Author's introduction

Appreciation-flowers.

Today the poet in me has written these 50 poems.

Today I offer my most sincere gratitude to the perfect typist and the untiring server in Nivedan.

Today the great and divine artist in Pratyay deserves my most special gratitude.

Today the exemplary services rendered by Kalyan, Ashpriha, Mangal, Joe, Dhanu, Sevananda, Bansidhar, Jose Luis, Kanti, Indu, Jolie, Daisy, Drona, Madhavi, Ananta, Eulogio, Nadeshwar, Eshana, Aidita, Lester, Ricky, Anna and many more have found their home in my grateful heart for masking, printing, collating and completing this book to my great satisfaction.

(signed by) Sri Chinmoy
29 January 1974

1. Don't believe

My foolish heart,
Who told you
That I do not love you?
Don’t believe insecurity.
I tell you,
Insecurity is a graceless liar.

My foolish mind,
Who told you
That I do not need you?
Don’t believe doubt.
I tell you,
Doubt is a hopeless liar.

My foolish vital,
Who told you
That I hate you?
Don’t believe impurity.
I tell you,
Impurity is a shameless liar.

My foolish body,
Who told you
That I force you?
Don’t believe lethargy.
I tell you,
Lethargy is a useless liar.

2. When I explored

When I explored
The frontiers of my mind,
Vastness-Light embraced me.

When I explored
The frontiers of my heart,
Oneness-Height embraced me.

When I explored
The frontiers of my soul,
My cry found its perfect home
    In God’s Smile
    And
    God’s Smile found its perfect Home
In my cry.

3. The songs of love

What makes an animal an animal?
    Animal love.

What makes a man a man?
    Human love.

What makes God God?
    Divine love.

Animal love is Eternity’s destruction.
Human love is Infinity’s suspicion.
Divine love is Immortality’s Perfection.

4. The songs of power

What is flower-power
If not my ever-expanding horizon?

What is candle-power
If not my ever-climbing height?

What is incense-power
If not my ever-deepening depth?

What is my aspiration-power
If not God’s unconditional love for me?

What is my realisation-power
If not my oneness-manifestation
With Perfection-God?

5. My four points

Crying
Was my starting point.
    Smiling
Is my finishing point.
    Loving
Shall be my ever-becoming point.
    Surrendering
Shall be my ever-transcending point.

6. The songs of expansion

Expand your unaspiring individuality.
Lo, you are a fragment
    And
Totally isolated.

Expand your aspiring individuality.
Lo, you are searching
    And
Significantly fulfilling.

Expand your surrendering individuality.
Lo, you have revealed
    And
Supremely manifested
God the Dreamer in you
    And
You the Lover of God.

7. The songs of unhappiness

O my unhappy old age,
I suffer with you.

O my unhappy God-face,
I suffer for you.

O my unhappy God-grace,
Where are you?
I don’t see you.
I assure you,
    From today
I shall love you only.
I shall fulfil you only.

8. The songs of my inner family members

Aspiration is the secret life
    Of my soul-seed.
Realisation is the sacred life
    Of my heart-plant.
Revelation is the confident life
    Of my mind-tree.
Manifestation is the inspiring life
    Of my vital-flower.
Perfection is the fulfilling life
    Of my body-fruit.

9. The songs of acceptance

For the world-acceptance
I wrote my books
With the tears of my desire-eyes.

For God-acceptance
I write my books
With the tears of my aspiration-heart.

For my own acceptance
I shall write my books
With the tears of my perfection-soul.

10. Alas

Alas, the twain have met:
My helpless body and my hopeless vital.

Alas, the twain have not met:
My searching mind and my loving heart.

Alas, will the twain ever meet?
My serving soul and my fulfilling Goal.

11. My desire-world and my aspiration-world

In my world of desire
My body and my soul
Were the dreamers of different dreams.
My body’s sleepless dream: temptation.
My soul’s ageless dream: compassion.

In my world of aspiration
My body and my soul
Are the dreamers of one single dream:
    God-manifestation
    in
    Oneness-realisation.

12. He passed beyond

He passed beyond the world
Of imitation-admiration.
    Therefore
His vision-sky is divinely happy.

He passed beyond the world
Of illumination-realisation.
    Therefore
God’s Existence-Light is supremely happy.

He passed beyond the world
Of revelation-perfection.
    Therefore
He and God are
    Infinity’s Beauty,
    Eternity’s Duty
    And
    Immortality’s Reality.

13. Alternatives

You exhausted
Your Heaven-free
    Alternative.
Therefore death-frown
Wanted to devour you.

You have exhausted
Your earth-bound
    Alternative.
Therefore God’s Crown
Shines in you,
God’s Palace
Treasures you,
God’s Kingdom
Embraces you.

14. Brother, I warn you

Brother, I warn you.
Think not too much
Of your animal fire.
Think not too much
Of your ferocious life.
Brother, I warn you.
Nostalgia can be nauseating, too.

Brother, I warn you.
Think not too much
Of your human life.
Think not too much
Of your voracious life.
Brother, I warn you.
Nostalgia can be nauseating, too.

Brother, I warn you.
If you think not at all
Of your gracious Lord,
Reality-kingdom shall never
    Invite you,
Immortality-king shall never
    Embrace you.

15. Speak and don't speak

In your aspiration-life
Speak to faith.
Faith will strengthen your success.

In your aspiration-life
Speak to courage.
Courage will widen your horizon.

In your aspiration-life
Don’t speak to doubt.
Doubt will slacken your vigilance.

In your aspiration-life
Don’t speak to fear.
Fear will weaken your progress.

16. Four messages from four worlds

“Dominate and dominate.”
The animal world
Gave me this message.

“Survive to dominate.”
The human world
Gave me this message.

“Offer and become.”
The divine world
Gave me this message.

“Offer and offer.”
The world of the Supreme
Gave me this message.

17. Doubt-lesson, love-knowledge and surrender-wisdom

In our aspiration-life
Doubt-lesson is never applicable.

In our aspiration-life
Love-knowledge is always applicable.

In our aspiration-life
Surrender-wisdom is immediately
    And
Eternally applicable.

18. He wanted to become

He wanted to become
A great athlete.
God fulfilled his pygmy aim
And smiled at him.

He wanted to become
A great poet.
God fulfilled his pygmy aim
And shook hands with him.

He wanted to become
A great Yogi.
God fulfilled his pygmy aim
And blessed him.

He wanted to become
A true lover of humanity
    And
A true server of God.
God fulfilled his giant goal
And embraced him,
    Powerfully,
    Proudly
    And
    Supremely.

19. Come in

Come in, my Eastern friend.
Give me some advice.
Your every piece of advice
Shall accelerate
My God-realisation.

Come in, my Western friend.
Give me some advice.
Your every piece of advice
Shall expedite
My God-manifestation.

Come in, my Heavenly friend.
Give me some advice.
Your every piece of advice
Shall quicken
My life-perfection.

20. Don't worry, my friend

Your vital is the victim
Of acute depression.
    Don’t worry, my friend.
I shall stay
With your depressed vital.

Your mind is the victim
Of wild frustration.
    Don’t worry, my friend.
I shall stay
With your frustrated mind.

Your heart is the victim
Of cruel desertion.
    Don’t worry, my friend.
I shall stay
With your deserted heart.

Your body is the victim
Of constant temptation.
    Don’t worry, my friend.
I shall stay
With your tempted body.

21. Don't go near him

Don’t go near his body.
His body houses
A blind and wild elephant.

Don’t go near his vital.
His vital treasures
His conceited misanthropy.

Don’t go near his mind.
His mind loves
His fabulous eccentricity.

Don’t go near his heart.
His heart has lost
All its pristine purity.

22. I refuse

I refuse to see
The animal face
    Because
It is cruel.

I refuse to see
The human face
    Because
It is ugly.

I refuse to see
The divine face
    Because
It is indifferent.

I refuse to see
The supreme Face
    Because
It is too slow.

23. No one

No one has a kind word
    To tell you.
    Yet
You think of them devotedly.

No one has a kind heart
    To love you.
    Yet
You treasure them soulfully.

No one has a kind soul
    To please you.
    Yet
You bless them lovingly.

I alone know
How great you are.
    God alone knows
How good you are.

24. On my part

On my part
It is painfully inappropriate
To speak ill of my earth-reality.
    Yet
I do it.
I do it because I am a citadel
Of inconscience-night.

On my part
It is fruitlessly inappropriate
To speak ill of my Heaven-dream.
    Yet
I do it.
I do it because my life
Is a dance of frustration-annihilation.

25. Your unwanted guest

In the past
When God came to you
You were deeply sceptical.

This morning
God came to you again.
You doubted Him openly.

God will come to you
Again and again
Even if you go
To the length of hating Him ruthlessly.

    Why?
Why?
Because
Poor God cannot dare
To live without you.
You are His Soul.
You are His Goal.
You are His All.

26. No difference

No difference
    Between
A sea of thought
    And
A brittle hope.

No difference
    Between
A whisper of will
    And
The Himalayan Silence.

27. My outer school and my inner school

My outer school
Is the perfect bridge
    Between
My information-education
    And
Frustration-destruction.

My inner school
Is the perfect bridge
    Between
My illumination-education
    And
Realisation-perfection.

28. Attachment-fondness-oneness

Your constant attachment
    To the temptation-world
Is really surprising.

God’s strong fondness
    For your ignorance-life
Is unbelievably surprising.

The oneness
    Of your helpless cry
    And
God’s deathless Smile
Is eternally surprising.

29. Expectation-dance

Don’t expect
    Anything
From the world.
Lo, you have become
The world’s best friend.

Expect everything
From God.
Lo, you have become
God’s best friend.

Expect nothing
From your earth-bound night
    And
Expect everything
From your Heaven-free day.
Lo, you have become
Your own best friend.

30. You are great, you are good

The psychoses and neuroses
Of the outer world
Have not been able
    To plague you.
    Therefore
You are unmistakably great.

The realisation and perfection
Of the inner world
Have found
Their complete satisfaction
In your heart-cave.
    Therefore
You are supremely good.

31. Purity

Purity’s height
Has a million torches
Flaming bright.

Purity’s depth
Only God can dare
To plumb.

Purity’s flood
We can expect
Only from the unconditional God.

32. My challenge

I cannot change
    Because
I do not want to change.

I can change you
    And
The entire world
    Because
That has always been
My soulful wish, my faithful task,
    And
My bold challenge supreme.

33. Because

Because
You meditated this morning
You have once more
    Become
Master of yourself today.
Don’t forget this divinely adorable discovery.

    Because
You smiled this morning
You have once more
    Become
The beloved friend of the whole world.
Don’t forget this highly profitable discovery.

34. Believe it or not

O greedy pleasures,
    Believe it or not,
My vital does not
    Want you any more.

O nourishing joy,
    Believe it or not,
My heart needs you
    Badly and unmistakably.

O fulfilling satisfaction,
    Believe it or not,
My Lord has promised to me
That He will eventually offer me
Your Transcendental Soul
    And
Universal Body.

35. God comes down

God comes down
    To inspire
The worshipper’s concentration.

God comes down
    To visit
The dreamer’s meditation.

God comes down
    To love
The server’s heart.

God comes down
    To embrace
The lover’s surrender.

36. Believe them

Love-light
Tells you:
You are as sweet
As God’s Heart.

Devotion-light
Tells you:
You are as pure
As God’s Soul.

Surrender-light
Tells you:
You are as indispensable
As God Himself.

Believe them.
They are perfect strangers
To stark falsehood.
I repeat.
Believe them.

37. Why I love

I do not know
Why I love God.
I love God
    Perhaps
Because He loves me.

I do not know
Why I love the world.
I love the world
    Perhaps
Because the world loves me.
    But
I do know why I love myself.
I love myself
    Because
The ascending poor beggar in me
Loves me constantly
    And
The descending rich beggar above me
Loves me unconditionally.

38. Alas

I do not think of God
    But
That is not what pains me,
    And
My heart.

I do not love God
    But
That is not what tortures me,
    And
My soul.

I am not another God.
    Alas,
That is what kills me,
My blue dream-boat
    And
My Golden Shore.

39. God perfects Himself

Fear defends herself.
Courage expands himself.
Doubt offends himself.
Faith protects herself.
Purity transcends herself.
Impurity glorifies herself.

I destroy myself.
God perfects Himself.

40. I shall remain the same

Yesterday
You were breathless
With adoration.

Today
You are breathless
With suspicion.

Tomorrow
You will be breathless
With rejection.

But I shall remain
Eternally the same
    God-lover
In the Heart of humanity.

41. I am disgusted

O Heaven,
I am disgusted
At your superiority.

    O earth,
I am disgusted
At your inferiority.

    O man,
I am disgusted
At your insincerity.

    O woman,
I am disgusted
At your insecurity.

    O God,
I am disgusted
At my stupidity.

    O God,
I am disgusted
At Your futility.

42. Don't forget

O my puny body,
You need me
    And
My aspiration
To realise God.
Don’t forget
This supremely important fact.

O my large soul,
You need me
    And
My dedication
To manifest God.
Don’t forget
This eternally significant fact.

43. Where is the promised land

Where is the promised land?
Is it inside my greatness
or
Inside my I-lessness?

It is neither inside my greatness
nor
Inside my I-lessness.

The promised land
Is in man’s constant acceptance-light
Of God’s Perfection-Delight
On earth.

44. When

When
I live in the body,
    I discover:
Man is the future of man.

    When
I live in the soul,
    I discover:
God is the future of man.

    When
I live in God,
    I discover:
Man is the birthless Dream
    Of God
    And
God is the deathless Reality
    In man.

45. Believing or not believing

Believing nothing
You go to death-world
As an invited guest.

Believing something
You stay in your own world
Of merciless caution.

Believing everything
    Without concentrating
    And
    Without meditating
You enter into the frustration-world
As a tempted guest.

46. My two suns

A visible sun
    Above my head
Energises my body-life.

An invisible sun
    Within my heart
Fulfils my soul-life.

O visible sun,
You are so kind,
    Yet
You are too far.

O invisible sun,
You are so kind,
    Yet
You are too slow.

47. The animal, the human and the divine in me

The animal in a destructive man
Wants to live unchanged.

The human in a frustrated man
Wants to die unchanged.

The divine in an aspiring man
Wants to change and live —
Wants to change for himself,
Wants to live for God.

48. He lived, lives and shall live

He lived among his books.
Everybody laughed,
With the sole exception of God.

He lives among
Love, devotion and surrender.
Everybody admires him,
Including God.

He shall live with
God the Father
    And
God the Mother.

Nobody will believe it.
Nobody will care for him.
Nobody will even think of him.

49. There was a time

There was a time
When my obscurity was my protection.

    There was a time
When my aloofness was my protection.

    But now
My heart of love is my protection.
    And
My life of service is my protection.

50. I am never afraid

I am never afraid
    Of hell.
    Therefore
Hell always ignores me.

I am never afraid
    Of Heaven.
    Therefore
Heaven always examines me.

I am never afraid
    Of God.
    Therefore
God always
Teaches me unreservedly,
Loves me constantly,
Perfects me untiringly.