138. Secretly and openly

Secretly he borrows from God
His Illumination-flood.
Openly he lends an iota to mankind
With an exorbitant interest.

Secretly he learns free from God
His infinite Songs of Oneness supreme.
Openly he teaches only one to mankind
For an unsurpassable fee.
Sri Chinmoy, The Dance of Life, part 3, Aum Press, Puerto Rico, 1973