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

A worry for Draupadi

Jayadratha had carried Draupadi off from the forest by force, though she was later rescued. The episode left Yudhishthira deeply troubled.

Yudhishthira said to the sage Markandeya — "I do not grieve so much for myself, or my brothers, or our lost kingdom, as I do for this daughter of Drupada. When we were struck down at the game of dice, it was Krishna who delivered us. Have you ever seen or heard of any chaste and exalted lady who resembles this daughter of Drupada?"

Markandeya said — "Listen, my king, how a princess named Savitri completely obtained the full merit of chaste women."

Another story, the same forest

This story too appears in that same Vana Parva, where Brihadashva has already told the story of Nala. But this time the storyteller is Markandeya, and the shape of the consolation is different — here a woman herself wins her husband back from the god of death.

Markandeya began — "There was a king of the Madra country, named Ashvapati. He was virtuous and deeply pious, always ministering to Brahmins, firm in his word, master of his senses, devoted to sacrifice, generous, and beloved of both his city and his countryside. But he had no children, and this grieved him."

Note: This story appears in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata as the Pativrata-mahatmya Parva — sections 291 to 297 in Ganguli's translation. It sits in the same Vana Parva where the Nala-Damayanti story also appears, though the two are told by different sages — Brihadashva tells Nala's story, Markandeya tells Savitri's. Both serve the same purpose — consoling Yudhishthira, showing that a return from disaster is possible. The English dialogue lines are flowing paraphrases of the Sanskrit verses, not word-for-word translations.

Source: Mahabharata, Vana Parva — Pativrata-mahatmya Parva, Why This Story Is Told