Golden Bridge

Sri Aurobindo Ashram Delhi Branch

On the occasion of Sri Aurobindo's 150th birth anniversary, we are launching the podcast as an offering. 'Golden Bridge' is a series that will help seekers of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo to immerse themselves in Wideness, Depth, Heights, Beauty, Harmony and Power through the four main aspects of The Divine Mother, as revealed in 'Savitri' in the voice of Ms. Tara Jauhar. Ms. Tara Jauhar is the Chairperson of 'Sri Aurobindo Ashram Delhi Branch'.

  1. Feb 19

    The prescience of a marvellous birth to come.

    Savitri: Book 1 Canto 1 Section 1 from 14:19 Almost that day the epiphany was disclosed Of which our thoughts and hopes are signal flares; A lonely splendour from the invisible goal Almost was flung on the opaque Inane. Once more a tread perturbed the vacant Vasts; Infinity’s centre, a Face of rapturous calm Parted the eternal lids that open heaven; A Form from far beatitudes seemed to near. Ambassadress twixt eternity and change, The omniscient Goddess leaned across the breadths That wrap the fated journeyings of the stars And saw the spaces ready for her feet. Once she half looked behind for her veiled sun, Then, thoughtful, went to her immortal work. Earth felt the Imperishable’s passage close: The waking ear of Nature heard her steps And wideness turned to her its limitless eye, And, scattered on sealed depths, her luminous smile Kindled to fire the silence of the worlds. All grew a consecration and a rite. Air was a vibrant link between earth and heaven; The wide-winged hymn of a great priestly wind Arose and failed upon the altar hills; The high boughs prayed in a revealing sky. Here where our half-lit ignorance skirts the gulfs On the dumb bosom of the ambiguous earth, Here where one knows not even the step in front And Truth has her throne on the shadowy back of doubt, On this anguished and precarious field of toil Outspread beneath some large indifferent gaze, Impartial witness of our joy and bale, Our prostrate soil bore the awakening ray. Here too the vision and prophetic gleam Lit into miracles common meaningless shapes; Then the divine afflatus, spent, withdrew, Unwanted, fading from the mortal’s range. A sacred yearning lingered in its trace, The worship of a Presence and a Power Too perfect to be held by death-bound hearts, The prescience of a marvellous birth to come.

  2. 10/26/2025

    The universal Mother’s love was hers.

    Savitri: Book 1 Canto 1 Section 2 2:45 to 17:06 Apart, living within, all lives she bore; Aloof, she carried in herself the world: Her dread was one with the great cosmic dread, Her strength was founded on the cosmic mights; The universal Mother’s love was hers. Against the evil at life’s afflicted roots, Her own calamity its private sign, Of her pangs she made a mystic poignant sword. A solitary mind, a world-wide heart, To the lone Immortal’s unshared work she rose. At first life grieved not in her burdened breast: On the lap of earth’s original somnolence Inert, released into forgetfulness, Prone it reposed, unconscious on mind’s verge, Obtuse and tranquil like the stone and star. In a deep cleft of silence twixt two realms She lay remote from grief, unsawn by care, Nothing recalling of the sorrow here. Then a slow faint remembrance shadowlike moved, And sighing she laid her hand upon her bosom And recognised the close and lingering ache, Deep, quiet, old, made natural to its place, But knew not why it was there nor whence it came. The Power that kindles mind was still withdrawn: Heavy, unwilling were life’s servitors Like workers with no wages of delight; Sullen, the torch of sense refused to burn; The unassisted brain found not its past. Only a vague earth-nature held the frame. But now she stirred, her life shared the cosmic load. At the summons of her body’s voiceless call Her strong far-winging spirit travelled back, Back to the yoke of ignorance and fate, Back to the labour and stress of mortal days, Lighting a pathway through strange symbol dreams Across the ebbing of the seas of sleep.

  3. 10/12/2025

    Her nature felt all Nature as its own.

    Savitri: Book 1 Canto 1 Section 2 2:45 to 17:06 Too unlike the world she came to help and save, Her greatness weighed upon its ignorant breast And from its dim chasms welled a dire return, A portion of its sorrow, struggle, fall. To live with grief, to confront death on her road,— The mortal’s lot became the Immortal’s share. Thus trapped in the gin of earthly destinies, Awaiting her ordeal’s hour abode, Outcast from her inborn felicity, Accepting life’s obscure terrestrial robe, Hiding herself even from those she loved, The godhead greater by a human fate. A dark foreknowledge separated her From all of whom she was the star and stay; Too great to impart the peril and the pain, In her torn depths she kept the grief to come. As one who watching over men left blind Takes up the load of an unwitting race, Harbouring a foe whom with her heart she must feed, Unknown her act, unknown the doom she faced, Unhelped she must foresee and dread and dare. The long-foreknown and fatal morn was here Bringing a noon that seemed like every noon. For Nature walks upon her mighty way Unheeding when she breaks a soul, a life; Leaving her slain behind she travels on: Man only marks and God’s all-seeing eyes. Even in this moment of her soul’s despair, In its grim rendezvous with death and fear, No cry broke from her lips, no call for aid; She told the secret of her woe to none: Calm was her face and courage kept her mute. Yet only her outward self suffered and strove; Even her humanity was half divine: Her spirit opened to the Spirit in all, Her nature felt all Nature as its own.

  4. 09/28/2025

    Her spirit opened to the Spirit in all

    Savitri: Book 1 Canto 1 Section 2 2:45 to 17:06 Too unlike the world she came to help and save, Her greatness weighed upon its ignorant breast And from its dim chasms welled a dire return, A portion of its sorrow, struggle, fall. To live with grief, to confront death on her road,— The mortal’s lot became the Immortal’s share. Thus trapped in the gin of earthly destinies, Awaiting her ordeal’s hour abode, Outcast from her inborn felicity, Accepting life’s obscure terrestrial robe, Hiding herself even from those she loved, The godhead greater by a human fate. A dark foreknowledge separated her From all of whom she was the star and stay; Too great to impart the peril and the pain, In her torn depths she kept the grief to come. As one who watching over men left blind Takes up the load of an unwitting race, Harbouring a foe whom with her heart she must feed, Unknown her act, unknown the doom she faced, Unhelped she must foresee and dread and dare. The long-foreknown and fatal morn was here Bringing a noon that seemed like every noon. For Nature walks upon her mighty way Unheeding when she breaks a soul, a life; Leaving her slain behind she travels on: Man only marks and God’s all-seeing eyes. Even in this moment of her soul’s despair, In its grim rendezvous with death and fear, No cry broke from her lips, no call for aid; She told the secret of her woe to none: Calm was her face and courage kept her mute. Yet only her outward self suffered and strove; Even her humanity was half divine: Her spirit opened to the Spirit in all, Her nature felt all Nature as its own.

  5. 09/14/2025

    Only they leave behind a splendid Name.

    Book 1 Canto 1 Section 2 2:45 to 17:06 She had brought with her into the human form, The calm delight that weds one soul to all, The key to the flaming doors of ecstasy. Earth’s grain that needs the sap of pleasure and tears Rejected the undying rapture’s boon: Offered to the daughter of infinity Her passion-flower of love and doom she gave. In vain now seemed the splendid sacrifice. A prodigal of her rich divinity, Her self and all she was she had lent to men, Hoping her greater being to implant And in their body’s lives acclimatise That heaven might native grow on mortal soil. Hard is it to persuade earth-nature’s change; Mortality bears ill the eternal’s touch: It fears the pure divine intolerance Of that assault of ether and of fire; It murmurs at its sorrowless happiness, Almost with hate repels the light it brings; It trembles at its naked power of Truth And the might and sweetness of its absolute Voice. Inflicting on the heights the abysm’s law, It sullies with its mire heaven’s messengers: Its thorns of fallen nature are the defence It turns against the saviour hands of Grace; It meets the sons of God with death and pain. A glory of lightnings traversing the earth-scene, Their sun-thoughts fading, darkened by ignorant minds, Their work betrayed, their good to evil turned, The cross their payment for the crown they gave, Only they leave behind a splendid Name. A fire has come and touched men’s hearts and gone; A few have caught flame and risen to greater life.

About

On the occasion of Sri Aurobindo's 150th birth anniversary, we are launching the podcast as an offering. 'Golden Bridge' is a series that will help seekers of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo to immerse themselves in Wideness, Depth, Heights, Beauty, Harmony and Power through the four main aspects of The Divine Mother, as revealed in 'Savitri' in the voice of Ms. Tara Jauhar. Ms. Tara Jauhar is the Chairperson of 'Sri Aurobindo Ashram Delhi Branch'.