Readings in Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol
Spiritual GrowthWritten by Santosh Krinsky408 views
Introduction: Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol is an inner guidebook for the soul. These mantric verses imbue even the body with potent spiritual resonance.
In this epic spiritual poem, Sri Aurobindo reveals his vision of mankind’s destiny within the universal evolution. He sets forth the optimistic view that life on earth has a purpose, and he places our travail within the context of this purpose: to participate in the evolution of consciousness that represents the secret thread behind life on earth. Sri Aurobindo’s verses describe the origin of the universe, the appearance of sentient beings, and the stages of evolution, as well as speak to many of mankind’s unanswered questions conce
ing pain and death.
The ancient story of Savitri is narrated in the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Having chose
Satyavan as her life-mate, she marries him despite the celestial sage Narada’s prophecy that Satyavan is fated to live a mere twelve months more. With unbounded love and inner strength of soul, Savitri compels Yama, the Lord of Death, to release Satyavan. Savitri, in this poem however, represents the divine force inca
ated to succor the representative of humanity, Satyavan. She confronts and conquers the forces of darkness and wins the promise of immortality.
This epic was much more than lofty poetry for Sri Aurobindo. From the time he started the development of his own Integral Yoga till the end of his life, a span of close to forty years, this is the only work he continuously refined. He made this poem the vehicle of his own spiritual ascension, for as he climbed higher and higher, similarly the poetry cascaded from higher spiritual realms, attaining the mantric quality manifest in venerated Indian scriptures. In Savitri, Sri Aurobindo reveals the deep hidden truth within the ancient legend, and transforms it into a symbol of mankind’s quest for meaning in life and in this world.
The deeper value of this mantric poetry is obtained by the seeker, not through critical analysis of the poetry itself or even the explication of the philosophical, or other mental issues embedded within the poem, but rather through reading and allowing the mantric force to permeate the being.
Readings:
Book I The Book of Beginnings, Canto 1 The Symbol Dawn, pp. 1-3
Book I The Book of Beginnings, Canto 4 The Secret Knowledge, pp. 46-49
Book II The Book of the Traveller of the Worlds, Canto 7 The Descent into Night, pp. 202-205
Book II The Book of the Traveller of the Worlds, Canto 8 The World of Falsefood, the Mother of Evil and the Sons of Darkness, pp. 225-227
Book III The Book of the Divine Mother, Canto 1 The Pursuit of the Unknowable, pp. 305-309
Book III The Book of the Divine Mother, Canto 2 The Adoration of the Divine Mother, pp. 310-312
Book III The Book of the Divine Mother, Canto 3 The House of the Spirit and the New Creation, pp. 322-325
Book III The Book of the Divine Mother, Canto 4 The Vision and the Boon, pp. 343-345
Book IV The Book of Birth and Quest, Canto 1 The Birth and Childhood of the Flame, pp. 349-352
Book VI The Book of Fate, Canto 2 The Word of Fate, pp. 442-446
Book VI The Book of Fate, Canto 2 The Word of Fate, pp. 446-448
Book VI The Book of Fate, Canto 2 The Word of Fate, pp. 448-451
Book VI The Book of Fate, Canto 2 The Word of Fate, pp. 454-456
Book VI The Book of Fate, Canto 2 The Word of Fate, pp. 460-462
Book VII The Book of Yoga, Canto 2 The Parable of the Search for the Soul, pp. 478-479
Book VII The Book of Yoga, Canto 2 The Parable of the Search for the Soul, pp. 484-487
Book VII The Book of Yoga, Canto 4 The Triple Soul-Forces, pp. 503-505
Book VII The Book of Yoga, Canto 4 The Triple Soul-Forces, pp. 509-510
Book VII The Book of Yoga, Canto 4 The Triple Soul-Forces, pp. 515-516
Book VII The Book of Yoga, Canto 4 The Triple Soul-Forces, pp. 507-508, 513-514, 520-521
Book XI The Book of Everlasting Day, Canto 1 The Ete
al Day: The Soul’s Choice and the Supreme Consummation, pp. 698-702
About the Author
Santosh has been studying Sri Aurobindo's writings since 1971 and has a daily blog at http://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com and podcast at https://anchor.fm/santosh-krinsky He is author of 17 books and is editor-in-chief at Lotus Press. He is president of Institute for Wholistic Education, a non-profit focused on integrating spirituality into daily life.
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