Opening Remarks
Death starts by admonishing Savitri.
Vacant eternities
Vacant eternities forbidding hope
Laid upon her their huge and lifeless look,
And to her ears, silencing earthly sounds,
A sad and formidable voice arose
Which seemed the whole adverse world’s. “Unclasp”, it cried,
“Thy passionate influence and relax, O slave
Of Nature, changing tool of changeless Law,
Who vainly writh’st rebellion to my yoke,
Thy elemental grasp; weep and forget.
Death is the shadow of God and imitates His eternity. But this is a vacant eternity void of being and consciousness. It is an emptiness that is dull, a nothingness that turns everything futile by ending all effort into its dark insensible void. It is this that seemed to look at Savitri. Then a sad and formidable voice arose silencing all hopes and earthly sounds and stir as if the whole adverse world had come to take shape and speak through him. Death cries out to Savitri to leave the dead and loosen her clasp, the clasp of emotions that still persisted as a passionate influence upon Satyavan. Death admonishes her as a slave of nature and transient instrument of his pitiless Law who vainly writhes with rebellion against his iron grip. He tells her to do what all do, to weep and forget Satyavan.
Living grave
Entomb thy passion in its living grave.
He tells her to bury her passion in the graveyard of her subconscient while she lives.
Vain life on earth
Leave now the once-loved spirit’s abandoned robe:
Pass lonely back to thy vain life on earth.”
He bids her to leave Satyavan whom she loved once and return back to the vain earthly life without him, alone.
Death pauses
It ceased, she moved not, and it spoke again,
Lowering its mighty key to human chords,—
Yet a dread cry behind the uttered sounds,
Echoing all sadness and immortal scorn,
Moaned like a hunger of far wandering waves.
Death ceased to speak for a while and Savitri stood still and unmoving. Then Death lowered his voice to human chords even though the dread was felt in his voice echoing all the sadness and scorn of the immortal towards human mortal life. He moaned like a hunger of far wandering waves that were coming to swallow all into the ocean bed.
Thy passionate hold
“Wilt thou for ever keep thy passionate hold,
Thyself a creature doomed like him to pass,
Denying his soul death’s calm and silent rest?
Death tries to dissuade Savitri from continuing her hold upon Satyavan through chords of emotions. He reminds her that she cannot hold back the dead forever by her passion’s clasp. He reminds her that she is for Death yet another creature doomed to pass away. Why then is she denying the calm and rest now due for Satyavan in the realm of Death?
Relax thy grasp
Relax thy grasp; this body is earth’s and thine,
His spirit now belongs to a greater power.
He reminds her that only his earthly body belonged to earth and herself. But his soul belongs to a greater power towards which it must move.
Savitri drew back
Woman, thy husband suffers.” Savitri
Drew back her heart’s force that clasped his body still
Where from her lap renounced on the smooth grass
Softly it lay, as often before in sleep
When from their couch she rose in the white dawn
Called by her daily tasks: now too, as if called,
She rose and stood gathered in lonely strength,
Like one who drops his mantle for a race
And waits the signal, motionlessly swift.
Death finally reminds her that by holding Satyavan back by her heart’s force she is only adding to his suffering. Hearing this Savitri drew back her heart strings that were yet holding Satyavan’s body even though she had laid him on the smooth grass. He seemed the same as he would be lying in sleep when she would rise up from her couch at dawn for her daily tasks. Now too, as if for a greater task she rose and gathered her lonely strength like one who drops his mantle for a race and waits for the signal, swift and motionless.
Closing Remarks
Savitri is now ready for following in the steps of Death carrying the soul of Satyavan.
