It is God's everlasting
day. A marvellous sun looks down from ecstasy's skies. Savitri's soul is close
to the founts of the Infinite. Immortal earths and griefless heavens come into
view. All thrills with the immanence of the one Divine. Souls of luminous joy,
faces of exquisite beauty, gem-cut cities and gleaming coasts are beheld
around. She sees all Nature marvellously faultless, rapturous, beautiful. Her
soaring vision alights on realms after realms of felicity where dwell the gods,
nymphs, celestial musicians, high seers. There form is a light raiment of the
soul, colour a visible tone of ecstasy.
All is a potent and
lucid joy. Time and Eternity live as one.
Savitri discovers that
the creator of these marvellous worlds is the same as the one who creates this universe,
the same one whom her soul has faced as Death and Night. His darkness is no
more; instead there is a luminous splendour. All grace and divinity are here
collected in a single form. She regards in him the Virat, the Spirit of things
seen, the Hiranyagarbha, author of thoughts and dreams, the Superconscient Prajna,
creator of things in his all-knowing sleep. Above them is the brooding bliss of
the Infinite; the bliss that made the world lives in his body.
The two look upon each
other, Soul sees Soul.
Then a voice is heard: "Thou
hast seen what man has missed in his blindness: my secrecies of Bliss. I am the
inviolable ecstasy: those who have looked on me shall grieve no more. Heaven
and Earth are the two powers born of one original ecstasy; but they are parted
in the life of man. This gulf shall be healed one day. Till then you two shall
serve the dual law and wait patiently. But if thou wouldst abandon the vexed
world, then arise, ascend, soul, into thy blissful home. Cast off the myth of
earth's desire, arise to felicity."
A unique joy pours down
on Savitri as she listens to this ensnaring voice. With a smile in her eyes,
she replies: "Tempter with the lure of heaven, I climb not to thy
everlasting Day. I will not turn from thy terrestrial way. Give me back the
other self—Satyavan—whom the earth needs. Take not the warrior with his blow
still unstruck. Earth is our field. There lies our task. Imperfect is the joy
not shared by all. Let our will labour permitted by thy will."
The Godhead of the
wonderful Vision speaks: "How is it possible for earth-nature and man's nature
to rise to celestial levels and yet for the earth to abide? Not for earth is
the All-Truth or the timeless bliss. Hers can be only some fragment gleams.
Only a few can climb high, the heroes and demigods are too few. Most are built
upon Nature's earthly plan. The Inconscient draws things to its breast of Night
and Death and Sleep. Man is the key. But even his Knowledge is an Ignorance.
Leave it to the tardy pace of Time; all will be done in its hour for the soul
of man is greater than his fate. Flame,
withdraw into thy luminous self or return to thy original Might above thought
and world. Be one with my power, thou art the World-Mother and the Bride. Cast
down desire into the gulfs. Melt into thy invisible flame. There shalt thou
know the Lord and the Loved, there shalt thou receive Satyavan into boundless
Savitri, lose thyself into infinite Satyavan."
Savitri replies to the
radiant God: "In vain thou temptest us with solitary bliss. There is one
task for which we are born—to change the earthly life into life divine. I keep
my will to save the world and man. If thou and I are true, the world is also
true. I have seen through the insentient mask of the secret Spirit in things; I
have felt the stir of the growing God."
The God answers: "All
that the Spirit has dreamed thou canst create. Thou art the force by which I
made the world, thou art my vision, my will and my voice. But lead not the
evolving spirit too soon, wait for Time and God. Arise upon a ladder of greater
worlds to Infinity. Leave Spirit and Matter to this process in Time and Space
to fulfil the intention of God. Ascend thou into thy timeless self. Discover
the truth of God, man and world, know all, see and stamp thy will on
Time."
As the voice ceases, a
Power goes forth shaking the very spheres and loosening the fixities of form. The
heaven-worlds vanish in spiritual light. Savitri finds herself in an ineffable
world. She is one with all.
In that phantom of
abolished Space there cries a voice that is unheard by ears: "Choose,
Spirit, thy supreme choice. End thy journey, accept the weariness of thy notes,
music."
Someone yearns within a
bosom unknown and silently the woman's heart replies: "Lord, keep thy
peace for the magnificent soul of man on earth."
A second time rises the
eternal cry: "My spirit leans down to break the knot of earth. Unweave the
stars and pass into silence."
In that immense and
world-destroying pause, Savitri hears a million creatures cry to her. Her woman's
nature then speaks: "Lord, give me thy oneness in the many, that is my
sweet infinity of thy own innumerable souls."
For the third time swells
the admonishing call: "I spread the refuge of my wings, my power is withdrawn
above the dreadful whirlings of the world."
A sob of things was the
answer to the voice. Passionately the woman's heart responds: "Lord, give
me thy energy to take all things and creatures in their grief and gather them
into a mother's arms."
For the last time the
great warning sound is heard: "I open the wide eye of solitude to uncover
the rapture of my bliss."
A hymn of adoration
mounts and the whole being of the woman replies with yearning: "Lord, give
me for earth and for men, thy embrace, thy joy, thy love, thy sweetness."
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."
The Voice ceases and the
soul of Savitri plunges down through unseen worlds amidst joyous voices and triumphant
cries greeting her all the way down. She holds the soul of Satyavan within her
enveloping soul.
The great wings of the
Superconscient close above her and she finds herself buried in the breast of
the Earth-Mother. A Spirit gazes upon destiny; a glance of undying Love falls
from that gaze. A wonderful face looks down with deathless eyes. Over the wide
earth broods the infinite bliss.