The Dance of Life, part 6

251. Current events

```

God has at last found

A home on earth.

Man’s gratitude

Has agreed to grant God

A temporary shelter.

Man is tired of his frustration.

Human doubt is doubting

Its proud judgement

And sure assurance.

Man’s pleasure-life

Has realised its folly

And it now wants the joy-life

To replace its long-standing career. ```

252. My rights

```

I stood up for my rights.

My rights demanded

The life of universal acceptance

And the life of universal recognition.

I stand up for my rights.

My rights demand

My heart’s cry and my life’s smile.

I shall stand up for my rights.

My rights shall demand

The surrender-moon

From the world of aspiration-sun. ```

253. Adventure and progress

```

Truth-adventure

Is

Life-progress.

Life-adventure

Is

Soul-progress.

Soul-adventure

Is

God-progress.

God-adventure

Is

Mineral-progress

Plant-progress

Man-progress

Creation-progress

Creator-progress.

```

254. Where is the secret place of safety?

```

Where is the secret place of safety?

In the mind-pond?

No!

Where is the secret place of safety?

In the heart-lake?

No!

Where is the secret place of safety?

In the soul-river?

No!

Where is the secret place of safety?

In the self-sea?

No!

Where is the secret place of safety?

In the life of Love divine?

Yes!

```

255. My diary

```

In the early hours of dawn,

In the late hours of night

I write my diary.

My diary houses only one word:

Gratitude.

Gratitude to God’s Compassion,

Gratitude to man’s service,

Gratitude to the thought of my self-transcendence,

Gratitude to my self-enquiry,

Gratitude to my God-discovery. ```

256. Human and divine

```

A human communist

Is he

Who takes from some

And gives to others.

A divine communist

Is he

Who takes from himself

And offers to others.

A human socialist

Is he

Whom the vital of society loves.

A divine socialist

Is he

Who loves the heart of society.

A human god

Is he

Who lives in ignorance-sea.

A divine God

Is He

Who lives for ignorance-sea.

```

257. Oneness-light

```

One mouth spoke,

One hand wrote,

One hand drove.

Destination offered its pride sublime

To their perfection-height.

Perfection offered its pride sublime

To their aspiration-might.

Aspiration offered its pride sublime

To their oneness-light.

```

258. The dance

```

The dance of desires

Never ends.

Although the dancers

Become tired and breathless,

The dance of desires

Never ends.

The dance of fulfilment

Never begins.

Although man

Cries and sighs,

The dance of fulfilment

Never begins. ```

259. Your richest gain

```

Your richest gain

Was not in silver.

Your richest gain

Is not in gold.

Your richest gain

Shall not be in diamonds.

Your richest gain

Was in Realisation-seed.

Your richest gain

Is in Revelation-plant.

Your richest gain

Shall be in Manifestation-tree. ```

260. Eternally you can be happy

```

You are unhappy.

Therefore you walk

From the mental pillar to the vital post

And

From the vital post to the mental pillar.

You are happy.

Therefore you run

From your surrendering heart to your illumining soul

And

From your illumining soul to your surrendering heart.

You will be eternally happy

If you fly

From man’s dream-land to God’s Reality-sky

And

From God’s Reality-sky to man’s dream-land.

```

261. Man forgets

```

Man forgets

That his vital is swayed by desires.

Man forgets

That his mind constantly wanders.

Man forgets

That his days on earth are short.

Man forgets

That his real needs are very few.

Man forgets

That he has only God to call his own,

His very own.

```

262. Fourteen happy days

```

Tolstoy had fourteen happy days

During his entire earth-pilgrimage.

I still have not counted

My happy days on earth.

But I am so proud

To tell the world

That man, angel and God

Have kindly done the job for me.

Man’s conclusion: fourteen seconds.

Angel’s assumption: fourteen years.

God’s revelation: fourteen aeons.

```

263. I am of God and I am for God

```

Helpless is Time

When I sleep.

Useless is Time

When I doubt.

Hopeless is Time

When I despair.

Godless is Time

When I halt.

Measureless is Time

When I move.

Birthless is Time

When I am of God.

Deathless is Time

When I am for God. ```

264. Everybody has his allotted job

```

I don’t speak ill of myself.

Why?

I don’t want to take away

The job of my enemies.

I don’t speak well of myself.

Why?

I am afraid it won’t look nice

If I do the job of God. ```

265. My problems solved

```

Ignorance was my problem

Bondage was my problem

Weakness was my problem.

Fear is my problem

Doubt is my problem

Jealousy is my problem.

Love will be my problem

Light will be my problem

God will be my problem.

I have survived my past

I brave my present

I shall transform my future.

```

266. You are someone

```

You are someone worth knowing

Because

In you I see the knowledge of Socrates.

You are someone worth fighting

Because

In you I see the will of Napoleon.

You are someone worth loving

Because

In you I feel the heart of Christ.

You are someone worth pleasing

Because

In you I become divinely complete.

```

267. My needs

```

Yesterday my need was world-conquest.

I failed.

Today my need is my own survival.

I am failing.

Tomorrow my need will be a surrendered life.

I shall fail. ```

268. The science

```

The science of the Old Man said:

Look upward, see the Eye of God.

The science of the New Man says:

Look forward, see the Mind of God.

The science of the God-Man will say:

Look inward, become

The Heart of the Absolute.

```

269. Who makes my decisions?

```

Who makes my decisions?

In the morning

God makes my decisions.

Therefore I sing and dance.

In the afternoon

I make my decisions.

Therefore I try and cry.

In the evening

Satan makes my decisions.

Therefore I sigh and die.

```

270. At the entrance

```

He entered into the vital world

To feel its hunger wild.

At the entrance Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon,

Hitler and Stalin greeted

Him with solemnity.

He entered into the mental world

To feel its hunger great.

At the entrance Socrates, Plato, Aristotle,

Shankara and Madhava greeted

Him with a series of smiles.

He entered into the psychic world

To feed his hunger deep.

At the entrance Rama, Krishna, Christ,

Chaitanya and Ramakrishna greeted

Him with the warmest embrace.

```

271. Where do you sleep?

```

O Electricity,

Where do you sleep?

“I sleep in the clouds.”

O Beauty,

Where do you sleep?

“I sleep in God’s descending Grace.”

O God,

Where do You sleep?

“I sleep between

Earth’s ingratitude

And

Heaven’s indifference.” ```

272. The eternal Partner

```

St.

Teresa discovered

Her life’s eternal Partner in Christ.

Mira discovered

Her soul’s eternal Partner in Krishna.

You can discover

Your heart’s eternal Partner

In God the Beloved Supreme.

St.

Teresa offered to Christ

What she had: Love-world.

Mira offered to Krishna

What she had: Devotion-world.

You can offer to the Supreme

What you have: Surrender-world. ```

273. Ramakrishna

```

He was born in a tiny

Obscure Bengali village in India.

He lived in a tiny corner

Of a big temple.

A Kali-worshipper he was.

A man-lover he became.

A world-teacher he is

And

Forever shall remain.

```

274. Without

```

Love without wisdom

Is today’s lover.

Wisdom without love

Is today’s saviour.

Beauty without duty

Is today’s choice.

Duty without beauty

Is today’s noise. ```

275. His personality and his individuality

```

No length, no breadth

His personality has.

No height, no depth

His individuality has.

Total and perfect isolation

His real name is.

He is a body

With no voice of the soul.

He is a soul

With no life of the body. ```

276. A sweet longing

```

A sweet longing have I

For the mainland of Reality.

No more shall I live

A life founded upon

Culled fictions.

Splintered, broken and smashed

Realities of life

No more can torture my intrepid heart.

From now in my mind

Only God-Reality will grow.

In my heart

Only God-Love will grow.

In my life

Only God-Embrace will grow. ```

277. His revelation

```

His eyes reveal

The mountain of false smiles.

His heart reveals

The river of cheap smiles.

His soul reveals

The sea of ugly smiles.

His Goal reveals

The beauty of empty smiles. ```

278. I touched

```

I touched

The tail of jealousy.

It threw at me

A garland of curses.

I touched

The eyes of doubt.

They gave me

A glass of venom-water.

I touched

The heart of fear.

It presented me

With incapacity-sea.

I touched

The soul of faith.

It offered me

God’s Garland of Roses. ```

279. O Armies

```

O Armies of Night,

You were the strength

Of my eyeless yesterdays.

O Armies of Light,

You are the strength

Of my soulful todays.

O Armies of Bliss,

You shall be the strength

Of my immortal tomorrows.

```

280. His life

```

His thought is a dream

Beyond repair.

His hope is a dream

Pregnant with despair.

His life is a dream

Past correction.

His soul is a dream

Ignorant of imperfection. ```

281. His inheritance

```

From God,

Promise-Land he inherited.

From man,

Hope-moon he inherited.

From life,

Failure-mountain he inherited.

From death,

Nothingness-night he inherited. ```

282. Forgotten, forgiven and unseen

```

O forgotten yesterdays,

Take back, take back

Your sorrow-treasure.

O forgiven todays,

Go back, go back

To your home of night.

O unseen tomorrows,

Come soon, come soon

To awaken my ignorance-dream.

```

283. The bride and the widow

```

You were the bride of a dream-boat.

You are the widow of a reality-shore.

You were the bride of a hope-dawn.

You are the widow of a despair-eve.

You were the bride of an illumination-sun.

You are the widow of destruction-fun. ```

284. In different kingdoms

```

In the animal kingdom

I was a holocaust of donkey-laughter.

In the human kingdom

I am a holocaust of frustration-advice.

In the divine kingdom

I shall be a holocaust of angel-illumination. ```

285. Necessity

```

God begged me

To start my life

With a fateful necessity.

God asked me

To continue my life

With a hopeful necessity.

God commanded me

To end my life

With a meaningful necessity.

```

286. Resurrections

```

My past is resurrected:

I was God the Vision-power.

God’s past is resurrected:

He was man the Will-power.

In the past

I lived under the Throne of God-Light.

In the past

God lived above the Throne of my Surrender-might. ```

287. A sin and a crime

```

Endless whispers of temptation

Alas, he shamelessly was.

Unbridled demands of passion

Alas, he supremely was.

Now

His forward look:

A sin against man.

Now

His backward look:

A crime against God. ```

288. O Yogi

```

O Yogi, when shall I love and seek God?

“You can love and seek God

Only after He has loved

And

Sought you as His own,

His very own.”

O Yogi, when will it be?

“The day you feel

Your soul-seed is of God

And

Your life-fruit is for God.”

```

289. Blessed

```

Blessed are the ugly;

They care for God’s Beauty.

Blessed are the poor;

They care for God’s Treasure.

Blessed are the weak;

They care for God’s Power.

Blessed are the pure;

They care for God’s Heart.

Thrice blessed are the surrendered;

They care only for God’s Existence-Light. ```

290. We all laugh

```

My immediate world

Laughs at my fragile silence.

The entire world

Laughs at my fragile promise.

In the morning

I laugh and laugh

At the fragile discoveries of my mind.

In the evening

I laugh and laugh

At the fragile dreams of my heart.

At night

I laugh and laugh

At the fragile realities of my life.

```

291. Only twice he loved himself

```

His rich life

Is a variety of absurdities.

He became God before he was born.

He married Heaven, his mother,

When he was a minute old.

He married earth, his daughter,

When he was a trillion years old.

He loved himself only twice:

Once when he denied his supremacy,

Once when he affirmed his total surrender. ```

292. I surrender

```

I surrender to joy

Because

Joy is power.

I surrender to love

Because

Love is a power sublime.

I surrender to oneness

Because

Oneness is the measureless power.

I surrender to God

Because

God is the absolute Power supreme.

```

293. God, do you think of me?

```

God, do You ever think of me?

“I do.”

When do You think of me?

“My son, I think of you

When you do not think of Me.”

God, why?

Why do You do that?

“My son, when you think of Me

I feel you are safe

And well-protected.

But when you forget to think of Me

I feel I am under obligation

To think of you,

To care for you

So that you do not go astray.”

```

294. Alas, it is too late

```

Why did I not take

Fighting lessons from Sri Rama?

Alas, it is too late.

Why did I not take

Playing lessons from Sri Krishna?

Alas, it is too late.

Why did I not take

Suffering lessons from the Buddha?

Alas, it is too late.

Why did I not take

Forgiving lessons from the Christ?

Alas, it is too late.

Why did I not take

Dancing lessons from Sri Chaitanya?

Alas, it is too late.

Why did I not take

Long-distance walking lessons from Sri Shankara?

Alas, it is too late.

Why did I not take

Crying lessons from Sri Ramakrishna?

Alas, it is too late.

Why did I not take

Struggling lessons from Swamiji?

Alas, it is too late.

Why did I not take

Surrendering lessons from Sri Chinmoy?

Alas, it is too late.

```

295. Waste of years

```

In his animal life

He was in love

With a wild waste of years.

In his human life

He was in love

With a sad waste of years.

In his divine life

He is in love

With the proud gain of years.

```

296. The memories of time

```

I was unrealised;

Therefore

I faded from the merciless memory of Time.

I was unrevealed;

Therefore

I faded from the unsympathetic memory of Time.

I was unmanifested;

Therefore

I faded from the indifferent memory of Time.

BUT NOW

Time shakes hands with me,

Time dines with me,

Time dances with me.

```

297. The desire of power

```

The desire of love-power

Raised him high, very high.

The desire of indifference-power

Dragged him down

Beyond his imagination.

The desire of thought-power

Killed his inner silence.

The desire of money-power

Fooled him, his life, his all. ```

298. Counsel

```

Smiling counsel

Cuts off one foe.

Friendly counsel

Cuts off ten foes.

Loving counsel

Cuts off ninety foes.

Sacrificing counsel

Cuts off three hundred foes.

Oneness counsel

Cuts off all foes. ```

299. Tax-exempt

```

Humility

Is exempt from fear-tax.

Nobility

Is exempt from jealousy-tax.

Generosity

Is exempt from doubt-tax.

Divinity

Is exempt from ignorance-tax. ```

300. Kill them

```

Shakespeare said:

“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”

My ascetic-fanatic friend says:

The first thing I do,

Let me kill all the singers.

They have no right

To destroy my Lord’s Ears.

The second thing I do,

Let me kill all the dancers.

They have no right

To destroy my Lord’s Eyes.

The third thing I do,

Let me kill all the loud God-worshippers.

They have no right

To destroy my Lord’s Silence-Peace. ```

From:Sri Chinmoy,The Dance of Life, part 6, Aum Press, Puerto Rico, 1973
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/dl_6