Savitri-Satyavan

Savitri-Satyavan — 8 chapters, 80 questions. Mahabharata, Vana Parva — Pativrata-mahatmya Parva.

This story appears in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata — the Pativrata-mahatmya Parva, Ganguli's translation sections 291-297. The sage Markandeya tells it to Yudhishthira, in response to the concern that arose from Jayadratha's attempt to abduct Draupadi — not immediately after, but as part of the same long exchange. This story was written directly from the full Ganguli translation, not from a summary or retelling. The English dialogue lines are flowing paraphrases of the Sanskrit verses, not word-for-word translations.

Why This Story Is Told — After Jayadratha's attempt to abduct Draupadi, Yudhishthira was most troubled for her — Markandeya answered with the story of a woman who asked Yama himself for her husband back
Eighteen Years of Offerings — A king who offered ten thousand oblations every day for eighteen years was told by the goddess Savitri — not a son, but a radiant daughter will be yours
The One She Chose — A princess travelled the land to choose her own husband, and returned to say she had chosen the son of a blind, kingless king — whose life had only a year left to run
Bark Garments — A princess removed all her ornaments and put on garments of bark, and began serving among the ascetics of the forest — knowing already when her husband would die
That Day — Savitri laid her husband's aching head in her lap as he chopped wood — and at that very instant, Yama himself appeared, noose in hand
A Friend Who Walked Beside Her — Yama told Savitri to turn back — she answered that seven steps walked together make a friendship, and by that argument won two boons from him
The Fourth Boon — Yama granted Savitri a hundred sons without thinking that the boon was incomplete without her husband — and she used his own words to ask for Satyavan's life
Returning — That very night Dyumatsena's sight returned, and the next morning word came that his lost kingdom had been won back too — every one of Savitri's boons came true