There is a story from the Purāṇas which illustrates this principle, the story of Sāvitrī and Satyavān. Sāvitrī was a chaste lady who had acquired special capabilities through the performance of certain penances, and one day she went to the forest with her husband Satyavān, knowing that this day was the day of his death. She knew that this was the day of her husbands death, but he did not. While cutting wood in the forest, Satyavān said: I have a headache; I need to take a nap. Sāvitrī was prepared and Satyavān put his head on her lap and slept. In his sleep he died of heart failure, and Yamarāja came to take him. First Yamarāja’s agents came, but finding that Satyavān’s body was on the lap of his very pure and chaste wife, they could not venture to take him. Then Yamarāja himself came and told Sāvitrī; You leave him; hes dead. Leave his body. Sāvitrī said: Yes, you may take him. Yamarāja took Satyavān’s soul, but then he saw that Sāvitrī, by dint of her penances, was closely following him in pursuance of her husband. Yamarāja said: Oh, why are you coming? I am taking him. You must go back. Sāvitrī replied: No, I cant. I shall go also. Yamarāja said; No, you must not come. Why are you disturbing my duty? This is the arrangement of the Creator, Lord Brahmā, and you must obey that. Sāvitrī replied: It is better to die than to live without my husband. Then Yamarāja said: All right, I will give you a boon. Accept that and be satisfied. Sāvitrī asked that her father-in-law and mother-in-law, who were blind, would regain their sight. Yamarāja said: Yes, they will regain their sight. But Sāvitrī continued to follow him, saying: I am not yet satisfied completely. Then take another boon. Well, if you are pleased to offer another boon, my father-in-law and mother-in-law have also lost their kingdom, so now please arrange for them to be reinstalled in their own kingdom. Yes, I say they will get back their kingdom. But again Sāvitrī began following him. Again you are coming? Yes, I cant live without the company of my husband. Take another boon. Yes. What is that? I want one hundred sons. Yes, you shall have one hundred sons. Still Sāvitrī kept following behind Yamarāja. Now why are you coming? I told you that you would have one hundred sons. She replied If you are taking my husband, then how can I get any sons? Then Yamarāja was perplexed: Yes, thats true. What can I do? So he appealed to the higher force. Sāvitrī’s boon was sanctioned, and she got her husband back. Yamarāja had already committed himself: You will get a hundred sons So Sāvitrī asserted that: You have clearly sanctioned that I will get a hundred sons; therefore you certainly cant take my husband! The general idea is that if we get some backing from the higher sphere, that will overrule all mandates imposed by the plane of mortality. If we are given a place in Goloka, we cannot be detained in this mundane world. When Tulasīdevī can give us a place there, then why should we waste our prayer to her by asking: Please clear away the dirt on which I am standing? That is self-deception. So we shall always pray to the higher servitors for the higher service of the Lord.....Srila Sridhar Maharaj
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 16:14:04 +0000