The Winds of Wonder

A Narrative Aspect of Savitri

The cosmos is no accident in Time;

There is a meaning in each play of Chance,

There is a freedom in each face of Fate. ||71.46||

Let us first scan this sentence:

The cos|+mos is| no ac|+ci+dent| in Time;|

There is| a mean|+ing in| each play| of Chance,|

There is| a free|+dom in| each face| of Fate.|

iamb-pyrrhic-iamb-pyrrhic-iamb

pyrrhic-iamb-pyrrhic-iamb-iamb

pyrrhic-iamb-pyrrhic-iamb-iamb

Metrically there is a perfect counterbalancing of the feet between the first and the other two lines, very unusual. Already something uniquely is being said. Let us see in some details.

This sentence is from Savitri’s Book Two Canto Eleven describing Kingdoms and Godheads of the Greater Mind. It appears in the context of the sovereign Kings of Thought governing all the movements, with the Mind only serving the higher Power. This Thought maintains that there is a design in the vast cosmic working, that it is a cosmos and not a chaos, not a quirk or a whim. There is the infallible wisdom, there is the truth-working that shapes beings and events. This is stated forcefully in the first line itself, the cosmos is no accident in Time, the functioning of Time being regulated by a certain idea-logic, by some super-reason.

If it is so, is it really necessary to add those two remaining lines, pertaining to Chance having a meaning and Fate with full operative freedom? Can these be dispensed with? They may be needed when there are parallel agencies operating, not only Time but also Chance and Fate, they causing an accident in Time, Time without any accident without them. To take care of that possibility of accident every aspect is stated by having those two additional lines. There is thus a comprehensive definite completeness in the sense of the full sentence. That is also wonderful engineering perfection with the structural beauty of the Savitri-narratives; and it is there throughout the poem. Such features give the amazing globality to it. It needs attention to present the details, the author sparing no effort in developing the subject-matter.

Elsewhere we have:

This world was not built with random bricks of chance,

A blind god is not destiny’s architect;

A conscious power has drawn the plan of life,

There is a meaning in each curve and line. ||112.41||

It is an architecture high and grand

By many named and nameless masons built

In which unseeing hands obey the Unseen,

And of its master-builders she is one. ||112.42||

Again, see these lines: “There is a meaning in each play of Chance”, “There is a meaning in each curve and line”. If in one we have “accident in Time”, in the other it is “random bricks of chance”. That descriptive totality, that completeness is the shining hallmark of the Epic.

But for a moment let us redo the “accident”-passage a little differently, by adding a few more lines. This maybe atrocious, but could have the merit of bringing the point home:

The cosmos is no accident in Time;

There is a meaning in each play of Chance,

There is a freedom in each face of Fate;

There is a secret will that shapes each act,

And nothing is left for the spurious to work;

A far-seeing vision silhouettes each event,

An invisible hand scripts the great promise,

Height climbs to height to reach the unseen Height,

No gurgitation in the swiftness of the stream;

Nor rags nor a diamond-studded crown

Matter in the royalty of magnificence;

There is the glory of smiling surprises,

Affluent splendour from the pure Nothingness;

Voice of the spirit carries all gold adjectives.

Well, one can go on, and on. But not the Master-Poet. He won’t do it. The effusive and gushy balladic has no place in the cohesive and coherent and quietly resonant and well-knit voice of the Epic. In his writings there is glorious luxury, but it is not a luxury for the sake of luxury only. Each jewel adds to the lustre of the neighbouring jewels, making a necklace that is brought from the overmental demesne. We have to have just those three lines of the gold mint.

20 July 2025

Savitri Book 2 Canto 11 – The Kingdoms and Godheads of the Greater Mind

In a sublimer and more daring soar

To the wide summit of the triple stairs

Bare steps climbed up like glowing rocks of gold

Burning their way to a pure absolute sky. ||71.42||

Featured image is a painting by Huta

II:11 # 6

The Mother’s sketch