9501. Compassion-Beams From God's Eye

In the morning
When I soulfully pray,
I clearly see
Compassion-Beams from God’s Eye
Shining all around me
Like the morning sun.

9502. Dependent And Independent

My heart is dependent
On God alone.
That means my life
Is independent of others.

9503. Today's Flaming Aspiration

Today’s flaming aspiration
Can easily consume
Yesterday’s cruel frustration.

9504. I Need

Affection I need
From God’s Heart.
Compassion I need
From God’s Eye.
Liberation I need
From God’s Feet.

9505. Pay Attention

Pay attention
Only to what you do not know
But need to know,
And not to what you already know
But do not need to know.

9506. In His God-Adventure

In his God-adventure,
Nothing can fracture the illumination-mind
Or torture the realisation-heart
Of a master seeker.

9507. Perfection And Satisfaction

Perfection
Comes from self-command.
Satisfaction
Comes from self-surrender.

9508. Happiness-Power

Do not try to make a happiness-fountain.
Just try to break your unhappiness-tower
And then see where you are:
You are playing in and with
Happiness-power.

9509. Fulfilment Means

Fulfilment means
The enlightenment of the human in us
And the manifestation of the divine
Through us.

9510. My Heart's Fountain-Love

O my heart’s fountain-love,
When will you liberate me
From the chains of division-blindness?

9511. A Self-Giving Saint

Ego is a cruel thief;
So is my earthly anxiety.
Purity is a self-giving saint;
So is my Heavenly humility.

9512. The Only Short-cut

My vital always insists
On taking a short-cut.
Alas, will it ever realise
That the only short-cut
Is unconditional self-offering?

9513. The Sermon Of Ignorance-Night

The sermon of ignorance-night:
I do not need God;
I do not need anything
Except one thing —
Earth-destruction-dance
Within and without.

9514. I Shall Reach The Pinnacle-Height

I shall reach the pinnacle-height
Only when my life grows into
The fragrance of a self-giving flower.

9515. Daring Enthusiasm

Daring enthusiasm and abiding cheerfulness
Can accomplish everything on earth
Without fail.

9516. Beauty Born Of Compassion-Light

Beauty born of God’s Compassion-Light
Feeds the lost human beings
And encourages the awakened human beings.

9517. The Sacred Heart Of The Moon

The sacred heart of the moon
Is from the secret Smile of God.
The sacred breath of the sun
Is from the open Dance of God.

9518. I Carry My Patience

I carry my patience wherever I go,
Hoping to see God the Dutiful
Inside God the Beautiful.

9519. Challenging My Heart

Alas, my mind
With its strangling doubts
Is challenging my heart’s
Fountain-love.

9520. God's Special Secret

Each child has a pure heart.
Each child loves
God’s sleepless Breath.
To each child God tells one special secret:
That he is the beginning of
A new dawn.

9521. Those Who Are Serving The Supreme

Those who are serving the Supreme
Unconditionally
Are receiving His most powerful Gratitude.
Those who are serving the Supreme
Even conditionally,
Will still receive His Gratitude,
For eventually they too may serve Him
Unconditionally.

9522. Leave The Vain Questioning Mind

Leave behind the vain questioning mind.
God will grant you the ancient wisdom
Of the sages and seers
Of the hoary past.

9523. The Voice Of Unseen Loveliness

I enjoy the voice of unseen loveliness
Inside my mind.
I enjoy the choice of oneness-perfection
Inside my heart.

9524. Do You Remember?

Do you remember when you took
The spiritual life very seriously?
What purity, sweetness and gratitude
You felt inside your own heart and life!
What Blessings, Concern and Love
You felt inside your Lord Supreme!

9525. A Life Of Self-Giving

Only if you lead
A pure and disciplined life of self-giving
Will your heart make you feel
What your Master stands for on earth.

9526. An Unaspiring Human Being

The ultimate and deplorable fate
Of an unaspiring human being
Is infinitely more painful
Than I ever dreamt.

9527. A Volcano-Determination

My future will not need
Any deathbed sincerity
If my present has
A volcano-determination.

9528. Whom Do I Need?

Whom do I need?
Only God!
Whose help do I require?
Only my Master’s!

9529. Love God A Little More

Do not try to convince others
That you are good.
God will do that for you.
Just try to love God
A little more.

9530. My Heart's Rekindled Faith

O my doubting mind,
I have a very special message
For you today:
My heart’s rekindled faith
Is guaranteeing your immediate collapse
And permanent death.

9531. Because Of Your Heart

Because of your mind,
Today you are weak.
Because of your heart,
Tomorrow you will become
Strong and perfect.

9532. Soulfulness And Fruitfulness

Immortality is the soulfulness
Of climbing earth
And the fruitfulness
Of descending Heaven.

9533. Face Your Anxiety!

Face your anxiety!
It will fade away.
Face your fear!
It will die away.
Face your doubt!
It will fly away.

9534. My Ascending Heart

My ascending heart
And my descending soul
Meet inside God’s Vision-Eye
To become His Reality’s choice instruments.

9535. Earth Loves, Heaven Loves

Earth loves him
Who loves.
Heaven loves him
Who is love within
And love without.

9536. He Who Is

He who knows
Is great in his own eyes.
He who is
Is perfect in God’s Eye.

9537. God Knows That He Is

The mind thinks that God
Is all complication.
The heart feels that God
Is all Compassion.
The soul knows that God
Is all Illumination.
God knows that He is
His own Eternity’s Dedication.

9538. How Can I See God In My Future?

How can I see God in my future
When I do not care for
His past Compassion
And His present Forgiveness?

9539. God Came To Me Unannounced

God came to me unannounced.
Alas, He is returning unappreciated.
Now what shall I do?
Shall I not build a oneness-bridge
Between my Lord and my crying heart?

9540. The Hand Of God

How can the Hand of God
Remain far away
If I dive deep within
And allow my tiny heart-island
To be surrounded
By God’s Compassion-Heart
And Dedication-Life?

9541. Aspiration Needs No Recognition

Sleepless aspiration
Needs no outer recognition.
It is its own self-transcending joy
Unparalleled.

9542. All I Have Now

There was a time
When I had God the Delight
In boundless measure.
Alas, all I have now
Are my Eternity’s birthless
And deathless sighs.

9543. The Philosophy-World

I feel so sorry
That the confusion of the philosophy-world
Has tainted your mind,
Eclipsed your heart
And flooded your life.

9544. Do Not Fail Your Master Repeatedly

Do not fail your Master repeatedly
In this world,
For in the other world
He will be only for those
Who have pleased him
Or have tried to please him
In his own divine way.

9545. I Am Supremely Fortunate

I am supremely fortunate
Because my heart loves me
No matter what I do.

I am supremely happy
Because my soul loves me
No matter how I live
Here on earth.

9546. Where Is Hope?

Where is hope
If there is no faith?
Where is faith
If there is no love?
Where is love
If there is no self-giving?

9547. An Intelligent Mind

An intelligent mind
Is only a certificate of competence.
It can never be
A guarantee of success.

9548. My Source Is The Supreme

If I know that my Source is the Supreme,
The Infinite,
Then how can my heart
Be insecure?

9549. God's Bounden Duty

Since you love God
And God loves you,
It is His bounden Duty
To command you,
And it is your bounden duty
To obey Him.

9550. Only One Question

O sweet death,
I have only one question:
How do you keep your silence-life
So secret and so powerful?

9551. A Dreadful Dream

In our aspiration-life,
Each uninspiring thought
Is nothing but a dreadful dream
In a phantom hour.

9552. I Am Sorry To Tell You

I am sorry to tell you
That it is not God’s Will
That I should be your teacher.
But I am happy to tell you
That it is God’s Will
That I should be
Your eternal well-wisher.

9553. A Half-Hearted Seeker

If you are
A half-hearted seeker,
That means your God is
A half-fulfilled Vision.

9554. God's Permanent Injunction

God’s permanent Injunction:
Serve Me in man
Sleeplessly;
Love man in Me
Unconditionally.

9555. Precious And Gracious

My heart’s aspiration
Is extremely precious.
God’s Compassion
Is eternally and unconditionally gracious.

9556. Your Prayers Never Take Root

Your life-plant is growing
Inside a dark earth-bound cave.
Therefore, your prayers never take root
In God’s Compassion-Heart.

9557. His Body Was Still Sleeping

His mind was searching
For light.
His vital was surcharged
With dynamism.
But, alas, his body was still sleeping.

9558. Your Mind Is All Doubt-Filled

Your mind is all doubt-filled.
Can you not illumine your mind?
Your vital is all destructive.
Can you not transform your vital?

9559. God's Earth-Transforming Hour

Since I cannot exchange money
In Heaven,
On earth I shall use it all
To serve God’s earth-transforming Hour.

9560. I Have Used Your Compassion-Eye

My Lord Supreme,
I have used Your Compassion-Eye
To see how great You are.
I have used Your Forgiveness-Heart
To see how good You are.
I have used Your Oneness-Life
To see how perfect You are.

9561. You Doubt Your Very Breath

Because you doubt your very breath,
You cannot see yourself
With God’s Vision-Eye.

9562. O My Alarmist Mind

O my alarmist mind, stop!
For God’s sake and for my sake, too,
End your self-styled role
Of fear-supplier.

9563. God Has Won Me Back

God has won me back from ignorance,
Not because I have done something new,
But because He has done something new:
He has used His Love-Sky,
Compassion-Moon
And Forgiveness-Sun
All at once.

9564. I May Enjoy Other Luxuries

I may enjoy other luxuries,
But not the luxuries of doubt
And suspicion.

9565. The Power-Light

The Power-Light of God’s
Compassion-Heart
Has forever silenced
The loud noise of thought
Inside his mind.

9566. Already It Is Too Late

Wake up, my mind!
Already it is too late.

Jump up, my heart!
Already it is too late.

Speak up, my soul!
Already it is too late.

9567. God's Heart Never Rests

The Divine may rest,
But the divine Fingers do not rest.
God may rest,
But God’s Heart never rests.

9568. He Does Not Want To Return

He does not want to return
To Heaven
Because earth’s life needs him.

He does not want to return
To earth
Because Heaven’s Vision-Eye needs him.

9569. Before Death Surprises You

Before death surprises you
With its unexpected arrival,
Try to give some credit
To this ever-compassionate world.

9570. To Walk In A Saint's Footsteps

To walk in a saint’s footsteps
Is to discover a new life
Of stupendous delight.

9571. My Heart Is Occupied

My mind may be occupied
By earthly thoughts,
But my heart is occupied
Only by God and His Love.

9572. How God Has Won Me

Do you want to know
How God has won me?
Not with a sudden burst of force,
But with His unconditional Oneness-Love.

9573. Nothing To Lose

Nothing to lose but the ignorance
In your life.
Nothing to lose but the fear
In your heart.
Nothing to lose but the doubt
In your mind.
Nothing to lose but the imperfection
In your world.

9574. Where Your Mind Lives

Where your heart lives
I know,
But where your mind lives
Nobody knows,
And nobody wants to know.

9575. Impossible Delights

To see the Face
Of God the Beauty
And to see the Hands
Of God the Duty
Are impossible delights,
Especially in my case.

9576. Do Not Give Up!

Do not give up, do not give up!
Who knows?
Before long
Your full manifestation of God
May take place.

9577. Why Should I Be Satisfied?

O my mind,
Why should I be satisfied with you
When I know that my heart
Is infinitely more beautiful
And that my soul
Is infinitely more powerful
Than you?

9578. Aspiration Without Dedication

Aspiration without dedication
Is like a flying airplane
Without a passenger.

9579. I Am Conscious

I am conscious.
That means I know
How to deal satisfactorily
With earthly sorrows.

9580. Do Not Insist On Changing

Do not insist on changing
What cannot be changed.
Do not insist on correcting
What cannot be corrected.
If you do,
Even the little poise that you have
Will disappear from your life.

9581. Love Knows How

Animal love
Knows how to destroy.
Human love
Knows how to misunderstand.
Divine love
Knows how to radiate.

9582. If You Are A Cheerful Loser

If you are a cheerful loser,
Then in God’s Eye
Nobody else but you
And you alone
Is the unparalleled winner.

9583. The Soulful Music Of The Inner Life

The soulful music of the inner life
Builds the hope-temple
And destroys the disappointment-tree.

9584. God's Music Of Life

To be good to all
Is to hear God constantly playing
His own Music of Life
Inside your heart.

9585. If You Have A Big Heart

If you have a big heart,
Then use it at once
To quench man’s eternal thirst
And satisfy God’s immortal Hunger.

9586. Gratitude Is Not A Mere Word

In the life of a God-seeker
Gratitude is not a mere word,
But a life-illumining
And God-fulfilling book.

9587. My Unparalleled Possession

My surrender to God’s Will
Is my unparalleled possession,
Which no human being on earth
Will ever be able to take away from me,
Even for a fleeting second.

9588. If Your Heart Shows Me

If your heart shows me
How deeply you love God the creation,
Then I shall easily be able to tell you
How close God the Creator is to you.

9589. Exploitation

When I feel weak,
Others exploit me.
When I feel insufficient,
I exploit others.
When I feel strong,
I exploit myself.

9590. A New Exploitation-Game

Instead of exploiting yourself,
Instead of exploiting others
And instead of allowing others to exploit you,
From today on play a new exploitation-game:
Exploit God’s Compassion-Sea
And God’s Forgiveness-Sun.
When you become tired of exploiting
God’s eternally infinite Compassion-Sea
And Forgiveness-Sun,
Illumination will immediately take place
In the form of
Your body’s awareness,
Your vital’s enthusiasm,
Your mind’s clarity
And your heart’s purity.

9591. The Permanence Of Delight

My inner voice
Sees the presence of suffering.
My higher choice
Knows the permanence of delight.

9592. Past And Present

My inner voice
Carries a very heavy past
On its inner journey.

My higher choice
Carries a very light present
On its higher journey.

9593. Artificial Spirituality

My inner voice mercilessly hates
Artificial spirituality.
My higher choice constantly ignores
Artificial spirituality.

9594. A False Teacher

My inner voice knows
That a false teacher is the beginning
Of his own confusion-darkness.

My higher choice knows
That a false teacher is the beginning
Of his own destruction-night.

9595. The Art Of Self-Union

My inner voice begins
The transcendental art of self-union.
My higher choice ends
The universal art of self-division.

9596. Too Stupid To Learn Or Unlearn

Mind, mind, O my doubting mind,
You are too stupid to learn
Anything divine.
Heart, heart, O my aching heart,
You are too stupid to unlearn
Anything undivine.

9597. I Am Not At All Obliged

Fear, fear, O my fear,
You think that I am always obliged
To listen to you.
I tell you,
I owe you nothing, absolutely nothing!
Therefore, I am not at all obliged
To listen to you.
From now on I shall never, never
Listen to you, O fear!

9598. An Absolute Lie

Jealousy, jealousy, O my jealousy,
You think and you insist
That you have full control over my life.
I tell you,
It is an absolute lie,
And I shall prove it!

9599. Sincerity Is In The Heart

Sincerity is in the heart.
Honesty is in the mind.
Eagerness is in the vital.
Purity is in the life.

9600. Man's Perfect Glory

Humility is man’s perfect glory.
Love is man’s sleepless oneness-life.
Aspiration is man’s unknown journey
Towards the Unknowable.

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the ninety-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 greets Ambassador Ilinome Tarua of Papua New Guinea following a programme for United Nations Charter Day on 26 June 1981.

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-9517: FFP 198