Invocation 08 - Auroville

throughout the whole of Book Seven with its seven cantos, Savitri has already
realized the supramental consciousness, realized the cosmic consciousness,
and all these powers are available to her whenever she needs them. And
now the most crucial moment of her life has come, the moment for which
she was born. Savitri is born just for this confrontation with Death. At this
moment this change comes to her and she is totally transformed. The first
section of Book Nine, Canto One is essentially a description of this
transformation, of the change that comes over Savitri.
Then comes a description of the God of Death:
40
Something stood there, unearthly, sombre, grand,
A limitless denial of all being...
He is a limitless denial of all being. This represents what in Sanskrit is called
antaka, one who denies, one who negates, one who annihilates all being.
A limitless denial of all being
That wore the terror and wonder of a shape.
In its appalling eyes the tenebrous Form
Bore the deep pity of destroying gods;
A sorrowful irony curved the dreadful lips
That speak the word of doom. Eternal Night
In the dire beauty of an immortal face
Pitiying arose, receiving all that lives
For ever into its fathomless heart, refuge
Of creatures from their anguish and world-pain.
His shape was nothingness made real, his limbs
Were monuments of transience and beneath
Brows of unwearying calm large godlike lids
Silent beheld the writhing serpent, life. (p. 574)
So when Death looks at life, the whole of life writhes like a helpless serpent.
This is how Sri Aurobindo describes the terror that the form of Death inspires
in the hearts of all beings. And then he says:
The two opposed each other with their eyes,
Woman and universal god. ...
Then the God of Death has waited long enough. Yet he cannot take