Impurity: the mad elephant mental asylum

1.

```

Impurity,

Where do you live?

Do you live inside my body?

"No!"

Do you live inside my vital?

"No, no!"

Do you live inside my mind?

"No, no, no!"

Do you live inside my heart?

"No, no, no, no!"

Do you live inside my soul?

"You stupid fellow!

I never thought

That you could be so stupid.

Of course, if your soul

Were made of charcoal,

I could live there.

But you must know

That your soul is made of

God's own Divinity."

In that case,

I will not dare to ask you

If you live inside God.

"Better not!

Otherwise,

The elephant-pride of the mental asylum

Will immediately beckon you!"

Impurity, my dear friend,

Then do tell me

Where you actually live.

"I live inside the beauty

And fragrance

Of your incoming breath."

What about my outgoing breath?

Do you ever accompany

My outgoing breath?

"Yes, I do,

Only when I am forced to."

Impurity,

You are so powerful;

Who could ever dare

To force you?

"Although I am powerful,

Very powerful,

Extremely powerful,

Unimaginably powerful,

I am no match for

Your heart's streaming tears,

Your heart's climbing tears and

Your heart's falling tears,

Or for

Your soul's life-awakening smiles,

Your soul's world-illumining smiles and

Your soul's earth-transforming smiles." ```

2.

```

Who is an impure seeker?

An impure seeker

Is the possessor of heart-sand.

An impure seeker

Is the possessor of mind-mud.

An impure seeker

Is the possessor of vital-clay.

An impure seeker

Is the possessor of body-filth.

```

3.

```

What is impurity?

Impurity is

An atom bomb-explosion.

So says my purity-flooded

Consciousness. ```

4.

```

Impurity says to the body:

"O body, where are you?"

The body says to impurity:

"Can you not see

That I am at your powerful feet?"

```

5.

```

Impurity says to the vital:

"O vital, where are you?"

The vital says to impurity:

"Can you not see

That I am at your ruthless feet?"

```

6.

```

Impurity says to the mind:

"O mind, where are you?"

The mind says to impurity:

"Can you not see

That I am at your inescapable feet?"

```

7.

```

Impurity says to the heart:

"O heart, where are you?"

The heart says to impurity:

"Can you not see

That I am at your immeasurable feet?"

```

8.

```

The body, vital, mind

And heart

Together say to impurity:

"Impurity, how we wish

We could see you

At the feet of somebody,

As we are always at your feet!"

Impurity says:

"O body, vital, mind and heart,

You four are really blind!

Can you not see

That I am at the feet

Of purity-thought-planters

And at the feet

Of Divinity-will-power-growers?" ```

9.

```

Impurity,

In the abyss

Of inconscience-sleep,

You just descend

And

Descend. ```

10.

```

Impurity

Is absolutely certain

That hell is another name

For Heaven. ```

11.

```

Impurity

Is absolutely certain

That the hardest reality

Is another name for

The sweetest dream.

```

12.

```

Impurity

Is absolutely certain

That emotional fantasy

Is another name for

Devotional ecstasy.

```

13.

```

Impurity

Is absolutely certain

That negativity-forest

Is another name for

Positivity-garden.

```

14.

```

Impurity and disobedience

Deeply enjoy

Their friendship.

```

15.

```

Impurity,

You are my soul's

Disappointment.

```

16.

```

Impurity,

You are my heart's

Failure.

```

17.

```

Impurity,

You are my mind's

Backward march.

```

18.

```

Impurity,

You are

Volcano-emotion-eruption

In disguise. ```

19.

```

Impurity,

Purity-whisper

You ignore.

```

20.

```

Impurity,

Callousness-drummer

You are.

```

21.

```

Impurity,

I am consumed

With embittered memories

Of you. ```

22.

```

Impurity,

At your mere presence,

The poor and helpless seeker's

Emotional temperature

Reaches its godless

Highest height. ```

23.

```

Impurity,

Though I stumble often

On the way,

I am sure that

I shall ultimately succeed

In reaching God's

Golden Shore.

```

24.

```

The seeker says to impurity:

"Impurity,

There shall come a time

In my life

When I shall swim and swim

In my heart's

Sleeplessly running

Purity-river

Towards the enlightenment-sea

Of my Lord Beloved Supreme.

And what you will do then?

You will be drowning

And drowning

And finally sinking

In the abysmal abyss

Of darkest inconscience-night!" ```

25.

```

Impurity of the vital

And

Insecurity of the heart

Belong to the same family. ```

26.

```

The seeker says to impurity:

"O impurity-hurricane,

I am facing you bravely;

I shall always face you bravely." ```

27.

```

Impurity,

Like a pleasant host,

Slowly and smilingly,

Lovingly and charmingly,

Invites the seeker

Into its domain. ```

28.

```

"Impurity,

You are overwhelmingly

Dangerous

And agonisingly

Contagious."

So says a seeker,

A highly advanced seeker.

```

29.

```

Impurity,

No matter when

You place a call

To my heart's

Sleepless aspiration-phone,

You will always get

A busy signal.

```

30.

```

Impurity,

You need a total

Transformation.

Therefore,

My soul's concern-circle

Does not exclude you. ```

31.

```

Impurity,

Your very presence

Mutilates

My heart's oneness-happiness. ```

32.

```

Impurity,

The moment I see you,

The human in me

Is immediately frightened

And the Divine in me

Is surprisingly amused. ```

33.

```

Impurity,

Yours is a life

Bound for imminent

Or remote tragedy. ```

34.

```

Impurity,

Desire-fire you are;

Aspiration-flame

You must needs be. ```

35.

```

He who sets fire

To his mind's impurity-forest

Is blessingfully granted

An aspiration-garden

By God Himself.

```

36.

```

Impurity,

To-day you are

An insurmountable obstacle;

To-morrow it is you

Who will be transformed

Into the heart's self-giving

Purity-fragrance-rose.

```

37.

```

Impurity,

Are you ready to leave me?

Look!

I am tearing out the pages

Of your sordid past

In my life. ```

38.

```

Impurity,

If you want to remain

Mischievous,

Then I can easily remain

Devious.

```

39.

```

Impurity,

Can you not see

That God has dismissed

Your impertinent vital? ```

40.

```

Impurity.

Can you not see

That God has revoked

Your indulgence-license? ```

41.

```

Between an ungrateful person

And an impure person,

O seeker,

Whom do you prefer?

"I prefer an impure person

To an ungrateful person,

For I feel I will be able

To illumine and transform

An impure person,

But I will never be able

To transform

An ungrateful person.

Needless to say, I am saying this

From my personal experience." ```

From:Sri Chinmoy,Impurity: the mad elephant mental asylum, Agni Press, 1994
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/ime