Sāvitrī Hymn of the Anuśāsana Parva

This Sāvitrī is not the princess in the account of Satyavān. It is a holy mantra-litany (a long chain of salutations) that protects the one who recites it. It is a daily japa (quiet repetition) taught by Vyāsa to Bhīshma. Bhīshma then taught it to Yudhishṭhira as he lay on his bed of arrows (śara-talpa). It is found in Chapter 150 of the Anuśāsana Parva of the Mahābhārata.

Bhīshma says that a Siddha gave this same Sāvitrī to Indra in the most ancient times, exactly as it stands. It salutes the thirty-three devas, the ṛshis of the four directions, the great ṛshis and the kings of old. Reciting it every day destroys pāpa (sin) at once, gives long life and guards the one who recites it from every danger.

Origin and transmission

Yudhishṭhira asked Bhīshma which japa a man should recite above all others before a journey, before entering a house, and before beginning any work. He asked for a japa that brings śānti (peace), pushṭi (nourishment), protection, the destruction of enemies and the removal of fear, and that is equal in power to a Vedic mantra.

Bhīshma answered that Vyāsa himself taught this Sāvitrī. It is divine, and it cleanses pāpa in the very moment it is recited. It is the same ancient itihāsa-mantra that a Siddha once gave to Indra, exactly as it stands. Royal ṛshis of old were devoted above all to kshatriya-dharma and to satya-vrata (the vow of truth). They recited it without fail every day (āhnika), and so they gained the greatest good fortune. Bhīshma calls it sanātanī śruti, the eternal Sāvitrī, and the hṛdaya (heart) of all beings.

The structure of the hymn

The hymn goes on as one long namaskāra (salutation). It calls on each of these in turn.

The eleven Rudras: Aja, Ekapāda, Ahirbudhnya, the unconquered Pinākī, Ṛta (in his form as a pitṛ), Tryambaka, Maheśvara, Vṛshākapi, Śambhu, Havana and Īśvara. They are the rulers of the three lokas. With them are the hundred further Rudras praised in the Śatarudriya.

The twelve Ādityas, sons of Kaśyapa: Aṃśu, Bhaga, Mitra, Dhātā (ruler of the waters), Aryamā, Jayanta, Bhāskara, Tvashṭā, Pūshā, Indra, and Vishṇu as the twelfth.

The eight Vasus: Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Sāvitra, Anila, Anala, Pratyūsha and Prabhāsa.

The two Aśvins: Nāsatya and Dasra, sons of Mārtaṇḍa (Sūrya). They were born from the nostril of Saṃjñā-devī while she had taken the form of a mare.

The unseen witnesses of karma: Mṛtyu, Kāla, and the Viśvedevas as the gaṇas of the pitṛs. They move unseen among all beings and watch every śubha (good) and aśubha (bad) act.

The thirty-three devas taken together. They are the sum of the groups above, and they are the rulers of all bhūta-gaṇas.

Gaṇeśvaras and attendants: Nandīśvara, Grāmaṇī, Vṛshabhadhvaja, Vināyaka, the gaṇas both gentle and fierce, the yoga-bhūta-gaṇas, the nakshatras, the rivers, the sky, Garuḍa the ruler of birds, the siddhas of the earth, the sthāvara (unmoving) and jaṅgama (moving) beings, Himavān and all the mountains, the four great oceans, the attendants of Bhava, and Vishṇu, Kumārasvāmī (Skanda) and Ambikā.

The ṛshis born among men, by direction

East: Yavakrīta, Raibhya, Arvāvasu, Parāvasu, Kakshīvanta (son of Uśija), Bala (son of Aṅgiras), the son of Medhātithi, Barhishada and Kaṇva. They are called the seven mahāṛshis of the east, the gurus of Indra.
South: Unmuca, Pramuca, Svastyātreya, Dṛḍhavya, Ūrdhvabāhu, Tṛṇasomāṅgiru and Agastya (son of Mitrāvaruṇa). They are the seven ṛtviks (priests) of Yama.
West: Dṛḍhāyu, Ṛteyu, Parivyādha, Ekata, Dvita, Trita (the sons of Atri) and Sārasvata. They are the ṛtviks of Varuṇa, shining with a tejas equal to the sun.
North: Atri, Bhagavān Vasishṭha, Kaśyapa, Gautama, Bharadvāja, Viśvāmitra (of the Kuśika line) and Jamadagni (son of Ṛcīka). They are the seven gurus of Kubera.
The seven who guard the burden of the earth: Dharma, Kāma, Kāla, Vasu, Vāsuki, Ananta and Kapila.
The divine ṛshis who become sevenfold: Bhārgava Rāma (Paraśurāma), Vyāsa, Aśvatthāma (son of Droṇa) and Lomaśa. Each of them becomes seven by seven in his manifestation.
The great tapasvins of Brahmaloka: Saṃvarta, Meru-sāvarṇi, the dharmic Mārkaṇḍeya, Sāṅkhya and Yoga (as persons), Nārada, and the mahāṛshi Durvāsa.

The kings of old: Pṛthu (son of Vena, born as the son of Bhūdevī, ruler of the whole earth), Purūravas (son of Budha and Ilā), Bharata Cakravartī, Rantideva (who performed the gavāmaya yajña in Kṛta Yuga), Śveta Rājarshi (of great tapas and a shining face), Bhagīratha (who brought down the Gaṅgā and freed the sons of Sagara from their ashes), and the Sāgaras themselves, who are fiery, mighty of body and famous.

The hymn closes by calling on all these devas, groups of ṛshis and earth-ruling kings together, with Sāṅkhya, Yoga, havya (the offering for the devas), kavya (the offering for the pitṛs) and Parabrahman itself, the last refuge of all śruti.

The fruits of reciting it

Bhīshma lists many fruits for one who recites this Sāvitrī with a pure mind at dawn and dusk (ubhe sandhye):

Pāpa done knowingly or unknowingly, by day or by night, is removed at once.
Freedom from blindness and deafness; svasti (well-being) that does not leave.
Protection from birth in the womb of beasts or birds, and from varṇa-saṅkara (a fallen rebirth).
Freedom from fear and grief. There is no confusion of mind (moha) at the moment of death, and the memory stays clear.
Protection from fire, thieves and the dangers of the road.
Freedom from bad dreams; the gaining of an excellent wife.
For a dvija who recites it faithfully at every dīkshā: nyāya (fairness), buddhi (understanding), forbearance, dama (self-control) and freedom from envy.
For the sick: full release from the pāpa that is understood to lie under the illness.
Recited inside the home, it brings kula-śubha (good fortune to the family). Recited among standing crops, it makes the whole harvest do well. Recited before a journey to another village, it makes the road safe.
It may be used as a rakshā (protective charm) for oneself, one’s sons, one’s dharma-patnī (wife), one’s wealth, one’s seed-grain and one’s medicinal herbs.
A kshatriya who recites it before battle, praising all these beings, sees his enemies destroyed and comes back safe from the battlefield.
In daiva and pitṛ rites, the pitṛs enjoy the kavya and the devas enjoy the havya offered by one who recites it.
Freedom from fear of disease, fierce beasts, elephants and thieves; freedom from disgrace.
Recited on a boat, on any vehicle, in a foreign land or in a king’s court, it gives the highest siddhi.
Freedom from fear of kings, piśācas, rākshasas, fire, water, wind and serpents.
Wherever it is recited, fire does not burn the fuel laid there, no child dies, and no serpent stays.
One who only hears this Sāvitrī sung never meets sorrow, and goes to the paramagati (the highest goal).
Recited among cattle, it makes the herd grow with many calves.

Bhīshma says that this itihāsa is parāśara-sammata, approved by Parāśara. It is the same sanātana Brahman that he has now given to Yudhishṭhira, the very hṛdaya of all beings. The kings of the lunar and solar lines, the Kurus and the Rāghavas, always recited it without fail in purity.

He adds that the elders Kaśyapa, Gautama, Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, Śukra, Agastya, Bṛhaspati and other brahmarshis have all served this Sāvitrī. The sons of Ṛcīka received the Bhāradvāja tradition of it from Vasishṭha. By this Sāvitrī, Indra and the Vasus once overcame all the rākshasas.

Bhīshma ends by saying that reciting it with bhakti (devotion) earns the same fruit as giving a hundred cows with gold-covered horns to a learned brāhmaṇa, or as telling the Bhārata every day to listeners. He also says that certain namaskāras inside it bring particular gifts: the one to Bhṛgu gives dharma, the one to Vasishṭha gives vīrya (strength), the one to Raghu gives victory in war, and the one to the Aśvins gives freedom from disease.

Sources

Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 150