9101. I Wish To Be A Burning Flame

My Lord,
I wish to be a burning flame
Climbing high, higher, highest
Inside the Temple of Your Heart.

9102. I Have Counted

I have counted
My soulful tears
And I have counted
God’s powerful Smiles.
The outer loser has won
The inner Winner.

9103. Since My Prayers Are Fulfilled

I pray, and my prayers are fulfilled.
Since my prayers are fulfilled,
I should offer the transcendental prayer
For God-Satisfaction
In God’s own Way.

9104. Emptiness And Readiness

If I can sincerely feel
That my heart is all emptiness and readiness,
Then my Lord Supreme will, without fail,
Make my life feel
The beauty and divinity of His Fulness.

9105. When I Live For God Alone

When I live for God’s Love alone,
I am divinely great and supremely good.
When I live for God alone,
I am absolutely perfect.

9106. There Is No Risk

There is no risk
In accepting the spiritual life
If you have a sincerity-mind,
A purity-heart
And an integrity-life.

9107. Who Is So Stupid?

Who is so stupid
As to waste time here on earth,
Knowing perfectly well
That his earth-hours are
Extremely limited?

9108. You Want To Advise God

You want to advise God
About how to change the world.
Do you think you can give Him
A few more years
And see if He is making
This world of His better?
In the meantime,
Can you not change your own life
For the better,
So that God can start
His World-Perfection-Life
In and through you?

9109. Do You Ever Care To Know?

You think that God
Cannot change this world
Because He has lost
Complete control of it.
But do you ever care to know
And do you ever care to feel
That God the Aspiration
Lived at the Vision-beginning
And God the Manifestation
Will live eternally
At the Reality-end?

9110. God Has Given Your Heart

Your doubting mind does not feel
At ease with God,
But your loving heart does.
Therefore, God has given your heart
The unparalleled capacity
To scale His own Transcendental Heights
With Him.

9111. In The Inner And Outer Race

In the inner and outer race
I will not say,
“God wants me to win”,
But
“Let God’s Will be done”.

9112. Unless My Lord Supreme Opens

Unless my Lord Supreme
Forcefully opens my heart-door,
I do not think my frustration-life
Will ever grow into
My satisfaction-heart.

9113. A Fool And An Opportunist

He is a fool.
He surrenders to God out of fear
That God or others will speak ill of him
If he does the wrong thing.

She is an opportunist.
She surrenders to God with the hope
That by pleasing Him today
She will be able to receive a special favour
From Him tomorrow.

9114. How Can The World Find Peace?

How can the world find peace
In its machine-mind?
How can the world find perfection
In its dissatisfaction-vital?
How can the world find satisfaction
In its oblivion-life?

9115. Will You Kindly Teach Me?

My Lord,
I have already taught myself
How to bend others
To my will.
Now will You kindly teach me
How to bend myself
To Your Will alone?

9116. Selfless Service

Selfless service
Is immediate progress.
Instead of working for our little self,
We serve our large Self,
The Supreme.
Selfless service helps us come out of
Our limited body-dimension
And our limited mind-boundary.

9117. His Adamantine Determination

Although he has touched rock bottom
In his aspiration-life,
Because of his adamantine determination
He will soon be making progress once again.

9118. Fault-Finders

Why make friends with fault-finders?
You are having enough trouble
Trying to conquer your own weaknesses
Without being constantly reminded
Of the weaknesses of others.

9119. America Means Speed

America means speed:
Speed to run the fastest.
America means victory:
Victory over ignorance.

9120. If You Want To Run The Fastest

If you want to run the fastest
In the inner world,
You have to do everything regularly,
Punctually and perfectly.

9121. Each Time You Enter A New Year

Each time you enter a new year,
Be determined not to bring
Your old self with you.

9122. Your Golden Opportunity

Why not take today
As your golden opportunity
To cast aside the undivine problems
Which you have been dragging,
Like dead elephants,
For so many years?

9123. No New Year For You

How can there be any such thing
As a new year for you
If you are still leading
Your old unbearable life?

9124. Examine Your Compassion

Examine your compassion
And see if it is true divine compassion
Or just your own attachment
In disguise.

9125. A True Truth-Seeker Knows

A true truth-seeker knows
That his Beloved Lord rebukes him
Only on the strength
Of His absolute Oneness.

9126. Your Master's Songs

Your Master’s aspiration
And your Master’s songs
Are inseparable.
When you sing his songs soulfully,
You become the pristine purity
Of his aspiration
And the supernal beauty
Of his songs.

9127. To Sing One Song Soulfully

To sing even one song
Soulfully
Is to have a profound meditation
Unmistakably.

9128. Because He Enjoys Wrong Forces

Because he consciously or unconsciously
Enjoys wrong forces,
There is every possibility
That he will be strangled
In the inner world.

9129. Be Extremely Sincere!

Be extremely sincere
And extremely brave!
You will undoubtedly make
The fastest progress.

9130. My Prayer And My Promise

Let me renew each day
My prayer and my promise
To be a perfect instrument
Of my Beloved Supreme.

9131. To Conquer Your Heart

My Lord Supreme,
Since I do not have
A pure enough heart
To conquer Your Heart,
Do give me the capacity to sit
Soulfully and unconditionally
At Your Feet.

9132. How To Feel Always Secure?

How to feel always secure?
Each one has an answer,
But the only answer
That will satisfy man’s heart
Is the perfect oneness-answer.

9133. You Will Be Routed

You will be routed
At the very beginning
Of your spiritual journey
If you do not have a simple life
And a loving heart.

9134. Your Self-Giving Heart

Your dreams cannot be
As beautiful and powerful
As the purity and divinity
Of your self-giving heart.

9135. A Well-Protected Harbour

What is humility
If not a well-protected harbour
In your expanding life-sea?

9136. Automatic

God’s Compassion-Height
Is automatic.
Can we not have a gratitude-heart
That is equally automatic?

9137. Your Hopes Are Shattered

All your hopes are shattered
Because your vital is afraid
To challenge ignorance-night
And your mind is afraid
To challenge ignorance-frown.

9138. Two Ancient Desires

Two most ancient desires:
To enjoy ignorance-night
Without the inevitable repercussions
And to dine with wisdom-day
Without the necessary qualifications.

9139. Only One Breath

Between desire and faith
There is only one
Sweet and life-illumining breath.
When the mind desires
Something from God,
The heart feels
More faith in God.

9140. The Prayer Of Self-Offering

The only prayer that God appreciates
Is the prayer of self-offering
Founded upon God’s
Life-illumining Vision-Light.

9141. I Cannot Reject Anything

I cannot reject anything,
Not even my suspicion-mind,
For my existence-cry and my existence-smile
Are an integral reality.

9142. A Secret Player

Don’t try to please God the creation.
It is an almost impossible task.
Do try to please God the Creator.
You will succeed,
For you yourself are a secret player
In God’s Vision-Game.

9143. If You Want Perfection

If you want perfection,
Then do one thing:
Stretch your self-giving arms
Towards the perfection-harbour alone.

9144. My Life Is Soulful And Fruitful

My life is soulful and fruitful
When I see that my Lord
Smilingly drinks in my gratitude-drops
Every moment of my life.

9145. A Self-Giving Performance

There can be no trouble-free performance.
There can be no anxiety-free performance.
There can be no rivalry-free performance.
But there can be
An unconditionally self-giving performance
By a seeker whose life
Is all surrender-satisfaction.

9146. Natural, Not Theatrical

If you are really spiritual,
Then no part of your being
Will be unnecessarily theatrical,
For a spiritual life
Is nothing other than a natural life.

9147. Quantity-Advice And Quality-Advice

Quantity-advice
Foolishly and wilfully
My mind gives to my heart.

Quality-advice
Lovingly and unconditionally
My heart gives to my mind.

9148. A Useless Weakness

Doubt is a useless weakness,
Yet it has the capacity
To cleverly and convincingly
Don the robe of wise judgement.

9149. When We Strike The Truth-Bell

When we strike
The truth-bell,
Man quite often
Does not want to hear it,
For he thinks it is hurtful
Instead of blissful.

9150. If You Do Not Run Every Day

If you do not run every day
In the outer world,
The human in you may forgive you.
But if you do not run every day
In the inner world,
The divine in you will not forgive you,
For the destined goal
Will always remain a far cry.

9151. Just Keep Your Heart's Door Open

Just keep your heart’s door open.
At every moment
You are bound to receive
Something special
From your Beloved Supreme.

9152. They Simply Had No Idea

He simply had no idea
What would happen to him
When he took the side of ignorance.

She simply had no idea
What would happen to her
When she took the side of God.

9153. A True Truth-Seeker

Only if you throw your heart and soul
Into your aspiration-dedication-life
Can you claim to be
A true truth-seeker.

9154. You Must Be Ready To Please God

Do you really care for God?
Then you must be ready to please Him
In His own divine Way.

9155. Because He Did Not Have Faith

Alas, because he did not have implicit faith
In his Master
And did not love him soulfully,
The longer he stayed in his Master’s presence,
The greater became his insecurity
And jealousy.

9156. Those Who Have Faith In God

Those who have faith in God
And love for God
Will discover the unimaginable things
God’s Power can do
In and through them.

9157. You Must Accept More Of The Blame

O truth-seekers,
Since you are consciously awake,
You must accept more of the blame
For the problems of the world
Than those who are not yet awakened.

9158. Your Prayer Indirectly Helps

Even he who does not pray and meditate
Knows that your prayer and meditation
Indirectly give him peace.
In the heart of his heart
He knows that you really love him
And he loves you.

9159. You Need The Broad Heart

You do not need to participate
In every divine task,
But you do need to have the broad heart
To appreciate those
Who have the enthusiasm and inspiration
To do the needful.

9160. Be Something For God

You are finding it difficult
To achieve something for God.
But God wants you to go
Even one step further.
He wants you
To be something for Him.

9161. Work Soulfully

Work soulfully.
Lo, you will not be able
To find any difference
Between Heaven and earth.

9162. His Soulful Music

His soulful music expressed
His aspiration,
His realisation
And his oneness
With the Universal Consciousness.

9163. If You Sail In Your Master's Boat

If you sail in your Master’s boat
To the Supreme,
Then you and your Master will sing together
Eternity’s Oneness-Song.

9164. Just For This One Day

Always think of your life
As only one day,
Today,
And just for this one day
Be truly spiritual.

9165. Your Heaven

Wherever your Lord Supreme
Asks you to work,
That particular place
Should be Heaven to you.

9166. True Progress

True progress
Belongs to those who,
With their aspiration and dedication,
Soulfully manifest the Supreme.

9167. Maintain Your Inner Freshness

Maintain your inner freshness.
You will be able to sail always
In the Boat of the Supreme,
And He will always have
Boundless confidence
In your heart and soul.

9168. Just Purify Your Mind

My Lord,
Why have I not achieved
All the things I wanted to achieve?
“My child,
Just purify your mind.
Lo, all your problems are solved.”

9169. Never Allow Your Pure Heart

Never allow your pure heart
To become insecure,
Not even for a second!

9170. I Can Never Be Insecure

Because I am
What my Father has and is,
I can never be insecure.

9171. If Your Whole Heart Cries

If your whole heart
Cries for God,
Then God’s whole Heart
Will come to you.

9172. Your Master Will Be Miserable

Do not ask your Master to come down
From his Himalayan heights
Just to give you an outer smile.
You may be satisfied with only a smile,
But your Master will be miserable
That he has not been able to give you
His inner height.

9173. If We Doubt Ourselves

If we doubt God
Today or tomorrow,
God will forgive us.
But if we doubt ourselves,
Then there is nothing God can do
To save us.

9174. Self-Doubt Is Your Own Creation

You say,
“I am an ordinary human being;
I can never realise God.”
God says,
“Your self-doubt is your own creation.
Now you take care of your creation.”

9175. If You Are Truly Spiritual

If you are truly spiritual,
God’s Compassion, Love
And Blessings
Will act directly in and through you.

9176. Some Are Trying Consciously

Spirituality is inside everyone.
But while some are trying consciously
To bring it to the fore,
Others are still fast asleep.

9177. God's Unconscious Representative

Because he was not receptive,
God tried to work through him
In an indirect way.
Therefore, he was God’s
Unconscious representative.

9178. Because God Loves You

Because God loves you,
First He will try with Love
To make you do the right thing.
If that fails,
Then He will use Force,
Which is just another form
Of His Love.

9179. Your Flame Of Aspiration

Ignorance-forces may try to extinguish
Your flame of aspiration,
But they will never succeed.
Your aspiration-flame will continue to burn
Bright, brighter, brightest.

9180. Every Day I Tell My Beloved Supreme

Every day I tell my Beloved Supreme
That I can be absolutely perfect.
Every day my Beloved Supreme tells me
That I am His chosen child.

9181. If You Feel

If you feel
You have reached the abysmal abyss,
You can use your determination
To again climb up.

If you feel
You are making satisfactory progress,
You can use your aspiration
To do better.

9182. You Can Transcend

Remember,
Every day,
During each meditation,
You can transcend your past heights.

9183. The Supreme Necessity Of Serving

You say you have
Neither the time nor the inclination
To do selfless service,
But one day you will realise
The supreme necessity of serving
Humanity and divinity
Sleeplessly and unconditionally.

9184. Again And Again I Strive

Although I try and fail,
Again and again I strive
To become a good runner
In my inner life.

9185. Be Always Aware

Be always aware of your aspiration,
Your dedication and your goal.
Do not throw away
Your great, greater, greatest opportunities
To make the fastest progress.

9186. All Are Bound To Reach

All your fellow seeker-servers
Are sailing in the same boat
Towards the same goal.
Individually there may be differences,
But collectively you are all bound to reach
The Golden Shore.

9187. When You Serve

When you serve your Beloved Supreme,
Outwardly you may not become
Richer than the richest,
But inwardly you become
A true millionaire
From His soulful and bountiful Blessings.

9188. God No Longer Wanted Him

Because he did not avail himself
Of his God-given opportunities,
God no longer wanted him
As His choice instrument.

9189. Your Conscious Unwillingness

What prevents you
From manifesting the Supreme?
Not your helpless inability,
But your conscious unwillingness.

9190. More Than The Necessary Capacity

God has already given you
More than the necessary capacity
To do everything He has asked you to do.
Just dive deep within.
An inexhaustible source
Of energy and capacity
Is waiting there for you
Not only to receive
But also to become.

9191. If Today's Chosen Instruments Fail

Whatever is destined
Will one day be accomplished
In the manifestation of the Supreme.
If today’s chosen instruments fail,
New instruments will come to the stage
To play the necessary roles.

9192. He Discovered Compassion

A narrow escape from death
Made him wiser.
He discovered compassion
Inside his newly-increased gratitude-power.

9193. His Folded Hands

During his devoted prayer
His folded hands
Increased his soulful intensity
And, like a magnet,
Drew the Blessings of the Supreme.

9194. Every Opportunity

Avail yourself of every opportunity
That the new day brings,
For every day may not have
Equal possibilities.

9195. He Is Now Devotedly Walking

He is now devotedly walking
In the footsteps
Of his glorious predecessors
Who have worked very hard
For the Vision and Mission of the Supreme.

9196. Celestial Light From Above

When the Supreme brings down
Celestial Light from Above,
Your receptivity gives Him
Immense Joy.

9197. The Supreme Inside Him

It is not the spiritual Master,
But the Supreme inside him,
Who deserves and receives
The seeker’s devotion.

9198. No Credit To God

He gave credit to his own aspiration
For his outer success and inner progress,
But he did not want to give poor God
Credit for anything.

9199. He Embodies Divinity

He embodies divinity
Not only when he is in
Deep meditation-trance,
But also when he is in
The midst of his life-dance.

9200. Your Pure Heart

In your pure heart
The Supreme is alive
At every moment.

Through your pure heart
The Supreme is working
At every moment.

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the ninety-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

Puerto Rico’s Secretary of State Juan Albors meditates with Sri Chinmoy at the Master’s Jharna-Kala Gallery in New York on 25 April 1976. Following the function, Mr Albors commented, “The peace and happiness that our meeting provided me with will be remembered forever.”