1. What is the armour?

What is the armour against fate?
    God's Compassion-Face.

What is the armour against God's
    Compassion-Face?
    Man's brooding ingratitude-life.

2. Courage-drop

Doubt-substance dies.
Faith-essence survives.
Fear-ocean will dry.
Courage-drop will shine.

3. My life's dreams

My life's morning dream:
    Everything is beautiful.
    Everybody is beautiful.

My life's afternoon dream:
    I am most beautiful.

My life's evening dream:
    Only God is beautiful,
    God alone.

4. Speak to me

Lord, speak to my mind.
    My mind shall listen to You.

Lord, speak to my heart.
    My heart loves You only.

5. Opposites

Insecurity is contagious.
Security is prosperous.

Doubt is dangerous.
Faith is precious.

Despair is clamorous.
Hope is courageous.

6. The collectors

Dear Heaven,
    You have collected
    The tears of my night.
Thank you, thank you.

Sweet earth,
    You have collected
    The smiles of my life.
Thank you, thank you.

Lord Supreme,
    You have collected
    My desire-night
    and
    My aspiration-sun.
Thank You, thank You.

7. No compromise

An iota of compromise
    With human beings
Can save my earth-life.

But no compromise
    Can I ever make
With ignorance-night
    If God-life is my only Goal.

8. The unwanted assailant

Doubt, you can assail my mind
    If you want to.
But I tell you,
    You are absolutely unwanted
    By my
    Truth-searching,
    Love-striving
    And
    God-manifesting mind.

9. God and I

God-Compassion is accepting me.
God-Love is perfecting me.
God-Satisfaction is embracing me.
God-Perfection is nearing me.

10. I love you

My sacrificing mother,
    I love you.

My smiling father,
    I love you.

My praying sister,
    I love you.

My meditating brother,
    I love you.

My surrendering heart,
    I love you.

My dreaming God,
    I love you.

11. My worst and my best

A suspicion-mind
    Is the worst in me.
Lord Supreme, will You not
    Take care of it?

A dedication-heart
    Is the best in me.
Beloved Supreme, will You not
    Accept it as Your own,
    Very own?

12. God-Love, God-Oneness

God-Love is self-dedication
    In my heart-life.
God-Service is self-perfection
    In my body-life.
God-Victory is self-satisfaction
    In my mind-life.
God-Oneness is self-transcendence
    In my vital-life.

13. I always treasure you

Dear heart-beauty,
    I always love you.
Dear life-duty,
    I always need you.
Dear God-necessity,
    I always treasure you.

14. Perfecting vision, devouring sight

My soul's superior vision
    Inspires me to perfect my life.
My life's inferior sight
    Challenges me,
    Frightens me,
    Devours me.

15. From and to

From man to God:
    A soulful cry.
From God to man:
    A fruitful smile.
From man to man:
    A harmful frown.
From God to God:
    A fruitful love.

16. Three unusual things

Only three unusual things
I really do not comprehend:
    America's power-gospel,
    India's peace-gospel,
    And
    God's Silence-Gospel.

17. Remember me

Remember me, earth,
    After I die.
Remember me, Heaven,
    When I am dying.
Remember me, God,
    While I am still alive.

18. Two prayers

The Master's prayer:
    Lord, save me from my
    Disciples' imperfection-sea.

The disciples' prayer:
    Lord, bring our Master down
    From the highest branch of
    Frustration-tree.

19. Buddha's two sons

Buddha's two sons:
    His physical son, Rahul,
    Saw who Buddha was.

    His spiritual son, Ananda,
    Knew who Buddha was.

His seeing son lost him.
His knowing son gained him.

20. Unlearning and learning

How do I spend my night?
    I spend my night praying,
    Praying to unlearn.

How do I spend my day?
    I spend my day meditating,
    Meditating to learn.

What do I want to unlearn?
    World-information.

What do I want to learn?
Life-perfection.

21. What do I see?

What did I see?
    I saw God's beckoning Hands
    And my daring feet.

What do I see?
    I see God's reaching Hands
    And my crying heart.

22. My prayer and my meditation

What is my prayer?
    My prayer is my love of
    God-Height and God-Might.

What is my meditation?
    My meditation is my oneness with
    God-Light and God-Delight.

23. Beginning to end

Let me begin my day with
    God's Compassion.
I shall end my day with
    My concern for man's
    Insecurity-night.

Let me begin my night with
    God's Love.
I shall end my night with
    My service to man's
    Necessity-height.

24. One big dream

He keeps away from little dreams:
    Desire-net,
    Ambition-ladder,
    Success-crown.

He treasures only one big dream:
    God's satisfaction-manifestation
    On this poor earth.

25. I shall glorify

I shall glorify God
    With
    My surrender-seed.

I shall glorify man
    With
    My service-tree.

I shall glorify myself
    With
    My sacrifice-fruit.

26. When he touches

Thunder-strong
    When he challenges earth's
    Ignorance-night.

Grass-soft
    When he touches earth's
    Aspiration-kite.

27. We are caged

You are caged by information-world.
    I feel sorry for you.

He is caged by suspicion-world.
    I feel sorry for him.

I am caged by illusion-world.
    I do hope you two
    Feel sorry for me.

28. Act for me

Act for me,
    O God-Compassion,
    Act for me.

Act within me,
    O God-Love,
    Act within me.

Act before me,
    O God-Concern,
    Act before me.

29. My different lives

Senile thoughts:
    My mind-life.

Fertile hopes:
    My heart-life.

Futile achievements:
    My earth-life.

30. What is a dream?

What is not a dream?
    Man's God-realisation.

What is a dream?
    Man's gratitude-dedication.

31. Take more care

Heaven, I advise you
    To take more care
    Of your promise-seed.

Earth, I advise you
    To take more care
    Of your hope-plant.

God, I advise you
    To take more care
    Of Your Vision-Tree.

32. The colours of silence

O green-red Silence, I need
    Your eternal life on earth.

O blue-gold Silence, I need
    Your infinite love on earth.

O white-violet Silence, I need
    Your immortal smile on earth.

33. They know

Earth-song
    My bleeding life knows.

Heaven-dance
    My dreaming soul knows.

God-Smile
    My climbing heart knows.

34. When he sailed, when he failed

When he sailed in
    The boat of sunrise,
    Nobody cared to see him.

When he failed in
    The boat of sunset,
    Everybody saw him,
    Everybody greeted him,
    Everybody pitied him.

Indeed, this is his life-story.

35. Because we love each other

Because You love me, Lord,
I forgive Your delay.
    I wait and watch.

    Because I love You,
Lord, You forgive my demand.
    You smile and give.

36. Try the heart-road

The body-road
    Has disappointed you.
The vital-road
    Has misled you.
The mind-road
    Has confused you.
    There is still one more road:
Try the heart-road.
    I tell you, it will,
    Without fail,
    Lead you to your destination-goal.

37. Between man and God

Between man and God
    Misunderstanding ultimately
    Dies.

Between man and man
    Misunderstanding constantly
    Triumphs.

Between God and me
    A perfect understanding
    Shines.

Between man and me
    A giant frustration-tree
    Grows.

38. Do you know who you are?

Faith-plant, do you know
    Who you are?
You are my never-failing friend.

Doubt-tree, do you know
    Who you are?
You are my ever-assailing foe.

Aspiration-fruit, do you know
    Who you are?
You are my God-unveiling teacher.

39. My promise, my hope

To God,
    My promise to Him
    Is hopeless.

To man,
    My hope for myself
    Is useless.

To me,
    My promise is sincere;
    My hope is pure.

40. He is happy

He is happy because
    He was quick in unlearning
    The life-story of the mind.

He is happy because
    He was quick in learning
    The soul-story of the heart.

41. Before you die

Your fame and glory
Shall leave you
    Long before you die.

    Your cry and surrender
Shall stay on earth
    Long after you die.

42. We are absolutely wrong

You told me:
    God-Smile is a frightening experience.
    You are absolutely wrong.

He told me:
    God-life is a deluding experience.
    He is absolutely wrong.

I told you
    And
I told him:
    God-manifestation is an unnecessary experience.
    I am absolutely wrong.

43. He succeeds

He who tastes, cries.
He who tests, sinks.
He who rests, fails.
He who sails, succeeds.

44. Try, you will succeed

Why don't you serve
    As earth does?
Try, you will easily succeed.

Why don't you love
    As Heaven does?
Try, you will unmistakably succeed.

45. Why am I such a fool?

Mind is transitory,
    Yet I love my mind.
    Alas, why am I such a fool?

Money is transitory,
    Yet I love my money-power,
    Alas, why am I such a fool?

Desire-life is transitory,
    Yet I love my desire-life.
    Alas, why am I such a fool?

Earth-crown is transitory,
    Yet I love my earth-crown.
    Alas, why am I such a fool?

46. God's reality-dream

The writing on my palm
    I easily effaced.

The writing on my forehead
    I laboriously effaced.

The writing on my head,
    I do not have to efface
Because it is God's
    Reality-Dream.

47. He never suffers

You know everything;
    Therefore
    You suffer.

He knows nothing;
    Therefore
    He suffers.

I know nothing;
    Yet I do not want to know
    anything;
    Therefore
    I suffer.

God knows everything;
    Yet He says nothing;
    Therefore
    He never suffers.

48. Silence-life

A sound-life
    Has no rest
    Even when it dreams.

A silence-life
    Has Eternity's rest
    Even when it strives and transcends.

49. I do not feed them

Since I do not feed them
    With my compassion-light,
    How can I show them
    My anger-might?

Since they do not feed me
    With their concern-height,
    How can they show me
    Their frustration-night?

50. The greatest fool

He is a fool
    Who cries.

He is a greater fool
    Who does not try.

He is the greatest fool
    Who thinks he knows
    Everything of
Earth-pleasure and
    Heaven-ecstasy.

Editor's note

These fifty poems were written by Sri Chinmoy during his short visit to Canada from November 15 to November 23, 1974.