2601. Nothing to become

The human in me tells me:
I want to be.

The divine in me tells me:
I can be
Because I want to be.

The Supreme in me tells me:
I have nothing to become
For I am already
God’s Eternity’s Satisfaction-Fruit.

2602. Take the tempest out

My Lord,
Do take my mind
Out of the tempest.
“My child,
Let Me take the tempest
Out of your mind first.”

2603. What is precious?

What is precious?
My dedicated oneness-heart.
What is not precious?
My accumulated ego-strength.

2604. I need your heart

My Lord, my Lord,
I need Your Heart.
Therefore,
I love Your Eye.

“My child, My child,
I love your heart.
Therefore,
I need your life.”

2605. Who says that God forgets?

Who says that God remembers
Everything?
Does He remember
My animal past?

Who says that God forgets
Everything?
Does He forget
My heart’s gratitude-bud?

2606. I was unprepared

I was unprepared for two things:
My mind’s illumination-dream
And
My heart’s perfection-cry.

2607. I shall not interrupt you

My Lord said to me:
“I shall not interrupt you, My son.
Say whatever you want to say.”
I said to Him:
“I shall not interrupt You, Father.
Give me whatever You want to give.”

2608. One thing wrong

There is just one thing wrong
In my life:
My Lord is still missing,
Missing inside my imagination-sky.

2609. I do not know

My Lord, I love You.
But I do not know
How deep my love is.

My Lord, I need You.
But I do not know
How sincere my need is.

2610. A free access

I just want to tell you
About the illumination inside my mind.
The beautiful thing about it is,
It has a free access
To the ultimate Goal.

2611. Duty comes first

My Lord, duty comes first
In Your Life.
Therefore, I love You
And I am dying to make You
My own.

My Lord, pleasure comes first
In my life.
Therefore, I hate myself
And I am desperately trying
To disown myself.

2612. Your arms are for extension

My Lord,
Your Arms are for extension,
To extend towards me.
My arms are for perfection,
To fight for perfection
In my outer life.

2613. My Lord loves me

Because
My mind is not confused,
My Lord loves me powerfully.

Because
My heart asks me who I am,
My Lord loves me proudly.

2614. When we share our struggles

My heart,
When you and I share our struggles,
We at once reduce
Our imperfection-height
And increase
Our perfection-length.

2615. My meditation tells me

My short meditation tells me:
God can and does see me
All the time.

My long meditation tells me:
I can and will see God
If I really and desperately want to.

2616. Think of others

Think of others.
Your heart will be pleased
With you.

Free others from your snare.
Your God will be pleased
With you.

2617. No and yes

Say “No”
When you have to;
Say “Yes”
When you want to.
This is how you can succeed
In your world of self-dedication.
This is how you can proceed
In your world of self-illumination.

2618. Aspiration is an achievement

Aspiration is an achievement
In the world that evolves.
Realisation is an achievement
In the world that eternally is.

2619. Two needed friends

Purity, my needed friend,
Where have you been for so long?
Humility, my needed friend,
Where have you been for so long?
Now that you two have come back to me,
Please do not desert me.
I shall in every way
Feed your inner hunger.

2620. The warmth of your realisation-sun

The flow of your inspiration-river
Is surprising.
The glow of your aspiration-mountain
Is astonishing.
The warmth of your realisation-sun
Is fulfilling.

2621. No more advice

Please, no advice, outer world!
My mind, which is my inner world,
Constantly advises me.
If I accept its advice,
I suffer.
If I do not accept its advice,
I suffer.
My mind is enough
To torment me, O world.
I need no more advice from anyone,
Anywhere.

2622. Originality

There is another reason
Why I do not admire mankind.
Most people are afraid of originality.
They do not dare to embrace newness.
For me, originality
Is the blossoming and fulfilling reality
Of tomorrow’s dawn,
Which embodies God-Satisfaction
Here on earth
And
There in Heaven.

2623. I love the pristine beauty

I love the pristine beauty
Of a flower-flame.
I love the pristine purity
Of a flower-lamp.
I love the pristine reality
Of a flower-life.

2624. He is already occupied

He is already occupied.
Do you know what he is occupied with?
He is occupied,
Consciously and constantly,
With one desire,
And that is the desire for God.

2625. Renounce, renounce!

Renounce, renounce!
If you do not renounce,
Then your dark attachment-world
Will, without fail,
Either in the near future
Or in the distant future,
Drown your stupendous glory.

2626. He has divorced three things

He has divorced three things:
He has divorced
His old futile reasons.
He has divorced
His doubtful poison-mind.
He has divorced
His over-estimated confidence-personality.

2627. Earth cannot answer

Earth cannot answer
Why he does not
And cannot smile.
Heaven cannot answer
Why he does not
And cannot unburden himself.
God does not want to answer
What he does
With his insecurity-heart.

2628. If you want to please a false God

If you want to please a false god,
Then you do not have to go far.
In fact, you do not have to go anywhere.
Start pleasing your noble self
Right away.

2629. Your imperfection-repetition

Your imperfection-repetition
I do not mind.
Do you know why?
Because I am breathlessly in love
With your heart-nest
And also with your soul-bird.

2630. Few in number

They are few in number
Who listen to God.

They are fewer in number
Who partially satisfy God.

They are fewest in number
Who try to unburden God.

2631. Be conscious of your strength

Be conscious of your outer strength.
You will be divinely powerful.
Be conscious of your inner strength.
You will be supremely peaceful.

2632. You have sailed a long way

If you are aware of the fact
That you are in trouble with yourself,
Then you have already sailed a long way
Towards the Golden Shore.

2633. How can I stop destroying myself?

My Lord,
How can I stop destroying myself?
“My child,
Empty your mind to house Me,
Purify your heart to spread Me.”

2634. Your lack of outer wealth

Your lack of outer wealth
Has made you sad.
Alas!

Your desire for outer wealth
Is making you bad.
Alas, alas!

Your possession of outer wealth
Will turn you mad.
Alas, alas, alas!

2635. Turning on the switch

O my mind,
You are failing me mercilessly.
Therefore, I am turning off
The switch.

O my heart,
You want to tutor me affectionately,
Plus free of charge.
Therefore, I am turning on
The switch.

2636. My mind's trial period

Tomorrow shall mark the end
Of my mind’s trial period.
My aspiration-heart
Shall be the judge.
Its verdict
Unquestionable shall remain.

2637. The lives of arguments end

The lives of all arguments end
Only where the heights of truth
Remain unparalleled.

2638. My great days

My great days
Mean my inspiring days.

My good days
Mean my pure days.

My dull days
Mean my unaspiring days.

My dark days
Mean my defeated days.

2639. Make your choice

Make your choice:
Either cherish anger towards others
And perish,
Or liberate yourself totally
From others.
If you make the right choice,
You are bound to be happy.

2640. A soulful smile

In the inner world
A soulful smile
Is a guide.

In the outer world
A soulful smile
Is a blessing.

2641. Wisdom-sun

Knowledge-sun
Is the explanation
Of all things.

Wisdom-sun
Is the perfection
Of all things.

2642. Who will lead you?

Will you reform yourself?
If you can do so,
You will move along
The road of perfection.
And who will lead you?
You know!
God the Satisfaction.

2643. The fountain of forgiveness

God has already given you
A most precious thing:
The fountain of goodness.

Now He will be giving you
The most precious thing:
The fountain of forgiveness.

2644. Another name for man

Impatience
Is another name for man.
Therefore,
How can he enter
The garden of Infinity’s delight?

2645. The lamp of faith

You cannot force faith
Into a man’s mind.
You can only tell him
That his heart’s home of peace
He will never discover
Unless he constantly burns
The lamp of faith
Within himself.

2646. He knows the secrets of Heaven

He knows the secrets of Heaven
Because
His mind is now
All attention,
His heart is now
All obedience
And his life is now
All willingness.

2647. An atom-weight of goodness

An atom-weight of goodness
Has helped him shake off
The heaviest weight
Of self-deception and life-imperfection.

2648. God will wait for you

God will wait for you
With patience-light,
Only if you are willing
To abide by His Will,
Even in the evening of your life.

2649. If you do not know the truth

If you know the truth,
You will not be questioned.
If you do not know the truth,
You will be not only tortured
By your superiors
But also ridiculed
By your inferiors.

2650. Two supreme Realities

Do not descend from Heaven
After me.
My heart will feel miserable.

Do not descend from Heaven
Before me.
God will not appreciate it.

God has two supreme Realities:
Togetherness-life
And
Oneness-heart.

2651. The splendour of the firmament

My mind will be able to climb
To its appointed heights
And feed itself
With the splendour of the firmament
Only when it plays the role
Of the preserver-smile
And not the role
Of the destroyer-laughter.

2652. The road of a defeated life

If you live
In the chaos of thought
And in the market of temptation,
Then fear will chase you
Along the road of a defeated life.

2653. False discoveries

So little to love,
So much to be loved!
So little to give,
So much to receive!
Indeed, these false discoveries
Have marked the end
Of humanity’s progress.

2654. Every day I water Heaven

Every day I water Heaven
With the tears of my heart
So that I can live
My beautiful, soulful
And powerful childhood
Once again.

2655. His Eternity's Sunrise

Last night my Lord Supreme
Secretly came,
Secretly stole away
My night of desire
And secretly left
His Eternity’s Sunrise
Inside my heart
For me to use in my own way.

2656. If truth comes first

If truth comes first
In your life,
Then you do not have to
Explain anything to the world,
For your eyes become
The explanation of all things
Big and small.

2657. Unless you reform yourself

Unless you reform yourself
And enjoy the fruits
Of transformation-light,
You will deny your mind
And rebel against your vital.

2658. God does not forget!

God does not forget!
You will be questioned.
Before you
Will be God the Frustration.
Behind you
Will be God the Destruction.

2659. A new hunger-dawn

My desires have destroyed me.
My doubts have destroyed me.
I am troubled constantly by fears.
I must invent a new hunger-dawn
In my life.

2660. Unconditional Forgiveness

My heart knows,
My mind knows not.
My heart knows
When it is disobedient to God.
My mind does not know
That God can be unconditional Forgiveness.

2661. You can conquer fate

Who says that there
Is no weapon against fate?
You can conquer your fate
If you sow the seed of patience
And
Reap the fruit of will.

2662. Make the right choice

Either love your big dream
Or surrender to your small reality.
Make the right choice
If you want to be permanently happy.

2663. He has renewed himself

He has renewed
His mind and heart.
His mind will have
A timeless extension of vastness.
His heart will have
A boundless expansion of oneness.

2664. Supreme discoveries

In the morning
My supreme discovery is:
“I am, therefore I think.”

In the evening
My supreme discovery is:
“I think, therefore I am.”

In the morning
God tells me
His own supreme discovery:
“I am, therefore I love.”

In the evening
God tells me
His own supreme discovery:
“I love, therefore I am.”

2665. Inside a sweet dream

Inside a sweet dream
I see a perfection-ascending man.
Inside a clear reality
I see a Satisfaction-descending God.

2666. What follows a man of silence?

What follows a man of silence?
Eternity’s perfection-train.
What follows Eternity’s perfection-train?
Immortality’s roaring and reigning lion.

2667. One unforgivable mistake

Since you want to know the truth,
I am telling you that I have made
Only one unforgivable mistake
Which I am unable to rectify,
And that is:
I do not want to unlearn
The information my mind has given me
Over the years.

2668. Fill the heart

Empty the mind!
Lo and behold,
Right in front of you
There is a fountain of peace.

Fill the heart!
Lo and behold,
Right in front of you
There is a fountain of bliss.

2669. Each blazing warrior-soul

Each blazing warrior-soul
Is God in preparation
For His own ever-transcending Self
Inside the Satisfaction-Dream
Of His ever-transcending Vision-Reality.

2670. Sleep and dream

Sleep and dream.
If you sleep,
You will go beyond hope’s reach.
If you dream,
You will expedite God’s Manifestation-Promise
Here on earth
And God’s Satisfaction-Delight
There in Heaven.

2671. God's moonlit Thought

Finally his curiosity-mind
Has left him for good.
His mind now is replaced
By God’s moonlit Thought
And sunlit Will.

2672. God's dinner

Realisation — what is it,
If not the soul’s breakfast?

Manifestation — what is it,
If not Heaven’s luncheon?

Satisfaction — what is it,
If not God’s dinner?

2673. The only pain-killer

The one and only pain-killer
Is a smile from Above.
The one and only joy-builder
Is a promise from within.

2674. The daring concentration-spear

Who can overthrow your dreams?
Nobody!
Why?
Because yours are the eyes
That are the daring concentration-spear.

2675. The tears of my heart

The tears of my heart
Have decreased my journey’s length
And increased my God-hunger
For God in God Himself.

2676. Rich and poor

He is at once rich and poor.
His heart is soulfully rich
Before God’s Vision-Eye.
His mind is powerfully poor
Before God’s Reality-Day.

2677. Truth never descends

Truth never descends.
Truth never compromises.
Truth is satisfied only when
It sees everything and everyone
At its own Himalayan height.

2678. Man's honesty-boat

Man’s honesty-boat,
Earth’s appreciation-river,
God’s Satisfaction-Shore:
These three live for one another.

2679. A flowing dream

Cheerfulness
Is a flowing dream.
Willingness
Is a glowing reality.
Fruitfulness
Is a fulfilling peace.

2680. O my aspiration-child

O my aspiration-child,
I know, I know
You will always succeed
In winning the Perfection-Eye
And Satisfaction-Heart
Of our Beloved Supreme.

2681. The world loves to examine

The world loves to examine me.
I love to examine
My tomorrow’s goal.
God loves to examine
His own Perfection-Seed inside me.

2682. Ego-life

The morning and the evening
Are two totally different realities.
But the morning of ego-life
And the evening of ego-life
Always and always
Remain the same,
Unchangeable in oneness-bond.

2683. Drown your glory

Drown your own glory
If you want a life of peace.
Frown at your own victory
If you want a heart of delight.

2684. Revive not old desires!

Revive not your old desires!
If you revive your old desires,
In a moment
Your inner life and outer life
Will become a perfect failure
In annihilation’s waste.

2685. Three everlasting penalties

Three everlasting penalties
In my life:
God will not knock
At my heart’s door.
I do not know
Who I truly am.
My mind has sold me
To ignorance-night.

2686. God-hearers

God-hearers are
At every place.
God-doers are
At a few places.
God-lovers are
Nowhere to be found.

2687. You have accomplished something

Once you know that enthusiasm
Is the immediate neighbour of lethargy,
Then you have really accomplished something
Great and good
In your life of alertness
And your heart of willingness.

2688. O my beautiful hope-soul

Hope, O my beautiful hope-soul,
You are always celestial.
Reality, O my hard reality-body,
You are always terrestrial.

2689. Gratitude is something in our heart

Gratitude is something in our heart
That helps us
Transcend our experience of earth
And
Intensify our realisation of God.

2690. What I call enthusiasm

What I call my own enthusiasm,
God calls His own Self-expression.
What I call my own sincerity,
God calls His own Self-perfection.

2691. My self-transcendence-life

My prayer-life
Is my sound-life.
My meditation-life
Is my silence-life.
My surrender-life
Is my self-transcendence-life.

2692. I choose freedom

I choose freedom.
Therefore, I monitor my words.

I choose freedom.
Therefore, I restrict my mind.

I choose freedom.
Therefore, I encourage my heart.

I choose freedom.
Therefore, I enjoy my surrender-oneness
With my Beloved Supreme.

2693. God and I shall call it

Yesterday I called it
My inspiration.
Today I am calling it
My Lord’s instruction.
Tomorrow God and I shall call it
Our Satisfaction-Manifestation.

2694. I claim

I claim and I claim.
In the inner world I claim
God’s Acceptance-Sea.
In the outer world I claim
Man’s renunciation-waves.

2695. Your prayers are important

Your prayers are important
Only if you think
That God is important in your life.

God is important
Only if you think
That you are important to your soul.

2696. God cares for you

If you are apt to think
That you have problems,
Can you not be apt to think
Something more:
God cares for you
Beyond your imagination’s flight.

2697. One thing more

My Lord, You are telling me
That I am free.
Needless to say,
I am happy to hear that.
My Lord, if You really want
To make me happier than the happiest,
Then do tell me one thing more
Once and for all:
“My child, you are forgiven.”

2698. Have faith

Have faith in yourself.
You will have a new heart of assurance.

Have faith in God.
You will have a new life of accomplishment.

2699. My Lord strengthened

My Lord strengthened
My aspiration.
My Lord guides
My realisation.
My Lord shall direct
My satisfaction.

2700. My search ends

In the morning
My search for realisation ends
Inside my Lord’s Compassion-Heart.

At noon
My search for perfection ends
Inside my Lord’s Vision-Eye.

In the evening
My search for satisfaction ends
At my Lord’s Beauty-Feet.

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the twenty-seventh 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.

Editor's note to cover photo

President Aristides Royo of Panama warmly welcomes Sri Chinmoy to a reception his country was hosting at the United Nations on 30 September 1981. When President Royo learnt that Sri Chinmoy had composed a song in his honour, he requested the United Nations singers to perform it then and there. Over the years Sri Chinmoy and his Meditation Group at the United Nations have held a number of joint programmes with Panama. In recognition of this long outstanding relationship, and of Sri Chinmoy’s many other contributions to world peace, this past August Panama conferred on Sri Chinmoy its highest national decoration, the Grand Cross of the Order of Balboa.

Editor's note

Some poems in this first edition were later selected by the author for a special collection of 207 Flower-Flames (FFP). The author also chose to revise some of his original poems for this anthology:

FF-2602: FFP 109 (revised version).
FF-2650: FFP 110 (revised version).