3101. God's God-Beauty

Purity is God’s
God-Beauty in man.
Purity is God’s
Ever-transcending
And ever-illumining Smile
In man.

3102. Purity in the heart

Purity in the mind
Shortens the road
To self-discovery.

Purity in the heart
Shows the destination
Is nowhere else
But inside the heart itself.

3103. A mind of silence

Many are the ways
To achieve purity in the vital,
But the easiest and most effective way
Is to have a mind of silence.
This mind of silence
Slowly, steadily and unerringly
Enters into the vital
And transforms the impurity of the vital
Into the dynamic purity of the heart.

3104. Three peerless gifts

The simplicity of a child,
The sincerity of a child
And the purity of a child
Are three peerless gifts
That God has granted His creation
Right from its very birth.

3105. Oneness

Love is oneness.
Devotion is the energising strength
And energising power in oneness.
Surrender is the fulfilment
Of the oneness-love of the finite
And the Infinite.

3106. God's unconditional Compassion

Sincerity is absolutely important.
Determination is infinitely
More important.
But God’s unconditional Compassion
Far surpasses the strength of sincerity
And the strength of determination.
Even when both sincerity and determination
Are combined,
They are no match for God’s
Unconditional Compassion.

3107. The ultimate step

We start our journey with sincerity.
This is absolutely the first step.
The immediate next step is determination.
And the ultimate
Beginningless and endless step
Is God’s unconditional Compassion
Which, at the end of our journey’s close,
Grants us success.

3108. The delight of sincerity

When I am in front of God,
His Purity grants me
The delight of sincerity.
And from the delight of sincerity
I shall before long get
The complete satisfaction
Of my oneness-reality with God.

3109. Give me a pure heart

O Lord Supreme,
Give me a pure heart
So that my purity-heart
Can always feel
Not only who You are to me,
But also who I am to You.

3110. Before I reach You

My Lord Supreme,
Do grant me a boon:
Before I reach You,
Do allow my gratitude-heart
To precede me.

3111. The eyes of purity

In the moon I see
The eyes of purity.
In the sun I see
The heart of purity.
In a flower I see
The entire body of purity.

3112. The name of this house

Sweetness, soulfulness and selflessness
Live in the same house,
And this house remains always
In perfect condition.
The name of this house is purity.

3113. My sleepless purity-breath

Purity in giving,
Purity in receiving,
Purity in becoming.
When I give,
I shall give my purity-heart to God.
When I receive anything from God,
I shall receive it
With my purity-mind.
And when I become
A perfect instrument of God,
I shall become so on the strength
Of my sleepless purity-breath.

3114. Obedience in a seeker's life

There was nothing,
There is nothing
And there can be nothing
As important in a seeker’s life
As obedience.

3115. Obedience is the seed

Obedience is the seed,
Obedience is the tree,
Obedience is the fruit
In a truth-seeker’s
And a God-lover’s life.

3116. Humility is the capacity

Humility is the capacity
That expands.
Humility is the capacity
That dives deep within.
Humility is the capacity
That flies high, higher, highest.

3117. Humility achieves everything

Humility achieves everything
By virtue of its self-awareness,
And this self-awareness
Is nothing short of
God’s Oneness with His own creation.

3118. My conscious self-glory

God is always anxious and eager
To forgive me,
But do I care for His Forgiveness?
No!
What do I want from Him?
I want from Him not His Forgiveness
But my conscious self-glory
In a secret way.

3119. Appreciation for my prayer

I ask for forgiveness
And God forgives me.
But then I come to realise
That it was not forgiveness
That I actually wanted from Him.
What I wanted from Him
Was nothing but appreciation
For my soulful prayer.

3120. The inner garden of beauty

Perfection is self-transcendence.
Self-transcendence is the seeker’s
Inner garden of beauty.
Inside that garden of beauty
God is always singing, playing and dancing.

3121. Oneness with the sound-world

Oneness with the sound-world
Tells me that I have the capacity
To become the glorious conqueror
Of the world.

Oneness with the silence-reality
Tells me that I am the capacity
To be the inseparable lover
Of the entire universe.

3122. A sea of ecstasy

When a seeker is blessed
To receive divine Love,
He knows that at every moment
His life is nothing but a sea of ecstasy.

3123. A self-revealing reality

Love is not something
That descends from Above
Or that ascends from below.
No, it is something
That grows and glows
Inside the very depths of my heart —
A self-revealing reality
That has neither beginning nor end.

3124. Two perfect strangers

Cheerfulness and loneliness
Are man’s possessions.
But a life of cheerfulness
And a heart of loneliness
Are two perfect strangers.

3125. Since his soul is hungry

A child has to obey his mother
Since he is fond of a toy.
He has to obey his father
Since he wants money-power.
He has to obey his Master
Since his soul is always hungry
For his Master’s satisfaction.

3126. A new dawn will appear

If you see your mistakes,
Do not think that is enough
To change your life.
You have to know for certain
That each mistake is harmful and hurtful.
Only then will you look
For a new dawn in your consciousness,
And a new dawn, without fail,
Will appear before you.

3127. Your heart's ingratitude-rope

Since everything in life has the capacity
To strangle you,
How, then, do you trust
Your heart’s strong ingratitude-rope?

3128. Roles

Once you have played
Your role,
God will, without fail,
Play His Role in you and for you.
He will give you
His transcendental Beatitude
And
His universal Feast.

3129. Gratitude is the food of faith

Gratitude is the food of faith.
Faith is the food of love.
Love is the food of peace.
Peace is the food of God.

3130. If you want to cry

If you want to live a spiritual life,
Then you must ascend.
If you want to ascend,
Then you must cry.
If you want to cry,
Then you must have
A pure gratitude-heart.

3131. You are weak

You are weak.
That I can easily see.
But why do you want to be stupid, too?
Why are you failing to ask God
To make you strong
Before stupidity plays
Its deplorable role in you?

3132. I fear God

I fear God because
He is infinitely stronger than I am.
I love God because
His is the only Love
That is always unconditional.

3133. Trust Heaven

Trust earth.
You will lose nothing important.
Trust Heaven.
You will gain everything
Otherwise unattainable.

3134. My supreme secret

This morning I told God
My supreme secret:
From today I shall start,
Without fail,
Loving Him unconditionally.
First He smiled,
Then He cried.
Finally He smiled and cried
At the same time.

3135. God sees what we see

God not only sees what we see,
But He also sees infinitely more clearly.
Cleverly, if not shamelessly,
We want God to see
Only what we want Him to see.

3136. Two intruders

A doubting mind and a strangling vital
Are two intruders.
Be careful!
They are trying to pour
Their teeming troubles
Into your smiling and dancing heart.

3137. The situation-cloud

When you are in love
With yourself,
The situation-cloud takes charge
Of you.
When you are in love
With God’s Compassion-Sea,
You take charge
Of the situation-cloud.

3138. God has made you great

You do not have to be
Somebody else.
God has already made you great,
Very great, exceptionally great:
Has He not made you
His direct and choice representative
On earth?

3139. Only two necessities

There are only two necessities
If you want to make
The fastest progress in the inner life:
The heart’s constant willingness
To learn
And the mind’s constant willingness
To unlearn.

3140. When insecurity comes

When insecurity comes,
Contempt also comes.
When contempt comes,
Division also comes.
When division comes,
Destruction also comes.

3141. Please only your heart

If you are not afraid of being unable
To please unpleasant people,
Then why are you afraid of being unable
To please your unpleasant mind?
From now on,
Please only your pleasant heart.

3142. Your faith-power is stronger

You can easily prove to the world
That your faith-power
Is infinitely stronger
Than all your anxiety-chains
Put together.

3143. The reward of faith and humility

The reward of faith and humility
Is always glory,
Founded upon the seeker’s soulful oneness
With God.

3144. God needs your life

If you have an appetite,
That means you have a hunger.
If you have a hunger,
That means God loves your heart
And needs your life.

3145. Do not talk, act!

Do not talk, act!
The more you talk,
The sooner poverty
Will devour you.
The more you act,
The sooner prosperity
Will embrace you.

3146. No whisper

No whisper:
That means no contention.
No contention:
That means perfection.
Perfection:
That means peace.
Peace:
That means satisfaction.

3147. How to achieve more

How to give more,
Infinitely more:
Never close your mind’s door.

How to achieve more,
Infinitely more:
Always keep your heart’s door
Wide open.

3148. If you want God

If you want inspiration,
Then choose beauty.

If you want aspiration,
Then choose truth.

If you want realisation,
Then choose devotion.

If you want God,
Then choose surrender.

3149. Inseparable friends

As sincerity and inner poise
Are inseparable friends,
Even so,
Purity and inner perfection
Are inseparable friends.

3150. Your deplorable involvements

If you are a true pilgrim-seeker
Walking along the inner road,
Then there shall come a time
When your deplorable outer involvements
Will fall away of their own accord.

3151. Your real personality

Your artificial personality
Tortures you mercilessly.
Your real personality
Inspires you constantly.
What is your artificial personality?
Your artificial personality is
Your excessive love for your little “I.”
What is your real personality?
Your real personality is
Your selfless love for God.

3152. Each helpful experience

Each shocking incident in life
I take as a helpful experience.
Each helpful experience in life
I shall take as God’s Satisfaction-Tower
In my humility-life.

3153. We do not know what to become

We know what to say,
We know what to do,
But we do not know what to become.
What are we to become?
God’s constant Satisfaction-Pride.

3154. The company of anxiety

Anxiety comes
Because you do not look within.
Anxiety remains
Because you do not look forward.
Anxiety will always last
Because you secretly enjoy
The company of anxiety.

3155. In spite of everything

In spite of everything,
Keep smiling
In your aspiration-life
And your dedication-life.

In spite of everything,
Keep a burning faith
That God-discovery is your birthright.

3156. If you have the right aim

If you have the right aim,
Then you will definitely reach
The perfect goal.

If you reach the perfect goal,
Then you will realise
That the real God has always been
Yours and only yours.

3157. When Truth invites you

When Truth invites you,
Consciously you reject its invitation.
When God invites you,
Unconsciously you reject His Invitation.
How, then, do you expect
To see the face of Truth,
And feel the Heart of God?

3158. Silence teaches me

In the morning
Silence teaches me.

At noon
Silence corrects me and perfects me.

In the evening
Silence glorifies me.

At night
Silence immortalises me.

3159. Your heart's reality-cry

When you accept the inner life,
Your heart’s reality-cry
Must replace your mind’s imagination-smile.
What is your heart’s reality-cry?
Your heart’s reality-cry
Is nothing other than
God’s own Transcendental Vision-Smile.

3160. If you are sincerely ashamed

If you are sincerely ashamed
Of your greedy desires,
God will smilingly grant you
A ceaseless and powerful
Climbing aspiration-flame.

3161. The greatest fool

He is a fool.
Therefore, he is totally lost
And completely defeated
In the battlefield of life.
You are not only a greater fool
But the greatest fool,
Because he has convinced you
That he can help you attain
Victory’s crown.

3162. The path of disproportionate pride

If you walk on the path
Of disproportionate pride,
Nobody on earth or in Heaven
Will give you a ride
To beauty’s moon and prosperity’s sun.

3163. The burden of power

To bear the burden of power justly
Is an almost impossible task,
But he who knows this fact
Eventually escapes from the shackles
Of power-temptation.

3164. There comes a time

If a sincere seeker
Does not pray and meditate regularly,
There comes a time
When the throbs of his inner pain
Pulse in very rapid succession
In the depths of his soulful heart.

3165. My unsung song

The stars are singing the song
Of infinite Light.

The moon is singing the song
Of eternal Delight.

What remains unsung is my song
Of immortal Height.

3166. Beautiful is my mind

Beautiful is my mind
When it rushes to death
For its self-extinction.

Beautiful is my mind
When it rushes to dawn
For its self-purification.

3167. A lightning-laughter

If you can take your life
As a fleeting lightning-laughter,
Then no black evils
Can stop the flow
Of your heart-river.

3168. Into the chasm of despair

When I sink into the chasm of despair,
I unconsciously invite two things:
A huge frustration-python
And
A ferocious destruction-tiger.

3169. I go to You

I go to You, my Lord,
To seek earthly pleasure
Even in Your infinite inner Wealth.

You come to me, my Lord,
To seek Satisfaction
In my inner and outer poverty.

3170. With a wailing cry

With a wailing cry
My trembling eyes entered the world.
With a winning smile
My heart shall leave the world.

3171. The difference between our songs

The difference between
Your songs, my Lord,
And my songs is this:
The poverty of my songs
Puts You to sleep, disheartened;
The richness of Your songs
Sends me into promising dreams.

3172. The delight of oneness-satisfaction

The pain of division-separation,
My Lord, I can bear.
Now give me the strength to bear
The delight of oneness-satisfaction.

3173. Your unconditional surrender

I love You,
And I can continue loving You.
I serve You,
And I can continue serving You.
Why, my Lord?
Because You have perfectly fulfilled
Your unconditional surrender
To all my earthly whims.

3174. A mind of newness-hope

My Lord Supreme,
Do give me a mind
Of newness-hope;
Do give me a heart
Of fulness-peace.

3175. My mind cries

My Lord,
My mind cries
For Your Voice.
My heart cries
For Your Touch.
My life cries
For Your Smile.
And I cry
For Your lasting Satisfaction in me —
If possible, for me, too.

3176. A lengthening stretch

I call it a lengthening stretch
Of helpless loneliness.
My Lord calls it
My self-styled torturing stretch
Of sinking fruitlessness.

3177. Your aspiring patience-heart

Patience, patience, patience!
Your aspiring patience-heart
Will, without fail,
Take you to see the Eye and Face
Of the authentic God.

3178. Do not forget one thing

You can easily dive
As deep as you want to dive.
You can easily fly
As high as you want to fly.
You can easily go forward
As far as you want to go.
But do not forget one thing:
God’s Compassion and your gratitude
Are constantly preceding you,
Plus leading you.

3179. Do not glorify your stupidity

Do not glorify your stupidity
To draw sympathy from the rest of the world.
Do not glorify your impurity
To draw sympathy from the rest of the world.
Do not glorify your suffering
To draw sympathy from the rest of the world.
If you do not glorify them,
I assure you,
These faults will astonishingly disappear
Sooner than at once.

3180. Unless you give up

Unless you give up playing
With the earthly toys,
How will you be able to receive
The Heavenly diamonds?

Unless you reject
Your mind’s stupidity,
How will you be able to claim
Your heart’s purity as your own,
Very own?

3181. I am determined

I am determined to see something
Behind me.
What is it?
My failure-life.

I am determined to see something
Before me.
What is it?
My purity-heart.

I am determined to see something
Beyond me.
What is it?
My perfect perfection-soul.

3182. What you actually value

What you actually value
In your outer life
Is a tiny leaf inside your mind.

What you actually value
In your inner life
Is a huge banyan tree
Inside your ever-aspiring heart.

3183. Your willingness

Your willingness to transform your own life
Is fast transforming the world around you.
Something more:
Your willingness is the fruit
Of God’s fondest Concern
For your life’s climbing journey.

3184. There is only one miracle

Self-mastery is not a miracle.
God-discovery is not a miracle.
There is only one miracle,
And that miracle is your unbelievable fear
Of self-mastery and God-discovery.

3185. Self-reliance

Self-reliance is not a miraculous power.
Self-reliance is a natural power.
Something more:
Self-reliance is God’s Confidence-Tower
Inside the seeker’s heart-garden.

3186. When your mind is fearful

Life is fearful
When your thoughts are fearful.
Thoughts are fearful
When your mind is fearful.

3187. If you make a perfect choice

If you make a perfect choice,
You will be given a perfect voice.
If you are given a perfect voice,
You will far transcend the world
Of ever-increasing noise.

3188. The only remedy

In the mental world
There is only one disease:
“I know everything.”

In the psychic world
Lies the only remedy:
“God knows everything in me and for me.”

3189. My peculiar way

What tortures me,
My heart and my life-breath, daily,
If not my peculiar way
Of stubborn likes and dislikes?

3190. A stupid thought

A stupid thought
Creates a stupid action.
A stupid action
Creates a stupid man.
A stupid man
Creates a world of his own
Which God’s Vision-Light has no plan to visit.

3191. You have every right

You have every right
To criticise your mind,
For it is your bounden duty
To perfect the mind
And transform it
Into a beautiful God-worshipping flower.

3192. If you want to like yourself

If you want to like yourself,
Then love God first.
If you love God first,
You will not only like yourself,
But also help others to like you
In a soulful and powerful way.

3193. Its prediction is perfect

Your doubting mind
Cannot predict your future.
Your crying heart
Cannot predict your future.
But your smiling soul
Can predict your future,
And it always does.
What is more,
Its prediction is absolutely perfect.

3194. Three life-crowning thoughts

I shall share with the world
Three life-crowning thoughts:
I shall never speak ill of mankind,
I shall transform my inspiration-flames
Into my aspiration-sun,
I shall never fail God
In my God-manifestation.

3195. I am smiling

I am smiling
Because I am God’s son.
I am singing
Because I am God’s servant.
I am dancing
Because I am God’s slave.

3196. A tragically dying passenger

If you have
A ceaselessly thinking mind,
You will have
An unmistakably sinking boat,
And you will discover before long
A tragically dying passenger.

3197. Each problem is an opportunity

You are perfectly right when you feel
That each problem is an opportunity
To strengthen your mind,
Widen your heart
And
Enlighten your life.

3198. The self-improvement-boat

If you are constantly sailing
In the self-improvement-boat,
Then the God-attainment-Shore
Cannot long remain a far cry.

3199. Can you not play your role?

Your mind has played its role.
It has changed you for the worse.
Can you not play your role?
Can you not change your mind for the better?
Lo, your changed mind has presented you
With an unfettered life!

3200. If you are not pure

If you are not pure,
How can you love?
If you do not love,
How can you be happy?
If you are not happy,
How can you succeed
In the desire-world
And how can you proceed
In the aspiration-world?

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the thirty-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.

Editor's note to cover photo

Sri Chinmoy thanks Dr Carlos Romulo, Foreign Minister of the Philippines, for his participation in a programme held in November 1977 by the Meditation Group at the United Nations, commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the Meditation Room at U.N. Headquarters. On that occasion Dr Romulo, who has been active in the United Nations since its inception, said, “All too often passion and conflict rule the day. It is in such moments that we need meditation to look into ourselves and to encounter our God so we may cleanse our spirit and gain needed strength.”