Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, part 2

101. What has punctured your joy?

```

What has punctured your joy?

Not your volcano-anger,

Not your venom-doubt,

Not your mountain-pride,

But your insecurity-ant.

```

102. My rising horizon

```

What has engulfed my rising horizon?

Temptation-deer?

No!

Destruction-tiger?

No!

Hesitation-lion?

Yes!

```

103. A wild depression

```

A wild depression

Has stolen away the hope

Which he claimed as his only friend

Here on earth.

Alas, who will now flash

A rainbow of hope

Across his heart

Sunk deep? ```

104. The Heart of my Lord Supreme

```

I agree with you

When you say

That God’s Face is at times

Not visible.

But I shall never agree with you

If you say

That God’s Heart, too, is at times

Not visible.

The Heart of my Lord Supreme

Can never remain invisible. ```

105. Hell's orchestra

```

Hell’s orchestra

Always loses

To man’s confusion-mind

And

Destruction-life.

Always! ```

106. Persistence

```

Persistence is extinction

In the greedy

Desire-world.

Persistence is illumination

In the self-giving

Aspiration-world.

```

107. Helpless earth

```

Helpless earth chokes its tears

When hopeless human beings

Cry not for transformation-dream

And satisfaction-reality. ```

108. My mind's inaccessible corner

```

Carefully and untiringly

My mind’s inaccessible corner

Is hiding

My perfection-life

And

Satisfaction-heart. ```

109. My hope's resurrection

```

My hope’s resurrection declares

Earth’s transformation-promise,

Man’s perfection-dream,

God’s Satisfaction-Dance. ```

110. Incredible news

```

Incredible news:

God still loves me!

Incredible news:

Man still hates me!

Incredible news:

I am still alive! ```

111. Hope comes first

```

Hope comes first,

Life follows.

Life comes first,

Perfection follows.

Perfection comes first,

Satisfaction follows. ```

112. Dangerous diseases

```

The dangerous diseases of the mind:

Doubt and meanness.

The miracle-medicine to cure the mind:

Faith and oneness. ```

113. Push and pull

```

Indeed, an age of push!

Therefore I push myself upward

Forcefully

To touch God’s Compassion-Feet.

Indeed, an age of pull!

Therefore I pull my Beloved Supreme down

To illumine my heart

Slowly, carefully and soulfully. ```

114. I am hanging

```

I am hanging.

God has deserted me.

I am hanging.

Man has exploited me.

I am hanging.

My life is not known to me. ```

115. If you are ignorant

```

If you are ignorant

You are doomed to be impotent.

If you are impotent

Who can make you important?

No, not even God

In His Compassion-Flood. ```

116. Something cries

```

Something cries:

Ignorance-life.

Something dies:

Ignorance-imperfection. ```

117. Aspire to lead and feed

```

Don’t retire,

Aspire!

Aspire to lead

Humanity’s cry

And feed

Humanity’s hope. ```

118. The chains of desire-night

```

The chains of desire-night

Never loosen.

The gains of aspiration-light

Never lessen.

Never!

```

119. When I cry for victory

```

When I cry for my own victory,

God gives the torch of success.

When I cry for God’s Victory,

God grants me

Not only a progress-sky

But also

A perfection-sun.

```

120. Hope alone remains

```

Heaven fails me.

Earth assails me.

Hope alone remains

With my mind,

In my heart

And for my life. ```

121. A difficult task

```

Living in You, Lord Supreme,

Is not a difficult task.

Living for You, Lord Supreme,

Is not a difficult task.

Living without being

Your perfect instrument

Is the most difficult task.

```

122. Nothing can defeat you

```

Nothing can defeat you.

Only do not sing

With ignorance-night.

None can defeat you.

Only do not dance

With imperfection-prince.

```

123. A lesson I always enjoy

```

Education never stops.

Here is a lesson

That I always enjoy:

Love gives,

Devotion feels,

Surrender becomes. ```

124. My heart

```

A good friend to love:

My heart.

A good place to begin:

My heart.

A good pioneer to trust:

My heart.

A good messenger of God’s Victory:

My heart. ```

125. The game

```

Helpless earth

Cannot finish the Game.

Careless Heaven

Does not finish the Game.

Useless man

Ruins the Game. ```

126. Alas, all have forgotten

```

Alas,

Earth has forgotten to aspire.

Alas,

Heaven has forgotten to inspire.

Alas,

Man has forgotten to unlearn.

Alas,

God has forgotten to arrive. ```

127. The power of a dream

```

The power of a dream

Can make a man

Unquestionably happy.

But the power of a reality

Can alone make a man

Unreservedly perfect.

```

128. A new prayer

```

Your old prayer may not change God.

But God can grant you

A new prayer,

And this new prayer

Will really make you happy.

What is your new prayer?

God-Satisfaction

In God’s own Way. ```

129. The heart of progress-oneness

```

The heart of progress-oneness

Satisfies both God and man.

The mind of success-prowess

Satisfies only man. ```

130. The vision of freedom-might

```

The vision of freedom-might

Man’s outer life

Desperately desires.

The reality of oneness-delight

Man’s inner life

Eternally is.

```

131. When I am on God's side1

```

When I am on God’s side

My love becomes fast speed,

My devotion becomes lasting energy

And

My surrender becomes final victory.

```

FF 131-150. These twenty poems were written at the Osaka Grand Hotel on 26 October 1979↩

132. All I want

```

All I wanted

Was freedom-supremacy

In my desire-life.

All I want now

Is surrender-ecstasy

In my aspiration-life.

```

133. God's Love-Call

```

God’s Love-Call

Has transformed my animal past.

God’s Love-Call

Is illumining my human present.

God’s Love-Call

Will immortalise my divine future. ```

134. A deathless future

```

What belongs

To a deathless future?

A gratitude-flame.

What else belongs

To a deathless future?

A tiny surrender-seed. ```

135. A new discovery

```

I can’t wait until tomorrow

To be blessed with

A new discovery:

My love is my heart’s beauty,

My devotion is my life’s duty,

My surrender is my victory’s satisfaction. ```

136. How little I know

```

How little I know

Of man’s gratitude-drop!

How little I know

Of God’s Forgiveness-Sea! ```

137. America's special strength

```

America’s special strength

Lies not in frightening the weak

And challenging the strong,

But in strengthening the weak

And

Illumining the strong. ```

138. Oneness-land

```

Oneness-land:

That is where he always belongs.

That is the place where

The Creator in him

And

The creation in him

Enjoy each other.

```

139. The longest road

```

The longest road in the world:

To see others’ faults

Deliberately,

To enjoy others’ faults

Unreservedly.

```

140. Three kinds of givers

```

Three kinds of givers:

A giver who gives only to receive

Ten times more in return,

A giver who wants to prove

That he has a giant heart,

A giver who gives to become.

This giver

Has discovered the secret art

Of true satisfaction.

```

141. Someday, somehow, somewhere

```

His confiscated body,

His frustrated vital,

His humiliated head,

His elevated heart,

His unlimited soul

Will grant him

Someday, somehow, somewhere

An emancipated life. ```

142. A God-Heart

```

How can America afford

To ignore world-problems

When God, out of His infinite Bounty,

Has given America

A heart similar to His own?

```

143. One heart in two bodies

```

One heart in two bodies:

A self-offering God-lover.

Two hearts in one body:

A soulless earth-lover. ```

144. An overnight success

```

An overnight success

Is possible only when

I can make myself feel

That I am of God alone.

An ever-transcending progress

Is not only possible but inevitable

When I succeed in convincing myself

That I live for God

And God alone.

```

145. If you suffer

```

If you suffer, thank God.

For nothing abides

Away from His Vision-Eye

And

His Compassion-Heart.

```

146. A great teacher

```

A great teacher inspires

The seeker.

A great teacher aspires

In and through the seeker.

A great teacher knows

That he is the journey’s soul of the seeker

And also his journey’s goal.

```

147. Each opportunity

```

Intense longing creates opportunity.

Each opportunity

Is more than a blessing.

Indeed,

It is a miniature goal itself.

```

148. God is always watching us

```

God is always watching us,

Even when we worship Him.

Why?

Because He knows that sincere sincerity

Is yet to be born.

```

149. Humour and rumour

```

Heaven cannot afford

To enjoy humour,

For it is dying

Of earth’s unending rumour. ```

150. To frighten and enlighten

```

To frighten the animal in me

My God is all Justice.

To enlighten the human in me

My God is all Compassion. ```

151. Conquerors2

```

The outer conquerors:

A doubting mind,

A strangling vital.

The inner conquerors:

A self-giving life,

A oneness-heart.

```

FF 151-185. These thirty-five poems were written at Osaka airport on 27 October 1979 while Sri Chinmoy was waiting for a delayed flight.↩

152. God's Lion-Power

```

Yesterday, I desired to be

God’s Lion-Power.

Today, I desire to be

God’s Deer-Speed.

Tomorrow, I shall desire to be

God’s Lamb-Fondness. ```

153. Declaration of a non-believer

```

Everyone in the world

Is another Christ

Except for the carpenter, Jesus.

So declares a non-believer in the Christ. ```

154. Life's fond illusion

```

Life’s fond illusion

Fools us deliberately,

Awakens us unconsciously,

Challenges us mercilessly.

But we become victors,

Unquestionably. ```

155. The mother of my pure thoughts

```

Sincerity is

The mother of my pure thoughts.

Purity is

The mother of my lofty ideals.

Divinity is

The mother of my universal-oneness-realisation. ```

156. You are not

```

You are not

The breath of your pride.

You are not

The life of your jealousy.

You are not

The body of your ignorance.

You are

The heart of God’s Vision-Love. ```

157. Eternity's sunrise

```

Eternity’s sunrise!

My prayer-heart

And

My meditation-life

Are soulfully crying for you.

Eternity’s sunrise!

My realisation-breadth

And

My God-manifestation-length

Are smiling at you.

```

158. A chainless mind

```

A chainless mind embodies

A fearless heart.

A fearless heart embodies

A sleepless soul.

A sleepless soul embodies

A spotless goal. ```

159. Nowhere

```

A freedom-face, where is it?

Nowhere!

A perfection-race, where is it?

Nowhere!

A satisfaction-grace, where is it?

Nowhere! ```

160. My surrendering surrender

```

My loving love

Makes me pure.

My serving devotion

Makes me sure.

My surrendering surrender

Makes me perfect. ```

161. A perfect gentleman

```

God is ready to dawn

In your mind’s chaos,

But being a perfect gentleman,

He awaits your gracious invitation

And precious dedication.

```

162. Eternal hunger

```

Eternal hunger, where is it?

In man’s aspiring heart?

No!

Eternal hunger, where is it?

In man’s soaring soul?

No!

Eternal hunger, where is it?

In God’s and man’s

Mutual self-giving roles.

```

163. Almost an impossible reality

```

Lasting gratitude

Is almost an impossible reality.

This insurmountable experience

I have acquired

From my oneness-life

With humanity’s hopeless capacity

And helpless receptivity.

```

164. God the Compassion

```

God the Justice

At times deliberately forgets

To love me.

But

God the Compassion

Always loves me,

Even when I wage a war against Him.

```

165. My surrender-tree

```

My surrender-tree

Bears God-Fruits.

Believe it or not, it always does.

O my seeker-friends,

You also can try it

In your self-giving

Aspiration-life.

```

166. A free passage

```

A self-giving heart

Has a free passage

To the inner moon.

A God-becoming soul

Has a free passage

To the inner sun.

```

167. God's Football

```

I have all along

Been God’s Flute.

I have charmed the world,

But that is not enough.

From now on,

I shall be God’s Football,

Him to please in His own Way.

This is the way I can become

A choice instrument of God

To feed earth’s cry

And Heaven’s smile

All at once. ```

168. An atom of soulful effort

```

An atom of soulful effort:

God comes down.

A second of self-giving cry:

Look, God is happily watching you. ```

169. Tempt me no more

```

Tempt me no more,

O earth,

With your astounding perfection-promise.

Tempt me no more,

O Heaven,

With your fascinating satisfaction-promise.

```

170. A colossal hole

```

You see a colossal hole

Inside my soul.

I see no goal, no goal,

For your poor soul. ```

171. O incense-breathing morning

```

O incense-breathing morning,

I love your beauty’s smile.

O peace-spreading evening,

I admire your well-deserved rest. ```

172. When I was the victor

```

There was a time when I was the victor,

Within and without.

Alas, now I am condemned

To an ant-like, feeble hope. ```

173. Your starlit heart

```

Your cloud-eclipsed mind

Will invariably fail you.

Your starlit heart

Will not only fulfil you

But also immortalise you.

```

174. You come not alone

```

O my fainting fears,

I love you

Because you come not alone.

With you arrives my Beloved Supreme.

O my dancing cheers,

I love you

Because you come not alone.

With you arrives my Beloved Supreme. ```

175. His true nature

```

His hatred of man

Is all in his head.

His love of God in his heart

Will inundate soon

His entire being.

For nothing

Save and except love

Is his true nature. ```

176. Drownings

```

You drowned in the sea of fanaticism

And dogmatism.

He drowned in the sea of reason

And doubt.

I drowned in the sea of self-pity

And unreality. ```

177. The grown-up God

```

Knowledge-flames

Are baby gods.

Wisdom-sun

Is the grown-up

And powerful God.

```

178. A flower-future

```

If you think of yourself alone,

A flower-future

Will not be guaranteed.

If you think of the world more

Than you think of yourself,

A flower-future may be guaranteed.

If you think of God most of the time,

There is a good possibility

That a flower-future will be guaranteed.

But if you think of God and only of God

All the time,

Then a flower-future,

Without fail,

Will be guaranteed.

```

179. Satisfaction is in God-Becoming

```

Confusion is in the brains.

Destruction is in the vital chains.

Perfection is in self-giving.

Satisfaction is in God-becoming. ```

180. I smiled in my mind

```

I smiled in my mind.

Everybody ridiculed me.

I smile in my heart.

Nobody ignores me.

I shall smile in my soul.

All will love me. ```

181. Each journey

```

Each crisis intensifies my quest.

Each quest expedites my journey.

Each journey is a ray of satisfaction

On the Face of my Beloved Supreme. ```

182. Just carry one thing with you

```

You want to race against death.

I tell you, you will succeed.

Just carry one thing with you:

A tiny gratitude-flame. ```

183. The thunder-victory

```

O seeker, just try to offer

Your tender trust.

Yours will be, before long,

The thunder-victory. ```

184. The art of surrender

```

The art of love

Illumines my thoughtful journey.

The art of devotion

Expedites my soulful journey.

The art of surrender

Satisfies my fruitful journey. ```

185. A common ability

```

The ability to hope,

Not everyone has.

The ability to smile,

Not everyone has.

But

The ability to cry,

Everyone has.

```

186. My smiling God3

```

Beautiful is

My smiling God.

Powerful is

My illumining God.

Fruitful is

My loving God.

```

FF 186-200. These fifteen poems were written on 27 October 1979 on a plane trip from Osaka to Tokyo.↩

187. A desire-life

```

A desire-life is embraced

By the startling capacities

Of incompetence,

Imperfection

And dissatisfaction.

```

188. He who feeds my heart

```

He who feeds my mind

Is not a real teacher

But a mere entertainer.

He who feeds my heart

Is not only a teacher

But also the greatest helper

In my God-satisfying role. ```

189. Non-stop magic

```

Realisation:

Non-stop magic

Between

Man’s aspiration-door

And

God’s Satisfaction-Shore. ```

190. How to succeed?

```

How to succeed?

Powerfully and majestically.

How to proceed?

Soulfully and sleeplessly.

How to become?

Unreservedly and unconditionally. ```

191. The arrival of another day

```

At the arrival of another day

My desire-world pinches me

Extremely hard.

At the arrival of another day

My aspiration-world

Chastens me and hastens

My Godward journey. ```

192. Your silence-loving heart

```

Your mind has

A flood of questions.

There is but one teacher

Who can answer them.

Who is the teacher?

Your silence-loving heart. ```

193. Should parents play God?

```

Should parents play God?

Only if they sincerely feel

That they are by far

Simpler and purer

Than their own children.

I strongly doubt that this is true.

Should parents play God?

No!

There is and there can be

Only one God,

And that God is

Perfection Universal, Perfection Transcendental. ```

194. Nothing more, nothing less

```

I do not want to give.

I do not want to take.

I only want to see

What God does,

How He does,

Why He does —

Nothing more, nothing less.

```

195. Who will guard my possessions?

```

Who will guard my possessions?

No, not my God, the Wisdom-Light.

No, not even my God, the Compassion-Ocean,

But my dark, greed-multiplying imperfections. ```

196. I must take nothing for granted

```

I must take nothing for granted,

Either from Heaven’s silence

Or from earth’s sound.

No, not even from God’s unconditional

Compassion unbound.

```

197. Your purity-prayers will help you

```

Sink not in stark disappointment.

Someday, somehow,

Your purity-prayers will help you

Have an appointment

With God the Compassion-Firmament.

```

198. The common award

```

An intense and natural disappointment

Is the common award

For a sleepless God-server

And a faultless man-lover.

Alas, alas!

```

199. A short-sighted idea

```

A short-sighted idea

Can be treasured only

By a limping man

And

A dying life.

```

200. My body does not belong to me

```

My body does not belong to me.

It belongs to God’s Compassion-Light.

My soul does not belong to me.

It belongs to God’s Satisfaction-Delight. ```

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the second volume in a series of ten thousand “flaming flower-poems” which Sri Chinmoy is placing devotedly, unreservedly and unconditionally at the Compassion-Feet of God, our Beloved Supreme. They stand as a supreme offering from the unfolding beauty of his flower-heart and the flaming heights of his realisation-sun. Indeed, a treasure-tower which will at once be claimed by humanity’s self-ascending cry and Divinity’s God-descending Smile.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, part 2, Agni Press, 1979
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/ff_2