The Summons, p. 474

Opening Remarks
As Savitri is brooding thus on the strange predicament of her fate, she receives a summons from the summits of her being.

Ever-nearing fate
As in the vigilance of the sleepless night
Through the slow heavy-footed silent hours,
Repressing in her bosom its load of grief,
She sat staring at the dumb tread of Time
And the approach of ever-nearing Fate,
A summons from her being’s summit came,
A sound, a call that broke the seals of Night.

Savitri kept a sleepless vigil through the silent hours of the night, holding back grief and quietly staring at the tread of time and the dreaded fate approaching her. On one such night she heard a call from her own heights the rang through the seal of silent night.

Above her brows
Above her brows where will and knowledge meet
A mighty Voice invaded mortal space.

From the centre of the brow where will and knowledge meet, Savitri heard a mighty Voice come down and invade her body and mind.

Inaccessible heights
It seemed to come from inaccessible heights
And yet was intimate with all the world
And knew the meaning of the steps of Time
And saw eternal destiny’s changeless scene
Filling the far prospect of the cosmic gaze.

The Voice came from some remote inaccessible heights that yet was intimate with all the world. It seemed to know the steps of Time and saw the changeless scenes of destiny through some cosmic vision announcing things.

Motionless trance
As the Voice touched, her body became a stark
And rigid golden statue of motionless trance,
A stone of God lit by an amethyst soul.

As the Voice touched her inner spaces, her body entered a state of motionless trance as if a golden statue of God lit by an amethyst soul.

All grew still
Around her body’s stillness all grew still:
Her heart listened to its slow measured beats,
Her mind renouncing thought heard and was mute:
“Why camest thou to this dumb deathbound earth,
This ignorant life beneath indifferent skies
Tied like a sacrifice on the altar of Time,
O spirit, O immortal energy,
If ’twas to nurse grief in a helpless heart
Or with hard tearless eyes await thy doom?

All grew still and her heart listened and her mind renouncing thought heard and was mute and spellbound. The Voice spoke asking her the purpose for which she has come to this deathbound earth and this life of ignorance as if tied like a sacrifice on the altar of Time. The Voice addresses her soul and her spiritual being as immortal energy and asks her again whether she has come only to nurse grief in a heart that awaits its doom with hard tearless eyes?

Arise, O soul
Arise, O soul, and vanquish Time and Death.”

The Voice rouses her soul and asks her to vanquish Time and Death.

Closing Remarks
A new phase begins in Savitri’s life as her own being at the summits speaks to her.