Yama was astonished. He and his followers had taken away millions of lives with them. But no one had followed the dead. He admired the courage of this woman who had followed him.

But without showing admiration, Yama stopped. He said, "Savithri, you have followed your husband as far as possible. You were like his shadow when he was alive. Now turn back. Your ties with him have snapped. Go and do the last rites to his body."