Aspects of Mysticism in “Savitri”

PROF. R. V. KULKARNI

“Mysticism” is a term which denotes an intuitive approach to Reality. It is in direct contrast to rationality. Reason or Intellect and Intuition are the two main approaches to Reality. The age of science is characterized by its absolute reliance on the rational faculty of Man for exploring the ultimate reality. But the saints and the visionary poets in the East and the West have regarded Intuition as the reliable and the infallible guide to man on his way towards Truth.

Sri Aurobindo believes that Reason, with its limited range and power cannot give us an insight into the divine reality. He contends that, “The reason cannot arrive at any final truth because it can neither get to the root of things nor embrace the totality of their secrets; it deals with the finite, the separate, the limited aggregate and has no measure for the all and the infinite.” (Sri Aurobindo: Reason and Beyond Reason, P. 29) He expresses this in Savitriwhen he describes Aswapathy’s ascent through the kingdom of the Spirit. During his spiritual journey through the “kingdoms and godheads of the little mind,” Aswapathy meets the power of Reason at the last stage. She has her “narrow house upon a ridge in Time,” and strives to,

“….reduce to rules the mystic world,
Nothing she knew but all things hoped to know.
In dark inconscient realms once void of thought,
Missioned by a supreme Intelligence
To throw its ray upon the obscure Vast,
An imperfect light leading an erring mass
By the power of sense and the idea and word...”
(Savitri, P. 251)

The poet develops the same thought further and indicates clearly the futility of reason in the domain of “supramental truth.” The following lines support this view.

“For not by Reason was creation made
And not by Reason can the truth be seen
Which through the veils of thought, the screens of sense
Hardly the spirit’s vision can descry
Dimmed by the imperfection ofits means.” (Savitri, P. 257)

In other words, the faculty of Reason cannot give the knowledge by which the “knower” and the “known” are seen as “one.” The truth revealed in Savitra belongs to the “supra-rational” world. It, therefore, belongs to the tradition of mystic poetry which has come down from the Vedas and the Upanishads to Jnaneswari. The supra-rational truth embodied in it can be experienced only through “intuition.”

Broadly speaking, there are three aspects of the mystic vision of life in Savitri. The first explores the mystery of cosmic creation. The second is concerned with the potential divinity in Man. The third probes into the psychic experiences that occur during spiritual progress.

The mystery of the cosmic creation in Savitri is unravelled as the vision of “Unity in diversity.” It reminds one of the prophetic utterances of the ancient sages in the Vedas and the Upanishads. The Cosmos is seen as the “Lila” or the “play” of the Self and the Mother. The “Self” or the “Purusha” remains passive and allows the “Prakriti” to weave her dreams, conceive the thoughts and objects. The enigma of the creation is conveyed as 

“The Two who are one are the secret of all power,
The Two who are one are the might and right in things.
His soul silent, supports the world and her,
His acts are her commandment’s registers…..
His works, his thoughts have been devised by her,
His being a mirror vast ofhers:” (Savitri, P. 63)

The same note of unity is revealed in the description of the changes brought about by the cycle of seasons. At the end of the downpouring rains, a “musing trance”, a “meditative silence” spreads over the Earth. The advent of Spring is not only the arrival of sensuous joy and thrill but also a call from the “Transcendent” to the principle of eternal bliss in human heart.

“His voice was a call to the Transcendent’s sphere
Whose secret touch upon our mortal lives
Keeps ever new the thrill that made the world,
Remoulds an ancient sweetness to new shapes
And guards intact unchanged by death and Time
The answer of our hearts to Nature’s charm” (Savitri, P. 357)

Savitri, thus, presents the picture of Cosmos as a harmonious relationship among Man, Nature and Universe. It is manifestation of“One” in the “Many.”

Consequently, Man isshown as a creature who contains in himself the seed of divinity. His soul can neither be fettered by the laws of Matter nor can be destroyed by Death. For him, it is possible to be one with Eternity by widening his consciousness and enjoy eternal bliss. Savitri’s answer to Death points out clearly her own and Satyavan’s role in the destiny of Man. She tells Death,

“For I the Woman am the force of God,
He the Eternal’s delegate soul in man.
My will is greater than thy law, O Death;
My love is stronger than the bonds of Fate:
Our love is the heavenly seal of the Supreme.”
(Savitri, P. 639)

The “supra-sensuous” experiences of God-realization form an integral part of Savitri.

In fact, Aswapathy’s ascent on the heights and Savitri’s descent into the depths of the spiritual kingdom abound in such experiences. These experiences are common to the saints and the spiritual seekers from the East as well as the West. In his penetrating study of the mysticism in Maharashtra, Prof. R. D. Ranade defines Mysticism as “that attitude of mind which involves a direct, immediate, first-hand, intuitive apprehension of God.” Further, in his chapter on Jnanadeva, he notes down the various mystic experiences described by Jnanadeva. According to him, the eight Sattvica emotions–Colour, Form, Sound, Light, etc.,–are some of the outstanding experiences described by Jnanadeva.

The description of Aswapathy’s transformation at the approach of “A Boundless Heart” is remarkable from this point of view. “Aswapathy’s mortal body was enveloped by a mystic Form. His spirit and body were linked in the joy beyond words. All his physical and mental organs were intoxicated with the shower of nectar. They grew limitless and were drawn towards the mystic power just as a sea drawn towards the Moon. A divine stream began to flow through his veins. The cells in his body awoke to the spiritual touch. All his nerves became a burning thread of joy.” (Savitri, P. 334)

The reference to “nectar” in the passage is not merely metaphorical. It describes the divine sweetness experienced by Aswapathy. The “Sea” and “Moon” suggest the widening of consciousness and the union between the Self and God. “The burning thread of joy” brings out the “light experience.”

A still more characteristic passage which describes Savitri’s metamorphosis is worth analysing. The gradual awakening in the centres of consciousness takes place in Savitri.

“The Power, thus, came down from the summit to the ‘lotus’ in brow. As a result, ‘the mysterious eye capable of looking at the invisible vision’ was opened. This brought about a complete identification of Savitri with the Eternal Will. She became an instrument in the hands of the Eternal Light. After this, the lotus in throat was kindled. Savitri’s speech and thoughts echoed the immortal word and sounded in harmony with the world-Soul. Next, the lotus in heart which could change Fate was awakened. The lotus in the navel was, then, touched and the earthly desire was transformed into celestial flame. Finally, the Power broke into the ‘thousand hooded serpent Force’. This resulted into the union between Matter and Spirit,” (Savitri, P. 665)

The process of awakening described in the passage is known as “Kundalini Yoga.” The word “Kundalini” literally means “coiled up.” The Yogis describe it as “a coiled serpent” and believe that it is the root in which the divine energy remains latent. As Swami Prabhavananda explains, “There are, asserts the Tantra, seven centres of consciousness, the seventh of which is located in the brain. These centres, resembling lotuses, are technically known as Chakras. Through certain prescribed exercises the Kundalini or the Divine Energy, rises through the centres until it reaches the seventh and in this seventh occurs a mystic union with the Supreme Lord, who there resides. Then it is that one ‘attains transcendental’ consciousness.”

(Swami Prabhavananda: The Spiritual Heritage of India, P. 150)

The above explanation gives us a clear idea about the mystic transformation in Savitri. However, the process of awakening in Savitri takes place in a different manner. According to Kundalini Yoga, it begins from Kundalini and rises slowly upwards to the seventh centre located in the brain. In Savitri’s case, however, it descends slowly from the seventh to the first centre. This is in keeping with Sri Aurobindo’s idea of “Descent” of the Divine energy into the mortal being.

Thus the aspects of mystical vision in Savitriare many and varied. They are not, of course, separate entities in themselves but are integral parts of the experience embodied in the poem. To put it into Sri Aurobindo’s own words:

“In fact Savitrihas not been regarded by me as a poem to be written and finished, but as a field of experimentation to see how far poetry could be written from one’s own Yogic consciousness and how that could be made creative.” (Savitri, P. 736)