Savitri Reading List

Exploring Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri – a Legend and a Symbol

An Introductory Reading List

Current Edition:

  • Sri Aurobindo, Savitri, a legend and a symbol, 4th rev. ed. Crown size with line numbers, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publications Dept., Pondicherry, 2000, 2013.

Reference Works:

  • Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Poetry and Art, Collected Works of Sri Aurobindo (CWSA) Volume 27, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Pondicherry, 2004, [See pp. 261-331 for all of Sri Aurobindo’s letters on Savitri.]
  • The Mother, About Savitri with some paintings, Havyavahana Trust, Pondicherry, Part One, 2015, Part Two, 2004, Part Three, 2005, Part Four, 2006. [The Mother’s comments on the early cantos of Sri Aurobindo’s epic illustrated with paintings by Huta, in four parts, covering Savitri Book One, Cantos One to Four.]
  • Sarkar, Mona, Sweet Mother: Luminous Notes, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Pondicherry, 2009, pp. 31-70 [Words of the Mother on Savitri as remembered by a young disciple, translated from the original French.]
  • Deshpande, R.Y., The Ancient Tale of Savitri, SAICE, Pondicherry, 1995 [Vyasa’s tale of Satyavan and Savitri, in the original Sanskrit with English translation.]
  • Hicks, Rand, A Savitri Dictionary, Integral Knowledge Study Centre Sri Aurobindo Circle, Pensacola (Florida) USA, 1984, 2000 [A useful glossary of unusual words appearing in Sri Aurobindo’s epic.]
  • Narad [Richard Eggenberger] ed. Lexicon of an Infinite Mind: a dictionary of words and terms in Savitri, Savitri Foundation, New Delhi, 2014 [The dictionary provides definitions of words appearing in Savitri, drawn largely from the writings of Sri Aurobindo and close disciples.]

Studies

  • Amal Kiran (K.D. Sethna) On Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri Part One: Essays, Clear Ray Trust, Pondicherry, 2010 [Amal Kiran was more closely associated with the composition of Savitri than any other disciple, and received numerous comments and clarifications from Sri Aurobindo about the poem. But although he was himself a prolific author he never devoted a complete book to the epic. He did however publish numerous articles and essays about it, including the one in which lines from Savitri were first made public in 1946. All these are collected in this volume.]
  • Amal Kiran (K.D. Sethna) On Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri Part Two: Collected Comments, Clear Ray Trust, Pondicherry, 2012 [Amal Kiran also referred to and commented on Savitri in numerous letters and in some of his other writings. These comments have been brought together in this volume.]
  • Deshpande, R.Y, Narad’s Arrival at Madra, SAICE, Puducherry, 2006 [a detailed exploration of the first 106 lines of Book Six, Canto 1.]
  • Deshpande, R.Y., comp & ed., Perspectives of Savitri (2 vols.), Aurobharti Trust, Pondicherry, 2000, 2002 [An invaluable collection of articles on Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri by many authoritative authors.]
  • Ganguli, Asoka K., Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri: An Adventure of Consciousness, Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry, 2002. [A study by a noted academic, aiming to introduce Sri Aurobindo’s epic to undergraduate and graduate students.]
  • Ganguli, Asoka K., Sri Aurobindo: The Poet of Nature & Other Writings on Savitri, SACAR, Pondicherry, 2008. [This study focuses on a topic-wise approach to Savitri for the assistance of undergraduate and graduate students.]
  • Gupta, Nolini Kanta, On Savitri, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Pondicherry, 2001. [Comments on Sri Aurobindo’s epic by one of his closest disciples.]
  • Nadkarni, Mangesh, Savitri – The Golden Bridge, the Wonderful Fire: an introduction to Sri Aurobindo’s epic, Savitri Bhavan, Auroville, 2012. [The collected writings on Savitri of a much-loved speaker, covering the entire poem.]
  • Nandakumar, Prema, A Study of Savitri, 3rd ed., Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry, 2011. [This latest issue of the first academic thesis written on Sri Aurobindo’s epic, originally published by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1962, remains the most comprehensive study of the poem available – invaluable to all serious students of Savitri.]
  • Purani, A. B., Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri: an approach and a study, 3rd ed. Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, 1970. [The first published study of the poem, written by a close disciple of Sri Aurobindo.]
  • Shraddhavan, The English of Savitri 1: The Book of Beginnings, Savitri Bhavan, Auroville, 2015 [detailed sentence by sentence explanations of Sri Aurobindo’s poetic language, covering the five cantos of Book One of the epic.]
  • Shraddhavan, The English of Savitri 2: The Book of the Divine Mother) Savitri Bhavan, Auroville, 2016 [detailed sentence by sentence explanations of Sri Aurobindo’s poetic language, covering the four cantos of Book Three of the epic, introduced by a summary of the fifteen cantos of Book Two.]
  • Shraddhavan, The Traveller of the Worlds: Part One of Savitri, Savitri Bhavan, Auroville, 2013 [transcript of a lecture giving an overview of the first three Books of Sri Aurobindo’s epic.]

Journals

  • Invocation & Prarthana: Study Notes on Savitri [published by Savitri Bhavan Auroville, containing a wide variety of articles on Sri Aurobindo’s epic, can be accessed along with indexes at www.savitribhavan.org ]