Opening Remarks
At the behest of the queen, Narad reveals what he has seen and foreseen. He starts with a description of Satyavan whom Savitri has chosen.
Springs of cosmic fate
Then cried the sage piercing the mother’s heart,
Forcing to steel the will of Savitri,
His words set free the spring of cosmic Fate.
Sage Narad then started revealing the truth he has seen that would release the scroll of Fate and thereby start its action. His words pierce the heart of Savitri’s mother and steel the will of Savitri.
The pain of human hearts
The great Gods use the pain of human hearts
As a sharp axe to hew their cosmic road:
They squander lavishly men’s blood and tears
For a moment’s purpose in their fateful work.
The scroll of Fate is worked out through the action of the great Gods who chose human pain as a sharp axe to hew the roads through which world and humanity must move. Man’s blood and tears are used to fulfil the purpose of the moment in the long winding roads of Time.
Cosmic Nature’s balance
This cosmic Nature’s balance is not ours
Nor the mystic measure of her need and use.
We do not the way this cosmic balance operates nor its deeper need and use.
A casual act
A single word lets loose vast agencies;
A casual act determines the world’s fate.
A single word, a casual act becomes an instrument to loose vast forces determining the world’s fate.
Set free destiny
So now he set free destiny in that hour.
Narad set free destiny in that fated hour.
The truth thou hast claimed
“The truth thou hast claimed; I give to thee the truth.
He addresses the queen saying that he will give the truth that she has requested of the sage.
A marvel
A marvel of the meeting earth and heavens
Is he whom Savitri has chosen mid men,
His figure is the front of Nature’s march,
His single being excels the works of Time.
He starts by describing Satyavan as indeed a marvel whom Savitri has chosen. He beautifully combines the best of earth and heaven in his single being. He is the srestha, the best among men not only among the present but even compared to men in the past. He excels them all.
A sapphire cutting
A sapphire cutting from the sleep of heaven,
Delightful is the soul of Satyavan,
A ray out of the rapturous Infinite,
A silence waking to a hymn of joy.
He is a sapphire cut out from the trance of heavens. Delightful is his soul, a ray out of Infinite’s rapture, a silence waking to a hymn of joy.
A divinity and kingliness
A divinity and kingliness gird his brow;
His eyes keep a memory from a world of bliss.
A divinity and royalty surround his brow and his eyes seem to hold within them memory from some world of bliss.
Spirit and sense
As brilliant as a lonely moon in heaven,
Gentle like the sweet bud that spring desires,
Pure like a stream that kisses silent banks,
He takes with bright surprise spirit and sense.
Brilliant as a lonely moon in the sky and gentle as the sweet bud that spring desires, pure like a stream that flows through silent banks, he takes with equal mastery things of the spirit and of the sense.
Rose of bliss
A living knot of golden Paradise,
A blue Immense he leans to the longing world,
Time’s joy borrowed out of eternity,
A star of splendour or a rose of bliss.
A centre of the golden paradise upon earth, an immensity as of the sky, he leans to the longing world as if the joy of eternity were borrowed by Time through him. He is even as a star of splendour or a rose of bliss.
Wide harmony
In him soul and Nature, equal Presences,
Balance and fuse in a wide harmony.
Soul and Nature fuse in him in sublime proportions and an equal balance.
Sweet and true
The Happy in their bright ether have not hearts
More sweet and true than this of mortal make
That takes all joy as the world’s native gift
And to all gives joy as the world’s natural right.
The happy immortal gods in their heavens have not the heart as sweet and true as Satyavan, though in a mortal body. He receives the world’s joy as gifts of the world and gives joy freely to all as the world’s natural right. Such is the wideness in which he lives.
Closing Remarks
Thus Narad begins describing the beautiful soul of Satyavan through images and comparison with the great gods.
