‘Savitri’ is an epic of Earth consciousness restoring the soul of truth: Dr Chowdhury
| Date :26-Dec-2022 |
By Kartik Lokhande
These lines may serve as the general summary of the enlightening and refreshing conversation one has with the erudite Dr Archana Chowdhury, when she decrypts felicitously the message of the deeply philosophical epic ‘Savitri’ composed by Yogi Aurobindo. In an interview to ‘The Hitavada’, the medical professional and a litterateur with depth of personality, spoke extensively about her effort of bringing out the message, aesthetics, philosophy and feeling of ‘living presence’ in ‘Savitri’ through monthly one lecture of one-hour each between February and December 2022. Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh had organised the lectures.
Dr Archana Chowdhury and A K Chowdhury is a widely travelled, well-read, and accomplished couple. Apart from being a medical professional of repute, Dr Chowdhury is Life Member of various prestigious bodies including Indian Science Congress, Indian Medical Association, Sri Aurobindo Society, Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas, Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan. She is also a Member of Bishwa Bangla Literary Society, and Past Secretary of Rotary Club Nagpur Central. She is former Professor and Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Grant Medical College and Sir J J Group of Hospitals, Mumbai. She was member of School Management Committee of Bharti Krishna Vidya Vihar, Nagpur.
However, beyond these, Dr Archana Chowdhury is an evolved person, deeply steeped in spirituality beyond rituals. That is why, when she speaks of the spirit of one-ness of mankind, one is convinced instantaneously. From that point, which keeps on peeping through different expressions during the conversation, Dr Chowdhury begins. She got introduced to Yogi Aurobindo’s Yoga 47 years ago. As a doctor, she was not just curing a disease but also healing the patients. While doing so, she first read small books of Yogi Aurobindo, then moved to bigger books, and then came the stage when she read the epic ‘Savitri’.
Even many of the eminent litterateurs have found ‘Savitri’ difficult to comprehend. “It is a challenging one. But, one thing that appeals to me is that the protagonist is a woman, unlike in other epics. It tells the tale of Savitri, the wife, following the soul of her husband, Satyavan, to the country of the dead and bringing him back. But, the epic ‘Savitri’ is much more than the tale,” said Dr Chowdhury.
Dr Chowdhury’s perseverence of 30 years in reading and understanding ‘Savitri’ has convinced her that though it is an allegorical poem, it is also realistic. “Characters come alive. There is different level of realisation. Poetry could be intuitive, prose could be intellectual. But, mere intellect cannot produce a poem. ‘Savitri’ takes perseverance. One should not use reason or intellect while reading it. For, one can understand the Parable of the search for the soul, only when one tries to attain the stage of ‘zero’, shedding everything. I read it every day, sometimes back and forth too, and everytime there is new realisation,” she explained.
Yogi Aurobindo’s ‘cosmic expressions’ in 24,000 lines narrate to the reader the journey of Savitri. It has beautiful expressions, like the ‘dawn’ being explained as ‘the hour before the Gods awake’. It can be interpreted as origin of creation or ‘Brahma Muhurat’. The epic ends at ‘Godhuli’ time. “This journey from ‘Brahma Muhurat’ to ‘Godhuli’ is of a few hours, but also of the entire universe. The journey reflects brevity, speed of time, velocity of ‘Kaal’, and pursuit of truth,” observed Dr Chowdhury. But, doesn’t the epic discuss death and the realm of the unknown? She replied in a composed manner, “It (Savitri) helped me get over the fear of unknown/death. It brought the realisation that death is the door one has to cross, but one should not prepone crossing that.”
Ask her about the challenges that the woman protagonist in the epic faces and Dr Chowdhury’s face radiates with the glow of knowledge. “For me, ‘Savitri’ gives a broader vision. My life becomes smaller. I evolve. My problems get solved automatically. As far as the woman protagonist is concerned, she knows about what could happen to her husband Satyavan. Still, she decides to marry him. For, she thinks that her will is greater than her fate,” she elaborated. As Savitri knows the truth, she thinks of sacrificing self if something happens to her husband. However, she rejects the idea as she has to live for his family. Thus, Dr Chowdhury added, ‘Savitri’ thinks of rising above death, not for herself alone or her husband, but for mankind. According to Dr Chowdhury, “That symbolism has to be understood, and re-understood. Only then can one realise that this epic ends with a promise for the future, and not destruction like other epics of the world.”
In today’s era, some quarters feel that the tale of ‘Satyavan-Savitri’ is not relevant today. Is it the case that the tale and the symbolism are not relevant today? Dr Archana Chowdhury answered after a thoughtful pause and gentle movement of eyes as if reading from ‘Savitri’, “Love is the ultimate value. Today, sadly, love is debased. In the epic, love is glorified. If one thinks of true spirituality, it is beyond rituals. When one thinks that way, one realises that centre of love in life is mother. And, Savitri celebrates motherhood. Motherhood is not impure. We must celebrate it.” Motherhood is behind all the creations. So, the Earth, the mother, and the motherland all become mother, she added.
Explaining the symbolism, Dr Chowdhury said that Satyavan in the epic symbolised ‘soul of truth’, which was dying; and Savitri symbolised ‘Earth consciousness’ that protected it. Regarding the takeaway from ‘Savitri’, the medical professional by education and evolved person by practise, said that it was ‘literature, philosophy, and psychology rolled into one’. The beautiful expressions -- viz. His soul is the pearl and she is the cover; The hour before the Gods awake; It is like flower in hand of a child (description of Savitri’s return from the country of the dead with her husband) -- in the epic provide it a literary quality.
Its philosophy and psychological values comes from the message of taking life easy. “As situation comes, you take it that way. Learn from every experience. Mind does not age but education corrupts us and hastens the process of ageing. ‘Savitri’ offers a different education. It raises level of consciousness,” concluded Dr Chowhury, offering a promise of positivity, and continuity of the epic journey of enlightenment.
One feels that the journey must continue, for something is still incomplete. And, that is the beauty of ‘Savitri’ -- provoking the seeker to rise to higher level of understanding through each interaction. Thus, the conversation ends, like a canto in the epic; but the search for the truth continues.