Sri Chinmoy: “This rose bush was planted by Sri Chinmoy for the inspiration of all who aspire towards Peace.” So this I offer to you. And I wish to say, Mr. Mayor, dear spiritual brother, that to be here in your presence is to be blessed by your wisdom-light. You have far surpassed most of us with your soulful maturity. And with your magnanimous heart you have conquered the hearts of many, many, many people. From now on I will be one of those. I shall be one on that list of the countless souls who appreciate and admire you.
Here we are planting a rose bush. The significance of the rose in the inner world is most important. The rose, like other flowers, has fragrance and beauty, but it also has something special, unique. There are very few flowers in God’s creation that please God most. The rose is one of those, along with the lotus. Rose and lotus: these are the two mystical flowers. These are the two flowers in God’s Heart-Garden that please Him most. So the fragrance and beauty of this rose will come from Perth, Australia, and go directly to the Heart of God the Creator and God the Creation.
I wish to say that this is not an honour, it is a blessing that you are bestowing upon me and my followers, and this blessing I am going to treasure all my life. As a seeker, I am offering my aspiration to this rose bush so that it can continuously grow and increase its beauty, fragrance, light and delight to be of constant inspiration to humanity’s progress and constant delight to Divinity’s all-fulfilling Compassion on earth.
Mayor Charles Smith: (very moved) Thank you, sir! Well my friend, on behalf of the Council and the citizens of this very, very wonderful city, we take this plaque from you. It will remain here in front of this bush, which is a reminder also of what has become your homeland, has it not? (The Mayor is referring to the fact that it is a Lincoln Rose.) And it joins, of course, the other bushes in this garden which commemorate the fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, who have lost their lives in the defence of this country and the defence of right and justice throughout the world at many times. It is fitting, sir, that it should be a rose. The rose is the national flower of England, you would probably be aware, and most of our forefathers, of course, originally came from England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales. They are our great grandfathers now, of yesterday.
I’m quite sure that a large number of people, sir, will have a look at this. Questions will be asked as to just who you were and what happened on the 3rd March 1976. If I’m not here, I guess the Town Clerk or one of the others will be here, or Mr. Alan Turner, the head gardener.
Sri Chinmoy: Your spirit and your soul will long be here in this beautiful city, in this beautiful country. (Sri Chinmoy blessed the rose.) This rose is a Lincoln Rose. President Lincoln’s most famous utterance was “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” I wish to say that this Lincoln Rose is not only of Perth’s heart or Australia’s heart, it is of humanity’s heart and for humanity to claim and to utilise.
Back in the Mayor’s office Mayor Smith recited for Sri Chinmoy his favourite poem:
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When the world was new and the morning sunFirst shone upon sea and land,
When nothing had died and nothing had failedOf all that the Lord had planned,
God looked down on His handiwork,On the birds and the beasts and the trees,
And He smiled as He said,I will make a greater thing than these,
And He fashioned Man.And He gave him power and strength for his daily tasks,
But for aught that Thou needest more,He said,
Thou shalt turn unto Me and ask.And one thing more He put into the world,
The greatest of all to be,And He hid it deep in the heart of man,
The unknown quantity.The will to strive, the will to fight,
The will even to die.And to those who strive with all their might,
Which is all that the best can do,God’s promise stands as it always stood,
“Behold, I make all things new.”```
“The Unknown Quantity.” It appeals me; it’s appealed to me for most of a lifetime because it’s a bit of a rule. I’m not much good at this you know, but it’s been a bit of a rule with me.Sri Chinmoy: It is an inner revelation.
Mayor: Yes, it is from Revelations: “Behold, I make all things new.”
Sri Chinmoy and his disciples sang “O My Australia” for the Mayor, the Town Clerk and several other councilmen. Sri Chinmoy said before singing the song: “You are a most worthy son of Australia, so I would like to sing it for you.” The words and music of this song appear on the following pages.
Sri Chinmoy presented two of his books: Songs of the Soul and My Rose Petals to the Mayor, writing in one of the books: “To the Mayor, who has blessed me and my students so generously with his heart’s wisdom-light.”
N.B. Earlier, Mayor Smith and Sri Chinmoy discovered that in the year 1931 Sri Chinmoy was born and Smith first came into office. He has never been defeated in 44 years as mayor. He was born in 1904 and is now 72 years of age.From:Sri Chinmoy,AUM — Vol.II-3, No. 3, 27 March 1976, Vishma Press, 1976
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/aum_106