In this issue of the newsletter, we turn our attention to the advent of Narad, the “heavenly sage from Paradise” and the word of fate that spills from his mouth and his prophecy of the occurrence of a Divinely sanctioned event. Savitri, having heeded her father’s call to find her soul-mate, returns to the palace, having set her gaze on Satyavan and knowing him to be the one with whom she would walk her life and carry out what she was divinely meant to. The moment was opportune, as Narad the sage, descend on earth and is in converse with King Aswapathy and his Queen, mother of Savitri. Sage Narad throws his glance upon her and in a moment knows who she was and what destiny lay before her. He pronounces the fate of Satyavan:“Twelve swift-winged months are given to him and her; This day returning Satyavan must die.”
This pronouncement of Satyavan’s fate, and also Savitri’s, unleashed waves of anguish - the anguish of the mother of Savitri. However, as the Queen Mother’s anguish was on the incline, Savitri’s resolve to stand face to face with the pronounced fate of Satyavan and hold on to the only Truth she knew remained strong. Savitri, here wields her will of steel. It was an immaculate show of the greatness in her; she would confront, both formidable mountains of obstacles and deep troughs of darkness, in order to live out the truth of her destiny.
It will be pertinent at this juncture to examine a little this episode in relation to what Sri Aurobindo wrote, “Thy goal, the road thou choosest are thy fate.” There is an indication here that what we call our fate is what we author or direct as more or less, conscious or ignorant beings. We can put these questions to ourselves for a moment of contemplation. What is the motivating cause behind one’s action, every word uttered, every thought and feeling even? Is this cause born out of and held in light or darkness? Is this cause born from joy and a deeper sense of being or frivolous and surface, devoid of a deeper meaning? Here then we come to the question of how much in consciousness are our thoughts, feelings, words spoken and actualized. In this condition, who determines one’s fate? Can it be decided by something else greater? Is there a control we too can exercise, over these so called external forces that determine our being in action, thought and feeling?
Lets look at another quote from Sri Aurobindo: “The soul in man is greater than his fate….” Now, it is evident that contrary to our ordinary way of looking at fate, we can view fate as not the final word but one which can be overruled by the soul within., which knows and has the power to efface fate.
So it was with Savitri then. The fate of Savitri was pronounced to be a life without Satyavan but her soul came forward and refused to acknowledge the stamp of fate withdraw from life. Savitri proclaims:
If for a year, that year is all my life.
And yet I know this is not all my fate
Only to live and love awhile and die.
For I know now why my spirit came on earth
And who I am and who he is I love.
I have looked at him from my immortal Self,
I have seen God smile at me in Satyavan;
I have seen the Eternal in a human face.”
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