The word "Savitri" is derived from the word "Savitru" which in its turn is derived from the root "su"="to give birth to". The word "Soma" which indicates an "exhilarating drink", symbolising spiritual ecstasy or delight, is also derived from the same root "su". It links therefore the creation and the delight of creation. Savitru, therefore, means the Divine Creator, One who gives birth to, or brings forth from himself into existence, the creation. In the Veda, Savita is the God of illumination, the God of creation. Usually, he is represented by the material sun which also illuminates the solar system and is its creator and sustainer in the material sense. Savitri therefore would mean etymologically "some one descended from the Sun", "one belonging to the Sun", "an energy derived from the Sun, the Divine Creator". In our poem, Savitri is the princess who embodies Divine Grace descended in human birth to work out with the aspiring soul of humanity his divine destiny. The word "Satyavan" means etymologically "one who possesses,—or wants to possess,—the Truth", or "one who has the Truth".

Aswapati, the father of Savitri, has been significantly called by the poet "the Lord of Life". (Book II. Canto XV). The name suggests an affinity to Vedic symbolism. In the Veda, Aswa, the horse, is the symbol of life-energy or vital power. Aswa+ pati, Lord, would mean the "Lord of Life". In the poem King Aswapati is the symbol of the aspiring soul of man as manifested in life on earth.