With a heart weighed down by turmoil, Savitri spoke to Brahma, “If this is your firm resolve, then remain, O god, I bow to you; but how shall I show my face to my friends? My husband has kept me as his wife—how can I speak of this?” She was deeply troubled by the situation, unable to reconcile her dignity with the events that had unfolded. Brahma, seeking to explain himself, said, “Urged by the priests, I came quickly after the consecration period; without a wife, the sacrifice cannot be performed here—bring a wife here at once. She was brought by Śakra and given to me by Viṣṇu. I have accepted her, O fair-browed one; forgive me for what I have done. I will not commit any further offense against you, O virtuous lady. I fall at your feet—please forgive me, I bow to you here.” But Savitri, hearing these words, grew angry and prepared to curse Brahma. She invoked the power of her austerities and the favor of her teachers, declaring, “If I have performed austerities, if my teachers have been pleased, then among all assemblies of Brahmins, in all various places, the Brahmins will never worship you, except for one annual worship in the month of Kārtika. All the twice-born on earth will perform only that worship and no other.” Having spoken thus to Brahma, she turned to Śatakratu, who stood nearby. “O Śakra! You brought the cowherd woman to Brahma; because of this petty act, you will reap its result. When you stand in the midst of battle, O Śakra, then you will be bound by your enemies and brought to a most wretched state. Destitute, bereft of strength, you will dwell in the city of your enemies, having suffered great defeat, but you will be released before long.” Having cursed Śakra, Savitri addressed Viṣṇu: “When you are born as a mortal by the word of Bhṛgu, then you will experience the sorrow of separation from your wife; your wife will be taken by your enemy across the great ocean. When you are born in the Yadu lineage, you will be known as Krishna; having attained servitude among animals, you will wander for a long time.” Then, when Rudra was present in the Daru forest, the sages, angered by his actions, cursed him: “O Kapalika, lowly one! You desire our wives; therefore, today, your proud organ will fall to the ground.” Deprived of manhood and afflicted by the curse, Rudra’s wife, standing at the gate of the Ganga, would console him. Turning to Agni, Savitri declared, “O Agni, you consume all things; formerly, you were created by my son, by Bhrigu, ever devoted to dharma. How can I, who was burned, now burn?” She continued, “O Jatavedas, Rudra will flood you with his seed; and among impure things, your tongue of flame will blaze even more.” Savitri then cursed all the Brahmins and officiating priests: “For the sake of accepting gifts and fire-offerings, you will wander the forests in vain. Always, out of greed, you will frequent holy places and fields; ever satisfied with others’ food, yet unsatisfied in your own homes. By performing sacrifices for the unworthy, accepting disgraceful gifts, and acquiring wealth in vain, so too will your expenditures be in vain. Because of this, you will become like the dead among the dead—there is no doubt.” Thus, she cursed Indra, Vishnu, Rudra, and Agni as well. Her wrath extended to Brahma and the Brahmins, all of them, and having given these curses, she departed from the assembly. Savitri reached the foremost Pushkara, where she remained. Lakshmi, the virtuous wife of Shakra, with a beautiful face, addressed her. She spoke to the young women present, saying, “I will not stay here in this assembly; I will go where I do not hear any sound.” Then, all those women returned to their own homes; Savitri, still angered, was ready to curse them as well. “Because those divine women abandoned me and departed, I, greatly enraged, will also give them a curse. Lakshmi will never dwell in one place; she will be fickle, of wavering mind, and will remain among the foolish. Among Mlecchas, Parvati’s followers, and the base, among the foolish and the impure, among the cursed and the wicked—in such a man, by the effect of the curse, will Lakshmi dwell.” Having given this curse, she then cursed Indrani as well. “When Indra, stained by the sin of killing a Brahmin, is seized and his wife suffers misery, and when the kingdom is taken by Nahusha, she will see you and beg you. How will this foolish woman not approach me, who am Indra? If I do not obtain Shachi, I will destroy all the gods. Then you, terrified and lost, distressed in the house of the lord of speech, will dwell in misery, proud one, by my curse.” At that time, all the wives of the gods were cursed, and none of them would find joy in children. Burning day and night, reviled as barren, even Gauri was thus cursed by Savitri, the one of excellent complexion. But Gauri, seen weeping, was appeased by Vishnu, who said, “Do not weep, wide-eyed one; come here, ever auspicious lady. Enter the assembly, give the girdle and the linen garment, accept the vow, and I bow to the feet of Brahma for you.” Thus addressed, Gauri replied, “I will not do your bidding. I will go where I do not hear any sound.” And so, the tale of Savitri’s anger, her curses, and the sorrow that followed echoed through the realms, leaving a mark upon gods and mortals alike.