The Dance of Life, part 17

801. God gave me

God gave me patience
To wait for Him.

God gave me sight
To look for Him.

God gave me love
To claim Him.

God gave me Bliss
To distribute Him.

802. Save me, expose me

Sweet Lord,
Save me from myself.
Save me from my inner conflicts.
Save me from my bold distrust.
Save me from my sleepless complaints.

Master Lord,
Expose me.
Expose my blind weaknesses.
Expose my giant failures.
Expose my shameless ingratitude.
Expose my undying ignorance.

803. I am tired

Lord,
I am too tired to meditate,
Yet
I meditate.

Lord,
I am too tired to dedicate,
Yet
I dedicate.

Lord,
I am too tired to surrender,
Yet
I surrender.

Why?
Why?
What makes me meditate?
What makes me dedicate?
What makes me surrender?
My unfulfilled promise
To You, my Beloved Supreme.

804. I know you will think of me

Lord,
I am going to pray.
I know
You will bless me.

Lord,
I am going to meditate.
I know
You will teach me.

Lord,
I am going to serve.
I know
You will strengthen me.

Lord,
I am going to sleep.
I know
You will think of me.

805. Take me into Your Room

Lord, if You are my Brother,
Come and visit my room now.
I shall thank You.

Lord, if You are my Sister,
Come and visit my room immediately.
I shall thank You.

Lord, if You are my Father,
Come and visit my room at Your sweet will.

Lord, if You are my Mother,
Come and take away everything
From my room.

Lord, if You are my Friend,
Come and take me,
Take me into Your Room.

806. Only four times

Lord, I wish to come
To Your Palace
Only four times.

Do tell me what You
Are going to give me
Each time.

“Son, first time you come
I shall give you
My Forgiveness-Sea.

“Son, second time you come
I shall give you
My Compassion-Sea.

“Son, third time you come
I shall give you
My Justice-Sea.

“Son, fourth time you come
I shall give you
My Thunder-Sea.”

807. Is there anything forbidden?

Lord, is there anything forbidden
In Your creation?
“Yes, My son,
Forgiveness is forbidden.”

Lord, how strange.
Why is forgiveness forbidden?
“Because forgiveness is not valued.”
Lord, why is it not valued?
“Because the world is ignorant.”
Lord, why is the world ignorant?
“Because the world wanted ignorance.”
Lord, why did the world want ignorance?
“Because Satan wanted to sell it
And was successful in selling it.”
Lord, who is Satan?
“Ah, Satan!
Son, don’t you know
Who Satan is?
He is just a clever fool,
An impossible friend of Mine.”

808. Four members in my family

I have four members
In my family:
Fear and doubt,
Love and surrender.

Fear takes me
From nothing-chasm
To
Nowhere-palace.

Doubt takes me
From nowhere-sea
To
Nothing-shore.

Love takes me
From fulfilment-land
To
Perfection-sky.

Surrender takes me
From God-vision-seed
To
God-Reality-Tree.

809. Nothing from God

My prayer needs
Sincerity from me
And
Bounty from God.

My meditation needs
Silence from me
And
Infinity from God.

My perfection needs
Everything from me
And
Nothing from God.

810. Not even once

Not even once
Did my inner life take me away
From the outer world.

My inner life is kindness incarnate.
It made me aware of the needs
Of the outer world.

My inner life taught me
What to love in God —
Everything.

My inner life taught me
Whom to serve in the outer world —
Everyone.

811. I am proud

O my America,
I am proud of your dollar-power
In India,
But
Not in England.

O my England,
I am proud of your politeness-power
In America,
But
Not in India.

O my India,
I am proud of your love-power
In England,
But
Not in America.

812. O my Canada

O my Canada,
You are very vast.
Can you not be very high, too?
Try, you can.

O my Canada,
Why do you always follow?
Can you not lead from now on?
Try, you can.

O my Canada,
You think the world does not admire you.
Can you not demand the world’s admiration?
Try, you can.
You certainly can.

813. My God is worried and confused

O my China and Japan,
My God has not forgotten you.

O my Germany and Russia,
My God remembers you.

O my India and Pakistan,
My God is worried about you.

O my Ireland and Scotland,
My God is confused about you.

814. I think I love You

God, I think I love You.
“Daughter, what is the proof?”

God, this is the proof:
You know, God,
I do not live with ignorance
Any more;
I do not play with doubt
Any more;
I do not cry with fear
Any more;
I do not eat with jealousy
Any more;
I do not dance with despair
Any more.

“Daughter, enough.
You love Me
And
I love you.
Be happy.
Remain happy.”

816. He who reasons

He who reasons
Is not a lover
Of happiness.

He who suspects
Is not a lover
Of love.

He who denies
Is not a lover
Of Truth.

He who delays
Is not a lover
Of Light.

817. He who thinks

The philosopher in me speaks:
He who thinks
Is a stupid seeker.
He who fears
Is a sick seeker.
He who hesitates
Is a lame seeker.
He who doubts
Is not a seeker
At all.

818. Three opinions

What others think of me
I perfectly know —
“I am useless.”

What God thinks of me
I always know —
“I am perfect.”

What I think of myself
I do not know,
I shall not know,
Never.
Alas!
Alas!

819. If you want me

My Lord and God,
If You want me
To live in the physical world,
Then command me to sleep.

If You want me
To live in the vital world,
Then command me to dare.

If You want me
To live in the mental world,
Then command me to learn.

If You want me
To live in the psychic world,
Then command me to surrender.

820. Life can bring

Life can bring failure.
Life can bring frustration.
Life can bring destruction.
Life can offer many sad stories.
But work can offer
Only one thing: perfection,
The life of perfection.

821. You doubt God

You doubt God,
Although you are afraid of
Doing this wrong thing.

You shun Light,
Yet you are afraid of
Staying alone in darkness.

You do not listen to God,
Although you are afraid of
Appearing a fool before the world.

822. Lord, make me worthy

Lord,
Make me worthy
Of serving the world.
Of course
In Your own way.

Lord,
Make me worthy
Of loving the world.
Of course
In Your own way.

Lord,
Make me worthy
Of pleasing the world.
Of course
In Your own way.

Lord, Lord, Lord,
Make me worthy
Of living my life.
Of course
In Your own way.

823. Why is surrender so great?

Why is surrender so great?

Surrender is great
Because it accepts
Cheerfully
What it does not understand
Remotely.

Also,
It does not care to understand
Vaguely
Anything whatsoever.
It only believes and obeys,
And
Obeys and believes.

Surrender is by far the greatest
Because it alone is the glowing ascent
Of the aspiring heart
And
The proud descent
Of the Absolute.

824. Horoscope

He believes in horoscopes,
But his horoscope is the Supreme.
There was a time
When his Supreme
Commanded him to play
With the planets,
Volleyball in the morning
And
Football in the afternoon
And
Table tennis in the evening.
But
Now his Supreme has commanded him
To be their Instructor,
Manager
And
Referee.

825. You are God, you are man

You are at once
God and man.
You play the role of God
In man
When you give,
And
You play the role of man
In God
When you receive.
Truth to tell,
Both the roles
Are of equal
Importance.

826. I know

I know definitely
That a strong body
Is the Body of God.

I know unmistakably
That a daring vital
Is the Vital of God.

I know clearly
That a doubtless mind
Is the Mind of God.

I know devotedly
That a kind heart
Is the Heart of God.

I know soulfully
That a pure life
Is the Life of God.
I know, I know.

827. Attachment

O seeker,
You want to know
What attachment is.
Attachment is when
You love one
And do not love all.

Attachment is when
You feel
That God has appointed only you
To fulfil His Vision,
And not others.

Attachment is when
You think
Of the creation first
And
Not the Creator.

Attachment is when
The spirit of bargain
Haunts you
Powerfully
And
Triumphantly.

828. Son, give Me some time

Sweet Lord,
Do tell me once and for all,
Why is Your world
In such a horrible state?
Don’t You care for the world any more
Or
Have You lost all Your control
Or
Have You deliberately forgotten the world
Or
Do You want to create a new world
With nice people
With Your profound Wisdom,
With Your divine Light
And
With Your supreme Power?

“Son,
Give Me some time.
If I answer your questions
Immediately,
I am afraid I shall commit
Himalayan blunders.”

829. Tell me why

Tell me, Father,
Why has the young generation
Taken to drugs?

“Son, let Me start telling you why.
They want to belong,
They want to be loved,
They want to be understood.

“Son, now let Me tell you
Absolutely
The main reason:
They want to invent
Something
Which I, God,
Have not yet
Invented.”

830. Save me, save me

O Lord Supreme,
Save me, save me
From hell.
It is so dangerous.

O Lord Supreme,
Save me, save me
From Heaven.
He is so callous.

O Lord Supreme,
Save me, save me
From earth.
She is so treacherous.

O Lord Supreme,
Save me, save me
From myself.
I am so precarious.

O Lord, O Lord,
Give me, give me a smile.
It is so precious,
It is so precious.
It is my Saviour,
It is my All.

831. Are you?

Are you insecure?
Then say that
My Courage is all yours.

Are you full of doubts?
Then say that
My Assurance is all yours.

Are you always jealous?
Then say that
My Compassion is all for you.

Now
Are you thinking of becoming perfect?
If so,
My Transcendental Perfection
Is all yours.

832. Prayer

The prayer of the timid is:
“Shelter, eternal shelter.”

The prayer of the strong is:
“Joy, immediate joy.”

The prayer of the joyous is:
“Gratitude, soulful gratitude.”

The prayer of the grateful is:
“Surrender, unconditional surrender.”

833. He is the God of Power

He is the God of Power.
Therefore
I admire Him.

He is the God of Peace.
Therefore
I like Him.

He is the God of Compassion.
Therefore
I love Him.

He is the God of Love.
Therefore
I need Him.

834. God is kind to me

God is kind to me.
Therefore
He has made me deaf.

God is kind to me.
Therefore
He has made me blind.

God is kind to me.
Therefore
He has made me lame.

He has made me deaf
So that I will not hear
World-gossip.

He has made me blind
So that I will not see
World-imperfection.

He has made me lame
So that I will not dare to kick
World-ignorance.

835. Compassion, justice and truth

Christ applied yesterday
The quintessence of yesterday’s
Lofty Gospel: Compassion.

He applies today
The quintessence of today’s
Sublime Gospel: Justice.

He shall apply tomorrow
The quintessence of tomorrow’s
Outstanding Gospel: Truth.

836. When he takes

When he takes his life
Too seriously
He suffers in the prison
Of futility.

When he takes his life
Too lightly
He suffers in the prison
Of absurdity.

When he takes his life
Too humanly
He suffers in the prison
Of temptation.

When he takes his life
Too divinely
He suffers in the prison
Of isolation.

837. Can you not give me?

God, can You not give me
Some better disciples?
“Son, I can.
But you do not deserve them.”

God, can You not give us
A better Master?
“Children, I can.
But you do not need one.”

God, my disciples are most ungrateful.
“Is that so,
Is that so, My dear son?”

God, our Master is most inconsiderate.
“Is that so,
Is that so, My sweet children?”

838. Father, Father, do me a favour, please

Father, Father, do me a favour, please,
Will You?
“What kind of favour,
What kind of favour, son?”

This thoughtless world has made me sick.
I want to die, I want to die.

“Son, your case is not serious at all.
If and when your sickness becomes serious, fatal or incurable,
I shall let you know
And
Also grant your prayer.”

839. Invention and discovery

What God invented
My faith discovered.

What my faith invented
My heart discovered.

What my heart invented
My mind discovered.

God invented Bliss,
Faith invented confidence,
Heart invented love.

840. Anybody

Anybody can deceive you,
But
Deception is usually
The profession of a rogue.

Anybody can criticize you,
But
Criticism is usually
The profession of a fool.

Anybody can love you,
But
Love is usually
The profession of a seeker.

But nobody can perfect you,
Save and except God.

841. It's me, Father

It’s me, Father.
For God’s sake,
Do not be so alarmed.

It’s me, Father.
For God’s sake,
Do not be so disturbed.

“Son, I am not alarmed,
I am not disturbed.
I am only happy and amazed
That you are knocking at My Door
At long last.
Come in, My son, come in.”

842. Tell me what you are

Tell me what you are.
I will tell you something
Most special about yourself.

“I am a doctor.”
Ah, you are a doctor!
That means you are
The restorer of life
And
Feeder of death.

Tell me what you are.
I will tell you something
Most special about yourself.

“I am a scientist.”
Ah, you are a scientist!
That means you are
The searcher of life
And
Runner after death.

Tell me what you are.
I will tell you something
Most special about yourself.

“I am a seeker.”
Ah, you are a seeker!
That means you are
The lover of Life
And
The destroyer of death.

843. Are all your debts paid?

“Son, are all your debts paid?”

Father, I was heavily indebted
To my friends
For their sublime
Appreciation and admiration.
But I have paid all my debts
With my ceaseless gratitude.

Father, I was deeply indebted
To Ignorance-Night
For her constant
Attacks and confusion.
But I have paid all my debts
With my adamantine certitude.

“Son, such being the case,
I welcome you
To share
My Infinitude.”

844. Lethargy, violence, doubt and fear

Lethargy is the pastime
Of my unprogressive body.

Violence is the pastime
Of my unsympathetic vital.

Doubt is the pastime
Of my unbelieving mind.

Fear is the pastime
Of my unillumined heart.

845. Beauty, purity, duty and divinity

Beauty glows
In the eyes of the man
Who sees.

Purity flows
In the heart of the man
Who feels.

Duty sings
In the arms of the man
Who works.

Divinity dances
In the soul of the man
Who loves.

846. Do you spend?

Do you spend more than you earn?
“Yes.”
Why do you do that?
Who taught you to do that?
“My ignorance-friend.”

Do you spend less than you earn?
“Yes.”
Why do you do that?
Who taught you to do that?
“My wisdom-friend.”

Do you spend all that you earn?
“Yes.”
Why do you do that?
Who taught you to do that?
“My God-friend.
He said to me:
‘You fool.
Why do you have to think of the future?
Let the future take care of itself.
What I want from you
Is to take care of today,
Only today.’”

847. Her life

When she does not get
Her Father’s usual smile,
Her life comes to a comma.

When she sees
Her Father’s angry face,
Her life comes to a semi-colon.

When she sees
Her Father’s indifference,
Her life comes to a full stop.

848. Nowadays

Father, Father,
Why are You
So unkind to me
Nowadays?
“Daughter, not true!”

Father, Father,
Why do You
Ignore me so much
Nowadays?
“Daughter, not true!”

Father, Father,
Why are You
Not taking my services
Nowadays?
“Daughter, not true!”

Father, Father,
Why don’t You
Care for me at all
Nowadays?
“Not true, not true, not true,
My daughter sweet!”

849. Infinity

When I say:
“Infinity is this,
Infinity is that,”
I decrease Infinity’s Length
With my binding mind.

When I say:
“Infinity is something more,
Infinity is something deeper,”
I increase Infinity’s Life
With my expanding heart.

850. I am Yours, only Yours

Father, Father,
You are ignoring me incredibly.
I think this is enough.
Please, please
Give me another chance.
This time I shall please You.

Father, Father,
Every day I see You
Deliberately kicking me
Farther and farther
Away from You.
I think this is enough,
More than enough.
Please, please,
Give me another chance.
This time I shall please You.

Father, Father,
Still I think
I am Yours,
Only Yours.

The Sri Chinmoy Library