4301. My Lord will carry the world

My Lord tells me
That if I want to carry the world
Inside my confusion-mind,
Then He has no objection.
But if I wish to carry the world
Inside my aspiration-dedication-heart,
Then He will gladly carry it for me.

4302. Every divine duty unfulfilled

Every divine duty unfulfilled
Indicates a new Vision of God
Completely unmanifested.

4303. Give me only one century more

My Lord, give me only one century more.
I shall prepare a place for You
Inside my heart-garden
Which You will definitely
Appreciate and enjoy.

4304. A new and profitable way

My newly-discovered self-dedication
Tells me that anything unused
Or even misused
Can be used in a new and profitable way.

4305. If you keep your mouth shut

If you keep your proud mouth shut,
God Himself will reward you
Far beyond the flight of your imagination.

4306. Two great discoveries

My mind has made two great discoveries
This morning:
A worried mind is disgustingly ugly,
A poised mind is perfectly beautiful.

4307. You have newness

Look what you have:
You have newness
In between
Your soulfulness and your fruitfulness.

4308. Never meet for the last time

A mind
Of increasing purity-light
And a heart
Of increasing purity-delight
Never meet for the last time.

4309. My aspiring vital

My desiring vital has achieved
What it wanted:
An excitement-life.

My aspiring vital is achieving
What it needs:
A contentment-heart.

4310. The first Person to applaud

God wants to be
The first Person to applaud
Your inner illumination
And outer transformation.

4311. The impossibility-land

If you are unmistakably aware
Of what you are,
Then God will smilingly and lovingly
Help you dare
To conquer the impossibility-land.

4312. The way of cheerfulness

Up until now
You have followed your own way:
The way of sadness.
From now on
God wants you to follow His Way:
The way of cheerfulness.
Something more,
He has already started helping you
Most compassionately and most powerfully.

4313. Invoke God's Compassion-Eye

Invoke God’s Compassion-Eye.
It will become part of you
Even before you have completed
Your invocation.

4314. Your soul's freedom-discovery

You have all along believed
In your life’s slavery.
Now God wants you to believe
In your soul’s freedom-discovery.

4315. When I use what I have

When I use what I have —
A commitment-lamp —
God gives me what He has for me —
His Contentment-Sun.

4316. Your confidence-heart

Your confidence-heart need not be
The result of your yesterday’s success.
Your confidence-heart can easily be
The result of your implicit faith
In tomorrow’s most beautiful dawn.

4317. Weakness corrupts the divine

Power corrupts the human in us:
That everybody knows.
Weakness corrupts the divine in us:
That nobody seems to be interested
In knowing.

4318. If you want to be a good man

If you want to be a great man,
Then do not be afraid
Of doing something good,
Thinking that you will perhaps
Make a mistake.
If you want to be a good man,
Then never allow yourself
To make even the tiniest mistake.

4319. Four sorrowful words

Four most sorrowful unreality-words
Are these:
I could have become.

4320. The greatest thing in Heaven

I think the greatest thing on earth
Is my heart’s perfection-cry.
I feel the greatest thing in Heaven
Is my soul’s satisfaction-smile.

4321. Many million steps

From inspiration to aspiration
Is but a single step.
But from aspiration to realisation
Are many million steps.

4322. Why do I blame my mind?

Who allows my mind
To limit my teeming capacities,
If not I myself?
Alas, why do I then unjustifiably
Blame my mind, why?

4323. Live your own life cheerfully

Live your own life cheerfully.
Go beyond your life bravely.
But never be tempted to imitate others,
Never!

4324. The goal of inner progress

As the destination of outer success
Is knowable,
Even so,
The goal of inner progress
Is unknowable.

4325. The role of my life

The role of my mind
Is to conceive.
The role of my heart
Is to believe.
The role of my life
Is to achieve.

4326. I attract divinity to me

When I am in the desire-life,
I repel divinity from me.
When I am in the aspiration-life,
I attract divinity to me.

4327. The only crime

Your unwillingness
Is the only crime
That God does not intend
To forgive.

4328. Each thought is a force

Each thought is a force.
Each force is an experience.
Each experience is either
Ignorance-quantity
Or
Wisdom-quality.

4329. Your proud self-respect

As long as you preserve
Your proud self-respect,
God will not reserve
His Love, His Compassion
Or even His Forgiveness
For you.

4330. Try to go with others

Do not try to go ahead of others.
Your division-life will make you
Bitterly suffer.
Try to go with others.
Your oneness-life will help you
Amazingly prosper.

4331. Better a flower inside your heart

Better a beautiful and soulful flower
Inside your heart
Than a huge, fruitless tree
Right in front of you.

4332. Don't change your heart

Change your mind
If you want to sit at God’s Feet.
Don’t change your heart
If you want to live inside God’s Heart.

4333. Your job

Do not overestimate
Or underestimate yourself.
That is not your job.
Others have decided to do that.
Do not try even to make
A correct estimate of yourself.
God says that is His job.
Your job is to maintain
A soulful heart-cry
And a powerful life-smile.

4334. Best to invoke God's Light

Good to oppose others’ attacks.
Better to ignore their attacks.
Best to invoke God’s Light
To do the needful.

4335. God makes opportunities

For a genuine seeker,
God Himself makes infinitely
More opportunities
Than the seeker can ever find.

4336. A sad failure-life

A sad failure-life
Means an undisciplined vital,
An unillumined mind
And an unsurrendered heart.

4337. Life is a beautiful gift

Life is an amazingly beautiful gift.
You are expected to do
Only one thing with it.
You are to use it with
A careful mind
And
A cheerful heart.

4338. The increase of charm

Force never has any charm.
Love always has charm.
Oneness is the obvious and continuous
Increase of charm.

4339. God likes oneness

Each man is unique
In the purest sense of the term.
Do you know why?
Because God the Creator
And God the creation
Do not like sameness.
But what they do like,
Do you know?
They like oneness.

4340. There is nothing but opportunity

To a pessimist
There is no such thing
As opportunity.

To an optimist
There is nothing but opportunity,
Plus God’s secretly helping Hand.

4341. Nobody has made you impure

Nobody has made you impure.
It is your own mind that has done it.
Nobody has made you insecure.
It is your own heart that has done it.
Therefore, blame not others.

4342. The power of your heart's cry

Between the power of your heart’s cry
And the power of the world’s smile,
If you have to make a choice,
Then in no time choose the former.

4343. To conquer power itself

The discovery of discoveries:
The greatest power
Is to conquer power itself.

4344. Start offering your gratitude-heart

If you want to prepare yourself
For a better life,
Then start offering
Your present gratitude-heart
To your Beloved Supreme.

4345. Praise the force of the Source

Not necessary to praise
The course of manifestation.
But praise the force of the Source.

4346. I shall not forget

I shall not forget
That my outer helpers
Are helpless if not hopeless.

I shall not forget
That my outer well-wishers
Are hopeless if not useless.

4347. The conscious beginning

An unaspiring heart
Is the unconscious beginning
Of man’s gloom-life.

A doubting mind
Is the conscious beginning
Of man’s doom-death.

4348. My sky-vast dream

No matter how many years
I am doomed to live on earth,
I shall not accept the defeat
Of my sky-vast dream.

4349. The silence of love-sky

Unless and until your heart
Can feel the silence of love-sky,
How can you ever own
The oneness of delight-sun?

4350. Because you have the vision-eye

Because you have the vision-eye
Of a daring concentration-spear,
You are bound to succeed
In your outer life of dedication
And proceed
In your inner life of aspiration.

4351. I wish you every favour

My searching mind says
To my aspiring heart,
“I may not be sincere,
But I am kind.
Therefore, I wish you every favour
From your Beloved Supreme.”

4352. An illumining immediacy

When I pray to God,
I notice in His Eye
An illumining immediacy.

When I meditate on God,
I feel in His Heart
A fulfilling intimacy.

4353. Hope is an unparalleled power

To me,
Hope is an unparalleled power
Yet to be recognised.
This power can in no time destroy
The crown of wild frustration.

4354. Your best possession

You have given God your best possession:
A love-flame.
God is now giving you His best possession:
A Perfection-Sun.

4355. An ingratitude-heart

An ingratitude-heart
Is infinitely stronger
Than a traitorous arm.

4356. Large is my inner temple

Smaller than the smallest
May be the outer temple
Where every day I go
To worship my Lord.
But larger than the largest
Is my inner temple
Where every day I go to pray and meditate
With my aspiration-cry and dedication-smile
To become another God.

4357. What self-doubt has done

Do you want to know
What self-doubt has done to you?
Self-doubt has blinded your eyes,
Crippled your legs
And
Punctured your heart.

4358. A mountain-high contradiction

His life is itself
A mountain-high contradiction.
On the one hand,
He wishes to escape the mental jungle.
On the other hand,
He does not feel the need
To live inside the heart
Of his flaming aspiration-temple.

4359. Renounce and then taste

The clever man in me says,
“Taste the world and then renounce.”
The wise seeker in me says,
“Renounce the world and then
Taste the world every day
The way your Beloved Supreme does.”

4360. Your inner faith shall teach you

Your outer faith in God
Shall save you from
The heavy burden of centuries.
Your inner faith in God
Shall teach you
How to play with God,
How to sing with God
And
How to dance with God.

4361. What can your poor life do?

Your mind does not like doubt
But doubt likes your mind.
What can your poor mind do?

Your heart does not like insecurity
But insecurity likes your heart.
What can your poor heart do?

Your life does not like failure
But failure likes your life.
What can your poor life do?

4362. Worthy to be His true child

Remain always cheerful.
You can then tell the entire world
That at least in one way
You are worthy to be His true child.

4363. Discover and uncover

Discover and uncover.
Discover everything in the heart’s world,
Uncover everything in the mind’s world:
This is how you can totally master your life.

4364. Fearful messages

Every day the fear-world
Has fearful messages for you.
But you are under no obligation
To listen to the messages
Of the fear-world.

4365. God-Satisfaction blossoms

God-Satisfaction blossoms
Only inside
My surrender-delight.

4366. Competition

Competition is good,
Provided it is the competition
Of self-transcendence
And not the competition
Of ego-demonstration.

4367. Your inner weaknesses

You may be appreciated
For your outer strength,
But what about your inner weaknesses?
Who will appreciate them?
No one, not even the Compassion-Eye of God.

4368. Never fear defeats

If you are a sincere seeker,
You must never fear defeats,
For each defeat is a future rung
On the satisfaction-ladder.

4369. Present God, future God

My present God
Sings in Heaven and thinks on earth.
My future God
Shall dance in Heaven and sigh on earth.

4370. The heights of satisfaction

If you are cheerful,
God the Compassion will
Not only show you the way
To reach the Himalayan heights of satisfaction,
But also carry you to these highest heights.

4371. The path of the self-giving heart

Once you have chosen the path
Of the self-giving heart,
You have absolutely nothing to do
With the success-calculating mind.

4372. Toil is an outer mask

Toil is not a severe and ruthless task.
Toil is only an outer mask
That hides the inner sunrise.

4373. Do not embellish Truth

Do not try to embellish Truth
With words,
For Truth itself is God,
The all-conquering Beauty.

4374. Simplicity is power

Simplicity is power.
Power either helps us wait
For God’s choice Hour
Or forces us to visit
The Devil’s tower.

4375. My Lord of Love comes to me

With the rising sun
My Lord of Love comes to me.
With the setting sun
My heart of gratitude
I offer to my Lord.

4376. No more pleasure-songs

My vital hears no more
Pleasure-songs.
My mind hears no more
Suspicion-songs.
And I hear no more
Temptation-songs.

4377. Heaven's oneness-fulness-orchestra

If you long for a perfection-life
And God’s Satisfaction-Heart,
Then your heart must join
Heaven’s oneness-fulness-orchestra.

4378. His eyes embody prophecy

His are the eyes that embody
Magic prophecy.
His is the heart that embodies
Authentic ecstasy.

4379. Beauty-soul and divinity-goal

Your sacrificing beauty-soul
And your glowing divinity-goal
Have all along been immediate neighbours.

4380. I am torn between

I am torn between
The untold poverty
Of my desire-life
And the unmeasured prosperity
Of my aspiration-life.

4381. More than sufficient

My Lord, do give me the capacity
To truly love You.
This prayer is indeed efficient.

My Lord, do give me the capacity
To please You always
In Your own Way.
This prayer is indeed more than sufficient.

4382. I have nothing to do

My all-devouring vital tells me
That I can do whatever I want.
My God-loving heart tells me
That I have nothing to do,
For my Lord has already done
Everything for me,
And He will do the same always.

4383. Your heart will prosper

Your undivine life
Will whisper in the dark
And nothing more.

Your divine heart
Will prosper in the light
And even more, even more.

4384. Your one wee heart

God has given you
His two long Dedication-Arms.
Can you not give Him
Your one wee aspiration-heart?

4385. If your mind thinks of liberty

If your mind thinks
Of human liberty,
Then your heart must be crying
For divine prosperity.

4386. At last my life is ready

I have drunk deeply and greedily
The very depths of darkness-night.
At last my life is ready
For the beauty of mystic light.

4387. Don't allow

Don’t allow your mind to have faith
In the illusions of the dawn.
Don’t allow your heart to have faith
In the delusions of the day.
Don’t allow your life to have faith
In the destruction of the night.

4388. Those who deliberately disobey

Those who deliberately disobey
The Will of the Supreme
Will soon be proved to be
The worst possible failures
In this precious incarnation.

4389. Inseparables

My lethargy
And
My Lord’s utter frustration
Are inseparable.

My dynamism
And
My Lord’s complete Satisfaction
Are inseparable.

4390. If you worship God

If you worship God with your voice,
It will be as worthless
As useless noise.

If you worship God with silence-tears,
God will immediately grant you His Boon:
Ignorance-piercing spears.

4391. Patience-sun is the lesson

Patience-flame is the lesson
That our vital has to learn.
Patience-sun is the lesson
That our soul has already learnt.

4392. Don't sleep

Don’t sleep
If you are going to help others.
Don’t sleep
While you are helping others.
Don’t sleep
Even when you unconsciously accept
The responsibility of helping others.

4393. You are blessed

You are blessed
If you are fearless.
You are twice blessed
If you are doubtless.
You are thrice blessed
If your mind is completely thoughtless.

4394. Your soul knows how to fulfil

Your mind knows how to conceal
Its doubtful life.
Your heart knows how to reveal
Its soulful life.
Your soul knows how to fulfil
Its bountiful life.

4395. Increase what you are

Decrease what you have:
Your division-leaves.
Increase what you are:
Your oneness-flower.

4396. Your heart will be nourished

Your heart will be nourished
By the smiling fountain-light
If you do not allow your mind
To hunger for suspicion-night.

4397. Every second counts

Every second counts,
Especially while you are trying
To be a sleeplessly
God-manifesting soul.

4398. Your yesterday's promise

Your yesterday’s promise
Was to see the Face of God.
Your today’s promise
Is to feel the Heart of God.
Your tomorrow’s promise
Will be to obey the Will of God
Sleeplessly.

4399. My Heart's Immortality-Sun

My Lord Supreme,
When I give You my life’s ability-flames,
Do You give me anything in Your Silence-Light?
“Yes, My child,
I give you immediately
My Heart’s Immortality-Sun.”

4400. My eternally open Heart

My Lord, if I give You
All my secret weaknesses this morning
Once and for all,
What will You give me?
“My child, I shall give you
My eternally open Heart
Of Newness-Light and Oneness-Delight.”

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the forty-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 welcomes the United States Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, William J. vanden Heuvel, left, to a Meditation Group programme honouring the late Olympic champion Jesse Owens on 22 April 1980. Shortly after that, vanden Heuvel wrote Sri Chinmoy a note saying that the “tranquil inspiration” he received from the Meditation Group meeting gave him the inner strength and compassion which allowed him to forgive an assailant who physically attacked him at a Security Council meeting a week later. Also pictured, centre, is Ambassador Yehuda Z. Blum of Israel, who attended the programme.