4501. My life's only opportunity

The Smile of my Lord’s
Silence-Eye
Is my life’s only
Opportunity
And my heart’s only
Satisfaction.

4502. I am offering

I am offering
My sleeping body-elephant
To my Lord Supreme.

I am offering
My devouring vital-tiger
To my Lord Supreme.

I am offering
My hesitating mind-horse
To my Lord Supreme.

I am offering
My running heart-deer
To my Lord Supreme.

I am offering
My roaring soul-lion
To my Lord Supreme.

4503. My heart's soulfulness

My heart’s
Childlike soulfulness
Is my life’s
Godlike fulness.

4504. Do find me a place

My Lord Supreme,
Do find me a place
Where I can keep my heart’s
Reality-blossoming hopes
In this world of unending despair.

4505. As soon as I see my life not aspiring

As soon as I see my life not aspiring,
I shall catch it,
Threaten it,
Punish it,
Purify it,
Illumine it
And, finally, liberate it
So that it can become the choice instrument
Of my Lord Supreme.

4506. If you can surrender

If you can surrender to the unknown,
Then only can you derive
Complete satisfaction from the unknowable.

4507. Never afraid

The mind is never afraid
To doubt and suffer.
The heart is never afraid
To give and receive.
The soul is never afraid
To watch and enjoy.
God is never afraid
To smile and transcend.

4508. Do not waste

Do not waste
The clarity of your mind.
Do not waste
The purity of your heart.
Do not waste
The beauty of your life.
They are so gracious,
They are so precious.

4509. Try to be pleased with yourself

Try to be pleased with yourself
All the time.
Then you will not be hounded
By worries and anxieties,
Even if they are warranted.

4510. God sizes my heart

God sizes
My soulful heart
Before He prices
My fruitful life.

4511. To become divinely great

The only way to become
Divinely great
Is to be ready to meet any danger.

The only way to be
Supremely good
Is to be ready to destroy temptation.

4512. If you do not look for the results

If you do not look for the results,
Your heart will definitely
Be purified,
And your life will unmistakably
Be deified.

4513. Two most special achievements

A pure heart
And a self-giving life
Are two most special achievements
In a God-loving seeker’s life.

4514. Everybody wants to crush

Everybody wants to crush.
Therefore, everybody is bound to crash.
Everybody wants to mock.
Therefore, everybody is bound to be humiliated.

4515. The frown of impossibility

If you are bold enough
To brave anything,
Then the frown of impossibility
Can never prevail against you.

4516. The quintessence of spirituality

The essence of religion:
Fear God and obey God.
The quintessence of spirituality:
Love God and become another God.

4517. Never lose your precious treasure

Never lose your precious treasure:
Your aspiration-choice.
Never lose your precious victory:
Your dedication-joy.

4518. What can oneness do?

What can oneness do?
It can give me satisfaction-delight.
What can oneness do?
It can bring down God’s
Transcendental Smile.

4519. Before you can see Infinity's Beauty

Salvation you need
Before you can see Infinity’s Beauty.
Liberation you need
Before you can become Divinity’s Immortality.

4520. What kind of faith is it?

What kind of faith is it
If it demands constant repair?
What kind of surrender is it
If it demands constant reward?
What kind of perfection is it
If it demands constant satisfaction?

4521. Only one friend

For me there is only one friend,
And that friend is
My heart’s ever-blossoming faith.
I need no second friend.

4522. The world of Silence-Peace

Not here but far away
Is the world of Silence-Peace.
Here and nowhere else
A God-realised soul shall bring
That world of Silence-Peace.

4523. I am starting over

Ask me no more
Why I no longer pray to God.
Ask me no more
Why I no longer meditate on God.
The past is all dust.
I am starting over again.
Lo, I have already started!

4524. A purity-flooded saint

The will that makes
A purity-flooded saint
Will not remain far away
If you desperately and sleeplessly
Cry for it.

4525. If you can soulfully smile

If you can soulfully smile
Within and without,
Then only
Your God will multiply your heart’s love,
Your life’s perfection and
Your soul’s satisfaction.

4526. Your mind's unchanging newness

If you can look at the world
With your mind’s unchanging newness,
Then God will clasp you
With His unending Goodness.

4527. Do you know where your mind is?

Do you know where your mind is?
Your mind is with
Your frustration-night.

Do you know where your heart is?
Your heart is with
Your aspiration-day.

Do you know where your life is?
Your life is in between
God’s Compassion-Eye
And
God’s Illumination-Heart.

4528. Let us not waste time

Let us not waste time.
If we waste time,
Time will not only waste us
But also destroy us.

4529. Your determination-arrow

Today you may use
Your imagination-blanket
To cover your teeming weaknesses.
But tomorrow you must use
Your determination-arrow
To pierce your teeming weaknesses.

4530. To conquer others' minds

To conquer my mind
I need a climbing aspiration-flame.
To conquer others’ minds
I need an abiding dedication-sun.

4531. God-Realisation at a discount

God will never allow
A real spiritual Master
To grant his disciples
God-realisation at a discount.

4532. God knows I am His son

I think I am a beggar.
Therefore, I feel always
My unlimited incapacities.

God knows I am His son.
Therefore, He uses His Vision-Eye
To play all the time
With my unlimited capacities.

4533. My Lord uses His Silence

My Lord uses His Silence
To bring to the fore
My divine capacities,
And not to take note of
My human incapacities.

4534. An increase of suffering

When the mind dreams of darkness,
The heart immediately sees
A tremendous increase
In its burden of suffering.

4535. If your life is blessed

If your life is blessed
With the vision of your Inner Pilot,
Then yours will be a heart
That can never be sad
Or despondent.

4536. Chasten your impure life

Chasten your impure life.
Your heart will automatically hasten
Towards the Light of the Beyond.

4537. Check each thought

Check each and every thought.
A divine voice will chase away
Your doubting mind
And will race with
Your aspiring heart
To encourage it and increase its speed.

4538. Go beyond yourself

Dive deep within.
You will see where God
Sleeplessly is.

Go beyond yourself.
You will know who you
Truly are.

4539. Until you have achieved perfection

Until you have achieved perfection
In your self-giving and God-becoming,
You will not be able to escape
The whips and scorns of time.

4540. A saga of selfless service

Illumination you want?
God will grant you.
Liberation you want?
God will grant you.
Realisation you want?
God will grant you.
Do you know when?
Only when your life of aspiration
Becomes a saga of selfless service.

4541. An encircling gloom

This moment your mind
Is an encircling gloom.
Next moment your mind
Is a maddening confusion.
What else can you expect from
Your absolutely useless mind?

4542. Do you remember?

Do you remember
That once upon a time
You sang with God
In His own Heart-Garden?

Do you remember
That once upon a time
You played with God
In His own Life-Playground?

Do you remember
That once upon a time
God shared with you
His own Transcendental Throne
In His Universal Empire?

4543. No alternative

There is no alternative for faith.
My mind knows it.
There is no alternative for love.
My heart knows it.
There is no alternative for satisfaction.
My Lord and I know it.

4544. Rich in hope

If you cannot become rich in hope,
You can never be rich
In your soulful aspiration
And
In your fruitful perfection.

4545. Your heart of aspiration

Your heart of aspiration
Has a powerful music.
Your heart of oneness
Has a soulful song.
I do not think
You need anything more
To realise God.

4546. Self-styled sense of responsibility

Anxiety is my self-styled
Sense of responsibility.
Pride is my self-proclaimed
Sense of divinity.

4547. Pain-giving ailments

Impurity is a strong
Pain-giving ailment.
Insincerity is a stronger
Pain-giving ailment.
Ingratitude is the strongest
Pain-giving ailment.

4548. Pain-killing drugs

Sincerity is a strong
Pain-killing drug.
Humility is a stronger
Pain-killing drug.
Self-offering is the strongest
Pain-killing drug.

4549. Prosperities of the unknown world

Your mind is unbounded sincerity.
Your heart is unbounded purity.
Therefore, the prosperities
Of the unknown world
Are unfolding themselves before you.

4550. His silent words

His spoken words have transported me
To the unknown worlds of my aspiration.
His written words are transporting me
To the unknown worlds of my liberation.
His silent words shall transport me
To the unknown worlds of my perfection.

4551. A hidden life

Soulfully and breathlessly
I wish to live a hidden life
Inside the Heart
Of my lovingly hidden Lord.

4552. I surrender only to necessity

I do not surrender
To the power of the inevitable.
I surrender only
To the supreme necessity
Of the inevitable.

4553. The heart of humanity

Unless every fibre of your being
Throbs with God’s Faith in you,
You cannot permanently heal
The sorrowing heart of humanity.

4554. To realise my Lord Supreme

To realise my Lord Supreme
My mind does not need a mountain-cave,
My heart does not need a forest-grove
And I do not need a solitude-silence.

4555. His desire-life has dropped

He is fully alive
And supremely radiant
Because his desire-life has dropped
At the feet of his heart’s
Aspiration-flames.

4556. You are divinely brave

You are divinely brave
If you have the courage
To dauntlessly contradict
Your ego-utterances.

4557. The mantra of self-transformation

You want to be ahead of the world.
Who can prevent you?
Just constantly repeat the mantra
“Self-transformation.”

4558. My dauntless determination

My dauntless determination
Is my final decision,
And that final decision itself
Is the most inspiring beginning
Of my God-realisation.

4559. Determination-smiles

My heart’s aspiration-plant
Needs seven determination-smiles
Every day
So that it can grow soulfully,
Confidently and triumphantly.
And these smiles must come from
My heart’s blue bird:
My soul.

4560. My Supreme is not finished

O my stupid mind,
Why are you so critical of me?
Why can’t you be critical of yourself?
Furthermore, can’t you see
That my Beloved Supreme
Is not finished with me?

4561. A supremely chosen instrument

O my mind,
Why do I have to tell you again and again?
No matter what I do,
No matter what I say,
No matter what I seem,
I was, I am and I shall forever remain
A supremely chosen instrument
Of my Beloved Supreme.

4562. I have started blossoming

O my mind,
Now you are in the world
Of confusion and delusion,
And I am in my Lord’s Heart-World.
My Lord Supreme has granted me
An inner life inside His own Heart.
I have started blossoming
In His own immortal and inimitable Way
Only to please Him,
His own Life of Hunger,
His own Life of Feast,
In His own inscrutable Way.

4563. If you can free yourself

If you can free yourself
From your worst master, lethargy,
Then you can free yourself
From many other insane masters.

4564. Prayer is the cry

Prayer is the cry
Of a sorrowful heart.
Meditation is the smile
Of a soulful life.

4565. Man-illumination

You fool,
How can machine-civilisation
Grant you satisfaction?
It is only man-illumination
That can and will satisfy you
Beyond your expectation.

4566. God is always just

God is always just.
He knows that our stay on earth
Is very short.
Therefore, He wants us also
To have very few needs.
But we want to change
His Vision-Plan
And thus implement our own misery.

4567. I shall discover truth and beauty

Although truth is a rarity,
Although beauty is a rarity,
I shall without fail discover
Truth and beauty
Inside my Heaven-free necessity.

4568. Unless you shun the noise

Unless you shun the noise
Of the stupid world,
The invisible Lord will remain always invisible
To your mortal sight.

4569. A cheerful heart

A cheerful heart
Is a faithful supporter
Of God’s Will.

4570. Your appreciation-power

Think nicely of others.
It does not hurt you.
Appreciate others.
It cannot lower you.
On the contrary,
Your appreciation-power
Is nothing short of
Your elevation-tower.

4571. Whenever a special day dawns

Whenever a special day dawns,
A new opportunity
Dawns along with it.
Every day I strive for cheerful surrender,
But when a special day dawns,
My cheerful surrender has to be
A living reality
And not a sweet dream.
On special days I shall consciously work
Towards my complete and constant surrender
To God’s Will,
For I know that when I do not
Fulfil God’s Will
Even for a minute,
I unconsciously work towards
Tremendous confusion and total disaster
In my precious spiritual life.

4572. My Lord is ready

My Lord is ready
With His Compassion-Eye
And His Satisfaction-Heart.
It is I who have to be ready
With my heart’s aspiration-cry
And my life’s dedication-smile.

4573. A revolutionary pioneer

If you want to make something happen
In your life,
Then your vital must play the role
Of a revolutionary pioneer.

4574. Eagerness in your search for God

What I want to see
From morn to eve
Is eagerness in your search for God,
And not the train of curiosity.

4575. A perpetual paradise-tree

I am sure I shall be able to see
A perpetual paradise-tree
Inside my heart,
For I have already planted
A climbing faith-plant
Inside my faithless mind.

4576. Love is not pleasure

Love is not pleasure.
Love is self-giving.
Pleasure is my self-deceiving
Freedom of choice.
Love is God’s Dream-fulfilled
Reality in me.

4577. Create a new world

Destroy violence
With your soul’s smile.
You will be happy.

Create a new world
With your heart’s sympathy.
You will become perfect.

4578. Leave behind your gratitude-heart

When the final hour strikes,
You will leave this earth.
But don’t forget to leave behind
A portion of your gratitude-heart.

4579. The dance of desires

The dance of desires never ends.
The dancers become breathless
And completely exhausted,
But the dance continues.
Here a mistake knows not
How to rectify itself.

4580. If you have inspiration

If you have inspiration,
Then you can avoid endless toil.
If you have aspiration,
Then you can avoid aimless frustration.

4581. Sufficient in yourself

Are you a fool?
Why do you expect anything
From the world?
Don’t you know that this world
Is more stupid than you?

Are you not sufficient?
Don’t you know that this world
Is more than empty?
Be wise!
Know that you are
Sufficient in yourself.

4582. The golden city of your heart

Free yourself from temptation-snares.
You will be able to climb
The fruitful steps of light and delight
If you stay in the glorious
Golden city of your heart.

4583. If you fear no change

If you fear no change in your life,
Then your heart will easily
Be able to endear itself
To God’s Compassion-Satisfaction-Smile.

4584. Treasure a flash of hope

Just treasure a flash of hope.
You will soon be able
To become the channel
Of your God-fulfilling promise.

4585. Constant expectation

Constant expectation
In one’s own way
Is an infallible way of losing
One’s present joy.

4586. I am poor

I am poor
Not because I do not have money-power
But because my vision-eye
Is unable to reach
My soul’s tower.

4587. My wise heart is following

My wise heart
Is sleeplessly following
Its divine leader.

My stupid mind
Is desperately trying to mislead
Its innocent followers.

4588. If you are impressed by impressions

If you are impressed by impressions,
Then you are bound to be
Enchained by curiosity-chains.
Therefore, allow not impressions
To fascinate you.

4589. A seeker's aching heart

As a child’s streaming tears
Are dried by his earthly mother,
Even so, a seeker’s aching heart
Is soothed by his Heavenly Father.

4590. Two things you do not know

Two things you simply do not know.
Do you know how old
Your doubting mind is?
No, you do not!
Do you know how young
Your loving heart is?
No, you do not!

4591. You want something from God

God wants something from you
Which you never want to give:
Your deathless ignorance-night.
You want something from God
Which God hesitates to give:
Immediate Realisation-Light.

4592. Unless you have walked with God

Unless you have faithfully
Walked with God
For a long time,
Covering hundreds of inner miles,
Why should He be interested in you
And inspired to talk to you
Even for a fleeting second?

4593. Go forward to see God's Face

Go forward to see God’s Face.
Don’t stand still!
If you stand still, who knows,
There is every possibility
That you will be tempted to go backward
To feel and be satisfied with
Your long-lost animal hunger.

4594. To make God happy

I think that my tearful sorrows
Will someday make God happy.
God knows that only my soulful smiles
Can and will make Him happy.

4595. Three ways to happiness

Three ways to happiness:
Starve your doubting mind,
Feed your aspiring heart,
Admire your serving life.

4596. The only answer

Self-denial is not and cannot be
The cure for selfishness,
For self-denial in itself
Is unconscious, if not pretentious,
Selfishness.
Self-denial is not life’s satisfaction.
Self-acceptance for self-transcendence
Is the answer,
The only answer.

4597. A true God-seeker

A true God-seeker
Is above drawing a dividing line
Between himself and his fellow seekers.
What he is for them is love
And what he is to them is oneness.

4598. Who can dominate your mind?

Who can dominate your mind
Without your consent?
Nobody!

Who can liberate your life
Without your consent?
Nobody!

Who can destroy your supreme oneness
With the Absolute Supreme
Without your consent?
Nobody!

4599. What you actually need is shelter

What you actually need is shelter.
A new thought can grant you shelter.
An old promise can give you shelter.
A modern life can offer you shelter.

4600. My Lord's transcendental Height

My Lord Supreme,
True, Your transcendental Height
Will always remain beyond my reach.
But Your transcendental Height
Will never be able to remain
Beyond my soulful hope.

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the forty-sixth 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 H.E. Mr T.T.B. Koh, Ambassador of Singapore to the United Nations, to an observance of the 51st anniversary of the birth of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. Ambassador Koh, a long-time admirer of the slain civil rights leader, spoke on that occasion of the profound effect that Dr King’s philosophy of non-violence has had in shaping his own moral and ethical values.