There are powers and powers, powers belonging to different planes of consciousness and with their different efficacies. There are transcendental powers, there are cosmic powers, and there are dubious powers also, calamitous powers. Each one carries its own dynamism in the working of the Time’s processes, and each one offers its own gifts to the seeker of the reward. If so, how does one know, how does one recognise that one is really invoking the right power and that it is the right power which is responding to the invocation? Aswapati was carrying the world’s desire with him and he was keen to get the right answer for it, but he must be certain that he was praying to the right power and that the right power was going to respond to him. A certain in-built test is also necessary.

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When Rama and Sugriva met for the first time on the Malaya Peak of Rishyamooka Mountain, they lit a bright fire with two dry twigs, araņis, and worshipped it together, forging thus the bond of friendship between each other. Vali the elder brother of Sugriva had forced him out of the kingdom and kept his wife with him; Ravana had abducted Rama’s wife Sita and carried her to his far away city of Lanka. Rama and Sugriva thus had a common cause to help each other. But Sugriva knew how strong his brother Vali was and he wanted to be sure if Rama would be in a position to meet him in a battle and vanquish him. He knew that Vali could pierce the seven impressive Sāl trees (Shorea Robusta) with seven arrows, the trees standing in a row a little beyond them. What the Sun is among the bright objects in the sky, what the Himalaya is among the imposing mountains, what the bright-maned lion is among the animals, says Sugriva, is no doubt Rama among the heroic men; yet he wants to make certain that he will be able to overpower Vali. He tells Rama to put his arrow to the bow, pull it full, and release it for it to pierce through one of the tall and stately Sāl trees. And lo and behold! Rama’s one single arrow, with a blazing gold-studded point, swarņaparişkŗtah as the poet of the Ramayana says, pierces through all the seven Sāl trees, one after the other. Not only that; it cuts through all the seven earths, saptabhūmih, and enters the deep subterranean regions. It takes it an hour to accomplish all that, and come back to Rama’s quiver.

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In the Yoga of Ascent Aswapati has climbed the endless hierarchy of this creation, plane rising above plane and vanishing into the viewless. This hierarchy is like a huge world-pile, “erect like a mountain-chariot of the Gods,” going up from Matter’s plinth and disappearing beyond sight, into the unseen and unknown Supreme. He has travelled through the nether worlds of incalculable darkness, darkness gruesome and thickening into ominous darkness; he has also experienced the joys of the true and the beautiful. He has now grasped the meaning of this mysterious creation, teeming with countless possibilities. He has also come to witness the dangers that lie in the expression of the superior possibilities in it.

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We may recall the great Vedic revelation in which Yama and our illustrious forefathers are having together an ambrosial drink under Supalash Vriksha. The mention of supalāśa in the Rik is extraordinarily striking, particularly in association with Yama whom we take as the God of Death. The reference to a cluster of palāśa trees, palāśa-khaņda, by Vyasa in his Savitri-narrative lifts up that narrative itself to another level of symbolism, it embodying in its richness a whole world of bright future possibilities. The botanical name of this tree is Butea Frondosa, which is popularly known as the Flame of the Forest. But the spiritual significance of it is far deeper than we can discern even from its poetic nomenclature. The Mother sees palāśa as the Beginning of the Supramental Realisation. That Yama should be linked up with it, enjoying the drink of immortality under its branches in the happy company of our forefathers and other gods, only indicates the centrality of his role in the entire process of supramentalisation of the physical. Here is the kind and gracious God who bestows on this creation the desirable boons of a glorious life in the splendours of the spirit. Yama shall thus fulfil himself.

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It was in this Night of Inconscience that the secret Mantra of Life was kept in a sealed box. During the days, a hundred years ago, when the Mother was doing occultism under Théon, once she discovered this Mantra, with her name written on the seal. Théon got interested in it and wanted the Mother to break the seal for him. She refused. We can possibly understand Théon’s interest in it, if we know that he was actually the incarnation of the God of Death. He as Death was naturally and quite understandably interested in it, in having a full hold on Life. Life in possession of Death—that is the sombre calculation of the antagonist Force, that it must have full sway over her. The occult logic in Théon demanding the Mantra of Life is consistent with his nature. But, later, the Mother gave this Mantra of Life to Sri Aurobindo. How marvellous!

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Aswapati had the experience of the golden Light invading his brain and throat and heart, it invading even his feet, a thing which never happened in the spiritual history. But there were difficulties, and there were assaults, a “darkness grim and cold oppressed his flesh”; his body was lapped by a “tenebrous tongue”. There were from the enemy souls born of evil and falsehood attacks to annihilate his soul and his spirit. He was witnessing “the pride of abysmal absolute” in all its fury; he had to bear the pain of the wounding inflictions. Aswapati is in search of the power who can accomplish this. Presently, by his intense yogic tapasya he has arrived at the point when he can get answer to his questing pursuit. Behind the cosmic mask he sees the presence of the divine Shakti, the unborn Savitri. Yes, it is she, Savitri, who must take the mortal birth and vanquish the eternal Antagonist.

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Aswapati carries the world’s desire to the Divine Shakti. But in order to carry it he had to engage himself in the Triple Yoga. It was the Yoga of the Individual, of the Universal, and the Transcendental Yoga-Purusha, the Triple Yoga of the Supreme. The significant aspect is, it is done by him in the earth-consciousness, done in order to prepare the needed base for the birth and action of the Divine Shakti. Aswapati comes here, first releases himself from Nature’s hold, finds the source from which his spirit was delegated, knows his larger self, and in it becomes one with all. He does psycho-spiritual and spiritual-transcendental yoga-tapasya. He makes such progress that, his body’s parts also open to the higher light. Soon he gets the spirit’s utter freedom in which he can carry out the work he had come here to do.

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Aswapati's Yoga falls into three parts. First, he is achieving his own spiritual self-fulfilment as the individual and this is described as the Yoga of the King. Next, he makes the ascent as a typical representative of the race to win the possibility of discovery and possession of all the planes of consciousness and this is described in the Second Book: but this too is as yet only an individual victory. Finally, he aspires 'no longer for himself but for all, for a universal realisation and new creation. That is described in the Book of the Divine Mother.

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Aswapati comes to the mortal world as eternity’s delegate. He is aware that in man’s deep hid soul can reside celestial powers. But at present what rule over it are the grim and gruesome forces of darkness, of doom. The existential fact is: Death is the Lord of Life, and he remains unconquered. Something has slipped somewhere, something has gone wrong somewhere. But in Aswapati was born the Seer and things opened into the Invisible. He has the perception, a luminous intuition that this world will change into God’s world.

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In subsequent instalments we shall look into this passage in several details in the context of the boon Aswapati is going to receive from the Divine Mother.

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One who seems to be a priest and sage asks her: "What light, what power revealed by thee has opened a happier age for us?" Savitri looks at them with a deep motherly love and replies: "To feel love and oneness is to live; this is the magic of our golden change. This is all the truth I know or seek, sage." They wonder at her and her luminous words.

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After a silence a still blissful cry begins: "Thy thoughts are mine, I have spoken with thy voice. All that thou hast asked I give to earth and men. I yoke thee to my power of work in Time. Thou shalt raise the earth-soul to Light and bring down God into the lives of men. For ever love, beautiful slave of God. Built is the golden tower, the flame-child is born. Descend to life with him thy heart desires. Satyavan, luminous Savitri, I sent you forth of old. You are my force at work to uplift earth's fate. When the hour of the Divine draws near, the Mighty Mother shall take birth in Time and God be born into the human clay in forms made ready by your human lives. All then shall change. A mightier race shall inhabit the mortal's world. The superman shall reign as King of life. The Spirit shall look out through Matter's gaze and Matter shall reveal the Spirit's face. This earthly life shall become the life divine."

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Death resists. The two oppose each other face to face. Soon her intolerable force weighs upon him, her Light licks him up, his darkness perishes in her blaze. He calls to Night, but she falls back. He calls to Hell but it retires. He turns to the Inconscient for support, but it draws him back towards its Void. His body is eaten by Light, his spirit is devoured. He recognises that defeat is inevitable and flees dreading her touch. The Shadow disappears. Savitri and Satyavan are alone. Neither stirs; a mute, translucent wall rises up between them. Nothing moves. All waits on the unknown inscrutable Will of God.

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The boundless members of the god shudder in silence, as if overpowered by a secret ecstasy. Speech fades away in the haze and mist of that glimmering world. Savitri withdraws her thoughts and turns within into the chambers of her soul. The procession continues, reversing the order of the world: mortal Satyavan leads, follows the god; Savitri is behind both, leader of their march, with them in front obeying her will. They journey onward through the drifting ways. Through that enchanted darkness moves her soul; Death walks in front of her and Satyavan in front of Death. Above hangs the unseen balance of his fate.

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Death speaks: Prisoner of Nature, this is the unsubstantial world from which thy hopes come. This is how man's thought erects illusions and ideals come to be formed. Actually the ideal is neither in heaven nor on earth. Love is a ferment of thy body and it must die with the body. Thy mind vainly tries to lend eternity to perishing things. All here emerges from Nothingness and crumbles back into Nothingness. There is no such thing as lasting love nor an ideal made real. If there is Truth, it shines far above the world.

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Savitri walks through the realm besieged by bodiless touches, alluring cries, impinging thoughts and unhurting desires. Satyavan is there as the centre of this charm. Even the dreadful majesty of Death's face does not affect this intangible lustre of the skies. Savitri almost seems to be as slight as a thought mid floating thoughts. But she possesses her soul throughout. Her spirit above watches all and lives on for its high task, immutable like a fixed eternal star.

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All pause for a while on the edge of the dark Night. Then Savitri steps forward to journey through that eternal Night. A mysterious terror closes on her from all sides. Savitri vanishes into the dark. There is no path, no goal; yet she moves on. She loses sight of the God of Death as well as of Satyavan. But she does not lose heart; she continues to live and move. Slowly a faint gleam appears. It throws the Night into a bolder relief. The giant head of Nothingness tries to stifle the ray, but in vain. The light prevails and Savitri recovers her lost self. Once again she hears the steps of the god and out of the darkness, Satyavan shows as a luminous shade.

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Savitri is alone in the huge forest with the dead body of her husband on her breast. She does not grieve, but leans over his body in great stillness. Suddenly a change comes over her like what sometimes overtakes men in moments of crisis. The mind is no more, only the spirit sees. A calm Power seated above the brows sees and moves Nature. The spirit grows and voices and thoughts come from on high. A new birth takes place. It takes place in Savitri.

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On the fateful day, at dawn, Savitri looks back into her past and relives all that she has been and done. She is aware of the impending doom and accompanies Satyavan to the forest that day. Death is standing there.

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One night, as she is sitting by the side of Satyavan who is asleep, a voice begins to speak from her heart and as it speaks all changes. The sense of unreality ceases to be. An experience of a stupendous Truth, an absolute Reality, grows. All becomes conscious, reveals itself as of the Infinite, made of Eternity. This Reality is realised as her own self and the self of all; it is Timeless and Time, Bliss, Love and the Beloved, all-seeing Mind. Savitri passes beyond Time and Space. She is at once a measureless point and all vastness. She lives in the everlasting. She realises the universe to be a body of the Real, with God for its soul. She sees the world as living God, the One that is All.

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