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.

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.

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.

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.