Summary on Savitri by Dr. M.P Pandit

Book Eleven Canto I: The Eternal Day: The Soul’s Choice and the Supreme Consummation

It is God’s everlasting day. A marvellous sun looks down from ecstasy’s skies. Savitri’s soul is close to the founts of the Infinite. Immortal earths and griefless heavens come into view. All thrills with the immanence of the one Divine. Souls of luminous joy, faces of exquisite beauty, gem-cut cities and gleaming coasts are beheld around. She sees all Nature marvellously faultless, rapturous, beautiful. Her soaring vision alights on realms after realms of felicity where dwell the gods, nymphs, celestial musicians, high seers. There form is a light raiment of the soul, colour a visible tone of ecstasy. All is a potent and lucid joy. Time and Eternity live as one.

Savitri discovers that the creator of these marvellous worlds is the same as the one who creates this universe, the same one whom her soul has faced as Death and Night. His darkness is no more; instead there is a luminous splendour. All grace and divinity are here collected in a single form. She regards in him the Virāt, the Spirit of things seen, the Hiraṇyagarbha, author of thoughts and dreams, the Superconscient Prājna, creator of things in his all-knowing sleep. Above them is the brooding bliss of the Infinite; the bliss that made the world lives in his body.

The two look upon each other, Soul sees Soul.

Then a voice is heard:

“Thou hast seen what man has missed in his blindness: my secrecies of Bliss. I am the inviolable ecstasy: those who have looked on me shall grieve no more. Heaven and Earth are the two powers born of one original ecstasy; but they are parted in the life of man. This gulf shall be healed one day. Till then you two shall serve the dual law and wait patiently. But if thou wouldst abandon the vexed world, then arise, ascend, soul, into thy blissful home. Cast off the myth of earth’s desire, arise to felicity.”

A unique joy pours down on Savitri as she listens to this ensnaring voice. With a smile in her eyes, she replies: “O tempter with the lure of heaven, I climb not to thy everlasting Day. I will not turn from thy terrestrial way. Give me back the other self—Satyavan—whom the earth needs. Take not the warrior with his blow still unstruck. Earth is our field. There lies our task. Imperfect is the joy not shared by all. Let our will labour permitted by thy will.”

The Godhead of the wonderful Vision speaks:

“How is it possible for earth-nature and man’s nature to rise to celestial levels and yet for the earth to abide? Not for earth is the All-Truth or the timeless bliss. Hers can be only some fragment gleams. Only a few can climb high, the heroes and demigods are too few. Most are built upon Nature’s earthly plan. The Inconscient draws things to its breast of Night and Death and Sleep. Man is the key. But even his Knowledge is an Ignorance. Leave it to the tardy pace of Time; all will be done in its hour for the soul of man is greater than his fate. O Flame, withdraw into thy luminous self or return to thy original Might above thought and world. Be one with my power, thou art the World-Mother and the Bride. Cast down desire into the gulfs. Melt into thy invisible flame. There shalt thou know the Lord and the Loved, there shalt thou receive Satyavan into boundless Savitri, lose thyself into infinite Satyavan.”

Savitri replies to the radiant God:

“In vain thou temptest us with solitary bliss. There is one task for which we are born—to change the earthly life into life divine. I keep my will to save the world and man. If thou and I are true, the world is also true. I have seen through the insentient mask of the secret Spirit in things; I have felt the stir of the growing God.”

The God answers:

“All that the Spirit has dreamed thou canst create. Thou art the force by which I made the world, thou art my vision, my will and my voice. But lead not the evolving spirit too soon, wait for Time and God. Arise upon a ladder of greater worlds to Infinity. Leave Spirit and Matter to this process in Time and Space to fulfil the intention of God. Ascend thou into thy timeless self. Discover the truth of God, man and world, know all, see and stamp thy will on Time.”

As the voice ceases, a Power goes forth shaking the very spheres and loosening the fixities of form. The heaven-worlds vanish in spiritual light. Savitri finds herself in an ineffable world. She is one with all. In that phantom of abolished Space there cries a voice that is unheard by ears:

“Choose, Spirit, thy supreme choice. End thy journey, accept the weariness of thy notes, O music.”

Someone yearns within a bosom unknown and silently the woman’s heart replies:

“O Lord, keep thy peace for the magnificent soul of man on earth.”

A second time rises the eternal cry:

“My spirit leans down to break the knot of earth. Unweave the stars and pass into silence.”

In that immense and world-destroying pause, Savitri hears a million creatures cry to her. Her woman’s nature then speaks:

“O Lord, give me thy oneness in the many, that is my sweet infinity of thy own innumerable souls.”

For the third time swells the admonishing call:

“I spread the refuge of my wings, my power is withdrawn above the dreadful whirlings of the world.”

A sob of things was the answer to the voice. Passionately the woman’s heart responds:

“O Lord, give me thy energy to take all things and creatures in their grief and gather them into a mother’s arms.”

For the last time the great warning sound is heard:

“I open the wide eye of solitude to uncover the rapture of my bliss.”

A hymn of adoration mounts and the whole being of the woman replies with yearning:

“O Lord, give me for earth and for men, thy embrace, thy joy, thy love, thy sweetness.”

After a silence a still blissful cry begins:

“Thy thoughts are mine, I have spoken with thy voice. All that thou hast asked I give to earth and men. I yoke thee to my power of work in Time. Thou shalt raise the earth-soul to Light and bring down God into the lives of men. For ever love, beautiful slave of God. Built is the golden tower, the flame-child is born. Descend to life with him thy heart desires. Satyavan, luminous Savitri, I sent you forth of old. You are my force at work to uplift earth’s fate. When the hour of the Divine draws near, the Mighty Mother shall take birth in Time and God be born into the human clay in forms made ready by your human lives. All then shall change. A mightier race shall inhabit the mortal’s world. The superman shall reign as King of life. The Spirit shall look out through Matter’s gaze and Matter shall reveal the Spirit’s face. This earthly life shall become the life divine.”

The Voice ceases and the soul of Savitri plunges down through unseen worlds amidst joyous voices and triumphant cries greeting her all the way down. She holds the soul of Satyavan within her enveloping soul. The great wings of the Superconscient close above her and she finds herself buried in the breast of the Earth-Mother.

A Spirit gazes upon destiny; a glance of undying Love falls from that gaze. A wonderful face looks down with deathless eyes. Over the wide earth broods the infinite bliss.