A Short Introduction to the Theme of Savitri (TH 053)

The story of Savitri comes in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata. Yudhisthira asked Rishi Markendaya if there was any one who was more pious than Draupadi and had suffered more than her? And Rishi Markendaya told him the story of Savitri, who not only suffered more than Draupadi but also fought with destiny and conquered death. Then the sage tells the whole story of Savitri which was narrated in some seven hundred verses. Sri Aurobindo speaks of two more stories connected to this theme of Love conquering Death as Savitri does. One is the story of Pururava and Urvasi and the other is Ruru and Pramadvara. In the first story King Pururava though united with his love Urvasi, had to leave this world and had to live with her in some other celestial world beyond. Love conquers here but not upon earth but in the realms beyond. In the second story, Ruru had to offer half of his life and thus bring back his beloved to life here upon earth and in a mortal body. Here also death was conquered partially. Only ‘Savitri’ is the complete story where Love and Life both are established fully. Sri Aurobindo took the story as a legend and symbol and put all his experience and yoga in his epic poem ‘Savitri’ which he himself regarded as his most important work. The Mother says ‘Savitri is the supreme revelation of the Supreme’. She also says ‘Savitri is a Mantra for the transformation of the world’. These are some of the themes discussed in this talk giving us a thematic background of Savitri.

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This talk was recorded in May 2012 in Nainital.