The Golden Boat, part 9

1. When I see Death's hand

When I see Death’s hand
    On your face,
My heart just breaks.
How I wish you could stay
    On earth
A few more good and God-years!

When I see Death’s hand
    On your heart,
My heart just breaks.
I blame, I blame God
Because He has not granted you
Even an immortal human birth.

2. Two great ambitions

Two great ambitions have I.
    I want to see
If God can manage to exist
    On earth
    And
    In Heaven
Without my conscious and constant support.
    I want to see
If any soul
    On earth
    Or
    In Heaven
Has ever displeased God
    More than my demanding and possessing life.

3. Two unborn dreams

I long for the blossoming
Of two unborn dreams.

    I wish to fly
    From life to death
    To change the face and fate of earth
    In the world of death.

    I wish to fly
    From earth-failure to Heaven-triumph
    To change the sorrows and pangs of God
    In the world of man.

4. His name

His name
Is no man’s inspiration-flow.

    His name
Is no man’s aspiration-glow.

    His name
Is no man’s realisation-flood.

    Yet he is one,
    Inseparably one,
With God’s Compassion-blood.

5. None too small

No Truth too small
To illumine me.

    No Light too weak
To fulfil me.

    No Bliss too little
To immortalise me.

    No Perfection too insignificant
To claim me.

7. Friend, I am sorry!

Friend, I am sorry!
Your beauty-lustre is gone
    Because
Earth has possessed you.

Friend, I am sorry!
Your duty-hour is gone
    Because
Heaven no more needs you.

Friend, I am sorry!
Your realisation-height is gone
    Because
God has discovered a new instrument
    to replace you.

8. His feet have no rest

I saw the feet of a thief.
I felt sorry for them
Because
They have no rest.
Even during the night
Ignorance compels them to run.

I saw the feet of a saint.
I felt sorry for them
Because
They have no rest.
Even when he is in his own room
His followers cannot live
Without touching and polluting his feet.

9. Father-Consciousness, Mother-Light

Father-Consciousness,
I need You
To claim You —
Your Vision’s Reality.
Without it I am lost
    In ignorance-night.

Mother-Light,
I need You
To claim You —
Your Reality’s Perfection.
Without it I am captured
    By pleasure-snares.

Therefore,
Father and Mother,
I need You two
More than You
    Can possibly think.

10. Your presence

Your presence manifests
God-light on earth;
    Therefore,
I am safe.

Your presence manifests
God-delight on earth;
    Therefore,
I am happy.

Your presence manifests
God-perfection on earth;
    Therefore,
I am useful.

11. Rivers of sorrow

Your life is a river of sorrow
    Because
Nobody loves you.

Your life is a hundred rivers of sorrow
    Because
Nobody needs you.

Your life is a thousand rivers of sorrow
    Because
Man-confidence,
Self-confidence,
God-confidence,
Are all strangers to you.

12. My bondage reign

My heart-pain
Has destroyed my beauty’s core.

My earth-chain
Has bound my freedom-shore.

My ignorance-reign
Has forgotten my reality-door.

13. O dream-bearer

O dream-bearer,
My heart needs
Your heart of Golden Dream
To see Heaven’s silver fire.

O dream-bearer,
My soul needs
Your soul of Reality-Sun
To illumine earth’s black mire.

14. Dreamland

When I first dreamt of you
I thought I loved you.
I really did.
But alas,
Reality is something else.

When I first spoke to you
I thought I had you.
I really did.
But alas,
Dreamland is the land where I live.

15. A serious mistake

O earth, you thought
You had possessed me
    And I would please you
In your own human way.
    Better late than never,
You have realised
That it was a serious mistake.

O earth, I thought
I had transformed you
    And you would please me
In my own divine way.
    Better late than never,
I have realised
That it was a serious mistake.

16. God's two battlefields

Earth is God’s battlefield.
Here He tries so hard
To give humanity
What He has: Perfection.
Alas, nobody knows
If ever He will succeed.

Heaven is God’s battlefield.
There He tries so hard
To give divinity
What He is: Realisation.
Alas, no soul knows
If ever He will succeed.

17. My dream in Your Eyes

My dream in Your Eyes
Offers me the realisation
That You are
My God, my only God, my eternal God.
O dream, my dream,
How soulful you are.

My dream in Your Heart
Offers me the realisation
That I am
Your own, Your very own, Your eternally own.
O dream, my dream,
How fruitful you are.

18. God is God

God is God
Because
He dares to believe
That I am another God.

God is God
Because
He dares to transcend
What He eternally is.

19. I need better thoughts

I need better thoughts.
I need the thought that loves God
    Unconditionally.
I need the thought that loves man
    Soulfully.
I need the thought that loves
    The animal kingdom
    Carefully.
I need the thought that loves
    The plant world
    Ceaselessly.
I need the thought that loves
    The stone life
    Compassionately.

20. Try again

Nowhere to progress;
    Therefore,
    You are unhappy.
Nothing to express;
    Therefore,
    You are unhappy.
No one to impress;
    Therefore,
    You are unhappy.
None to suppress;
    Therefore,
    You are unhappy.
If you progress
    Your soul will love you;
If you express
    Your heart will love you;
If you impress
    Your mind will love you;
If you suppress
    Your vital will love you.
    Therefore,
    Try and try again.

21. My great capacities

My sorrows are great;
They want to be distributed.

My joys are great;
They want to be perfected.

My achievements are great;
They all came from God.

My surrender is great;
It is my only real life.

22. My mental progression

O my mental clouds,
When are you going to be thinner?

    O my mental cave,
When are you going to be wider?

    O my mental plant,
When are you going to be taller?

    O my mental cry,
When are you going to be purer?

    O my mental life,
When are you going to be wiser?

23. When God invented

When God invented Duty
He also invented Beauty.

When God invented Life
He also invented Love.

When God invented His Dream-moon
He also invented His Reality-sun.

When God invented His Silence-choice
He also invented His Manifestation-voice.

24. Two questions

Lord, I have two childish questions.
    Why did You create the world?
    Are You not a fool?

Lord, I have two child-like questions.
    Do you love me, Lord?
    Will You make me as good as You are?

Lord, I have two God-like questions.
    When will I be eternally happy?
    When will I be completely perfect?

25. Father and daughter

Father, give me the capacity
To count the time
I have misspent.

Daughter, give Me the capacity
To count the good things
You have done for Me.

Father, why do You make fun of me?

Daughter, why do you make Me sad
By dragging yourself
Back to the fruitless past?

26. The dreamer tells me

The dreamer from the East
    Tells me:
God is Peace.
I believe him
    And
I shall always believe him.

The dreamer from the West
    Tells me:
God is Power.
I believe him
    And
I shall always believe him.

The dreamer from Heaven
    Tells me:
God is an eternal child.
I believe him
    And
I shall always believe him.

The dreamer from earth
    Tells me:
God is an ever-descending Light.
I believe him
    And
I shall always believe him.

27. Ambassadors of God

O Ambassadors of God,
What do you need
From earth and Heaven?

“We need earth’s confidence
    In us
So that we can show earth
    The golden Feet of God.
We need Heaven’s confidence
    In us
So that Heaven does not point out to God
    Our incapacities
While we strive hard
    To manifest Him on earth.”

28. God does not mind

God does not mind
The imperfections of my face.

God does not mind
The limitations of my eyes.

God does not mind
The incapacities of my arms.

God does not mind
The endless follies of my mind.
    But
God objects to even an iota of a spot
    On the hallowed tablet
    Of my heart.

29. God is His own Father and Son

God is His own interpreter.
He interprets His divine message to man
    With His Compassion-height.
God is His own boss.
He directs man to do the right thing,
To be the right thing,
    With His Concern-light.
God is His own Father and Son.
As a father, He needs His Son
    To manifest His life of Immortality.
As a son, He needs His Father
    To supply Him with
    His ever-transcending Reality.

30. Do not go!

Don’t go
Near that hysterical woman!
She thinks even God
Has deceived her.

Don’t go
Near that neurotic man!
He feels even God
Is jealous of him.

31. Big questions

Big questions
With no answer:
    Will death punish me
    Or
Will death adore me
When I die?
    Will there be another Lord
    On earth
After my death?
    Why is God
    So insecure?
    Why does He not make
    Every man perfect like Him?
    What is wrong with Him?

32. A better way

A better way
To pass the morning:
    I shall meditate every morning
For fifteen minutes
    To love God in His own Way,
Plus cheerfully.

    A better way
To pass the afternoon:
    I shall meditate every afternoon
For fifteen minutes
    To please God in His own Way,
Plus cheerfully.

    A better way
To pass the evening:
    I shall meditate every evening
For fifteen minutes
    To fulfil God in His own Way,
Plus cheerfully.

33. Don't go near him!

Don’t go near him!
He is practising selfish holiness.

Go near him!
He is practising simple kindness.

Don’t go near him!
He says God-power is on sale.

Go near him!
He says God-love cannot be described.

34. Try, you shall succeed

You may not reach Heaven
    At a single bound,
    But
You can reach God without fail
At a single bound.
Try, you shall succeed.

You may not please Heaven
    All at once,
    But
You can please God without fail
    All at once.
Try, you shall succeed.

35. God, are you discouraged?

God, are You discouraged
When I make so many mistakes
    Every day?
God, are You displeased
That I have not made You
    The first thing in my life?
God, are You disheartened
    That every day I fail you?

Son, if I am discouraged
Then I shall not
    Look at you.
Son, if I am displeased
Then I shall not
    Smile at you.
Son, if I am disheartened
Then I shall not
    Bless you.

36. I was born to be alone (I)

I was born to see alone.
Whom have I seen?
An orphan soul.
What have I seen?
An infant world.

I was born to walk alone.
Whom have I reached?
The King of frustration.
Where have I reached?
Eternity’s nowhere.

37. I was born to be alone (II)

I was born to cry alone.
For whom do I cry?
I cry for my forgotten half:
God.

I was born to starve alone.
Why do I starve?
Because I fear to dine
With my absolute Lord Supreme.

38. Still God wants you to work for Him

Although
You have fallen asleep,
    God wants you to work
    For Him.
    Why?
God wants you to conquer sleep
So that you can be
    His sleepless partner.

    Although
You have told a good many lies,
    God wants you to work
    For Him.
    Why?
God wants you to conquer falsehood
So that you can be
    His perfect partner.

39. Something remains untold

Something remained untold.
What was it?
God’s Compassion
    For humanity.

Something remains untold.
What is it?
God’s Aspiration
    In humanity.

Something shall remain untold.
What is it?
God’s Perfection
    Of humanity.

40. A better world

Daughter, I have been
Looking for you everywhere.
Where have you been?
What have you been doing?
    “I have been inside my mind.”
Ah, that is why I have been missing you.
What have you been doing there?
    “I have been thinking
    Of how to create a better world.”
I see, daughter.
Please do Me a big favour.
When you create a better world,
Make Me an honorary citizen of your world.
Not only are you disappointed
    In My world,
But I am also disappointed
    Far beyond your imagination’s flight.

41. Who fears?

Who fears to follow?
    Not the heart-man in me.
Who fears to follow?
    The mind-man in me.

Who fears to lead?
    Not the soul-man in me.
Who fears to lead?
    The body-man in me.

Who fears to change?
    Not the God-man in me.
Who fears to change?
    The vital-man in me.

42. A favour

God asked me for a favour.
I gave Him not what He wanted.
Can you imagine
    What He wanted from me?
He wanted to have
    All my ignorance.
I said to Him,
    “If I give You all my ignorance
What will I have on earth
    To live with and to live for?”

I asked God for a favour.
He gave me immediately what I wanted.
He gave me
    His Infinity’s Love,
    Eternity’s height
    And
    Immortality’s life.
He shared with me His supreme Secret:
That real joy is in self-giving.

43. Their fees

I will tell you
What I paid for my God-realisation:
To God I paid His Fee:
    Surrender unconditional.
To my earth-teacher I paid his fee:
    Love-flood.
To the Heaven-witness I paid his fee:
    Smile-dawn.
To the Time-lawyer I paid his fee:
    Silence-sky.

44. Carry them always

Courage: carry it always.
It will help you.

    Faith: carry it always.
It will save you.

    Joy: carry it always.
It will feed you.

    Love: carry it always.
It will immortalise you.

45. What is the matter?

What is the matter with me?
Why do I not love God?
He does everything for me.

What is the matter with God?
Why does He not ignore me?
I deserve His indifference-blow.

What is the matter with earth?
Why has it lost all its hope?
Hope is the harbinger of achievement.

What is the matter with Heaven?
Why does it promise all the time?
Promise unfulfilled is insincerity’s betrayal.

46. I warn you

Why are you tormenting me, doubt?
I warn you once and for all,
I shall throw you into the lion-mouth
    Of faith.

Why are you tormenting me, fear?
I warn you once and for all,
I shall throw you into the giant-heart
    Of courage.

Why are you tormenting me, insecurity?
I warn you once and for all,
I shall throw you into the goal-height
    Of oneness.

47. It is time to do more

True, you have realised God.
But it seems that it is time for you
    To learn something more.

True, you have revealed God.
But it seems that it is time for you
    To do something more.

True, you have manifested God.
But it seems that it is time for you
    To please your Inner Pilot more.

48. For the time being

For the time being
I shall think only of God,
    Since He has promised me that
    He will make me happy.

    For the time being
I shall love only man,
    Since I have promised man that
    I shall make him happy.

    For the time being
I shall adore only Heaven,
    Since Heaven sincerely cares for me.

    For the time being
I shall bless only earth,
    Since earth always longs for me.

49. My name

Don’t trap me!
My name is a moment;
I shall unmistakably free you.

Don’t belittle me!
My name is a seed;
I shall eventually fulfil you.

Don’t forget me!
My name is an iota of perfection;
I shall definitely immortalise you.

50. No difference

Love of power:
What is the difference
Between
You and a ferocious tiger?
No difference, none!

Power of love:
What is the difference
Between
You and God?
No difference, none!

The Sri Chinmoy Library