There lived a King in Madra Desh. His name was Ashwapati  and he was childless. He performed a great penance for Devee Saavitree to get a child. Saavitree Devee appeared before him and granted a boon that he would have a daughter in due course of time. After some time he had a daughter and he named her Saavitree after that Devee's name. Gradually Saavitree became young and the King got worried about her marriage. She was so qualitative that the King himself could not search a groom for her, so she asked her to search for him herself. He gave her some people to go with her and she set off on her journey to look for a groom for herself.

Journeying in various places, she came to an Aashram. She liked the environment of that Aashram and stayed there for a while. There she saw a man who was picking wood. She got attracted to him. She found out about him. His name was Satyavaan. Saavitree had chosen Satyavaan as her husband, so she came back home. A Pandit who went with her told her father her choice. Her father found out about him. He came to know that he was a son of a blind King named Dyumatsen. He was the king of Shaalv country. Other kings had taken his kingdom so now he was living in exile in the Aashram.

When Saavitree came back, Naarad Jee was sitting there with her father. Her father told Naarad Jee that she was coming from a trip where she went to select her husband. Naarad Jee asked her about the groom which she told him. Hearing her choice Naarad Jee got worried. He asked Saavitree to choose any other groom. The King asked the reason of his worry and choosing any other groom. Naarad Jee said - "Everything is all right with the groom but that he has only one year life from today. Dear Daughter, You should choose somebody else." Saavitree said - "Kings order only once, learned people speak only once, and the girl is also given only once - these three things never happen twice. Whoever I have chosen, whether he is qualitative or un-qualitative, long-lived or short-lived, I will marry the same." So King Ashwapati had to marry her to Satyavaan and they got married.

Saavitree started living with her husband and parents-in-law in the same Aashram. She lived with them as her husband lived. She wore hermit's clothes and served all of them very well. Slowly the time passed and one year was coming to complete. Nobody knew about Satyavaan's life, only Saavitree knew it. She did not forget Naarad's statement. Three days before the fateful day of Satyavaan's death, Saavitree took a vow of fasting and vigil.

The third day, when Satyavaan got ready to go to forest to bring wood Saavitree also asked her father-in-law his permission to go to forest with Satyavaan. As she never asked for anything, the King permitted her to go. Satyavaan insisted her not to accompany him as she had not eaten for three days and had not slept for three nights, but she did not listen to him and followed him to forest. So she went to forest with him. As they entered the forest, Satyavaan started cutting the wood and Saavitree sat under a tree.

After a while Satyavaan felt dizziness and a mild headache. Saavitree asked him to rest in her laps. He lay down keeping his head in her lap. In a short while Saavitree saw a black man coming riding on a he-buffalo. He took the Subtle body of Satyavaan from his physical body and returned to where he had come from. Satyavaan had died.

Saavitree and Yam Raaj
Saavitree understood that Yam Raaj had taken her husband's soul and was going away. She left the lifeless body of Satyavaan under the tree and followed him. After a while Yam felt that somebody was following him, he turned his back to see and found that Saavitree was following him. He asked her why she was following him. First she praised obedience to the Law, then friendship with the strict, then Yam himself for his just rule, then Yam as King of the Law, and finally noble conduct with no expectation of return. Impressed at her each speech, Yam praised both the content and style of her words and offered any boon except the life of Satyavaan. She first asked for eyesight and restoration of the kingdom for her father-in-law, then sons for her father, and then 100 sons for herself. Yam Raaj bestowed all these boons to her, but found Saavitree still following him

He said - "I have given you all you wished for, now what do you want from me, go home. No mortal man con come further than this." Saavitree said smilingly - "What type of Devtaa you are? You have blessed me with sons and you are taking my husband with you." Now Yam was caught in his own trap. He admitted - "This is the first time I am defeated by a mortal, and that also by a woman. You win, I lose." He returned her husband and went to his Lok.

Saavitree came back rushing to the tree where she left her husband. She saw that her husband has awakened. She asked him - "How are you, Dear?" "I think I have a very bad headache. I slept for too long. And it is already evening?" "Perhaps you have seen a bad dream. It is already evening, let us go home, our parents must be worrying for us."

Nobody knew anything about this except her father. When she came back everybody was happy. Her father-in-law's sight was restored. Later he regained his kingdom too. Her father also had many children and she too had 100 sons from Satyavaan. But this always remained a secret for everybody that how all this happened.

[According to Bhavishya Puraan, Saavitree did this Poojaa on Bhaadrapad Shukla 12, 13 14 and brought her husband back from Yam on the Day of Poornimaa.]