Author's dedication

I dedicate this book to my Savyasachi, Chetana, Ranjana and Sumedha. They have graciously and sincerely told me that my command of English surpasses theirs. To tell the truth, the words in this book have tremendously enriched my own vocabulary. I do hope that this book of amusement will inspire some of my disciple-readers who want to increase their vocabulary and sail in the same boat as we are in. The two brothers and the kind readers have all one Soul, one Role and one Goal: “Smile and learn, learn and smile.”

51 Concomitant

Madal: Chinmoy, I want to be admired by all, especially by my friends. Is it possible for me to be admired by all without any concomitant responsibility to them?

Chinmoy: Yes, Madal, it is possible. But if you do not shoulder the accompanying responsibility, which is your devoted concern for others, then your joy can never be complete and perfect.

52 Congenital

Madal: Chinmoy, do you have any congenital doubters in your spiritual family?

Chinmoy: Madal, thank God, I do not have any disciple who has been a doubter since the time of his birth. Today my disciples may have a few doubts; tomorrow they will have none, and the day after tomorrow what they will have is faith, implicit faith, infinite faith.

53 Conjecture

Madal: Chinmoy, do you often make a decision on the basis of conjecture?

Chinmoy: Madal, no, I do not make any decisions based on an opinion formed without sufficient evidence. I make decisions commanded and guided by God’s Will.

54 Consternation

Madal: Chinmoy, do you agree with me when I say that there is not even one newspaper which does not exploit facts and also create unnecessary consternation in the public mind?

Chinmoy: Madal, I fully agree with you. I wish you would write to all the editors of the newspapers and urge them not to cause alarm and dread in our lives.

55 Contemporary

Madal: Chinmoy, my contemporaries do not like me. What shall I do with my life?

Chinmoy: Madal, don’t worry. If people of your own age do not like you, then mix with children. If children also don’t like you, then try to mix only with sincere seekers who are God’s chosen children. They will not only like you, but also love you.

56 Contumely

Madal: Chinmoy, I have heard that many young people in America speak of the established order with great contumely. Is it true?

Chinmoy: Madal, I do not really know. But even if they speak of everyone and everything with contempt and scorn, and even if they have other undivine qualities, God’s boundless Compassion will forgive them and lead them to the right path eventually.

57 Convivial

Madal: Chinmoy, is it necessary for a truly spiritual person to be convivial?

Chinmoy: Yes, Madal, it really is necessary for a truly spiritual person to be sociable; otherwise he will not be able to offer his inner wealth most satisfactorily to mankind.

58 Convolution

Madal: Chinmoy, I know that the life of an insincere and unaspiring man is full of pointless and meaningless convolutions. Please tell me about the life of a sincere and aspiring man.

Chinmoy: Madal, the life of a sincere and aspiring man is freed from these twists and windings. He walks along a straight and sunlit path, and unmistakably reaches the supreme Goal.

59 Copious

Madal: Chinmoy, I need and want love from you in copious measure.

Chinmoy: Madal, if you need and want abundant love from me, then think infinitely more of God than of your undivine self.

60 Corpulent

Madal: Chinmoy, some of the Indian spiritual Masters are extremely corpulent. Why are they like that?

Chinmoy: Madal, I cannot possibly answer that question. They are too fat, perhaps because they eat too much. God alone knows how sincerely and devotedly I am trying not to be in their group.

61 Countenance

Madal: Chinmoy, I feel that God is always sad because human beings are not living a divine life. What can we do to brighten up His Countenance?

Chinmoy: Madal, to brighten up God’s Face we must love Him and one another infinitely more than we do now.

62 Covert

Madal: Chinmoy, is there any covert intention in God’s Plan which would explain why all human beings, without exception, are imperfect?

Chinmoy: Madal, there is no concealed intention on His part. We human beings do not continuously and consciously try to perfect our outer nature. That is why we remain so imperfect.

63 Daunt

Madal: Chinmoy, do I have any quality that daunts you?

Chinmoy: Yes, Madal, your stupidity, impurity and lack of receptivity intimidate and dishearten me.

64 Deleterious

Madal: Chinmoy, what are the things that are deleterious to my aspiring self?

Chinmoy: Madal, your lack of faith, lack of determination, lack of purity and lack of self-offering are all harmful to your aspiring self.

65 Depraved

Madal: Chinmoy, do you have any disciple who is depraved?

Chinmoy: Madal, you must know that God is not so unkind to me. He has not given me and will never give me any disciple who is truly corrupt and wicked, for that kind of person can have no sincere interest in self-transformation.

66 Derision

Madal: Chinmoy, very often humanity on the whole greets spiritual Masters with derision. Why?

Chinmoy: Madal, in general humanity greets only the self-styled and unrealised spiritual Masters with ridicule and mockery, not the genuine spiritual Masters. But I must admit that at times even the good and true spiritual Masters are greeted with ridicule. In such cases, it is because humanity is not ready to accept their divine light. I feel extremely sorry for both unaspiring humanity and the self-giving spiritual Masters.

67 Despot

Madal: Chinmoy, are you one of the spiritual Masters who always acts like a despot?

Chinmoy: Madal, this question is too difficult for me to answer. My disciples are truly qualified to answer this question on my behalf. In public they will tell you, “No, never; our Guru is all love and all compassion!” But in secret they will tell you, “Yes, Sri Chinmoy is a tyrant of the first water.”

68 Desultory

Madal: Chinmoy, can desultory efforts lead me to my highest destination?

Chinmoy: No, Madal, aimless and random efforts can never lead you to your destination. If your spiritual efforts are not sincere, regular and constant, your goal will always remain a far cry.

69 Discursive

Madal: Chinmoy, sometimes I notice that you answer questions in a discursive manner. Why do you do that?

Chinmoy: Madal, I deeply appreciate your observation and accusation. It is absolutely true that at times my answers seem to wander aimlessly from one subject to another. But God is so kind and forgiving to me that He has given me quite a few disciples who love me in spite of my teeming incapacities in this field.

70 Dissonance

Madal: Chinmoy, no doubt you are a musician. Unfortunately I cannot call you a good musician, for you have never sung a song or played a piece of music without making some mistake. Anyway, I want to ask you if dissonance bothers you?

Chinmoy: Madal, the pure and clear sincerity within me shakes hands with your proud assessment of the musician in me. But to answer your question, I both like and dislike unharmonious effects in music. I like dissonance because the child in me still likes restlessness and excitement. I dislike it because the old, traditional, austere Indian Yogi in me finds it difficult to appreciate anything that creates restlessness and excitement.

71 Ebullient

Madal: Chinmoy, please tell me how I can always remain ebullient?

Chinmoy: Madal, you can be always full of enthusiasm and dynamic energy if you can feel yourself to be an eternal partner of God. But be careful, for you have to be an active partner, not a sleeping partner.

72 Ecstatic

Madal: Chinmoy, during your group meditation at times some of your close disciples become simply ecstatic. Do they not become insane then?

Chinmoy: Madal, absurd! Why should they lose their brains when God’s Light and Delight enter into their beings like a torrential rain? You must know that in order to appreciate someone else’s rapturous mood, one has to be at least spiritual.

73 Effervescent

Madal: Chinmoy, I am quite old. It seems that I have no energy left. How can I be the effervescent person I once was?

Chinmoy: Madal, just mix with children. If you spend a few hours in the playground, you are bound to be lively and bubbling with energy once again. You can also chant some mantras daily. That will help you very much in becoming lively.

74 Effete

Madal: Chinmoy, of late I have been feeling that our whole society has become effete. What shall we do?

Chinmoy: Madal, if you feel that our society has become exhausted and decadent, then pray to and meditate on God the Energy and command your physical body to take exercise daily for fifteen minutes. You will feel much better about yourself and society.

75 Effrontery

Madal: Chinmoy, how many disciples do you have who have the effrontery to argue with you?

Chinmoy: Madal, God is extremely kind and compassionate to me. He has not given me one disciple who has the impudent boldness to argue with me. Needless to say, for that particular reason I am extremely grateful to Him.

76 Embroil

Madal: Chinmoy, why am I so deeply embroiled in politics, knowing perfectly well that politics is a dirty business? You know, Chinmoy, I suffer much from my political career and activities.

Chinmoy: Madal, if you really feel politics to be such, then you should become entangled only in your self-discovery. All your sufferings will come to an end. You will be happy and you will make others happy.

77 Enamoured

Madal: Chinmoy, I am enamoured of physical beauty. You are enamoured of the soul’s beauty. Please tell me if God is enamoured of anything in His creation?

Chinmoy: Madal, God is captivated by man’s divine awakening. God is extremely fond of man’s divine duty. God is charmed by man’s soulful smile.

78 Enervate

Madal: Chinmoy, I must admit that you are a spiritual lion. Tell me one thing: what is the thing that you are doing wrong which enervates you after you have had a long meditation?

Chinmoy: Madal, nothing actually takes away my strength before, during or after a long meditation. To me, meditation is all energy and all life. It is the wild resistance from the unlit vital of some of my disciples and the opposition of the unaspiring earth-consciousness that weakens my human body when I bring down light into my disciples’ obscure, unaspiring and resisting natures.

79 Engender

Madal: Chinmoy, what is the thing that engenders fear of God in us, and how can we remove it?

Chinmoy: Madal, the insincerity in our vital nature causes our fear of God. To remove it, we need surrendered faith in God in our outer life and concentrated aspiration in our inner life.

80 Ennui

Madal: Chinmoy, why am I so often a victim to ennui?

Chinmoy: Madal, you so often fall into a state of weariness, discontent and boredom because your aspiring heart makes you feel that your soul really does not want the fulfillment of your teeming desires; nay, not even one desire.

81 Ephemeral

Madal: Chinmoy, do you believe my splendid discovery that everything on earth is ephemeral?

Chinmoy: Madal, I believe it and I don’t believe it. If a thing is of ignorance and for ignorance, then it is fleeting and short-lived. But if it is a thing of Light and for Light, then it is permanent and everlasting.

82 Equanimity

Madal: Chinmoy, is equanimity the last stage in the spiritual life?

Chinmoy: Madal, no! Mental and emotional calmness is the first stage and self-discovery is the last stage in the spiritual life.

83 Esoteric

Madal: Chinmoy, what is the esoteric meaning of life? What is the esoteric meaning of death?

Chinmoy: Madal, the secret meaning of life, understood only by the select few, is that life is God’s evolution. The secret meaning of death is that death is man’s necessary experience at his present state of spiritual development.

84 Evanescent

Madal: Chinmoy, what is evanescent and what is not evanescent in the spiritual life?

Chinmoy: Madal, in the spiritual life thought is a passing and fleeting thing and will-power is an everlasting thing.

85 Exiguous

Madal: Chinmoy, you work for hundreds and hundreds of seekers. Their aspiration is your salary. To me, this salary of yours seems quite exiguous.

Chinmoy: Madal, it is true that my salary is small and meager. But my love for my disciples always remains very great.

86 Explicate

Madal: Chinmoy, when you explicate a most difficult spiritual idea or concept, do your disciples offer you their deepest gratitude or do they just remain silent, taking everything for granted, since they are, after all, your children?

Chinmoy: Dear Madal, their silence itself is a sign of inner gratitude. But I wish to tell you that when I explain and unfold something difficult to them, at that time I do not need or even expect gratitude from them. What I expect from them is the application of my advice to their outer life.

87 Factitious

Madal: Chinmoy, is it possible for a movie star to avoid becoming factitious?

Chinmoy: Madal, it is quite possible for a movie star to avoid becoming artificial and not spontaneous if he cares a bit for spirituality.

88 Fallacious

Madal: Chinmoy, what can I do with a friend who uses fallacious arguments?

Chinmoy: Madal, don’t involve yourself with your friend’s misleading and deceptive arguments. Try to make friends only with those who are frank, straightforward and aspiring.

89 Fiasco

Madal: Chinmoy, will you not feel sorry if your mission is ultimately a fiasco?

Chinmoy: Madal, believe it or not, my mission can never be an utter failure, for my mission is God’s own Inspiration, my mission is God’s own Aspiration, my mission is God’s own Realisation, my mission is God’s own Revelation and my mission is God’s own Manifestation.

90 Foible

Madal: Chinmoy, does God overlook our foibles if we are basically sincere?

Chinmoy: Madal, if we are basically sincere, God overlooks not only our minor weaknesses but our serious faults as well.

91 Forensic

Madal: Chinmoy, you have delivered hundreds of speeches. Have your talks ever had a forensic quality?

Chinmoy: No, Madal, my talks have never had a legal, debating quality. Since I am very clever and lucky, I do not instigate unhealthy arguments and silly disputes. My talks offer peace and light, and my kind audiences receive sincerely, devotedly and graciously the peace and light that I offer to them.

92 Fortitude

Madal: Chinmoy, what is the easiest way to bring to the fore one’s inner fortitude?

Chinmoy: Madal, the easiest way to bring forward one’s inner strength is to feel that one is a chosen child of God.

93 Frugality

Madal: Chinmoy, do you approve of frugality in the spiritual life?

Chinmoy: No, Madal, I do not. Thrift and economy are not spiritual values. Generosity should be your ideal.

94 Garrulous

Madal: Chinmoy, I must say that you are a garrulous Guru.

Chinmoy: Madal, I must say that you are not even an inch away from the truth when you say that I am a talkative Guru. I must admire your great discovery.

95 Germane

Madal: Chinmoy, what you say is quite inspiring, but can it be germane to the life of a born doubter like me?

Chinmoy: Madal, O born doubter, my words will be most relevant and pertinent when you apply them to your cherished treasure, doubt.

96 Harbinger

Madal: Chinmoy, how I wish to be the harbinger of light in the world-atmosphere.

Chinmoy: Madal, that is easy. Just live in the heart and listen to the soul. Lo, you will become the forerunner of light.

97 Heterogeneous

Madal: Chinmoy, I have friends of a most heterogeneous kind. What kind of friends do you have and how many?

Chinmoy: Madal, God bless you. Your friends are widely varied in background and personality. But I have only one friend, my Eternal Pilot Supreme.

98 Ignominious

Madal: Chinmoy, is it possible for a seeker to elevate his consciousness once again after having been an ignominious failure in the spiritual life?

Chinmoy: Madal, why not? A contemptible and disgraceful failure does not mark the end of the seeker’s spiritual journey. An adamantine will can easily restore one’s original spiritual height.

99 Imbroglio

Madal: Chinmoy, alas, when will my life be free from teeming imbroglios?

Chinmoy: Madal, your life will be free from confusing and complicated situations and misunderstandings the day you can remember that God always thinks of you, meditates on you and loves you unconditionally.

100 Impecunious

Madal: Chinmoy, is it possible for a man to be impecunious in his inner life but rich and prosperous in his outer life?

Chinmoy: Madal, it is quite possible. As a matter of fact, most of those who wallow in the pleasures of riches in their outer lives are poor in their inner lives.