Opening Remarks
While Savitri is torn within by the approaching grief, she is also realising the completest possible union between two human lives moved by the power of love. The passionate love in her heart grew stronger by the anticipation of grief.
Herself the sacrifice
Thus in the silent chamber of her soul
Cloistering her love to live with secret grief
She dwelt like a dumb priest with hidden gods
Unappeased by the wordless offering of her days,
Lifting to them her sorrow like frankincense,
Her life the altar, herself the sacrifice.
Thus in the silent chamber of Savitri’s soul lay together secluded and shut out from the world. There she dwelt within as a dumb priest with hidden gods who were unappeased by the wordless offering of her sorrows like frankincense upon the altar of her life with herself as the sacrifice.
Ever they grew
Yet ever they grew into each other more
Until it seemed no power could rend apart,
Since even the body’s walls could not divide.
Yet through all this they grew into each other more and more until it seemed that no power could separate them and even the body’s walls could not divide anymore.
Walked with him
For when he wandered in the forest, oft
Her conscious spirit walked with him and knew
His actions as if in herself he moved;
He, less aware, thrilled with her from afar.
When Satyavan wandered in the forest, she too walked with him in her conscious spirit and knew his actions as if he moved in herself. He, though less aware, yet felt the thrill of her presence and company from afar.
Her passion grew
Always the stature of her passion grew;
Grief, fear became the food of mighty love.
Her passion grew as her love took in the food of grief and fear.
Increased by its torment
Increased by its torment it filled the whole world;
It was all her life, became her whole earth and heaven.
Her passionate love grew by the torment as if filling the whole world. It was all her life. It became her entire world.
Immortal it walked
Although life-born, an infant of the hours,
Immortal it walked unslayable as the gods:
Her spirit stretched measureless in strength divine,
An anvil for the blows of Fate and Time:
Or tired of sorrow’s passionate luxury,
Grief’s self became calm, dull-eyed, resolute,
Awaiting some issue of its fiery struggle,
Some deed in which it might for ever cease,
Victorious over itself and death and tears.
Although her love was an infant born to human life, yet it walked immortal unslayable as the gods. Her spirit grew measureless as if filled with strength divine. Her being of sorrow, an anvil for the blows of fate and time, or tired of too much pain became calm and resolute. She awaited for some way to resolve this fiery struggle, some way for its cessation and of victory over death and tears.
The year now paused
The year now paused upon the brink of change.
The monsoons were passing off and autumn had just begun with its announcement of change.
Rain dripped wearily
No more the storms sailed with stupendous wings
And thunder strode in wrath across the world,
But still was heard a muttering in the sky
And rain dripped wearily through the mournful air
And grey slow-drifting clouds shut in the earth.
The storms no more assailed the skies, the thunders no more strode in wrath across the world. Still a mutter was heard in the sky and rain dripped wearily through the air that seemed to mourn. The grey drifting clouds shut in the earth.
Her grief’s heavy sky
So her grief’s heavy sky shut in her heart.
The season as if represented her inner state as her grief’s cloud burdened sky was shut in her heart.
Human heart spoke to the body’s fate
A still self hid behind but gave no light:
No voice came down from the forgotten heights;
Only in the privacy of its brooding pain
Her human heart spoke to the body’s fate.
A still self hid within gave no light. No voice came down from the forgotten heights from where she had come down to help and save. Only in the privacy of her pain brooding within Savitri’s human heart spoke to her body’s fate.
Closing Remarks
Savitri’s daily life became a sacrifice and a growing passion of love.
About Savitri | B1C3-11 Towards Unity with God (pp.31-33)