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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Savitri -27



Sri Aurobindo's Savitri
Daily Savitri - 27


Here where our half-lit ignorance skirts the gulfs 
On the dumb bosom of the ambiguous earth, 
Here where one knows not even the step in front 
And Truth has her throne on the shadowy back of doubt, 
On this anguished and precarious field of toil 
Outspread beneath some large indifferent gaze, 
Impartial witness of our joy and bale, 

- Savitri by Sri Aurobindo, Book 1, Canto -1, The Symbol Dawn, Page 5

Sri Aurobindo's epic poem, Savitri, is a symbolic myth that responds to a deeply felt need in the contemporary mind. Not only does it represent a world view that is in harmony with the most recent understanding of scientific reality; but, as a symbol, it penetrates to the essential truth of that reality. It concomitantly describes what is involved in the fulfillment of a spiritually individuated life. This is the goal of Jung's myth of consciousness for our time. Not only is Savitri a vision for individual and collective self-fulfillment, but, as a mantra, it has a directly transformative effect on the inner consciousness. Such a magnificent poem calls for intelligent reflection.

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