Opening Remarks for The Book Eight

Savitri’s quest of love has led her to the doorsteps of death. She has spent a year with Satyavan whom she loved and chose to tie herself with in a deep bond of conjugal union. She had been forewarned by Narad, the heavenly sage that though beautiful of soul and a rare gem of humanity, Satyavan is destined to die within a year. Savitri has accepted the challenge of Fate. During her sojourn with Satyavan in the deep solitude of the Shalwa woods, she has engaged in a rare yoga that has led her to an identification with the Divine Mother whose embodiment she is. Armed with the fire of yoga, she is now prepared to take on the challenge of death and adverse fate.

This short book having only One Canto is a description of the day when Satyavan is destined to die. A single Canto titled Canto 3 indicates that it was possibly meant to come naturally after Book One Canto Two, but then the whole scheme expanded as Book One Canto Three started by giving us a background of Savitri’s coming describing in great detail her father Aswapati’s yoga. This flashback if we may say so ends with Book Seven and we are once again connected to the story and the day when Savitri wakes up armed by the Divine Mother’s Power to take on the tremendous challenge.