1301. The beginning finds the end

The beginning finds the end:
Love finds oneness-flower.
Oneness-flower finds
Satisfaction-fruit.

1302. O mocking eyes of the world

O mocking eyes of the world,
Soon you are going
To appreciate deeply
The fragrance-beauty
Of my flower-heart.

1303. Three ultimate absurdities

Three ultimate absurdities:
I shall fail my Lord.
I am not meant for God-realisation.
My Lord is not pleased with me.

1304. Confidants

God is my confidant.
I have told Him secretly
That I am totally fed up
With my mind-jungle.

I am God’s confidant.
He has secretly told me
That I can always remain
In the beauty’s satisfaction-garden
Of my heart.

1305. The only answer

Is hell on this earth?
The doubting mind has and is
The only answer.

Is Heaven on this earth?
The aspiring heart has and is
The only answer.

1306. A complete betrayal

A complete betrayal!
Before I was born
I told God
That I shall have nothing to do
With ignorance-tiger on earth.
Alas, what am I doing now,
And what can I do now?

1307. Three imaginary convictions

Three imaginary convictions:
My doubtful mind cannot be changed.
My hopeful heart is fooling itself.
God has no need for me.

1308. Hope

Hope
Is not just a word.
Hope
Is today’s beautiful plant.
Hope
Is tomorrow’s fruitful tree.

1309. Each prayer is hard work

Each prayer is hard work.
My idle body must learn it.
Each piece of work is a sincere prayer.
My soulful heart already knows it.

1310. Justice-light

Justice-light
Without delay
Unmistakably expedites my God-hunger
And God’s Compassion-Flight.

1311. The limits of love

My seeker-friends,
Do you know that the limits of love
Nobody has discovered?
No, not even God’s Justice-Light.

1312. A fleeting mortal sorrow

A fleeting mortal sorrow
Has the infallible ability
To give birth
To a Heavenly immortal Joy.

1313. A more reliable disciple

A more reliable disciple
And a more reliable Master
Need each other.
To be a more reliable disciple,
I need more purity.
To be a more reliable Master,
You need a greater sense of duty.

1314. Share

Do not keep your fears to yourself;
Share with God the Compassionate.
Do not keep your courage to yourself;
Share with man the unfortunate.

1315. An incurable opportunist

An incurable opportunist
Is he who was once upon a time
An indomitable optimist.
Nobody knows this great secret
Better than you do.

1316. Who has the freedom?

Who has the freedom to make mistakes?
He who gives his heart and soul
To transform man’s endless poverty
Into God’s breathless Prosperity.

1317. God is all ready

God is all ready
To become your guaranteed Teacher.
It is you who have not yet become
His guaranteed student.

1318. God's troubles

God’s troubles are these:
The animal in man
Has forgotten Him totally.
The divine in man
Is not manifesting Him satisfactorily.

1319. Break your bad habits

Break your bad habits
By dropping them.
Strengthen your good habits
By treasuring them.

1320. The junkyard

O my prejudice-bound mind,
Do you know
That you are the junkyard
Around my oneness-spreading
Haven-heart?

1321. Poverty-ideas, prosperity-ideals

Poverty-ideas
Have struck my doubtful mind.
Prosperity-ideals
Have clasped my soulful heart.

1322. A true satisfaction

Imagination can be
A strong power.
I certainly know it!
Power can be
A true satisfaction.
Nobody will dare to prove it!

1323. O my soul, smile!

O my soul, smile!
Smile once more.
Your smile is my only tranquilliser
With no side-effects.
O my soul, smile!

1324. My ignorance is no excuse

I know, I know,
My ignorance is no excuse.
I should have loved
God only.
I should have surrendered my heartbeats
To God sleeplessly.
I should have sung God’s Victory-Song
Breathlessly, plus unconditionally.

1325. Your wise willingness-heart

Since God can do more
With your life
Than you can,
You must not hesitate
To offer God immediately
Your wise willingness-heart.

1326. What do I do?

What do I do?
I admire the heights
Of your lofty ideals.
What else do I do?
I love the beauty
Of your sacred gratitude-flames.

1327. Take your choice!

Take your choice!
Either allow God
To sit inside your head
Or go and sit
At God’s Forgiveness-Feet.

1328. We are mistaken

You are mistaken.
God does think of you constantly.
I am mistaken.
God does love us both equally.

1329. An unexpected blow

My Lord Supreme received
An unexpected blow from me
The moment I told Him
That I had lost faith
In myself completely.

1330. If you are an earthly guest

If you are an earthly guest,
Heaven will give you
Its most precious beauty:
Compassion.

If you are a Heavenly guest,
Earth will give you
Its most precious wealth:
Gratitude.

1331. God's partner

I am God’s partner.
In the morning
My duty is to water
The earth-plant.
In the evening
My duty is to grant earth
The Heaven-fruit.

1332. I shall have no more problems

The answer is found.
I shall have no more problems.
I have learnt the divine art
Of supreme surrender
To God’s Will.

1333. Who says?

Who says
That I am a faithful servant to my body?
No, not true!

Who says
That I am a constant comrade of my soul?
True, absolutely true!

1334. At the end of all the roads

At the end of all the roads
There is only a sound-life
That does everything,
And a silence-life
That becomes everything.

1335. Do not think of human grief!

Do not think of human grief!
Think only of your eagerness to transform it
Into Divinity’s divine Joy-Flames.

1336. God-life is waiting for me

The outer life has beaten me,
The inner life has forsaken me,
But God-life is waiting for me.

1337. Each day dies eventless

Each day dies eventless.
That is why my greedy mind cries.
Each day dies soulless.
That is why my hungry heart cries.

1338. The usual end of day

The usual end of day:
Sleep and silence.
Sleep I need to live on earth.
Silence I need to love God,
Only God, on earth.

1339. What is new?

What is new?
I love God
More than I love myself.
What is old?
I am failing still
In loving God unconditionally.

1340. The snare of imperfection

The snare of imperfection
Is strong.
The snare of unwillingness to change
Is even stronger.

1341. My heart's inner secret

My heart’s inner secret —
Daily I pray to increase
The strength of my special prayer:
I do not want to be another God.
Why?
I am afraid of His endless
Responsibility-Burden-Life.

1342. My diamond thoughts

My silver thoughts
Ascend to receive.
My golden thoughts
Ascend to receive
And
Descend to offer.
My diamond thoughts
Ascend to receive,
Descend to offer
And
Surrender constantly to God’s Will
To satisfy God unconditionally.

1343. Twice I was lost

Twice I was lost:
I was lost
In morning’s soaring height.
I was lost
In evening’s fulfilling peace.

1344. Because I am a truth-seeker

Because I am a truth-seeker
The future flows towards me.
Because I am a God-lover
I live in the Eternal Now.

1345. A fleeting experience

Purity is a fleeting experience
In the mind.
Poise is a fleeting experience
In the vital.
Dynamism is a fleeting experience
In the body.
Security is a fleeting experience
In the heart.

1346. A sweet dream

Yesterday I had
A sweet dream.
Today I have
Powerful regrets.
Tomorrow, perhaps, I shall have
New opportunities.

1347. A universal passport

Because God loves him
Unimaginably and unconditionally,
He has a universal passport
In the inner world.

1348. Opportunity and ability

True,
Opportunity and ability
Are two totally different things.
Opportunity tries
To create ability,
And ability can and does
Create opportunity
At the end of our journey’s close.

1349. The length of his patience

The length of his patience
Has brought him
The beauty of the morning light
And
The purity of the evening peace.

1350. The depths of his convictions

The depths of his convictions:
He can better himself.
He can perfect himself.
He can transcend himself.

1351. I am the same

I am the same
When I wake up:
An incurable fool.

I am the same
When I go to sleep:
An unthinkable rogue.

1352. God's Heart of Silence-Delight

God’s Music
Comes from God’s Heart
Of Silence-Delight.

God’s Songs
Come from God’s Eye
Of Compassion-Love.

1353. Alas, no escape!

Alas, no escape!
Even in sleep
Your mind is helplessly lost
In impurity-forest.

Alas, no escape!
Even in sleep
Your heart is hopelessly lost
In anxiety-desert.

1354. God still loves me

Let me believe
That God still loves me
Although I have spoken ill of Him
Mercilessly,
Although I have deserted Him
Deliberately,
Although I have invited ignorance-night
To replace Him inside my heart
Cheerfully.

1355. This game of progress

My outer sun is progressing
By emptying itself.
Alas, some day
This game will be over.
My inner sun is progressing
By revealing itself —
An everlasting
And ever-transcending game.

1356. Free of aspiration

Free of oath
Is his outer life.
Free of promise
Is his inner life.
Free of aspiration
Is his God-search.

1357. A prosperous gift

That dangerous thing, doubt,
I did have
Once upon a time.
That prosperous gift, faith,
I now have
Lovingly, soulfully and unreservedly.
We two shall forever
Together live.

1358. Faithful to every promise

Faithful to every promise,
A truth seeker needs must be.
Soulful in every thought-action,
A God-lover needs must be.

1359. He raised a wall of nothingness

He raised a wall of nothingness
Between
His insecurity-heart and
God’s Compassion-Eye.

He raised a wall of nothingness
Between
His impurity-mind and
God’s Forgiveness-Heart.

1360. Like an angel

Meditation, like an angel, came
To enlighten his mind,
To liberate his heart,
To immortalise his life.

1361. His aspiration-hunger

A little body with a mighty heart
Is his aspiration-hunger.
A mortal life with an immortal promise
Is his manifestation-feast.

1362. Progress and transcendence

Success and conquest:
Neither has fulfilment-peace.
Progress and transcendence:
Both have perfect satisfaction-silence.

1363. Great light clasped his mind

Great light clasped his mind.
Great delight clasped his heart.
Great perfection clasped his life.
Great divinity clasped his heartbeats.

1364. Troops of cheerful hopes

Swarming troops of cheerful hopes
Have made him their deathless friend.
Within him is
Perfection-God,
And before him is
Satisfaction-man.

1365. I shall not mix with you

I shall not mix with you.
You shut me in
With your doubts and suspicions.
I shall not even speak to you.
You shut me in
With your anxieties and insecurities.

1366. A free access

Ascend to the brightest Heaven:
Your earth-life will immediately
Be illumined.
Descend to the lowest earth:
Even then you will have a free access
To God’s Compassion-Eye
And
God’s Forgiveness-Heart.

1367. Slow to expect, quick to act

Slow to expect,
Quick to act,
His outer life is.
No expectation,
Sleepless action,
His inner life is.

1368. Desire is a game

Desire is a game.
Even when you win
You badly lose.

Aspiration is a game.
Even when you lose
You gloriously win.

1369. Let satisfaction be yours

O my mind,
Let sincerity be yours.

O my heart,
Let security be yours.

O my life,
Let perfection be yours.

O my God,
Let Satisfaction be Yours.

1370. A new-born hero

Your present gratitude-heart
Is a new-born hero.
Your present sacrifice-life
Is a new-born hero.
Your present oneness-dance
Is a new-born hero.

1371. Your smile of sorrow

Your smile of sorrow
Makes you cry
Like a frightened child.
Your cry of love
Makes you smile
Like an enlightened God.

1372. Love does everything for God

Love does everything for God.
Life becomes everything in God.
Satisfaction is everything with God.

1373. O my obstinate doubt

O my obstinate doubt,
Why do you exploit
Time and again
My Lord’s Compassion-Smile
And
My Lord’s Forgiveness-Heart?

1374. A prince of frustration

You are a queen of ingratitude.
He is a king of destruction.
I am a prince
Of complete frustration.

1375. There are many kinds of wings

There are many kinds of wings
To fly to God.
I like surrender-wings best,
For these wings have received
Special Blessing-Light
From the Source of the Beyond.

1376. The life of possession-madness

Renunciation-fruits never dwell
In my desire-life.
What my desire-life has
Is a hunger-greed
In the dark life
Of possession-madness.

1377. A good heart

A good heart has
The power of the sun
And
The beauty of the moon.

A good heart is
A special Grace of God
And
A special face of man.

1378. A breath of my kindness

A breath of my kindness
God likes.
A breath of my soulfulness
God appreciates.
A breath of my selflessness
God loves.

1379. Your extraordinary credentials

Your extraordinary earthly credentials
Cannot even satisfy
Your ordinary earth-hunger.
How do you expect to satisfy
Your God-hunger
With your ephemeral credential-toys?

1380. He governs the unwilling

He governs the unwilling.
He helps the willing.
He loves the God-loving.
He treasures the God-fulfilling.

1381. In the abyss of the five senses

In the abyss of the five senses,
The animal life does not know
The right thing.
The human life knows
But does not do
The right thing.
The divine life knows
And always does
The right thing.

1382. A genius

A genius is he
Who ends rules and regulations.
A genius is he
Who is nothing but a powerful drop
In the ocean of cosmic life-energy.

1383. Yet I live and love

Gone
Are the sweet and powerful days.
Gone
Are the pure and peaceful nights.
Gone
Are my heart’s power-sun and beauty-moon.
Yet I live and love,
Yet I love and live.

1384. My heart will not fade away

My heart will not fade away
Because I have
Carefully placed its beauty
Inside my Lord’s Compassion-Heart,
And cheerfully placed its fragrance
At my Lord’s Salvation-Feet.

1385. Abandoned

The most powerful despair
Is the only friend I have.
There was a time
When I had many, many friends:
Peace, Light, Delight
And even God Himself.
Alas, where have my old friends gone?
They have forever left me,
My heart and my little life.

1386. Everything else will disappear

Everything else will disappear
Like the morning’s beauty,
Save and except
My heart’s tiny gratitude-flames.

1387. Can you not stop trying?

God wants to be loved
And not possessed.
Therefore, can you not stop trying
To possess Him?

God does not want to understand you.
Therefore, can you not stop trying
To understand Him?

1388. I have lost

I have lost God
Because
I have not used Him at all.

I have lost man
Because
I have used him sleeplessly
Plus unconditionally.

1389. By mistake

Life has created death
By mistake.
Death has created life
By mistake.
I have created doubt-poison
By mistake.

1390. Love itself is wisdom

Wisdom may not produce love,
But love itself is wisdom.
And true wisdom
Is satisfaction in oneness-perfection.

1391. A rank fool

Your denial of God’s Existence
All-where
Has turned you into a rank fool.
Go immediately to your inner school
To learn the art of perfection
In and through your aspiration-cry.

1392. In wisdom-light

When his love is in
His wisdom-light,
No blunder-night,
No vital gloom,
Can mislead and misguide
A seeker-soul.

1393. An ugly thought

An ugly thought
Turned him into a monster.
A hallowed thought
Has now turned him into a lamb,
God’s choice lamb.

1394. God still has faith

His mind does not think.
His heart does not love.
His soul does not care.
Yet God’s Compassion-Sky
And God’s Forgiveness-Sun
Have not lost faith in him.

1395. His denial of temptation-night

His denial of temptation-night
Soulfully offers His Lord Supreme
The most beautiful and powerful
Satisfaction-day.

1396. Divinely happy, supremely proud

I am divinely happy
Because
My discipline-body
Is my God-affirming life.
I am supremely proud
Because
My heart’s perfection-tears
Are in love with God’s
Satisfaction-Cheers.

1397. Only one way

There is only one way
To enrich your life,
And that way is
To command your mind
At each hush-gap.

1398. My higher life

Wisdom-light I do have.
It is in my higher life.
Where is my higher life?
It is inside the ascending cry
Of my heart
And the descending smile
Of my soul.

1399. The heart's oneness-spreading

The mind’s understanding
Is not everything.
The heart’s oneness-spreading
Is everything:
Everything in everything
And
Everything for everything.

1400. The life of man is love

The life of man is love.
The love of man is perfection.
The perfection of man is satisfaction —
Satisfaction in God,
Satisfaction with God,
Satisfaction for God.

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the fourteenth volume in a series of ten thousand “flaming flower-poems” which Sri Chinmoy is placing devotedly, unreservedly and unconditionally at the Compassion-Feet of God, our Beloved Supreme. They stand as a supreme offering from the unfolding beauty of his flower-heart and the flaming heights of his realisation-sun. Indeed, a treasure-tower which will at once be claimed by humanity’s self-ascending cry and Divinity’s God-descending Smile.

Editor's note to cover photo

In this soulful and deeply moving encounter on 22 March 1972, Pope Paul VI and Sri Chinmoy meet one another for the first time. “This meeting of ours has been most essential,” the Pontiff told the Indian Master. “When we both leave this world, you and I, we will meet together.” Sri Chinmoy met privately with Pope Paul on two other occasions before the Pontiff’s death. At their last meeting in 1976, Sri Chinmoy presented the Holy Father with a book he had written about him, entitled Compassion-Father, Champion-Brother, Perfection-Friend.