Review of Savitri: A Spiritual Epic

 

SAVITRI-A SPIRITUAL EPIC' : OCEAN IN A POT

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( Dr) Dharmpal Singh 

 

A few days ago I happened to know about Professor R. K. Singh's book " SAVITRI-A SPIRITUAL EPIC" from his Facebook account. Since I am a student of Sri Aurobindo, I ordered for the book and received it within a week. It is a Ph.D. thesis published in 1984. Although it is written in 164 pages, it is , undoubtedly, an exhaustive analytical work on ' Savitri'. The writer has not only deeply understood the theme of this classical epic but also presented his views so well that it will engage anyone willing to understand Sri Aurobindo. 

 

Apart from the introduction and the conclusion, the book is divided in four parts:( a.)The Poetics of Sri Aurobindo,( b.) The Epic Tradition and Savitri, (c.) The Structure of Savitri, (d.) The Texture of Savitri.

' Savitri' is the result of the poetic concentration of Sri Aurobindo for four decades. " 'Savitri' is a modern epic: its modernity lies in the inward turn of action and experience." (P.07) It is created out of the legend of Savitri-Satyavan. " 'Savitri' is the mirror of the soul-voyage: it is the mimesis of the various planes of consciousness. " (p.09) Sri Aurobindo has been a Seer and a Yogi. Like the Rishis of the ancient time, he devoted himself to solitary sadhana. Thus, 'Savtri' is a record of his visionary experiences.

 

Sri Aurobindo dwells upon the theme of universality in individuality. The same has been done by Walt Whitman, William Blake, Baudelaire, Yeats, Tagore, Ezra Pound, Eliot and Stephen Spender. Professor R. K. Singh rightly states:

 

" What is Shelley's 'expression of imagination' in poetry is Sri Aurobindo 's expression of the spiritual which is the expression of the Overmind, an intermediary between the mind and Supermind. " (p.23)

The writer relates Sri Aurobindo 's 'Savitri' with Aeschylus' ' Oresteion', Virgil's ' Aeneid', Dante's ' Divine Comedy', Milton's ' Paradise Lost' as these works have also used different legends for giving expression to the inner experiences of their writers.

 

The writer tells about the epic tradition beginning from 'Epic of Gilgamesh' to Indian epics ' Ramayan' and 'Mahabharat'. ' Epic of Gilgamesh' is about the life and struggles of a man-god to achieve an everlasting life. Dante's ' Divine Comedy' is the record of his own mental and spiritual development. The writer tells about Italian (Ariosto's Orlando Furioso), French (Aucassin and Nicolette )and English (Wordsworth's The Prelude) epics. He concludes that epics from Valmiki and Homer to our times are marked by a growing inwardness which finds its culmination in Sri Aurobindo 's ' Savitri'. 'Savitri' is an epic of the development of consciousness which is a grander theme than the 'mind' of Wordsworth and 'Heaven' of Milton. " Savitri is an epic of the collective evolution of man's spiritual consciousness, an epic exploration of divinised life on earth." (P.47)

 

'The Structure of Savitri' is a long chapter discussing elaborately the theme of the epic. Sri Aurobindo has been writing poems on feminine characters from 1890 to 1920 : Urvasie in ' Urvasie', Priyambada in ' Love and Death', Andromeda in ' Persues and Deliverer', Anicealjalice in ' The Viziers of Bassora', Rodogune in ' Rodogune', Asloug in ' Eric', Panthesilea in ' Ilian', Vasavdutta in ' Vasavdutta'. The writer opines: " 'Savitri' is Sri Aurobindo's locus for spiritual operation. Subtitled as ' a legend and symbol', the epic transforms the Aranyak Parva legend into the symbol of a new consciousness; philosophically, man's ascent and God's descent." (P.58)

 

The writer quotes from the text profusely to make his readers enjoy the reading of the epic. For example, the following passage presents the character of Aswapathy:

 

" Sri Aurobindo conceives Aswapathy as a Seer, as affiliated to cosmic Space and Time, ' a shining Guest of Time ', ' an arch-manson of the soul', capable of reading the ' records of the future and the past' and knowing well ' the source from which his spirit came' ". (P.60)

 

The same method has been applied throughout the chapter to enable the readers acquainted with the spiritual theme along with the charm of language. The dialogue between Savitri and Death is the best part of the epic. See the following lines in which Savitri tells in plain words her coming on the earth:

 

" To raise the world to God in deathless Light,

To bring God down to the world on earth we came,

To change the earthly life to life divine."

( Book- II, Canto-01) 

 

The writer has expertly told about the texture of 'Savitri'. As we know that Sri Aurobindo had his schooling in England and was well-versed in Greek, Latin and English languages and literatures, he richly uses the imagery , symbol and verse-form. At the same time, he deviates from following any writer European or Indian. The writer evaluates his style in the following words:

 

". . . the narrator is committed to brightening the mind, transforming and purifying all its faculties, and thus, opening the doors of inner perception." (P.128)

 

Like Robert Browning, Sri Aurobindo uses technical terms, words and concepts connected with general science, biology, commerce, psychoanalysis, military science, architecture , communication etc. For example, we can see these terms : " 'the sperm and gene', ' plasm and gas', 'quantum ', 'robot', 'chemic cells' " (p.129)

 

We see many hyphened substances, the use of imagery like 'hermetic envelop', 'engines of the universe ', the use of Biblical illusions like ' We are sons of God and must be even as he.'

In ' Savitri', Sri Aurobindo uses various kinds of styles such as narrative, reflective, paradoxical, lyrical, allusive. He , like Eliot, uses literary allusions :

 

" Just as the Dawn (Usha) in the Rigveda opens the gates of heaven, ' Dawn' opens the book of 'Savitri' " (p.133) In the same way, " Satyavan symbolizes the world-soul carrying divine truth but descended into the kingdom.of Death, symbol of ignorance, Savitri is the Divine-word, Love-incarnate, the goddess of Supreme truth, born of Sun, to save him from Death's grasp. . . ." (P.139)

 

Like most of the epic writers, Sri Aurobindo uses blank verse, the unrhymed five-foot line.

In the conclusion, the writer tells the aim of Sri Aurobindo in writing 'Savitri'. Previously, he was involved in Indian Freedom movement very actively but soon realized that getting the political freedom of the country is not enough as well as lasting. So, ". . . he turned to the spiritual heritage of the country to transcend the chaos of his time. In an age of doubt and confusion, he looked not to the democratic apotheosis but to the Vedic aristocracy of spirit universalised almost as religious faith. . ." (P.147)

As usual with the books published nowadays, the printing of this book is not without fault. I am giving the list of the incorrectly printed words with their correct forms within brackets so that the writer may correct them in the next edition:

 

P.5- suffering or the aspirant ( suffering of the aspirant)

P.6- hniverse (universe)

P.11- contexual (contextual)

P.12- conposed (composed)

P.14- caeative (creative)

P.21- potecis (poetics)

P.22- secheme (scheme)

P.27- spiritual upliftment ( spiritual uplift)

P.29- trutth (truth)

P.33- mut (must)

P.50- It's son is the first ( Its son is the first)

- living educt (living product)

- creation myths (creation of myths)

P.63- rhythn (rhythm)

P.65- litte (little)

P.89- As long as life, is subject ( As long as life is subject)

P.92- differant (different)

P.102- climactic ( climatic)

P.108- upliftment (uplift)

P.113- enslavin (enslaving)

P.114- ision (vision)

- It's light is (Its light is)

P.115- In the Vedic rituals of the horse was regarded (.In the Vedic rituals the horse was regarded)

P.116- successful saving ( successful in saving)

P. 129- it's language is no...(its language is no...)

- telsvision (television)

P.131- mind any body (mind and body)

 

To conclude, I must say that Professor R.K. Singh has brought to light in 164 pages the complete theme of Sri Aurobindo's epic ' Savitri' that runs for twenty-four thousand lines. Detailed bibliography has been given towards the end of every chapter for the readers to consult and read for themselves. I recommend this book to everyone interested in Sri Aurobindo. 

 

The book has been published by 'Prakash Book Depot. Bareilly'. One can contact Rahul Singhal (9359103571) for the book casting only 97/ including postage charge.

 

 

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