Part I — Poems

1. You and I are God

To your sincerity I say:
I know God.

To your purity I say:
I own God.

To your divinity I say:
I am God.

To your surrender-oneness I say:
You and I are Eternity's God,
Infinity's Lord,
And
Immortality's Pilot Supreme.

2. Start a new beginning

When the answer does not seem to come,
Do not give up.
Try to wait a little more.
When the answer does not come at all,
Do not give up.
Start a new beginning.
This time
Smite your heart with your throbbing cries,
And
Break your face with your illumining smiles.

3. Victory

In the inner world
Each victory is a help.
Each defeat is a help, too.
But each surrender to God's Will
Is a victory unparalleled,
A victory invincible.

4. Why doesn't God stop wars?

Why doesn't God stop wars?
Because
The animal in us enjoys war.
Why doesn't God stop wars?
Because
The human in us is afraid of enjoying
The company of its totally unfamiliar friend:
Peace.
Such being the case,
Do we not deserve to be
Strangled and slaughtered
By one another?
Yes, we certainly do.

5. My soul and my body

My divine soul
Was
Born to proceed.

My human body
Was
Born to succeed.

6. Who can resist?

I live in a confusing world;
I am totally confused.
Yet
Who can dare protest,
Who can dare resist
My God-promise,
My God-fulfilment?

7. My responsibilities

To see the Face of God
Is
My earth-responsibility.

To feel the heart of man
Is
My Heaven-responsibility.

8. My passport

I love.
These two words
Embody
My passport to perfection-height.

I love God.
These three words
Embody
My passport to satisfaction-light.

I love God only.
These four words
Embody
My passport to God's eternal Smile,
Infinite Beauty,
Immortal Love.

9. I shall wander no more

I shall wander no more.
I shall collect my inner strength.
I shall cover the world and its length
In my meditation-core.

10. With trembling legs

With trembling legs
We approach him.

With trembling hands
We stand before him.

With trembling eyes
We look at him.

With trembling hearts
We speak to him.

11. Everything returns

Everything returns
With the revolving years:
A smiling progress-world
In the heart of pure gratitude-tears.

12. Our loss

It is your loss
If you do not love me.
It is my loss
If I ever see you climb
Life-devouring ignorance-tree.

13. My life

My sound-life demands.
My silence-life expects.
My aspiration-life accepts and rejects.

14. I salute you all

O vision of delight,
O mission of God-right,
O reality of perfection-light,
I salute you all, your might.

15. Yours is the God-Smile

Yours is the God-Face
I like.
Yours is the God-Grace
I love.
Yours is the God-Cry
For me to adore.
Yours is the God-Smile
To open my life's heart-door.

16. Heart-beauty

Heart-beauty remains
Always the same:
Aspiration-cry.


Life-reality retains
Always its possession:
Frustration-sigh.

17. Chance has a blameless hand

Chance has a blameless hand.
Doubt is a shameless breath.
Grace has a magic smile.
Fear needs a tragic death.

18. My life's desires

In the inner world
My life wants to be all peace.
In the outer world
My life wants to be all joy.

In the human world
My life wants to be all love.
In the world divine
My life wants to be God-toy.

19. Come and take my all

O Heaven, come and take my soul.
My journey's life has played its role.
O Supreme, come and take my all:
My big desires and longings small.

20. I know them not

I know not truth
But
I know its golden smile.

I know not man
But
I have his complaint-file.

21. History man has

History man has.
Mystery man is.
Mastery man needs.

22. Yesterday, today and tomorrow

Yesterday gave me what it had:
Fear of God.
Today gives me what it has:
Love of God.
Tomorrow will give me what it will have:
Realisation of God.

23. Start your homeward journey!

Start your homeward journey!
Reach your original Home!
Carry your universal Self
To your transcendental Self!

24. Life is worth living

Life is worth living.
Love is worth loving.
Self-realisation is worth attaining.
God-manifestation is worth attempting.

25. What do they say?

What does my mind say?
My mind says that its goals are legion.

What does my heart say?
My heart says that its goal is spirituality.

What does my soul say?
My soul says that its goal is yoga.

What does my Goal say?
My Goal says that I am its fond choice.

26. My body tells you

My body tells You, Lord,
Not to scold me.
My body feels that I need
A little more rest.

I tell You, Lord,
If I am allowed
To get up at my own time
I shall love You,
I shall serve You,
I shall even glorify You.

27. Scolding is not a healthy experience

My mind tells You, Lord,
To scold me in private
If You really have to.

I need not tell You, Lord,
That scolding is not a healthy experience —
Neither for the one who scolds
Nor for the one who is being scolded.

28. Scolding does no good

My vital tells You, Lord,
Not to scold me.
I know I always do something wrong,
But when You scold me
It does me no good.
After all, who has changed his life
From being scolded?
No one!
Therefore, love me, Lord,
Love me even more,
Especially when You want to scold me.

29. My heart tells you to scold me

My heart tells You, Lord,
To scold me when I do anything wrong.
What both of us want from my life
Is perfection-delight.
Therefore, Lord, scold me.
I deserve it, I need it.
My sense of perfection
Badly needs it.

30. Peace

In our outer life,
Peace is compromise.
In our inner life,
Peace is something that constantly helps us
Transcend our height,
Expand our length
And
Deepen our depth.

31. For humanity to enjoy

The seed of faith
And the fruit of freedom
Are for humanity to enjoy.

The love of perfection
And the life of satisfaction
Are for humanity to enjoy.

32. Try to perfect humanity

Time tried to perfect humanity,
But it failed.

God has been trying to perfect humanity,
But who knows
What will be the outcome?

Now it is your turn.
You try to perfect humanity.
I am sure success-glory
Will be all yours.

33. Each

Each body
Is an aspiring hope.

Each soul
Is a descending rope.

Each life
Is a God-spreading scope.

34. You have failed

You have failed;
You are no longer humanity's hope.

You have failed;
You are no longer Divinity's Voice.

You have failed;
You are no longer Immortality's Choice.

35. If it is difficult

Lord, my Lord, seal my mouth!
If You find it difficult,
Then bless me with patience-light.
If that too is difficult,
Then take me to another world
Where I shall have less difficulty
In pleasing You
In Your own way.

36. I need You

Lord Supreme,
Because You are very great,
I need You in public.

Lord Supreme,
Because You are very good,
I need You in private.

37. Virtue

The beginning of virtue:
Give and take.
The continuation of virtue:
Give.
The culmination of virtue:
Become.

38. Payments

What I must pay:
My earth-body's earthly rent.

What I should pay:
My Heaven-soul's heavenly telephone bill
With God.

What I am paying for:
My long and unforgotten friendship
With ignorance.

39. Look at them!

Look at your body!
It is always graceless and useless.

Look at your vital!
It is always hungry and angry.

Look at your mind!
It is always doubtful and scornful.

Look at your heart!
It is always insecure and impure.

40. Only

Preach
Only what you do.

Practise
Only what you know.

Reach
Only what you see.

Teach
Only what you are.

Part II — aphorisms

1.

A prophet says to humanity, "Wake up!"

Humanity immediately says to the prophet, "Shut up!"

The prophet says, "O humanity, I am asking you to wake up for your own good."

Humanity says, "O prophet, I am asking you to shut up for your own good. If you shut up, you can take rest. If you take rest, you will get better thoughts, better ideas and better ideals. So, for your sake, for your own good, I am asking you to shut up."

2.

Love divine is the Truth supreme practised in the life of aspiration.

3.

The life of desire is the temporary defeat of the soul on the unreality-shore of the Life-River.

4.

When attachment is taken away from the mind, what remains is the mind's glowing purification.

5.

I had a bitter quarrel with God. Many a time He has come to make up, but my ire has not allowed me to be on good terms with Him. To Him I have said, "God, you have made me the man in the moon, but I wish to be a man of the earth." No answer have I heard from Him.

At last I now comprehend the meaning of His Silence. When evil things torture me, I must in no time become the man in the moon. And when ignorance rises to dominate me, forthwith I must be a man of the earth.

6.

What is penury? Penury is the fulfilment of desires. The more we slake the thirst of desires, the bigger becomes our insatiable hunger.

7.

My heart is credulous. My mind is a typical doubting Thomas. I am moved to tears at the pitiable condition of these two partners. I wish to be nothing else save an unerring judge.

8.

Our heart is ingenuous. Our mind is ingenious. Our body is ignorant. Our eyes are infants. Our vital is a roaring tiger. Our soul is an orphan. With its birth, its parents have thrown it down to earth from the pinnacled sphere to found the Life Divine upon the clay with the assistance of the heart, mind, vital, body and senses.

Alas, except for the heart, all the members of our family look down upon the soul and say, "O fool and beggar, away you go to your own clime! No need have we of you. We are quite content with this sweet earth of ours." Alas, the true ruler is ruled by its eyeless pigmy subjects.

9.

Tears flow down our cheeks when our dear ones are gathered to our fathers. But we forget the truth that our fathers, too, had to suffer much when their dear ones were in the land of the living.

What is death after all? It is but one shore of the sea of Consciousness. The other shore is life. The sole work of life is to sow and the sole work of death is to reap. Both are interdependent.

10.

Do what you can. Don't try to do what you can't. But if you don't do what you can, your present poverty will never dive into the sea of future affluence.

11.

How to serve a man most effectively? With money? Not sufficient. With joy? Not sufficient. With any other belonging of the earth? Not sufficient.

Then what is it that can help a man truly and effectively? It is inner concern. Inner concern is the only offering that has no equal. If you can serve a man with inner concern, matchless will be your assistance.

12.

What is the difference between desire and surrender? Desire is a beggar; surrender is a king.

13.

There are two fruits: one silence, the other din. The wise pine for the former; the ignorant long for the latter. Those who dwell in silence say that the world is not a dream; it is a self-assertive reality. Those who are devoured by din say that the world is more transitory than a rope of sand. Both parties are adamant in their assertions.

A terrible dispute arose between my heart and my mind over who was right. According to my heart, silence is far superior to din. According to my mind, silence is no match for din. They made me the judge. As I was ignorant of the truth, I went to my soul with a tremulous tongue.

My soul consoled me and said, "Your heart is the pinnacle of wisdom and your mind is the abyss of ignorance. I give you two seeds. One is Immortality, the other is transformation. Sow the first seed in your heart and the second in your mind. In no time, you will find that their terrible fight will end in a fond embrace."

14.

Desires are synonymous with clouds. The clouds can hide the sun but can never destroy it. As the outer sun bursts forth from the clouds at a selected moment, so also the inner sun emerges from the clouds of desire at God's choice Hour.

15.

I will tell you whom to hate. Hate him only who thinks ill of himself. Sorry, don't hate him, but hate his folly.

16.

God's child is sincerity. Doom's issue is insincerity. Sincerity and insincerity are ever at daggers drawn. Apparently both are equally formidable.

17.

Alas! My soul has been stolen away. Desire, the thief, is in collusion with my mind. In vain I thrashed them soundly, but the more I beat them the louder became their laughter.

O Lord and God, my power is ignorance; Yours is Knowledge. I have fought with You many a time and every time I have come off second best. This time I am sure that I shall bear away the palm of victory. My immaculate gratitude will compel Your Grace to fight with Your iron Law. I know the stronger of the two is Your Grace. All problems will be solved when I have Your Grace as my Guide.

18.

What irony of fate! Our soul, part of the Divine, is now subject to non-divine powers. Its indomitable spirit is now suppressed by the feeblest mortal.

19.

If you dare to say that you are not the father of your depression, then I will quietly say that you are undoubtedly the foster-father of your depression.

20.

You may not know where God the Beloved is. But you do know who God the Lover is. It is you, and you alone.

21.

We are between Scylla and Charybdis. The murky vital belabours us when we care for God. And when we care for the lurid vital, the Grace of God eludes us.

22.

My Lord, I believe in You, but I turn a deaf ear to Your Commands. I have no belief in Death, but I am ever aware of Death's commands. And what is worse, I blindly carry out his behests. O Author of all Good, truly this is for me an insoluble mystery.

23.

The best friend of prosperity is veracity. The worse foe of prosperity is mendacity.

Veracity is the fondest child of conscience. Mendacity is the spoiled child of nescience.

The journey of the first child will end only when it sees the face of perpetual creation. The journey of the second will cease only when it sees the face of utter destruction.

24.

Look at our stupidity! When the gods descend from the high heavens onto this earth full of evils, they do not become objects of contempt. But when we go down a little, the respect others have for us in no time dies.

25.

My soul was fired with boundless zeal when my heart, mind and vital agreed to help it establish the Life Divine upon earth. Alas, heart, mind and vital lost their resolve when they failed in their first attempt. Now the poor soul alone endeavours to fulfil its mission. When it is victorious, I am sure, the treacherous and unabashed heart, mind and vital will rush to exult in the victory.

26.

Death there is and needs must be when I am a synonym for my body. Death nowhere; no need have I of it, when I am synonymous with my inner Bird.