Araṇi Lost to the Deer: Pāṇḍavas Pursue to Preserve Agnihotra (अरणी-हरण प्रसङ्गः)
सावित्र्या प्रीतया दत्ता सावित्र्या हुतया हापि । सावित्रीत्येव नामास्याश्षक्रुर्विप्रास्तथा पिता,सावित्रीने प्रसन्न होकर उस कन्याको दिया था तथा गायत्री-मन्त्रद्वारा आहुति देनेसे ही सावित्रीदेवी प्रसन्न हुई थीं, अतः ब्राह्मणों तथा पिताने उस कन्याका नाम “सावित्री” ही रखा
sāvitrayā prītayā dattā sāvitrayā hutayā hāpi | sāvitrīty eva nāmāsyāḥ cakruḥ viprās tathā pitā ||
ಸಾವಿತ್ರಿಯ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯಿಂದ ಆ ಕನ್ಯೆ ದೊರಕಿದಳು; ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಸಾವಿತ್ರಿ/ಗಾಯತ್ರಿ ಮಂತ್ರದಿಂದ ಹೋಮಾಹುತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಅರ್ಪಿಸಿದಾಗಲೂ ದೇವಿ ಸಾವಿತ್ರಿ ಸಂತೋಷಪಟ್ಟಳು. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ವಿಪ್ರರೂ ತಂದೆಯೂ ಸೇರಿ ಅವಳಿಗೆ ‘ಸಾವಿತ್ರಿ’ ಎಂಬ ಹೆಸರನ್ನೇ ಇಟ್ಟರು.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
The verse teaches that divine favor is approached through disciplined ritual and remembrance: the Sāvitrī/Gāyatrī mantra and offerings are portrayed as efficacious, and the resulting name ‘Sāvitrī’ becomes an ethical marker of gratitude and sacred memory.
Mārkaṇḍeya explains why the maiden is called Sāvitrī: she was ‘given’ through Sāvitrī’s pleasure, and Sāvitrī was pleased by oblations offered with the Sāvitrī (Gāyatrī) mantra; therefore Brahmins and her father formally named her Sāvitrī.