Savitri- A Symbolic Myth of The Modern Age

Abstract

Savitri is Sri Aurobindo’s masterpiece.  We cannot fully understand or appreciate him and his philosophy unless we have an understanding and appreciation of his grand epic, Savitri, which he himself has described as “A Legend and a Symbol”. Sri Aurobindo himself brings out its significance for us by transforming into a sublime and beautiful epic in a symbolic way.  Naturally, Savitri is the supreme expression of Sri Aurobindo’s vision and his message to mankind. The poem Savitri comprises underlying behaviour patterns for a spiritually individuated life. It is a prophetic history of the earth, embodying in itself the fulfilment of man’s life on earth. Sri Aurobindo’s epic poem, Savitri, is a symbolic myth that responds to a deeply felt need in the contemporary mind. Not only does it represent a world view that is in harmony with the most recent understanding of scientific reality; but, as a symbol, it penetrates to the essential truth of that reality.