The Winds of Wonder

The Siddhi of Savitri

Savitri conquering Death is not the final objective, the ultimate fulfillment, the siddhi of her incarnation, of her avataric work. Conquest of Death is a means, a necessary step in the process, but is not the fundamental goal. Death was standing across the path of what had to be achieved and realised; he was an obstacle and the obstacle had to be removed or transformed into his true self, the Supreme himself who had assumed that form, a functional form, he born of the Void, or rather the Void presenting himself in the person of Death when Savitri was challenging him, challenging him for the advent of the divine Event, of Truth-manifestation. As long as Death is present there will always be Falsehood and Truth cannot operate in this Death-bound creation, in the mortal earth, Mrityu Loka.

What Savitri has done is, she has dissolved that form of Death, the Supreme himself as Death in the wonderful Void now opening to the transcendental possibilities. Savitri has cut a door through that wonderful Void and entered into the Realm of Truth-Consciousness-Bliss, Sachchidananda; she has entered into Sachchidananda through this Door of the Void, Shunyasya Dwarah. She has already done something wonderful, which was never attempted and realised in the earlier pursuits. But then, again, this is a means towards something else, to establish life divine upon earth. She asks for that boon to the Supreme, in fact persuades him to grant it. It is granted:

Nature shall live to manifest secret God,

The Spirit shall take up the human play,

This earthly life become the life divine. ||155.71||

Savitri now returns to the earth, with the soul of Satyavan held in her hand close to her heart. Yes, she has brought back the soul of Satyavan who was in the grip of Death.

But, again, bringing the soul of Satyavan back is only a necessary step for the earthly life to become the life divine. This life can become the life divine only in the presence of the Being of Bliss and his Truth-Force, Anandamaya Purusha and Chaitanya Sahakti, of Krishna and Kali. When Savitri is rushing towards the earth they follow her. That is the most wonderful achievement, the Siddhi of Savitri:

Down with a hurried swimming floating lapse

Through unseen worlds and bottomless spaces forced

Sank like a star the soul of Savitri. ||156.2||

Amidst a laughter of unearthly lyres

She heard around her nameless voices cry

Triumphing, an innumerable sound. ||156.3||

A choir of laughing winds to meet her came. ||156.4||

She bore the burden of infinity

And felt the stir of all ethereal space. ||156.5||

Pursuing her in her fall, implacably sweet,

A face was over her which seemed a youth’s,

Symbol of all the beauty eyes see not,

Crowned as with peacock plumes of gorgeous hue

Framing a sapphire, whose heart-disturbing smile

Insatiably attracted to delight,

Voluptuous to the embraces of her soul. ||156.6||

Changed in its shape, yet rapturously the same,

It grew a woman’s dark and beautiful

Like a mooned night with drifting star-gemmed clouds,

A shadowy glory and a stormy depth,

Turbulent in will and terrible in love. ||156.7||

Savitri Class at Deshpande’s house, on 20 January 2016