Opening Remarks
The Wisdom that works in creation is too deep to be understood by the limited human mind caught up in appearances. It works from behind using everything to propel us towards the Purpose for which we are made.
Death is the spirit’s opportunity
In vain thou mournst that Satyavan must die;
His death is a beginning of greater life,
Death is the spirit’s opportunity.
Narad advices the queen not to mourn though Satyavan is destined to die. His death would be the beginning of a greater life. Death is indeed the spirit’s opportunity to grow towards its fullness.
One great end
A vast intention has brought two souls close
And love and death conspire towards one great end.
He asks the queen to trust the Divine intention that has brought the two souls close reminding her that ultimately everything, including love and death serves to take us closer towards the great Divine Goal, the predestined end.
God’s secret plan
For out of danger and pain heaven-bliss shall come,
Time’s unforeseen event, God’s secret plan.
Out of danger and pain we are prepared to receive the heaven-bliss and Time’s unforeseen events are nothing else but God’s secret plan for the soul of man.
Meaning in each curve and line
This world was not built with random bricks of Chance,
A blind god is not destiny’s architect;
A conscious power has drawn the plan of life,
There is a meaning in each curve and line.
This world was not built by random chance as we are often told. Nor is a blind god destiny’s architect. The plan of life has been drawn by a conscious power and each curve and line serves the great plan.
She is one
It is an architecture high and grand
By many named and nameless masons built
In which unseeing hands obey the Unseen,
And of its master-builders she is one.
The world is an architecture high and grand built by many named and nameless, known and unknown masons whose hands obey the Unseen. Among these master-builders Savitri is one.
Time’s accidents
“Queen, strive no more to change the secret will;
Time’s accidents are steps in its vast scheme.
Thence Narad bids the Queen to strive anymore to change the secret will. What we believe or take to be Time’s accidents are steps in its vast scheme of God’s Will.
Armed and alone
Bring not thy brief and helpless human tears
Across the fathomless moments of a heart
That knows its single will and God’s as one:
It can embrace its hostile destiny;
It sits apart with grief and facing death,
Affronting adverse fate armed and alone.
He further reveals the queen not to bring her helpless human tears to move the fathomless heart of Savitri whose will is one with the Supreme Divine Will. Savitri is strong to embrace this hostile destiny as it sits apart with grief armed and alone facing death and adverse fate.
Her silent spirit’s will
In this enormous world standing apart
In the mightiness of her silent spirit’s will,
In the passion of her soul of sacrifice
Her lonely strength facing the universe,
Affronting fate, asks not man’s help nor god’s:
Sometimes one life is charged with earth’s destiny,
It cries not for succour from the time-bound powers.
In this enormous world Savitri stands apart in the mightiness of her silent spirit’s will. In the passion of the soul of sacrifice her lonely strength faces the universe affronting fate asking help neither from man or from gods.
Alone she is equal
Alone she is equal to her mighty task.
Alone she is equal to her mighty task and needs no other help.
Intervene not
Intervene not in a strife too great for thee,
The battle she has to face is too great for anybody. Hence he advices the queen not to intervene in this destiny.
A struggle too deep
A struggle too deep for mortal thought to sound,
Its question to this Nature’s rigid bounds
When the soul fronts nude of garbs the infinite,
Its too vast theme of a lonely mortal will
Pacing the silence of eternity.
The struggle, the question or the enigma of life that Savitri must face is too deep even for our thought. It challenges Nature’s rigid boundaries with the bare power of the soul. It takes upon herself to write the unfinished story of the human soul with its too vast a theme.
Closing Remarks
Narad now begins to reveal the deeper truths behind Savitri’s choice which has sprung up from her soul.
