The Dance of Life, part 8

351. Never shall I fail

Failure
Is not falling down.
    Failure
Is desiring to live
    Where I have fallen.

I cry for Heaven.
    Therefore
    Never
Shall I fail.

I try for earth.
    Therefore
    Never
Shall I fail.

352. I am happy

I believe everybody;
    Therefore
I am happy.

I love everybody;
    Therefore
I am happy.

I think of God every day, everywhere;
    Therefore
I am happy.

I am happy, I am always happy
    Because
Heaven lives for the cries of my heart
    And
Earth lives for the smiles of my soul.

353. Before Time kills me

I shall think of Time
    Before
Time kills me.

I shall love Time
    Before
Time kills me.

I shall use Time
    Before
Time kills me.

I shall reveal God
    Before
Time kills me.

I shall fulfil God
    Before
Time kills me.

354. Mother's Day and Father's Day

Mother’s Day is great
    Because
At least once a year
Children allow their minds
To think of their mother’s heart
    And
Allow their hearts to house
And treasure their mother.

Father’s Day is great
    Because
At least once a year
Each father tells his children
That he really wants to equal the
Heavenly Father in Compassion and Concern.

355. Only fault

His body’s only fault is that
    It sleeps too much.
His vital’s only fault is that
    It runs too much.
His mind’s only fault is that
    It doubts too much.
His heart’s only fault is that
    It believes too much.
His soul’s only fault is that
    It has none, really none.

356. My God is angry with me

My God is angry with me
    Because
    I forget.
My God is angry with me
    Because
    I forgive.

What do I forget?
    I forget the world’s
    Dedicated service to me.
What do I forgive?
    I forgive
    My ignorance,
    My flowing ignorance,
    My increasing ignorance,
    My undying ignorance.

357. God will be pleased

Serve in the physical world;
God will be pleased.
Fight in the vital world;
God will be pleased.
Watch in the mental world;
God will be pleased.
Love in the psychic world;
God will be pleased.
Surrender in the world of Light;
God will be pleased.
Become in the world of Perfection;
God will be pleased.

358. Nobody loves

Nobody loves
    A great flatterer.
Nobody loves
    A gross lover.
Nobody loves
    A wicked man.
Nobody loves
    An immodest woman.
Nobody loves
    An indifferent Heaven.
Nobody loves
    An unprogressive earth.

359. Food is God and God is food

India’s great Mahatma Gandhi revealed:
“To a man with an empty stomach, food is God.”
India’s great Nobody, Sri Chinmoy, reveals:
“My full stomach feels that God is food.”

Food is God
When I think of Gandhi’s
Countless hungry and starving children.
God is food
When I think of God’s
Countless dreaming, revealing and illumining children.

360. Your human life and your life divine

In your human life
You notice that the world
Is full of fools.
You are right, absolutely right.
But let me add just a little to your great discovery:
There is just one more fool than you think
And that is you,
And that is you.

In your life divine
You feel that the world
Is full of fools.
You are right, absolutely right.
But let me add just a little to your great discovery:
There is just one less fool than you feel
And that is you,
And that is you.

361. I understand

I perfectly understand God
Even without knowing His language.
I never understand man
Although I know man’s language thoroughly.
I always misunderstand
The language of love
Although it sounds
    Sweet,
    Soulful
    And
    Meaningful.

362. A usual thing

To err is a usual thing;
To forgive is an unusual thing.
To love is to forget all troubles;
To repent is to revive all troubles.
To own Light is to govern night;
To fear Truth is to disown God.

363. Fortune-teller and fortune-bestower

When man the fortune-teller
Promises me a bright future
My heart of gratitude
Makes his present immediately brighter.

But when God the fortune-bestower
Promises me the brightest future
My impatient heart of ingratitude
    Questions God’s sincerity
    And
    Questions His motive.

364. When I think

When I think once,
I say what I intended to say.
When I think twice,
I hesitate to open my mouth.
When I think thrice,
I never fail to keep my proud mouth shut.

365. I thank you, Father

My Father tells me
    What to do.
I ask Him,
    How can I do it?
My Father shows me
    How to do it.
I ask Him,
    Why does He not do it for me?
My Father does it for me,
    He does everything for me.

    Then
What do I tell Him?
    I tell Him,
Father, I am sorry,
    I could have done it far better;
I could have done everything infinitely better.
Anyway, I thank You, Father,
    Since Your intention was good.

366. The first and the last

The first woman
    Tempted
The first man
    To eat.

The last woman
    Shall inspire
The last man
    To be divine,
    To be perfect,
    To be supreme.

367. Twice to my rescue

My Lord
Came to my rescue twice:
Once when my admiring friends
Turned me into an ego-balloon,
Once when my enemies
Doubted my realisation,
The God-ordained boon.

368. Thinking and thanking

I stopped thinking;
    Therefore
I don’t have to thank any more.

I stopped thanking;
    Therefore
I don’t have to love any more.

I stopped loving;
    Therefore
I don’t have to repent any more.

I stopped repenting;
    Therefore
I don’t have to sleep any more.
    I must act,
    I must become.
    I must act to become,
    I must become to act.

369. We are all greedy

You are greedy.
I definitely know it.
    He is greedy.
I unmistakably feel it.
    I am greedy.
I modestly exaggerate it.
    Your greed tempts me.
    His greed instigates me.
    My greed destroys me.

370. O Nectar-Son

You are your parents’
    Earthly pride.
You are your spiritual parents’
    Heavenly pride.
You are the Supreme’s
    Immortal Pride,
    Infinite Joy,
    Eternal Life,
O Nectar-Son of humanity in the Heart of God,
O Nectar-Son of God for the soul of humanity!

371. The story of guilt

The body is guilty
    For the things it has delayed,
    For the things it has forgotten.

The vital is guilty
    For the things it has accepted,
    For the things it has rejected.

The mind is guilty
    For the things it has suspected,
    For the things it has believed.

The heart is guilty
    For the things it has discovered,
    For the things it has avoided.

The soul is guilty
    For the things it has promised,
    For the things it has omitted.

372. Impartial, neutral and partial

He is impartial
    And
Not neutral.
Therefore, He is God.

He is partial
    And
Not neutral.
Therefore, he is man.

    God’s impartiality
Only a brave soul enjoys.
    Man’s partiality
Only a sick soul enjoys.

373. The man of Eternity

My aspiration-candle
Is the man of the hour.

    My realisation-lamp
Is the man of the day.

    My revelation-moon
Is the man of the year.

    My manifestation-sun
Is the man of Eternity.

374. No holidays

Her jealousy has no holidays,
His doubt has no holidays.

Her insecurity has no holidays,
His impurity has no holidays.

    But
Her desire has a few holidays
    And
His aspiration has nothing
    But holidays.

375. You have no sense

Son, you have no sense.
Father, that is why I think of You,
    Ceaselessly.
Father, You have no sense.
Son, that is why I am within you,
    I am for you, unconditionally.

Son, let us not quarrel any more.
    Bring the candle.
Father, let us not quarrel any more.
    Light the candle.
Son, you look so beautiful!
Father, You are truly merciful,
    You are truly thoughtful,
    You are truly fruitful.

376. Where are you, Mother?

Inspiration,
I want you, friend.
    Aspiration,
I need you, son.
    Realisation,
I had you, Father.
    Revelation,
Where have you been, daughter?
    Manifestation,
Where are you, Mother?

377. The divine separation

Desire
Is your divine separation
    From the mineral life.

    Aspiration
Is your divine separation
    From the animal life.

    But
    Realisation
Is your divine union
    With the mindless mineral life,
    With the heartless animal life,
    With the soulless human life.

378. On God's behalf

I am sick.
    But
My God is not sick.
    Why is He not sick?
He just can’t afford to be sick.
If He too falls sick
Then who will look after me?

God does not sleep.
    But
I sleep.
I sleep ceaselessly.
    Why?
I feel that God needs some rest.
    He deserves some rest
Since He works so hard
    Day in, day out.
    I have a sympathetic heart;
    Therefore
I feel that it is my bounden duty
To sleep and rest on God’s behalf.

379. Addition and subtraction

I wanted to be really rich;
    Therefore
Constantly I wanted to add
    To my possessions.

God wanted me to be supremely rich;
    Therefore
He most carefully subtracted
    My possessions
    From
    My desire-life,
    And
Most carefully added
    My renunciation
    To my aspiration-soul
    And
    Realisation-Goal.

380. Nobody knows where it is

My soul spreads happiness
    When it enters into my heart.
My vital spreads happiness
    When it leaves my heart.

Happiness:
    Everybody knows what it is,
    But
    Nobody knows where it is.
Ah, I see the Face of happiness
    In my sleepless heart,
    In my deathless soul,
    In my horizonless Goal.

381. Man, be careful of woman

Sri Ramakrishna said,
Man, be careful of woman.

Mother Kali said,
Son, your advice needs some explanation.

Mother, what I meant was this:
Man, be careful of the human in woman.

Son, still it is not quite clear to me.

Mother, let me simplify it for you.
What I meant was this:
Man, do not use your human eyes to see and corrupt
The divine in woman.

Son, now I understand your philosophy.
    It is simply fascinating,
    It is divinely illumining,
    It is supremely fulfilling.

382. I have inherited

My sister Lily’s love and determination
    I have inherited.

My sister Arpita’s concern and service
    I have inherited.

My brother Chitta’s poetry and sacrifice
    I have inherited.

My brother Hriday’s philosophy and wisdom
    I have inherited.

My brother Mantu’s patience and detachment
    I have inherited.

My sister Ahana’s music and immensity
    I have inherited.

My mother Yogamaya’s psychic tears and surrender
    I have inherited.

My father Shashi Kumar’s inner confidence and outer triumph
    I have inherited.

383. Never

Never
He thinks out of fear;
    Never
He fears to think.
    Never
He loves out of fear;
    Never
He fears to love.
    Never
He becomes one out of fear;
    Never
He fears to become one.
    He thinks only of his life divine,
    He fears only his ignorance,
    He loves only his soul,
    He becomes only his goal.

385. In my case

In my case,
My forgiveness is kind to me.
    In my case,
My ignorance is kind to me.
    In my case,
My Lord is kind to me.

My forgiveness lovingly says:
“I will give you infinite chances
To perfect your life.”

My ignorance cheerfully says:
“Don’t be in a hurry.
I have spoken to the Mother, Eternal Time, about you.
She will wait for you indefinitely;
So, you can take your own time.”

My Lord compassionately says:
“Son, you are a sick man,
You are a weak soldier,
You are a poor seeker.
    Therefore
It is my duty supreme
To do everything within you,
Everything for you.”

386. Hidden treasures

Love is hidden
Even from those who express it.

    Joy is hidden
Even from those who feel it.

    Truth is hidden
Even from those who know it.

    But
God is not hidden
Even from those
Who want Him not,
Who need Him not.

387. Four stories

The story of his vital
    Is unreadable.

The story of his mind
    Is yet unread.

The story of his heart
    Will take time to read.

The story of his soul
    Will never be read.

388. When

When doubt ceases,
Faith begins.
When fear ceases,
Courage begins.
When hatred ceases,
Love begins.
When jealousy ceases,
Oneness begins.

When faith ceases,
    I am lost.
When courage ceases,
    I am caught.
When love ceases,
    I am useless.
When oneness ceases,
    Everything ceases.

389. A reformed character

Woodrow Wilson said:
“I used to be a lawyer,
But now I am a reformed character.”

I say:
I used to be a doubter,
But now I am a reformed character.
I am now a staunch believer.

I used to be a man-hater,
But now I am a reformed character.
I am now a universal lover.

I used to be a truth-examiner,
But now I am a reformed character.
I am now a constant truth-learner.

391. My correspondence-guru

Dear Robert Frost,
To you I immensely owe.
You are my only correspondence-Guru,
And you shall remain so
Forever and forever.
You have freed me and enlightened me
From the correspondence-world.
I humbly repeat your message sublime:
“For God’s sake, don’t give up
Writing to me simply because I don’t write to you.”

392. When I write letters

When I write letters to God,
I tell Him how happy I am.

When I write letters to man,
I tell him how unhappy I am.

When I write to God,
I tell Him how fresh I am.

When I write to man,
I tell him how tired I am.

God’s replies are as follows:
“Dear son, since you are happy and fresh,
Then work hard and more for Me on earth.”

Man’s replies are as follows:
“Dear friend, since you are unhappy
And tired, we want to fire you.
We are looking for another instrument
    To serve us,
    To please us,
    To fulfil us.”

393. A great lesson

I always get a great lesson
From my musical capacity.
It takes all my pride out of me.

I always get a great lesson
From my ceaseless barking.
It takes all my pride out of me.

But
My ever-compassionate Lord,
Out of His infinite Bounty,
Consoles me:
“My son, in your past incarnation
You were a musician of the highest magnitude.
Your soul does not want to eat the same fruit again.
My son, this is not your last incarnation.
I assure you, in your
Next incarnation, without fail,
You will turn over a new leaf.”

394. They talk

Joy talks, but it does not
    Always
Tell the truth.

Love talks, but it does not
    Always
Tell the truth.

Oneness talks, and it
    Always
Tells the truth.
    What is truth?
God’s first invention
    And
Man’s last discovery.

395. His invitations

To cheer his divine birth
He invited the cosmic gods.
The gods simply flew down
To the earth to cheer him, love him, embrace him.

To mourn his human death
He invited his earthly comrades, earthly devotees, earthly adorers.
Some came late,
Some came not at all,
Some just sneered
At his audacious invitation.

396. The difference

O Lord Buddha,
    Please tell me the difference
    Between
Sujata’s sweetmeat
    And
Chunda’s venom-meat.

“Brother, the difference?
    Practically none!
Sujata’s sweetmeat
Helped me openly in unlearning
The lessons of Ignorance.
Chunda’s venom-meat
Helped me secretly in learning
The message of Nirvana.”

397. What did you mean?

O Saviour-Christ,
Please tell me,
What did you mean
By your strongest affirmation:
‘I and my Father are one’?
Tell me in what sense you and your Father are one.

“O dear brother,
Of all people, how is it that You, my wise brother,
Do not understand my simple message?
On earth I am my Father’s Face,
In Heaven I am my Father’s Eye.
In that sense we are one, inseparable.
This is what I meant when I said:
‘I and my Father are one.’”

398. Dear Naren

Dear Naren,
    Did America love you?
“That I don’t know, Chinmoy,
But I loved America and forever shall love America.”

Dear Naren,
    Did America satisfy you?
“That I don’t know, Chinmoy,
But I satisfied America beyond her imagination.”

Dear Naren,
    What will be the fate of America?
“Chinmoy, I love you and bless you
For asking me such a divine question.
You know, brother,
America’s fate is exactly the way
    You and your Supreme see it.
America’s fate is exactly the way
    You and your Supreme feel it.
America’s fate is exactly the way
    You and your Supreme shape it.”

399. Urgent business

Mother Mary, Please tell me, where is your son?
I have been searching and searching for him
In the ecstasy-sun of Heaven.
I have something most important
To discuss with him.

“Son,
Are you here?
For the last ten years
My Jesus has been searching and searching for you
In the ignorance-sea and hell-fire of earth.
He has left me a note saying
He has a piece of urgent business
With you on earth.”

400. My Lord, what will happen?

My Lord, what will happen if I deceive You?
“Son, I shall simply die.”
My Lord, what will happen if You deceive me?
“Son, nothing will happen to you.
Your ignorance-friends
Will console you, strengthen you,
To pay Me back in My own coin.
But in My case, if you, My all,
Ever deceive Me, I shall simply die,
Since I have no other friend and none to call My own.”

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