Write down the outline of sri aurobindo epic poem savitri
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I am happy to be here from Pondicherry as a speaker of Sri Aurobindo's Savitri to this young University. I am one of those who recognises that the future is with the young and I have totally identified myself with their aspiration. Today our theme of discussion is Savitri, Sri Aurobindo's greatest odyssey of Spirit. It is an unparalleled vision in modern times. It is in the Mother's words "The Prophetic vision of the World history" including the announcement of the earth's future.
Most modern scholars of literature and history say that epic poetry is obsolete. Why is it? If you ask they say that epic poetry has gone out of style, has disappeared in our own day and age. Sri Aurobindo says that epic poetry comes when a seer appears; to us Sri Aurobindo is a seer and Savitri is His vision of time and eternity In studying Savitri, I find it is the Charter of the New Age embodying the highest aspiration and the hope of a Humanity, that is emerging from a past which is crumbling and moving towards a future that is to be born.
"It was the hour before the gods awake
Across the path of the Divine event."
That is how Sri Aurobindo begins his epic Savitri, which he started writing when he was in Baroda and worked upon for nearly fifty years, working upon it from the different levels of consciousness which he scaled during his long, long career of the Spirit. And what is Savitri? I do not need to tell you that the original story as it appears in our epic Mahabharata is repeated in most of the Puranas. The story concerns King Aswapathy who has no issue. And in keeping with the traditions of those times, he goes to the forest and performs penance for eighteen years, at the end of which the Divine Mother Gayatri appears to him and gives him a boon that she would be born to him. He comes back to his kingdom and the daughter is duly born. He names her gratefully Savitri. As you know, Savitri and Gayatri are the same Deity The divine child grows up with such a divine afflatus that no suitor, no prince dares to claim her hand. The father is obliged to ask her to go round the world – the small world of those times – and choose her own companion. It takes her two years to choose Satyavan – a prince in exile, the son of a blind king driven out of his kingdom. And when she reports her choice, Narada the divine sage who is conveniently present asks her not to choose him because Satyavan is fated to die within twelve months. But she refuses to take back her word and marries the chosen prince. She practices certain religious austerities like fasting, prayers etc. The fated day arrives and Yama, the God of Death comes and takes the soul of Satyavan. Savitri follows him. Yama does not like it very much. But he knows that there is the river Vaitarini separating heaven from earth and no mortal can cross it. But by the strength of her penance, Savitri follows the God of Death across the river and engages him in conversation. He marvels at her capacities, admires her skill and gives her boons one of which is to return her husband.
Now this simple story has been narrated in our scriptures to emphasise the virtue of conjugal fidelity. That is all. Sri Aurobindo, when he was studying this poem among others, was struck by some truth that was looming behind this apparently simple story. He saw in it a recordation of some great event that must have taken place in an early cycle of the Aryan people, and which had to be reopened. It was the names and the characters in the poem that gave him the clue. Satyavan is one who carries the truth – satyam vahati iti. Satyavan, man carrying the divine soul, has descended into this kingdom of death. And Savitri the saviour is the daughter of Savitr, the Creator, the creative splendour. She is the divine Grace in human form. Her father Aswapathy is one who is the lord of Force, lord of spiritual power, strength and light. Aswa in the Veda