201. The story of perhaps

When he lives in the mind
He speaks to the fruitless perhaps.

When he lives in the heart
He sings for the hopeless perhaps.

When he lives in the vital
He plays with the worthless perhaps.

When he lives in the body
He dances with the lifeless perhaps.

202. My soul is the player

My thought is the doubt,
My mind the doubter.

My feeling is the love,
My heart the lover.

My desire is the destruction,
My vital the destroyer.

My ignorance is the sleep,
My body the sleeper.

My will is the play,
My soul the player.

203. Reality's Immortality

Thousands of years ago
He cried for the Throne.
    Hundreds of years ago
He saw the Throne.
    Two hundred years ago
He touched the Throne.
    One hundred years ago
He sat on the Throne.
    He was captured by Divinity’s Beauty.

Now he has become the Throne.
    He is claimed by
Reality’s Immortality.

204. Save and except

He can resist everything
Save and except temptation.

He can resist everything
Save and except his yesterday’s failure.

He can resist everything
Save and except his today’s frustration.

He can resist everything
Save and except his tomorrow’s perhaps.

He can resist everything
Save and except his Master’s Compassion.

205. He died

He died for the Goddess of Beauty.
She saw him not.

He died for the Goddess of Wealth.
She blessed him not.

He died for the Goddess of Love.
She granted not an iota of love to him.

He died for the Goddess of Duty.
She descended.
She came.
She blessed.
She perfected.
She fulfilled.
She immortalised
His life of desire without,
His life of aspiration within.

206. Don't worry!

O Body, don’t worry!
I have not yet
Begun to rest.

    O Vital, don’t worry!
I have not yet
Begun to fight.

    O Mind, don’t worry!
I have not yet
Begun to think.

    O Heart, don’t worry!
I have not yet
Begun to love.

    O Soul, don’t worry!
I have not yet
Begun to manifest.

My dear friends,
When the hour strikes
I shall play my roles
In your inspiration-flowers,
With your aspiration-flames,
And for your realisation-Sun.

207. I wasted time

Foolishly I wasted time.
Time now wastes me cheerfully.

Unconditionally I wasted time.
Time now wastes me sovereignly.

I wasted time
    Because
Time was heavily
Hanging on me,
    My impotent shoulders.

Time wastes me
    Because
Time knows that I am
An unimportant member,
A beggar in the universal family of beggars.

208. Command and obey

Faith to command,
Doubt to obey.

Purity to command,
Impurity to obey.

Light to command,
Darkness to obey.

    But
Soul-Love to command,
Soul-Love to obey.

God-Will to command,
God-Will to obey.

209. My God, my God!

My God, my God,
Why have You forsaken me?
    Have I told a lie?
    “No, never!”
    Have I betrayed You?
    “No, never!”
    Have I condemned Your world?
    “No, never!”
    Have I tried to dethrone You?
    “No, never!”

My Lord, my Lord,
    Why have You then
    Forsaken me?
    Why?
    “Dive deep within,
    And discover the answer.”

210. Necessary and unnecessary evils

Desire,
    A necessary evil.
Money-power,
    A necessary evil.
Compromise-net,
    A necessary evil.

    BUT

Doubt,
    An unnecessary evil.
Jealousy,
    An unnecessary evil.
Insecurity,
    An unnecessary evil.

211. Never and ever

Never the two shall meet:
    Doubt and faith.
Never the two shall meet.

Never the two shall meet:
    Love and hatred.
Never the two shall meet.

Never the two shall meet:
    Aspiration-flame and desire-cloud.
Never the two shall meet.

Ever the two shall meet:
    God and man,
    Life and death,
    Ignorance-sea and Reality-Shore.
Ever the two shall meet.

212. Who says no?

Who says
No man can serve two masters?
I say one can.
One can serve his master, Doubt.
One can serve his master, Faith.

    Who says
No one can serve two masters?
I say one can.
One can serve his master, Frustration-Life.
One can serve his master, God-Compassion.

213. Alas!

No man thinks
    He is weak.
No woman thinks
    She is ugly.
No thought thinks
    It is poor.
No doubt feels
    It can be vanquished.
No old man feels
    He is empty of advice.
No young man suspects
    He shall ever die.

214. Not that I love you less

O Earth, not that I love you less,
But I love Heaven more.

O Dream, not that I love you less,
But I love Reality more.

O Man, not that I love you less,
But I love God more.

O God-realisation, not that I love you less,
But I love God-fulfilment more.

215. Listen to me

Sleep, my body, sleep,
It is a gentle thing.

March, my vital, march.
It is a brave thing.

Think, my mind, think.
It is an important thing.

Feel, my heart, feel.
It is a noble thing.

Sacrifice, my soul, sacrifice.
It is the perfect thing.

216. Nothing can improve

Nothing can improve his thoughts,
    But purity-flame.
Nothing can improve his feelings,
    But love-moon.
Nothing can improve his actions,
    But service-tree.
Nothing can improve his life,
    But death-rest.

217. Open

Open my body.
You will see engraved
    “Service-Life.”

Open my vital.
You will see engraved
    “Compassion-Life.”

Open my mind.
You will see engraved
    “Will-Life.”

Open my heart.
You will see engraved
    “Love-Life.”

Open my life.
You will see engraved
    “Promise-Life.
    Failure-Life.
    Surrender-Life.
    Perfection-Life.”

218. Tears

Tears, idle tears,
Stop!
Tears, soulful tears,
Start!
Tears, helpless tears,
Continue!
Tears, determined tears,
Reach!

219. Talk about yourself

Why don’t you talk
About yourself, Mr.
Ghose?

“Sir God, there is no difference
    Between
My spiritual children and my own life.”

Then Mr.
Ghose, say something
    Nice about them.

“Sir God, my children
In the hoary past
Dared to love You.
And now they dare think of You.
In the near or distant future
    They will dare
    To live without You.”

Mr.
Ghose, your shameless prophecy
Equals your futile realisation.

220. Faith and doubt

Faith is unfolded from within,
Doubt is imposed from without.

Knowledge is unfolded from within,
Ignorance is imposed from without.

A life of faith
Is a life of God-simplicity
    And
God-immensity.

A life of doubt
Is a life of Frustration-Desert
    And
Destruction-Volcano.

A life of knowledge
Is a life of Promise-Tree
    And
Progress-Fruits.

A life of ignorance
Is a life of Bondage-Crown
    And
Death-Frown.

221. At the pinnacle

At the pinnacle
Of the Rama-enlightenment,
I became Sacrifice divine.

At the pinnacle
Of the Krishna-enlightenment,
I became Love divine.

At the pinnacle
Of the Buddha-enlightenment,
I became Compassion divine.

At the pinnacle
Of the Christ-enlightenment,
I became Concern divine.

At the pinnacle
Of the Ramakrishna-enlightenment,
I became Cry divine.

At the pinnacle
Of the Chinmoy-enlightenment,
I became Surrender divine.

222. Lord and son

Lord,
My service is at Your disposal.
Tell me what I can do for You.
    Son,
Empty your mind.

    Lord,
My service is at Your disposal.
Tell me what I should do for You.
    Son,
Fill up your heart.

    Lord,
My service is at Your disposal.
Tell me what I must do for You.
    Son,
Smile!
Smile in the heart of the body,
Smile in the life of the soul.

223. My maiden experience

With doubt I had
My maiden conflict.

With faith I had
My maiden triumph.

With fear I had
My maiden disgust.

With courage I had
My maiden ecstasy.

With man I had
My maiden failure.

With God I had
My maiden Silence.

224. Only remedy

Only remedy
For the delinquent world: austerity.
    Only remedy
For the fallen world: concern.
    Only remedy
For the helpless world: Love.
    Only remedy
For the dying world: Oneness.

225. Light, Bliss and Consciousness

Light, you have nullified
My yesterday’s fear.
    I am grateful.

Bliss, you have nullified
My today’s doubt.
    I am grateful.

Consciousness, you have nullified
My tomorrow’s pride.
    I am grateful.

226. His heart

His heart of love
Became Krishna’s Kadamba-tree.

His heart of wisdom
Became Buddha’s Bodhi-tree.

His heart of cries
Became Ramakrishna’s Panchavati-trees.

His heart of service
Became Chinmoy’s Rupantar-tree.

227. Naren and Thakur

My Naren,
You have struggled and struggled,
You have fought and fought
To manifest me.

Our Thakur,
You have cried and cried,
You have served and served
To illumine me.

My Naren,
Your heart of love,
Your mind of light
Are my giant shoulders.

Our Thakur,
Your Feet of Compassion,
Your Eyes of Perfection
Are my Dream-Boat
    And
Reality-Shore.

228. Question and answer

Maharshi Ramana’s question:
    “Who am I?”
You are the cry of your ascending heart,
You are the smile of your descending soul.

Ramakrishna Paramahansa’s answer:
    “Mother Kali.”
Where is She?
In the battlefield of life.
Who is She?
Chaser of volcano-passion,
Bringer of Compassion-flood.

Swami Vivekananda’s answer:
    “The Olympian Will-power.”
What is it?
The only Reality.
Whose is it?
Yours, only yours, absolutely yours.

229. A fellow-pilgrim

A man-made umbrella,
A God-made hand
    Protected the chosen Son of God
From Indra’s passion-shower.

Indra desired to extinguish the faith-flames
Of the disciple in his Master.

God increased the disciple’s faith-flames, love-beams,
Making him realise
His Master, too,
Was a human being,
A fellow-pilgrim.

230. How we live

Without God
An atheist lives.
    With God
A theist lives.
    Around God
A devotee lives.
    For God
A seeker lives.
    In God
A lover lives.

231. I came to him

I came to him doubtful.
    He smiled and said:
    “Stay with me for three minutes.”

I came to him uncertain.
    He caressed the sleeping Eye between my eyebrows and said:
    “Stay with me for three years.”

I came to him with a student’s eagerness.
    He blessed my devoted head and said:
    “Stay with me for thirty years.”

I came to him with the heart of a child.
    He embraced my surrendered life and said:
    “Stay with me for eternity.”

232. Giants of the spirit

Naren, When are you planning
To come down to the earth?
    “I have no such plans.”

Gadadhar, When are you thinking
Of coming down to the earth?
    “I don’t cherish that kind of thought any more.”

Jesus, When will you illumine the world
To celebrate your second resurrection?
    “I am more than satisfied
    With my advent and with my first and last resurrection on earth.”

Siddhartha, Have you ever thought of moving
From your Nihil house to Earth house?
    “Oh no!
I shall forever
    Remain in my Nihil house
    Of Immortal Peace
    And
    Immortal Bliss.”

Kanu, You declared that you enter into the world-arena
Whenever righteousness declines
    And
Unrighteousness prevails,
To destroy the dark hands
And save, elevate and illumine the snow-white hearts.
Since then, how many times
Have you appeared and disappeared
From the earth-scene?
    “I am not accountable to the world for my lofty promise.
    In top secret I tell you:
    The absolute Supreme is not going to fire me
    Even if I hopelessly fail to stick to my well-intentioned promise.”

233. The manifold God

God the Power
Was the Idol of my thought.

God the Bliss
Is the Idol of my thought.

God the Peace
Shall be the Idol of my thought.

God the Creator
Was the Idol of my Will.

God the Player
Is the Idol of my Will.

God the Lover
Shall be the Idol of my Will.

234. Warmth and illumination

Desire-oven warms his vital.
Aspiration-flames illumine his heart.

Doubt-heat warms his mind-cave.
Faith-fire illumines his life-palace.

Temptation-furnace warms his body.
Perfection-sun illumines his soul.

235. O my family

O my mind,
In you I see a lampless world.

O my heart,
In you I see a faithless world.

O my vital,
In you I see a soulless world.

O my body,
In you I see a lifeless world.

O my soul,
In you I see a helpless world.

236. Man, God and angel

I am man;
    I need forgiveness.
    God has it for me.

I am God;
    I need indifference.
    Man has it for me.

I am man;
    I need beauty.
    An angel has it for me.

I am an angel;
    I need duty.
    Man has it for me.

237. Nothing happened

Nothing really exciting happened
    When I fell down from Heaven.
    I just fell down.

Nothing really exciting happened
    When I climbed up to the skies.
    I just climbed up.

Nothing really exciting happened
    When I starved with darkness.
    I just starved.

Nothing really exciting happened
    When I dined with Light.
    I just dined.

238. I belong

I belong to a universal family.
    Thinking is a family thing.
    Feeling is a family thing.
    Loving is a family thing.
    Becoming is a family thing.

    We all think of God’s Mind.
    We all feel God’s Heart.
    We all love God’s Body.
    We all become what God eternally is:
Immortality’s Soul, Reality’s Goal.

239. How to handle

How to handle the crowds?
Just shout at the top of your voice.

How to handle evil thoughts?
Just frown at them.

How to handle venom-doubts?
Just don’t eat them.

How to handle the painful past?
Just think of your silver present
    And
Imagine your golden future.

240. News

Man, give me some news, please.
“My news will surprise you:
At last I want to think of God.”

God, give me some news, please.
“My news will confuse you.
At last I have decided to retire.”

241. The adjective

“Helpless” is the adjective
    To describe his heart.

“Hopeless” is the adjective
    To describe his mind.

“Senseless” is the adjective
    To describe his vital.

“Useless” is the adjective
    To describe his body.

“Fruitless” is the adjective
    To describe his soul.

242. I learnt

Working with God
I learnt how to bless
    Efficiently.

Working with man
I learnt how to cry
    Sufficiently.

Working with children
I learnt how to dream
    Endlessly.

Working with angels
I learnt how to smile
    Divinely.

243. He is and he is not

He is confident,
    But
He is not calm.

He is calm,
    But
He is not confident.

He is pure,
    But
He is not sure.

He is sure,
    But
He is not pure.

He can be confident and calm,
He can be pure and sure,
    The day
Surrender-might from the realm
    Of the Beyond
Embraces his snow-white heart.

244. He is not the same man

He is not the same man
I accepted as my divine Guru.
The changes in his personality,
Appearances and interests
Have badly disappointed me.
    Alas!

He is not the same man
I accepted as my true disciple.
His sleeping heart,
His doubting mind,
His roaring vital life,
His physical impurity
Have sadly disappointed me.
    Alas!

245. Master man and Master God

Master man,
I am unemployed.
Please give me a job.
“Massage my feet.
   This will be your regular job.
   I assure you,
   You will draw an exorbitant salary.”

Master God,
I am unemployed.
Please give me a job.
“Massage My Head.
   By the way, you can do this at your sweet will
   Every day or any day.
    BUT
   I shall pay you regularly,
   I shall pay you unreservedly
   With My eternal Gratitude-Plenitude.”

246. In praise

In praise of women
I must say
They love and they want to be loved.

In praise of men
I must say
They want to be loved only.

In praise of God
I must say
He is trying to live
Without human love.

247. Against

Against his doctor’s warnings,
    He slept very little.

Against his disciples’ beggings,
    He ate too much.

Against humanity’s heavy snorings,
    He has little to say.

Against divinity’s measured blessing,
    He has much to say.

248. In the assembly

In the assembly of animals
    He knew where he stood:
    A roaring lion.

In the assembly of men
    He knows where he stands:
    A barking dog.

In the assembly of the gods
    He knows where he will stand:
    A bleating lamb.

249. The Masters are fond of him

He has a child’s heart.
    Therefore
Ramakrishna is fond of him.

He is always dancing and roaming.
    Therefore
Chaitanya is fond of him.

He is always humble and meek.
    Therefore
Christ is fond of him.

He is always kind and benevolent.
    Therefore
Buddha is fond of him.

He is always loving and playing.
    Therefore
Krishna is fond of him.

He is always crying and smiling.
    Therefore
God is fond of him.

250. I searched and searched

I searched and searched
    For my soul.
At last I found my soul in the Flute of Krishna.

I searched and searched
    For my heart.
At last I found my heart in the Cross of Christ.

I searched and searched
    For my mind.
At last I found my mind in the Meditation of Buddha.

I searched and searched
    For my vital.
At last I found my vital in the Life of Vivekananda.

I searched and searched
    For my body.
At last I found my body on the Lap of the Supreme.