Then it was you who advised me to lift heavy objects, since people have no idea how heavy iron plates are. But if you can lift a baby elephant, then people say, “My God, an elephant!” In Thailand I lifted elephants. Then in Mongolia I lifted three horses at a time, a total of 55 horses. Just last week in New Jersey I lifted a small plane, a boat and a heavy motorcycle. One man was seated on his own boat, and I lifted it 35 times. He was so happy, almost dancing when I was lifting him.
Now I am telling you a secret. Tomorrow you and my sister Bhavatarini will stand together, side by side, and I shall lift both of you 50 times. We have to count loudly the way you count when I lift, standing next to me.
Mahasamrat and Bhavatarini, I take my lifting as devoted service, self-giving service to mankind. I have lifted over 8,000 people. If it is not my devoted, dedicated service, what else is it? If I had been somebody else, after 10 or 20 lifts I would have said, “This is beneath my dignity. Who is he? Who is she? Why do I have to lift that person?” After 20 I would have given up. That kind of idea I would have cherished if I had been a different person. But being a seeker, being a God-seeker, God wants me to continue.
Twenty years ago I started to serve, to serve unconditionally plus irrespective of people’s achievements. Inside children I see the living Presence of God. They are the future. Again, in Mongolia, I lifted five people over 100 years old. I wanted to give them joy, and they were so happy. They became children again.Then in Mongolia I also lifted the President, the Prime Minister, doctors – so many people in so many careers, from all different walks of life. You can say this was God’s Command. God does not request me. God never requests. God commands, but His Command is again sweeter than the sweetest. Our command is military, but God’s Command is like a sweet dream. We are enjoying a sweet dream. When God tells us to do something, we can take it as God’s Command, or at the same time that God is having a sweet dream in and through us. If He is having a dream in and through us, I continue.
If I lift 10,000 people, perhaps God will allow me to stop and say, “Enough, enough”– I have no idea. Or God may even tell me tomorrow, “Stop, enough, enough.” I will stop gladly. This is our devoted service. This is what I tell my students. Do something gladly, cheerfully, as long as God wants you to do it. Then if God wants you to do something else, do it. Otherwise, to think of lifting 8,000 people! We have everything documented, on such and such a date, along with each person’s weight.
Mahasamrat, I always say I am a jack of all trades, master of none. In Bengali I have composed over 13,000 songs, in English over 7,000. How do I do it? God’s Grace. When I was young, I wanted to write 200 songs. Desire also has some limit. In my case, the desire was to write 200, but it has become 13,000 in Bengali, and I am still continuing. And what is more, I set the music to all the songs – nobody else. In the case of Tagore, India’s greatest poet, he wrote 2,800 songs according to his own authority, his secretary, Amiya Chakravarty, but some of his poems have been set to music by his students.
When it comes to quality, I say, “Quality I leave at the Feet of God.” God has given me the capacity for quantity. Quality, God will take care of. Since God has given me the inspiration to compose 13,000 songs, I leave it at the Feet of God. We share the responsibility. Mine is quality, His is quality.
It is the same with my paintings. It is hard to believe I have done over 200,000, aside from my bird drawings. I am so fond of drawing birds. Now it is fifteen and a half million. It is all documented. I have also drawn many birds for disciples that were not counted. And who has received the most? President Gorbachev. Each time I write to him, I draw on the top of the letter five or six birds, so he has many of my drawings of birds. He likes them, so I like to offer them.
Then I have given many lectures at American Universities and so many other places, such as Oxford and Cambridge. In some cases I have been invited back several times, to speak or give concerts or for lifting programmes honouring professors. And on several occasions, India’s High Commissioner to the UK, Laxmi Mall Singhvi, introduced me, at Cambridge and other places. The High Commissioner is so fond of me. He knows when to start, but he does not know when to end. His introduction does not end. Once I was offering a Peace Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. In his introduction, he said so many kind things. Once he went all the way to Scotland because I was there.
In terms of books, I have written over 1,500, in English, not in Bengali, including countless poems. In life there is something called Grace. For me, G is capital, R is capital, A is capital, C is capital, E is capital – all capital! GRACE. And I can use one adjective – unconditional. Unconditional Grace descended from Above. That is why it is possible – both quality and quantity. If it is desire-life, after some time, desire gets tired, exhausted. When we are in the desire-life, in the beginning we try to accumulate as much as we want to. And then there comes a time when we become exhausted. We say, “Enough, enough, enough, enough!” In any field of life, sports or anything, in the beginning we try to accumulate as much as we can. But there comes a time when we become fed up, that we have done this – enough, enough, enough.
In the spiritual life, it is not like that. In the spiritual life the thirst is different. In human life there is a limit. After that, it is enough, enough, enough. But in the spiritual life, as long as God wants us to do something, there is no limit. Of course, to write a poem, to compose a song, is not a bad thing. Anything that is good, God says, “Continue, continue, continue.” Anything that is bad, God tells us to decrease little by little.
If I smoke a certain number of cigarettes, then God will say at the end of one week to decrease by one. Then every week take away one more. For anything that is bad in our life, God tells us, “Do not stop immediately. It will tell upon your health.” God gives us wisdom. Decrease little by little by little, and then give it up altogether. If I am in the habit of drinking and smoking, if I stop all at once, my health may be ruined. My mind may suffer. So He has given us wisdom – little by little decrease, decrease, then stop. We have no idea when we are going to stop, but finally it stops.
Anything that is good, unlimited, go on doing it until you breathe your last. Good things, God always tells us to continue, continue, continue to the very end. Bad things, slowly, slowly, slowly decrease. Do not be a fool. Do not try to stop all your bad qualities all at once. No, you will suffer.
God gives us the wisdom. Anything that we find wrong in our nature, God tells us to slowly, steadily, unerringly conquer it. But anything that is good, there is no speed limit. With bad things, decrease the speed, decrease the speed, then stop when the time comes.
Mahasamrat, you have infinite wisdom. I surrender to you lovingly, soulfully, gratefully, unconditionally, when it is a matter of wisdom. But when it is a matter of talking sixteen to the dozen, I can defeat you. (Laughter.) I am so happy that both of you could come. You two are so completely one, inwardly and outwardly.
Mahasamrat: Believe me, Guru, the pleasure is all ours. From the bottom of our hearts, we’re so proud to be a part of your family, it’s unbelievable. We love you all.
Sri Chinmoy and Mahasamrat speak privately.
Sri Chinmoy: In Japan when I heard the name Bill Pearl, it became my mantra. Many years ago I did not know anything about you. Only I heard that I would be able to meet with you. Then Bill Pearl, Bill Pearl, like an Indian mantra or incantation, countless times inwardly and outwardly I was repeating.
Mahasamrat: I think it was in 1986, Guru.
Sri Chinmoy: In Japan I heard about you.
Singers perform the Bill Pearl song, which appears here as presented at the function.From:Sri Chinmoy,Concern: A Reality of the Heart, Agni Press, 2025
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/crh