My Canadian Fruits

1. What is the armour?

```

What is the armour against fate?

God's Compassion-Face.

What is the armour against God's

Compassion-Face?

Man's brooding ingratitude-life.

```

2. Courage-drop

```

Doubt-substance dies.

Faith-essence survives.

Fear-ocean will dry.

Courage-drop will shine. ```

3. My life's dreams

```

My life's morning dream:

Everything is beautiful.

Everybody is beautiful.

My life's afternoon dream:

I am most beautiful.

My life's evening dream:

Only God is beautiful,

God alone.

```

4. Speak to me

```

Lord, speak to my mind.

My mind shall listen to You.

Lord, speak to my heart.

My heart loves You only. ```

5. Opposites

```

Insecurity is contagious.

Security is prosperous.

Doubt is dangerous.

Faith is precious.

Despair is clamorous.

Hope is courageous. ```

6. The collectors

```

Dear Heaven,

You have collected

The tears of my night.

Thank you, thank you.

Sweet earth,

You have collected

The smiles of my life.

Thank you, thank you.

Lord Supreme,

You have collected

My desire-night

and

My aspiration-sun.

Thank You, thank You. ```

7. No compromise

```

An iota of compromise

With human beings

Can save my earth-life.

But no compromise

Can I ever make

With ignorance-night

If God-life is my only Goal. ```

8. The unwanted assailant

```

Doubt, you can assail my mind

If you want to.

But I tell you,

You are absolutely unwanted

By my

Truth-searching,

Love-striving

And

God-manifesting mind.

```

9. God and I

```

God-Compassion is accepting me.

God-Love is perfecting me.

God-Satisfaction is embracing me.

God-Perfection is nearing me. ```

10. I love you

```

My sacrificing mother,

I love you.

My smiling father,

I love you.

My praying sister,

I love you.

My meditating brother,

I love you.

My surrendering heart,

I love you.

My dreaming God,

I love you. ```

11. My worst and my best

```

A suspicion-mind

Is the worst in me.

Lord Supreme, will You not

Take care of it?

A dedication-heart

Is the best in me.

Beloved Supreme, will You not

Accept it as Your own,

Very own?

```

12. God-Love, God-Oneness

```

God-Love is self-dedication

In my heart-life.

God-Service is self-perfection

In my body-life.

God-Victory is self-satisfaction

In my mind-life.

God-Oneness is self-transcendence

In my vital-life. ```

13. I always treasure you

```

Dear heart-beauty,

I always love you.

Dear life-duty,

I always need you.

Dear God-necessity,

I always treasure you. ```

14. Perfecting vision, devouring sight

```

My soul's superior vision

Inspires me to perfect my life.

My life's inferior sight

Challenges me,

Frightens me,

Devours me. ```

15. From and to

```

From man to God:

A soulful cry.

From God to man:

A fruitful smile.

From man to man:

A harmful frown.

From God to God:

A fruitful love. ```

16. Three unusual things

```

Only three unusual things

I really do not comprehend:

America's power-gospel,

India's peace-gospel,

And

God's Silence-Gospel. ```

17. Remember me

```

Remember me, earth,

After I die.

Remember me, Heaven,

When I am dying.

Remember me, God,

While I am still alive. ```

18. Two prayers

```

The Master's prayer:

Lord, save me from my

Disciples' imperfection-sea.

The disciples' prayer:

Lord, bring our Master down

From the highest branch of

Frustration-tree. ```

19. Buddha's two sons

```

Buddha's two sons:

His physical son, Rahul,

Saw who Buddha was.

His spiritual son, Ananda,

Knew who Buddha was.

His seeing son lost him.

His knowing son gained him. ```

20. Unlearning and learning

```

How do I spend my night?

I spend my night praying,

Praying to unlearn.

How do I spend my day?

I spend my day meditating,

Meditating to learn.

What do I want to unlearn?

World-information.

What do I want to learn?

Life-perfection. ```

21. What do I see?

```

What did I see?

I saw God's beckoning Hands

And my daring feet.

What do I see?

I see God's reaching Hands

And my crying heart.

```

22. My prayer and my meditation

```

What is my prayer?

My prayer is my love of

God-Height and God-Might.

What is my meditation?

My meditation is my oneness with

God-Light and God-Delight.

```

23. Beginning to end

```

Let me begin my day with

God's Compassion.

I shall end my day with

My concern for man's

Insecurity-night.

Let me begin my night with

God's Love.

I shall end my night with

My service to man's

Necessity-height.

```

24. One big dream

```

He keeps away from little dreams:

Desire-net,

Ambition-ladder,

Success-crown.

He treasures only one big dream:

God's satisfaction-manifestation

On this poor earth.

```

25. I shall glorify

```

I shall glorify God

With

My surrender-seed.

I shall glorify man

With

My service-tree.

I shall glorify myself

With

My sacrifice-fruit.

```

26. When he touches

```

Thunder-strong

When he challenges earth's

Ignorance-night.

Grass-soft

When he touches earth's

Aspiration-kite.

```

27. We are caged

```

You are caged by information-world.

I feel sorry for you.

He is caged by suspicion-world.

I feel sorry for him.

I am caged by illusion-world.

I do hope you two

Feel sorry for me.

```

28. Act for me

```

Act for me,

O God-Compassion,

Act for me.

Act within me,

O God-Love,

Act within me.

Act before me,

O God-Concern,

Act before me.

```

29. My different lives

```

Senile thoughts:

My mind-life.

Fertile hopes:

My heart-life.

Futile achievements:

My earth-life. ```

30. What is a dream?

```

What is not a dream?

Man's God-realisation.

What is a dream?

Man's gratitude-dedication. ```

31. Take more care

```

Heaven, I advise you

To take more care

Of your promise-seed.

Earth, I advise you

To take more care

Of your hope-plant.

God, I advise you

To take more care

Of Your Vision-Tree.

```

32. The colours of silence

```

O green-red Silence, I need

Your eternal life on earth.

O blue-gold Silence, I need

Your infinite love on earth.

O white-violet Silence, I need

Your immortal smile on earth. ```

33. They know

```

Earth-song

My bleeding life knows.

Heaven-dance

My dreaming soul knows.

God-Smile

My climbing heart knows. ```

34. When he sailed, when he failed

```

When he sailed in

The boat of sunrise,

Nobody cared to see him.

When he failed in

The boat of sunset,

Everybody saw him,

Everybody greeted him,

Everybody pitied him.

Indeed, this is his life-story.

```

35. Because we love each other

```

Because You love me, Lord,

I forgive Your delay.

I wait and watch.

Because I love You,

Lord, You forgive my demand.

You smile and give.

```

36. Try the heart-road

```

The body-road

Has disappointed you.

The vital-road

Has misled you.

The mind-road

Has confused you.

There is still one more road:

Try the heart-road.

I tell you, it will,

Without fail,

Lead you to your destination-goal.

```

37. Between man and God

```

Between man and God

Misunderstanding ultimately

Dies.

Between man and man

Misunderstanding constantly

Triumphs.

Between God and me

A perfect understanding

Shines.

Between man and me

A giant frustration-tree

Grows.

```

38. Do you know who you are?

```

Faith-plant, do you know

Who you are?

You are my never-failing friend.

Doubt-tree, do you know

Who you are?

You are my ever-assailing foe.

Aspiration-fruit, do you know

Who you are?

You are my God-unveiling teacher.

```

39. My promise, my hope

```

To God,

My promise to Him

Is hopeless.

To man,

My hope for myself

Is useless.

To me,

My promise is sincere;

My hope is pure.

```

40. He is happy

```

He is happy because

He was quick in unlearning

The life-story of the mind.

He is happy because

He was quick in learning

The soul-story of the heart.

```

41. Before you die

```

Your fame and glory

Shall leave you

Long before you die.

Your cry and surrender

Shall stay on earth

Long after you die.

```

42. We are absolutely wrong

```

You told me:

God-Smile is a frightening experience.

You are absolutely wrong.

He told me:

God-life is a deluding experience.

He is absolutely wrong.

I told you

And

I told him:

God-manifestation is an unnecessary experience.

I am absolutely wrong.

```

43. He succeeds

```

He who tastes, cries.

He who tests, sinks.

He who rests, fails.

He who sails, succeeds. ```

44. Try, you will succeed

```

Why don't you serve

As earth does?

Try, you will easily succeed.

Why don't you love

As Heaven does?

Try, you will unmistakably succeed.

```

45. Why am I such a fool?

```

Mind is transitory,

Yet I love my mind.

Alas, why am I such a fool?

Money is transitory,

Yet I love my money-power,

Alas, why am I such a fool?

Desire-life is transitory,

Yet I love my desire-life.

Alas, why am I such a fool?

Earth-crown is transitory,

Yet I love my earth-crown.

Alas, why am I such a fool?

```

46. God's reality-dream

```

The writing on my palm

I easily effaced.

The writing on my forehead

I laboriously effaced.

The writing on my head,

I do not have to efface

Because it is God's

Reality-Dream. ```

47. He never suffers

```

You know everything;

Therefore

You suffer.

He knows nothing;

Therefore

He suffers.

I know nothing;

Yet I do not want to know

anything;

Therefore

I suffer.

God knows everything;

Yet He says nothing;

Therefore

He never suffers. ```

48. Silence-life

```

A sound-life

Has no rest

Even when it dreams.

A silence-life

Has Eternity's rest

Even when it strives and transcends.

```

49. I do not feed them

```

Since I do not feed them

With my compassion-light,

How can I show them

My anger-might?

Since they do not feed me

With their concern-height,

How can they show me

Their frustration-night? ```

50. The greatest fool

```

He is a fool

Who cries.

He is a greater fool

Who does not try.

He is the greatest fool

Who thinks he knows

Everything of

Earth-pleasure and

Heaven-ecstasy.

```

Editor's note

These fifty poems were written by Sri Chinmoy during his short visit to Canada from November 15 to November 23, 1974.

From:Sri Chinmoy,My Canadian Fruits, Bhakti Press, 1974
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/mcf