Canto II: The Gospel of Death and Vanity of the Ideal

Death decries all Ideals as a vain dream, an illusion that can never be realised upon earth.

Death decries every ideal as merely a shadow and in imagination with no footing on ground realities.

Death presents not only a negative and bleak picture but a nihilistic view of the world.

Death tries to paint himself as the only reality, the final door of escape, the epitome of mercy.

Death takes Matter to be the origin of creation and hence the final determinant of everything.

Death is not to give in easily. He tries to refute Savitri’s stand aggressively with his materialistic doctrine.

Savitri gives a hint of the love that she feels for Satyavan.

Savitri replies to the condescending arguments of Death.

Death points towards the vanity of life and the fruitless waste of all efforts.