The Symbol Dawn, Canto I Book I of Savitri appeared first in the Path Mandir Annual of August 1946, published from Calcutta. We reproduce this text in the following.   more »

The Path of the Vedic Dawn was understood as symbolic of the union of the human and the divine mind. The Dawn comes from beyond, from the regions of the Sun, impelled by the God Savitar. The Dawn comes down creating the world of Svar on her way, filling it with the Rays of the Sun. It is the world between the Supramental and our ordinary human intelligence, says Sri Aurobindo. This world of the Rays of the Sun is depicted as three luminous realms of the God Savitar. In Sri Aurobindo’s terminology these regions are called the Intuitive Mind, the Overmind and the Overmental Gnosis, the first outflow of the Supermind. Sri Aurobindo himself thought for quite some time that the planes of the Overmind were those of the Supramental Consciousness, until he realised, after descending into the abysses of the Inconscient, that there was another realm behind it, which was a true Supermind, for it had the power to change the Inconscient. The Overmental consciousness is thus the closest to the Supramental, diffusing its light into the lower creation. It is the realm of the Dynamic Truth being assimilated in the lower nature, called in the Veda Ritam, (truth covered by the truth), which alone has access to and therefore can transform our lower dynamic nature into its Divine prototype, for it is indeed a dynamic projection of the Supermind into the lower hemisphere.

All these realms of the Mind are therefore closely associated with the human mind, in fact they are an extension of it into the higher realms of consciousness. Sri Aurobindo confirms this when he says that we cannot really know our mind and how it actually operates until we reach the Supermind. It is in the Supermind, he says, that the secret of our mentality lies, it is there that we will discover it to be a dynamic link to the Beyond. This function of the Mind was well known to the Vedic Rishis. It was always referred to as such and consciously invoked to effect changes to the consciousness in the body...   more »

While unraveling the Vedic symbolism of Usha or Dawn, Sri Aurobindo explains in The Secret of the Veda that she is a form or power of the supreme light who brings to the aspirant soul the higher or undivided Consciousness. This also means that she is associated with the idea of the Truth or Ritam, the dynamic movement in the creation. “Dawn born in heaven opens out things by the Truth, she comes manifesting the greatness.” With the coming of the Dawn awaken our intuition, our perception of things spiritual, begin our right movements. This is the perception, the intuition of Immortality, a movement towards it. The happy journey begins as much as spiritual wealth and spiritual felicity start coming to the Rishi. The psycho-spiritual sense is that higher knowledge comes, come the divine hearing and the divine vision of the Truth, that “far-extended hearing for the vibrations of the Word that comes to us from the regions of the Infinite.” This is the Dawn in the vast spiritual sky of the Rishi, but now a new Dawn must appear on the cosmic horizon, the marvellous Symbol Dawn. Savitri brings her to us. ~ RYD   more »

Descriptions of the heavenly dawn in the Rig Veda are some of the most exquisite passages wherein she is characterised glowingly and variously, poetry rising to the sheer delight of creation. She is goddess ancient yet ever young, she is full of light, full of strength, the Bride of the bliss, the rider of the chariot of happiness, giver of spiritual richnesses, “ true with the gods who are true, great with the gods who are great, she breaks open the strong places and gives the shining radiances”. The seeker of the Vedic Truth approaches her with the hymns of praise, she the bringer of truth-light. Although there is a great cosmic dimension in these hymns, they essentially form expressions of the ŗşī in his aspiring quest. The Symbol Dawn of Savitri has not only the individual-cosmic perspective; its relationship is with the transcendental concern for this creation, this mortal world of ours, mŗtyuloka. In the following is Vishwamitra’s Hymn to Dawn (III.61) with Sri Aurobindo’s rendering as given by him in his Secret of the Veda...   more »

Nirodbaran’s Twelve Years with Sri Aurobindo has a chapter describing the composition of Savitri as it proceeded during the various stages. The poet had made several drafts over the years, but the real work on the magnum opus started in the late 1930s and more intensively so after 1942. By that time Part I of Savitri consisting of the present three books was complete—more or less written by Sri Aurobindo himself. But at this stage Nirodbaran started giving secretarial help to Sri Aurobindo which continued ever since then, till around 15 November 1950 when the last revisions to the Book of Fate were dictated. It is this intimate knowledge of the way in which Savitri proceeded that makes his account valuable and unique. The opening passage as describe by him in his Twelve Years is reproduced here.   more »

Sri Aurobindo wrote innumerable letters on Savitri during the long period 1930-50. These were essentially written in response to the questions put to him, mostly by Amal Kiran (KD Sethna) and covered a variety of themes. We have here in them good details about the genesis of the poem, it first becoming a tale based on the Mahabharata story and then a symbol and a legend presenting the issue of this mortal creation. There are spiritual aspects in it, and autobiographical revelations of the yogic attainments, and matters pertaining to the early compositions of Savitri, explanations of the new aesthesis and poetic techniques, marking it as the poetry of the future. It is, as the Mother says, the supreme revelation of Sri Aurobindo. The epic begins with the most daunting prolegomena, forming at once the most difficult entry-point to enter into its esotericism and spirituality, luminously occult but functionally and structurally most significant. Things that were set into motion in the transcendent have suddenly started rushing into the cosmic and the earthly, in the process of evolutionary growth. No wonder, these descriptions proved not only too mystical but also very cryptic and baffling. But we are thankful that questions were asked and extremely grateful that Sri Aurobindo spared no effort in elucidating the recondite and the spiritual and the occult as much as the literary, features and characteristics that demand new understanding of the poetry that is there in it. The Mother’s explanation of the Symbol Dawn is a precious gift to us; so also are the letters written by Sri Aurobindo about some passages of it. We present these in the following compilation...   more »

On 26th December 1967 the Mother decided to explain Savitri. Once the Mother had said to a Sadhak:

One day I hope to explain Savitri in its true sense.

Yes, indeed, the Mother alone can explain it in its true sense.

The work began on 18th January 1968 and the Mother gave the title About Savitri to it.

I may indicate how we have proceeded.

The Mother read out the passages from Savitri and then after a little meditation gave Her comments which I tape-recorded and later transcribed.

The explanations have been brought together in this book in this book and, according to the Mother’s wish, some paintings of mine, inspired by Her, have been included.

This is the first part of About Savitri consisting of Canto One of Book One. We hope to publish the succeeding parts Canto by Canto.

I am deeply grateful to the Mother for everything.

Huta   more »

Let us meditate on the most auspicious form of Savitr.,
on the Light of the Supreme,
which shall illumine us with the Truth.   more »

Sri Aurobindo is giving all the process of rebuilding the Consciousness into the Unconscious. He calls the separation “the fall”: that is truly a fall of the Consciousness in the Unconscious. And now he describes how the message sent from the Supreme to repair the harm done wakens up again the Consciousness—as by a kind of imperative influence—to begin to climb up, back to the Supreme Consciousness.

This ascent is the evolution that will take so many thousands and thousands of years. But for a very long time it was not measured. It is only when Mind took the form in man, that time began to be measured. And, before that, who can know how long It took to wake up from the complete Unconsciousness? He is speaking of the starting-point of this evolution.

Savitri came to transform this world and make it fit to receive the Higher Light and Power. But in order to transform the world, one must come upon earth, accept it, and then accept at the same time its insincerity, its weakness, its incapacity to live this Higher Consciousness. That gives me the impression, a strong impression, of what has been for ages and centuries, but it is not the final destiny of the earth. Life is expected to transform itself in order to be able to express the divine things—the Divine Consciousness. And that is why She has come upon earth to prepare it.

That is the history of human life upon earth: each time that help has been sent to hasten the evolution, it has been received in that way. But each time the effort and the help are bigger, higher, truer; and each time a little work, some result, is achieved; and step by step, the world grows towards its Realisation. The whole story has been shown under a symbolic form, in a symbolic story, and it is that that Sri Aurobindo gives in Savitri…

It is this terrible story of the creation of earth and man as the means to save the world from suffering and destruction. The death of Satyavan becomes the symbol of the misery of the earth’s creation, of its fate and, through Savitri, of its liberation. She faces the doom in order to give the solution. The creation is plunged in misery, suffering and death. But it can and will be saved through Her intervention. …    more »