3301. Real joy

Real joy you get
Not when you have something,
Not even when you become something,
But when you come to learn
That you have the capacity
To please God all the time.

3302. Prosperity-palace, purity-cave

The real joy
Is not to be found
In your outer
Prosperity-palace,
But
In your inner
Purity-cave.

3303. A powerful comforter

A tender and blessingful thought
From an illumined soul
Is a powerful comforter
For man’s sorrowful life.

3304. Any eager and intense attempt

Any eager and intense attempt
Will carry the God-lover
Far beyond the domain
Of his own persistent demands.

3305. If your heart can dream of purity

If your aspiration-heart
Can dream of perfect purity,
Then your doubting mind
And craving vital
Will become easily surmountable obstacles.

3306. A sound and happy co-operation

Now that many sincere hearts
And many dedicated lives
Are easily available,
The perfect atmosphere
For a sound and happy co-operation
Is within our easy reach.

3307. Human nature's daily food

Human nature’s daily food
Is teeming doubts,
Increasing fears
And shameless ingratitude.

3308. I need intense concentration

To sit at the Feet of God
I need sleepless concentration.
To feel the Heart of God
I need devout concentration.
To see the Face of God
I need intense concentration.

3309. I shall liberate my mind

My mind,
What you have
Is fearful confusion,
What you are
Is deepening confusion.
But I shall liberate you,
For I unmistakably know
That all your confusion
Is changeable and ephemeral.

3310. God's perfection-experience

The dance of a cosmic god
Inside my aspiration-heart
Is not an incident,
Not an accident,
But God’s sleepless and shadowless
Perfection-experience.

3311. My inexorable fate

Not to think of God
Is my tragic fate.
Not to pray to God
Is my hostile fate.
Not to meditate on God
Is my unthinkable fate.
Not to love God
Is my unforgivable fate.
But to become eventually another God
Is my inexorable fate.

3312. My earth-pilgrimage

I simply do not want to remember
My earth-pilgrimage.
Do you want to know why?
Because during my earth-pilgrimage
I completely ruined my own beautiful body.

3313. My Heaven-pilgrimage

I simply do not want to remember
My Heaven-pilgrimage.
Do you want to know why?
Because during my Heaven-pilgrimage
I completely squandered my God’s
Unconditional Compassion-Boon.

3314. Master, where is light?

Master, where is light, where?
“My son, certainly not inside
Your million desire-cries.”
Master, I know that.
But where is it?
“My son, right inside
Your God-claiming delight.”

3315. Master, where is delight?

Master, where is delight, where?
“My son, certainly not inside
Your countless possession-properties.”
Master, I know that.
But where is it?
“My son, right inside
Your self-giving heart.”

3316. The divine in us enters

Slowly and steadily
The human in us
Enters into flames divine.

Speedily and smilingly
The divine in us
Enters into the Sun-God.

3317. My heart is God's Choice

My heart is God’s Choice.
My life is God’s Voice.
And I am God’s Love-manifesting
Perfection-poise.

3318. Because your heart is detached

Because your vital is unfettered,
Because your mind is uncluttered,
Because your heart is detached,
Your life has become
A God-revealing and Truth-revealed
Vision-reality.

3319. You will be happy

Your vital wants to tear down the earth.
I tell you, even if you succeed,
You will not be happy.

Your mind wants to pierce the sun.
I tell you, even if you succeed,
You will not be happy.

You will be happy only when you feel
Earth’s snow-white love
And Heaven’s blue-gold blessings.

3320. You must learn

O my body, you must learn
How to behave.
O my vital, you must learn
How not to crave.
O my mind, you must learn
How to brave.
O my heart, you must learn
How to pave.
O my soul, you must learn
How to save.

3321. Man has yet to build

Man can build and break
Many, many things,
But he has yet to build
His wisdom-tower
And destroy his ignorance-sovereign.

3322. Where construction ends

Because of the turbulence
In the vital world,
It is difficult to know
Where construction ends
And destruction begins.

3323. My morning and evening questions

In the morning I ask myself:
Why am I so far away from God?

In the evening I ask myself:
Why is God so far away from me?

At night I ask myself:
Are my morning and evening
Questions correct?

3324. A supreme secret

I am telling you
A supreme secret:
Anything that harms you
Can never illumine others.

3325. You do your own duty

You do your own duty:
Discover yourself.
God will do His Duty:
He will prove to the world at large
That you are His choice instrument.

3326. Love has tremendous power

Although love has tremendous power
And is itself tremendous power,
It can never frighten the world.
It knows how to awaken
And it does awaken the world.

3327. Their shameless ignorance-smile

Those who say that spiritual power
Does not exist,
Or even if it exists,
It is almost always ineffective,
Are only bringing to the fore
The height of their shameless
Ignorance-smile.

3328. A fruitful solution

A fruitful solution
Will never be found
In the thick confusion-forest
Of the desire-mind.

3329. God gives you a new heart

When you bravely enter
Into ignorance-night,
God gives you a new heart
To enjoy His Satisfaction-Delight.

3330. You want to change the world

You want to change the world.
The world wants to change you.
You and the world
Should stop thinking of changing each other.
Just allow a third Person
To do the needful.
You know who I mean:
God the only Doer.

3331. You are taking God's job

You want to change the world.
Do you not realise
That you are taking away God’s job?
What has He done
To deserve this kind of punishment from you?

3332. Nothing that God will not do

If you have a sincerity-heart
And a purity-life,
Then there is nothing
That God will not cheerfully and proudly do
In you and through you.

3333. God's Satisfaction-Sun

The inner soulfulness
And
The outer willingness
Will always win
God’s Satisfaction-Sun.

3334. Your vital and mind

Your vital and mind
Are always afraid
That their division-lives
Will sooner or later
Become an open book
To Eternity’s aspiration-heart.

3335. Your own life's dedication-promise

You do not have to believe
Anything else other than
Your own heart’s aspiration-cry,
And your own life’s dedication-promise.

3336. Learn what you need to know

Just ask yourself
Whether you need to know
What you want to know.
If so, delay not.
Learn the thing immediately.

3337. The fountain of immortal life

An aspiration-heart
Is the fountain of immortal Life.
It can easily turn away
From the stark snare of death.

3338. You have transformed your life

Do you know how
You have transformed your life
Amazingly and completely?
You have done so precisely because
You have now learnt the unparalleled art
Of spontaneous living.

3339. I owe God everything

True, I owe God everything.
But there is one thing
I owe Him most,
And that is my gratitude-heart
For my life’s blossoming surrender-flower.

3340. Your life's inner emptiness

Your life’s outer emptiness
Can at most sadden you,
But your life’s inner emptiness
Can and will eventually destroy you.

3341. At times you need outer emptiness

At times you need outer emptiness
So that you can totally and unreservedly
Long for the splendid fruitfulness
Of the inner world.

3342. The fulness of your inner life

Unless and until you have discovered
The emptiness of your outer life,
How will you and why should you
Care for the fulness of your inner life?

3343. He alone lives

He alone lives who lives to see
The perfection of man
And the Satisfaction of God.
He who does not do that
Is definitely more dead than alive.

3344. Changes in our aspiration-life

Changes in our aspiration-life
Have to be accepted as soulfully and cheerfully
As the inspiring and absorbing changes
In the seasons.

3345. A self-fulfilled man

Just because you have
A self-sufficient mind
And
A self-contained life,
You cannot claim to be
A self-fulfilled man.

3346. Because I strive

Because I strive,
My dear Supreme tolerates me.
Because I fail,
My sweet Supreme forgives me.
But there shall come a time
When I shall proceed in the inner world
And succeed in the outer world.
Then and then alone
My Beloved Supreme will bless me
During the day,
And crown me
During the night.

3347. As the years advance upon me

As the years advance upon me, I see
Not only greatness but goodness,
Not only possibility but inevitability
In every little happening in the cosmos.

3348. The worst possible traitor

Now you are your mind’s best lover.
Tell me, will you continue
To love your mind
Even when it proves to be
The worst possible traitor
In the long run?

3349. The past is the foundation

The past is the foundation.
The future is the destination.
The present is the opportunity
To become perfection.

3350. A liberated man

An aspiring God
Is man the blossoming soul.
A liberated man
Is God the fulfilled body.

3351. Conquest of the mind

Conquest of the mind
Is the transformation of man
Leading towards the achievement
Of God-Perfection.

3352. Newness precedes soulfulness

Newness precedes soulfulness.
Soulfulness precedes oneness.
Oneness precedes fulness.

3353. My heart's contribution

My heart’s contribution
Has to be unconditional.
My mind’s claim
Has to be impartial.

3354. I came from the unknowable

I came from the unknowable
To the unknown,
And I shall not only go
To the known
But also become one and inseparable
With the knowable.

3355. To ascend and transcend

My Lord, do grant me
Your Immortality’s Fountain-Vision
To ascend to and then transcend
All dimensions of Heaven-free Time.

3356. Selfishness-cat

Selfishness-cat opens its eyes
In the narrow mind-room
And closes its eyes
In the shallow vital-lake.

Selflessness-lamb opens its eyes
In the heart’s beauty-room
And keeps them open
In life’s duty-palace.

3357. A strange but peaceful smile

What is life?
A weak and sick smile.
What is death?
A strange but peaceful smile.

3358. Yours are the blessingful Hands

My Lord Supreme,
Yours are the blessingful Hands;
Mine are the waiting life
And hungry heart.

3359. One question worth asking

There is only one question
Worth asking:
“What is it that so often carries me away
From the Compassion-Heart
Of my Beloved Supreme?”

3360. God's Forgiveness-Eye

God’s Forgiveness-Eye
Will definitely be victorious
Over all your excruciating sufferings.
Just wait prayerfully and soulfully
For God’s choice Hour.

3361. The world's good opinion

If you lend your ears,
The world will love you
And announce that you are perfect.
For the sake of the world’s good opinion,
Would it not be wise
To lend your ears
And restrain your powerful tongue?

3362. Desperation ends

Desperation ends
Either in frustration
Or in illumination.
Why can’t you and I
Transform our hurtful desperation
Into a powerful illumination?

3363. You try to exploit God

You are stupid.
Therefore others exploit you.
You are useless.
Therefore you exploit yourself.
You are unthinkable.
Therefore you try to exploit God.

3364. Unless your heart has wisdom

Unless your heart has abundant wisdom-light,
Don’t try to associate with those
Who are in the depression-frustration-world,
For you will be mercilessly caught
And entirely devoured
By their depression-frustration-dragon.

3365. They are deeply interested

They are deeply interested in you,
Not because you are great,
Not because you are good,
But because they can fool you,
Exploit you and finally reach
The acme of their satisfaction.

3366. Your God-given sincerity

Your God-given sincerity alone
Can tell you how many times
And in how many ways
You have exploited
Your childlike innocence-heart.

3367. Who is on your side?

Who is on your side
Early in the morning?
God’s Oneness-Life.
Who is on your side
During the entire day?
God’s Compassion-Eye.
Who is on your side
During the entire night?
God’s Forgiveness-Heart.

3368. Do not be a fool!

Do not be a fool!
Do not mistake ignorance-silence
For wisdom-poise.
Ignorance-silence is what the world has.
Wisdom-poise is what the world
Desperately and constantly needs.

3369. You have to rebel

In the morning
You have to rebel against
Your teeming doubts.
In the evening
You have to rebel against
Your struggling frustrations.
Then only your outer life will be
The life of success-sword,
And your inner life will be
The life of progress-crown.

3370. Eternally fruitful

Ignorance-night
Is absolutely useless.
Knowledge-light
Is spontaneously beautiful.
Wisdom-delight
Is eternally fruitful.

3371. What you actually want

Make sure you know
What you actually want.
Do you want to possess the world
Or do you want to free yourself
From the world?

3372. Your useless mind

Your useless mind is the fault
Of your spiritual poverty.
But your soulful heart is the embodiment
Of your perfection-light.

3373. An absurd expectation

If you cannot enjoy
Your own company,
How do you expect
The rest of the world
To enjoy your company?
Is it not an absurd expectation?

3374. Two things are always real

Many things you have,
But only two things are always real,
And these two things are
Your oneness-life
And your satisfaction-heart.

3375. Is there anything you cannot accomplish?

If you have the inner soulfulness
And the outer willingness,
Then on earth is there anything
That you cannot accomplish?
No!
A definite no!
An unmistakable no!

3376. The meaning of sacrifice

Do not use the word sacrifice
At every moment.
Do you know its actual meaning?
I am sure you will say you do not.
The actual meaning of sacrifice is
An eternally vast oneness-heart.

3377. Never use the word gratitude

Never use the word gratitude
Unless you know how to live it
Inside the world of your aspiring heart.

3378. The song of innocence

The dance of pretence
Never ends.
The song of innocence
Never begins.

3379. By far the best

To be within ourselves
Is good.
To be above ourselves
Is better.
To be only for God
Is by far the best.

3380. God-dreamers and God-lovers

Anyone who devotedly supports God’s Will
Should be unreservedly helped
By those who claim to be
God-dreamers and God-lovers.

3381. The divinity of the unknowable

We like the sincerity
Of the known.
We love the purity
Of the unknown.
We adore the divinity
Of the unknowable.

3382. God is everything

Our desire-life knows
That God has everything.
Our aspiration-life knows
That God is everything.
Our realisation-life knows
That God has, God is
And God does everything.

3383. God will protect you

God will protect you
From your destructive doubts,
If you protect your sincerity-flower
From your insincerity-thoughts.

3384. My life needs intensity

What my mind needs
Is quality.
What my heart needs
Is quantity.
And what my life needs
Is intensity.

3385. To change your life

To change your outer life
What you need
Is determination-strength.

To change your inner life
What you need
Is patience-length.

3386. Perfect strangers

Wild excitement
And calm contentment
Are perfect strangers
To each other.

3387. Inseparable friends

The purity of your seeking mind
And the beauty of your aspiring heart
Shall always remain
Inseparable friends.

3388. I know what God has for me

I do not know who God is.
I do not know where God is.
But I do know and feel
That God has for me
His Eternity’s Love
And
His Immortality’s Concern.

3389. The outer and inner teachers

The outer teacher tells me,
“Run, you will reach the goal.”
The inner teacher tells me,
“Dive, you will not only see the goal,
But also become the goal itself.”

3390. Conquer yourself

Conquer yourself.
You will be so happy, pleased and proud
That you have not desired
To conquer others.

3391. If you want God's Goodness

If you want God’s Greatness,
God will definitely give you
His Greatness.

If you want God’s Goodness,
He will give you not only
His Goodness,
But also two more things:
His Oneness and His Fulness.

3392. Only the unaspiring qualities

Only the unaspiring qualities will fight,
And not the aspiring qualities.
Fear and doubt are two unaspiring qualities.
Courage and faith are two aspiring qualities.
The weak darkness and the strong darkness
Constantly fight;
But not the iota of light
And the effulgence of light.

3393. Man crawls towards God

The difference between man and God
Is this:
Man unknowingly crawls towards God;
God compassionately runs towards man.

3394. Man thinks that he has God

The difference between man and God
Is this:
Man thinks that he has God;
God knows that man is God.

3395. Your heart will be all right

If your mind is confused,
Do not worry.
Your mind will be all right
Long before you can ever imagine.

If your heart is burdened,
Do not feel sorry.
Your heart will be all right
Long before you can ever imagine.

3396. Our aspiration-cry can do that

No amusement park,
No distraction-game
Can ever take away
Our heart’s pain.
Only our aspiration-cry
Can do that
And will do that.

3397. The fruit of a transformation-life

How can you have the fruit
Of a transformation-life
Unless you have the flower
Of a perfection-mind?

3398. Man is perfect

Man is perfect
When he is
His Eternity’s cry.

Man is perfect
When he is
His Immortality’s smile.

3399. What your heart is

Suppressed anger:
This is what your mind has.
Inner calmness:
This is what your heart is.

3400. Ignore the pains of your body

Ignore the pains of your body,
Ignore!
You will be unmistakably happy.

Silence the demands of your vital,
Silence!
You will be unbelievably happy.

Destroy the doubts of your mind,
Destroy!
You will be unimaginably happy.

Remember the purity of your heart,
Remember!
You will be unceasingly happy.

Remember God’s Pride in you,
Remember!
God will be unreservedly happy with you.

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the thirty-fourth 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 discussed Vedic poetry and Sanskrit etymology with Dr Kristjan Eldjarn, President of Iceland, during a meeting in Reykjavik in the summer of 1974. “The esoteric meaning of the Vedas,” Sri Chinmoy said, “can only be understood by prayer and meditation.” Later, commenting on Iceland, Sri Chinmoy said, “In Iceland I see 75 per cent Indian peace, 20 per cent European clarity and 5 per cent American dynamism.”

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-3393: and 3394 FFP 125