull among the Bharatas, knowing that her husband’s death would come on the morrow, Sāvitrī—overwhelmed with grief—remained standing; and thus that excellent night passed away for her as she kept vigil.”

Word by Word

श्वःtomorrow

भूतेwhen it has come/occurred (in the time that comes)

भर्तृ-मरणेin the husband's death

सावित्र्याःof Savitri

भरत-ऋषभO bull among the Bharatas

दुःख-अन्वितायाःof (her) who was afflicted with sorrow

तिष्ठन्त्याःof (her) standing

साthat (she)

रात्रिःnight

वर्याexcellent/long (as an epithet)

अवर्ततpassed/elapsed

भरत-श्रेष्ठO best of the Bharatas

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Sāvitrī

Satyavān (implied as ‘husband’)

Bharatarṣabha (epithet; contextually Yudhiṣṭhira)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights steadfastness in dharma under extreme sorrow: Sāvitrī does not collapse into helplessness but keeps vigilant resolve, embodying pativratā devotion and moral courage in the face of impending loss.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya narrates that Sāvitrī knows her husband will die the next day; grief-stricken, she spends the entire night standing awake in vigil, awaiting the foretold event.