STORY ANALYSIS

Epic of Love
Mahabharata

Panilawan, Azeah Samantha C.

10-Aristotle

Sir Sam Santillar

Introduction
The Epic of Love written by Mahabharata is a fiction story about a princess named Savitri, daughter of a
king. Who has the willingness to go to any length and give up her life to be with her significant other. The
title of the tale piqued my interest and made me wonder what this story is about. The tale has numerous
components that may teach us what love truly is, which we need to know in order to be knowledgeable
about love. It is difficult to express the definition of love. So what I admire about this story is how it
depicts love. The story somehow relates to me because I am willing to do everything for the ones I love.
The Setting
The story takes place in India. The king faced the fire on the sacred altar praying for a gift of children.
The sacred altar is a place that is used for sacrifice, worship, or prayer. Finally, after eighteen years of
praying for a child the king was granted a daughter. When the time arrived for his daughter to marry, no
man offered her marriage. So the king told his daughter to find a man worthy of him. Savitri, the
daughter of the king travelled from one location to another. After many days of searching, she came upon
a hermitage by a river closing. A hermitage is where religious people lived also abode of a hermit. There
she found Prince Satyavan, a son of a blind king whose realm was conquered. Savitri picked him to
marry. He discovered that his chosen one had just one year to live, but Savitri refused to change her mind
and opted to marry him nonetheless. The time came the sun was just rising when Satyavan is heading for
the forest. Savitri insisted to come with him, together they go to the wooded hill.

I assume that the genre of the story is romance fiction or romance fantasy. I think that the genre is
appropriate to the settings of the story because it takes place in India even though it’s fiction. And it
showcase religions, culture and traditions in the settings.

The forest and the wooded hill has come to symbolise being lost, discovery, and possible danger, as well
as mystery and 'otherworldliness'. As in the narrative, Yama arrived in the forest to take Satyavan's life.

The setting is essential for understanding when and where the events of the tale occurred. Also, we need
to know where and when significant events occurred. It also makes it easier to remember the story's
chronology.

1
The Characters
The first character of the story is the king, who prayed to have a child of his own. He is a supporting
character in the plot because he is just introduced as Savitri's father. The one who granted the prayers of
the king is the goddess Savitri; she is a minor character because she was only introduced when she gave
the king a daughter. Princess Savitri is the story's protagonist; she is the king's daughter, the wife of Prince
Satyavan, and the one who saved her husband from the god of death. After Savitri chose who she would
marry, she returned home, where she found her father with the holy seer Narada. She is also a minor
character because she only appeared in the story to give information about Prince Satyavan’s death. The
love interest of Princess Savitri is Prince Satyavan, who is also a protagonist. He was the one Princess
Savitri wanted to marry, I think because she knows that his name means “Son of the Truth” and she thinks
that it relates to his personality. Satyavan’s father, the king whose realm was conquered, is also a
supporting character because, even though he is just introduced as an old and blind man, he is related to
Prince Satyavan by being his father. Lastly, we have Yama, the god of death. I can say that he is an
antagonist because he opposes the story's protagonist, Princess Savitri, whose purpose is to save her
husband from death. He requested something that could be given so that the princess wouldn't have to go
with them to their destination. I see it as an opposition to the protagonist's goal and wants, because all the
princess wants is to be with her husband.

Princess Savitri is the character that I relate to the most. We’re the same because when I love someone,
even if there are hardships to deal with, as long as we're together, that's okay with me. We don't measure
love by the things that can be given or offered. For me, love is when you know how to be satisfied with
the person you love. Just like in the story, Savitri doesn’t care if she has to wear a simple robe and eat
only fruits and plants of the wild, even though she is the daughter of a king. However, we do have some
differences. When it comes to death, even if I love that someone, I know how to accept what fate has in
store for us. And if that's death, I'll be just content and pleased with what the person I care about has left
behind.

This story's characters are superbly written. They have a real person's personality and qualities. They, like
other individuals, think for themselves and make decisions. They may express themselves freely and
experience many emotions. and their acts are credible because others can relate to what they do.

My favorite character is the king, Princess Savitri’s father. I admire him for being a loving father to
Princess Savitri and for respecting her decision. Accepting the person his daughter loves despite knowing
what will happen to the prince her daughter wanted to marry.

2
Plot
A king who lived in India had many wives but no children. He prayed to have one and was granted a
daughter by the goddess Savitri. When the time came for Princess Savitri to marry, no man offered to
marry her. So the king told her to find a man worthy of her. She arrived in a hermitage and met Prince
Satyavan, the son of a king whose realm had been conquered. The princess picked him to marry. When he
returned to his father, he discovered that the man he had chosen to marry had just one year to live, as
Narada stated. However, this did not prevent the princess from choosing him. They married and moved in
together. They lived happily for a year, but the princess did not lose sight of the fact that there were only a
few days left and her husband's death was approaching. Then the day came; they walked to the wooded
hill together, and when Satyavan was chopping a tree, he dropped his axe. His head began to ache, and his
body began to burn. His eyes closed, and his breathing slowed. Yama arrived, the god of death. He is
ready to take Satyavan's spirit. He took the spirit, turned, and headed to the south. Savitri did not agree to
take her husband, so she came and went with them. Yama gave everything that could be given, but she
refused because she still wanted to be with her husband, even if he was gone. Yama has returned
Satyavan's spirit as a result of Savitri's willingness to join her spouse even after his death. After that, they
lived a long and happy life together.

I enjoyed the flow of the story and how it ended. It gets attention because of unpredictable events. Also,
the overall tale is wonderfully done; there isn't much action, but each moment is interesting. As I said, the
events of the story are unpredictable, especially what the main character did for her love interest. The
ending is unexpected because I anticipated a terrible finish for the story's two characters.

3
Theme & Symbolisms
The theme of the story is faith, devotion, and eternal love. Even death cannot separate two individuals
who are committed to being together, regardless of the hurdles they confront. I believe faith and devotion
are the themes of the story because they show loyalty and being true to a given promise. Also, eternal
love, because in the story, their love never ends. Nothing can stop the love of two people, not even death.
I think the moral of the story is that we can overcome all trials. through love and devotion.

The thorns and tall, sharp grass are symbols of adversity as well as sacrifice.

The purpose of this story is to convey that love is made up of many sacrifices and many adjustments. I
believe the writer was successful in conveying the message of the story he created. The role of this story
in our society is to educate us, particularly young people and individuals in relationships, on how to
properly love the person we care about. Love may also be given and demonstrated to the family. And love
is more than simply a feeling; it is your decision to make sacrifices for the person you love.

4
Conclusion
This story is intended to help readers better comprehend the story's concepts, such as love and faith in
someone. This story will help people understand and appreciate Hindu culture. They also learn more
about different people's emotions. This is also tied to history and tradition because the myth mentions that
this occurred in ancient India. I will recommend it to others because others need to understand that love
has a deeper meaning and that we can use it in our daily lives to show this love to everyone. I'm giving
this story 5 stars since it has helped me realize what love is and when it should be valued.

5
 References
● https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTEnpbxZ6zxP094lETO
EeSTQwgYP0QKjGjtSiyqMmXGuUFJkJUcdyY0dhQpKMKJLNQypy0&usqp=
CAU
● https://img.freepik.com/premium-photo/alzette-river-crossing-historical-old-town-
luxembourg-called-grund_105865-2075.jpg?w=826
● https://media.istockphoto.com/id/161735701/photo/the-altar-for-sacrifice-of-a-hin
du-god.jpg?s=1024x1024&w=is&k=20&c=DPDenv2ET_LYuVlRo3B7EsEMiqB
9-ISrmPib0FAD-fg=
● https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1448375240586-882707db888b?ixlib=rb-4.0.
3&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8Mnx8Zm9yZXN0fGVufDB8fDB8f
Hww&w=1000&q=80