-009_The Ascent of Sight in Sri Aurobindo^s Savitri.htm The Ascent of Sight in Sri Aurobindo's Savitri Sight in the Superconscient Introduction We should recognise the insufficiency of normal mind of man to be an instrument for the discovery of the Truth: Our mind lives far off from the authentic Light Catching at little fragments of the Truth.1 But if mind fails, what else remains? Again, it has been affirmed that "thought nor word can seize eternal Truth."2 But, then, if thought proves impotent what else is there that can take its place? The answer is: What else? It must be a sight: Out of our thoughts we must leap up to sight.3 Yes, it has

Real Symbols of Inner Reality A look at Sri Aurobindo A well-known British writer and critic has stated recently: "I don't see Sri Aurobindo as a poet at all..." and added,".. .if you press the claim that Sri Aurobindo was a great poet...you will only be detracting from his undoubted importance as a thinker and perhaps a saint. You will never persuade any Western poet or critic."1 And this view is confirmed by other literati, among them William Irwin Thomson, who suggests that Yogis should on principle be debarred from expressing themselves in verse, since they do it so badly, and cites Sri Aurobindo as an example. That Sri Aurobindo's poetry ru

PART VI The Legend of Savitri According to the Mahabharata Page-515 Page-516 Page-517 Page-518 Page-519 Page-520 Page-521

Shilpa-Yoga and the Kingdom of Subtle Matter After his personal liberation, Aswapati seeks for the key to the realisation of Truth for all humankind. This leads him to search for the parting of the ways, the place where Error creeps into eternal Perfection, and the secret Origin where resides the Power by which the universal condition of Ignorance and Falsehood may be abolished. Withdrawing from the reality of the gross physical realm (sthula jagat) he becomes the Traveller of the Worlds, ascending the serried planes of consciousness that link our dense material base of manifestation with the Unmanifest Infinite Unknowable (avyakt

Sri Aurobindo the Poet-Jeweller The Use of Gold and Gemstones in Savitri Introduction In India, where a roadside stone can be turned into an idol and enshrined by the devout, it is little wonder that precious metals and stones are deemed invaluable. They are treasured for their commercial value and aesthetic worth. Gemstones are esteemed to be priceless, perhaps for a third reason: they are believed to be the repository of occult powers. It is probably for this reason that stones are worshipped in temples and gems revered as talismans. This practice of seeking protection from gems and precious metals cannot be treated as a

Some Perspectives of the Savitri Upakhyana The story of Savitri narrated by Rishi Markandeya to Yudhishthira appears as a minor episode or upākhyāna in seven cantos of the Book of the Forest in the Mahabharata (Pativrata Mahatmya, Chapters 293-299, Vana Parva, Gita Press, Gorakhpur). The immediate purpose of the narration seems to be the alleviation of grief of the eldest of the Pandavas, afflicted as he was by the sad helpless plight of his brothers and more so by the plight of their common wife Draupadi. This virtuous daughter of Drupada, the king of Panchala Desh, was bom in the purity of a sacrificial flame and was radiant and

-014_Aswapati^s Travels through the Worlds — An Overview.htm Aswapati's Travels through the Worlds — An Overview In the first three Books constituting Part I of Savitri we come closest to an authentic autobiography of Sri Aurobindo, in particular of his yogic life in which he was totally absorbed all the 40 years he spent in Pondicherry. The world has often speculated about this period of his life, but most of these speculations have been wide off the mark. Sri Aurobindo turned to yoga in earnest around 1907-8 when he first met Lele. But his brief contact with Lele lasted only from 30 December 1907 to February 1908. But he continued his spiritual life. He had by then experienced two of t

PART IV From Death to Deathlessness: Lucretius and Sri Aurobindo George Santayana expects every great poet to be a philopher, a prophet and a seer: "The distinction of a poet—the dignity and humanity of his thought—can be measured by nothing, perhaps so well as by the diameter of the world in which he lives; if he is supreme, his vision, like Dante's, always stretches to the stars."1 Two other poets whose vision, literally and metaphorically, stretches to the stars are Lucretius and Sri Aurobindo. In Book I of De Rerum Natura Lucretius promises to reveal the ultimate realities of heaven and the gods. Applauding this at

PART III Sri Aurobindo and Aswapati in Savitri Who are the protagonists, the principal characters in Sri Aurobindo's Savitri ? This is, apparently, one of the simplest questions that may be asked about the epic: the chief protagonist is Savitri, after whom the epic is named and who dominates its second half; then there is Satyavan, her counterpart and husband, who represents the soul of humanity; and thirdly there is Aswapati, the king who is Savitri's father and who is the main character in the first half of the epic. The authorities, experts and exegetes who have written on Savitri are unanimously of the same opinion. The fo

Savitri and the Bible A supreme epic always has a limitless vastitude for its canvas and an unreachable loftiness of its expression. Sri Aurobindo's Savitri is also the latest and the greatest of the Scriptures; it includes and transcends the essence and significance of all other Scriptures. The theme and vision, fact and experience, and word and phrase used from other Scriptures gain here a meaning and a suggestion beyond what they have in the original, sometimes even beyond recognition. The term "God's covenant", a frequent expression in the Old Testament of the Bible, for example, undergoes a sea-change when Sri Aurobindo employs it in Savitri. In t