Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, part 15

1401. My dream-boat

Do you know how often
You have sailed in my precious dream-boat?
My boat is not only beautiful
But also unconditional.
It will love you
Even if you do not care for it
And sail in another boat.

1402. Your inner hunger

Your heart is made sweet
With your inner hunger:
The sleepless hunger for
Truth-Light;
The breathless hunger for
God-Delight.

1403. My beloved Comrade

Before me I see my chosen friends:
The cosmic gods.
Within me I see my beloved Comrade:
The Supreme.

1404. My deeper dream

My awakening is my deeper dream.
In my deeper dream
God is pleading with me
To regain
Once and for all
My own inner kingdom.

1405. My sinking eve

My sinking eve
Was in truth
My rising dawn.

My bitter failure
Was in truth
My sweet success.

1406. You are secretly chosen

O seeker of silence-light,
You will not fail,
You cannot fail,
For you are secretly chosen
And sacredly blessed
By the Supreme Lord Himself.

1407. The secrets of your heart

Do you know
The secrets of your heart?
Your heart loves God
Only.
Your life needs God
Only.
You are a choice instrument of God
Unmistakably.

1408. When I laugh

When I laugh
At my streaming tears,
God gives me
His own beaming Smiles.

1409. I went to visit my Lord

At dawn
With a winged heart
I went to visit my Lord
At His transcendental Palace.
He was exceedingly pleased.
And now in the evening
He has come to visit me
In my tiny earth-home.

1410. Meditation loves ecstasy

Meditation loves ecstasy.
Ecstasy loves only God.
God sleeplessly loves
His favourite son:
Peace.

1411. In my silence-memory of God

In my silence-memory of God
I shall forever remain
A surrender-life
And
A gratitude-heart.

1412. Dwelling places

Hope dwells
In the house of tomorrow.
Tomorrow shall dwell
Either in the house
Of temptation-frustration
Or in the home
Of illumination-satisfaction.

1413. The season of self-giving

My Lord,
May the unreservedly devoted season
Of self-giving
Be mine,
And may the surprisingly pleased season
Of receiving
Be Yours.

1414. The moment you become

The moment you become
A truth-seeker and a God-lover
You deserve to be a giver:
A giver of perfection-light
And oneness-delight.

1415. Your joy, your love

Your joy is
Your sorrow
Unmasked.

Your love shall be
Your glory
Untarnished and unalloyed.

1416. Puppets and soldiers

Ignorance-night makes puppets
Of your desire-life.
Wisdom-day makes hero-soldiers
Of your aspiration-life.

1417. Our needs answered

Illumining silence and nourishing peace
Are my needs
Answered.

My surrender and my gratitude
Are my Lord’s Needs
Answered.

1418. Oneness is the only need

Oneness is the only need.
We can establish oneness
Only when we become
The soulful life of peace
And
The fruitful heart of love.

1419. Your heartbeats in my heart

Your Heartbeats in my heart
I hear, my Lord,
Only when I care
Not for success-day
But only for progress-sun.

1420. In nothingness-nectar

I long to live
In nothingness-nectar,
Where my Transcendence-Goal
Is eagerly expecting
My eager arrival.

1421. I enjoy conversing

I enjoy conversing with my heart
Because it lovingly gives me
A large quantity of its beauty.

I enjoy conversing with my mind
Because it devotedly receives from me
A large quantity of purity.

1422. The right thing

You are not doing
The right thing.
You are hiding
From God’s sleepless Compassion-Light.

You are not doing
The right thing.
You have become a perfect instrument
Of man’s suspicion-night.

1423. I need a breathless second

I need Eternity
To tell man
That I may someday
Think of loving him.
I need a breathless second
To tell my Lord Supreme
That I love Him only,
And that my love for Him
Shall breathe throughout Eternity.

1424. An aspiration-life

A division-life
Weakens me.
A union-life
Strengthens me.
An aspiration-life
Not only heightens
My inner cry
But also enlightens
My outer smile.

1425. My old and new question

My eternally old
And desperately new question
Is:
Will God ever, ever, ever
Create a new world,
A world of nourishing hopes
And fulfilling promises?

1426. My dream-life invokes

My reality-life
Sees everywhere
God the mounting frustration.

My dream-life
Invokes always
God the eternally forgiving Compassion.

1427. O worshipper of ignorance-night

O worshipper of ignorance-night,
God has given me
His Compassion-Ocean
To give you.
Perhaps in return
You may give me
Your heart’s one tiny gratitude-drop
To give Him.

1428. My beautiful life

My beautiful life,
Do you know
That my Lord is proud of you?

My soulful heart,
Do you know
That my Lord is proud of you?

My fruitful God,
I am sure You know
That I am breathlessly
In need of You.

1429. God is still waiting for me

God is still waiting for me
Although I
Abhor His creation,
Ignore His Compassion
And
Adore earth’s temptation.

1430. An expression of deepening disgust

O my doubtful mind,
O my suspicious mind,
Do you not know that because of you
My entire being has become
An expression of deepening disgust?

1431. Only God's Opinion

Your high opinion of your life
Cannot fulfil you.
Your low opinion of your life
Cannot illumine you.
Only God’s Opinion of you
Can and will give you
What you need:
A satisfaction-sun.

1432. I do not mind

Heaven,
I do not mind
If I am ignored.

Earth,
I do not mind
If I am not appreciated.

God,
I do not mind
If I am not needed.

Chinmoy,
I do not mind
If I am not fulfilled.

1433. The greatest disaster

Alas, alas,
The greatest disaster
Has finally struck me
And my entire being:
God’s Justice-Light
Has replaced
His Compassion-Height.

1434. Mankind's common expectations

United in a common expectation:
All human beings will have
A heart of blossoming peace.

United in a common expectation:
All divine souls will have
A life of radiating smile.

1435. Time's tallest figure

Time’s tallest figure
Is he who has discovered
The supreme Truth that
God’s Eye
Is His own Eternity’s Question
And God’s Heart
Is His own Immortality’s Answer.

1436. Centuries have rolled away

Centuries have rolled away,
And still the outer man does not know
Where the inner man
Unmistakably is,
And the inner man does not know
What the outer man
Actually wants.

1437. A permanent friendship

A divinely ambitious life,
A supremely courageous heart
And
An unconditionally gracious God
Enjoy a permanent friendship.

1438. Imaginative I was

Imaginative I was,
Intuitive I have become,
Receptive I shall be.
And then I shall claim God
Exactly the way
God has always claimed me.

1439. One willing breath

One willing breath
Saw the Face of God.
One surrendering life
Became the Heart of God.

1440. Before the final ruin came

Before the final ruin came
He was convinced that God
Would enjoy his depression-heart
And destruction-life.

1441. I have found no answers

Alas,
I have found no answers, as yet,
To my insecurity-heart,
Impurity-mind
And
Insensibility-life.

1442. Another established God

Today you are
An unfinished man.
But tomorrow you will be
An accomplished man,
Plus another established God.

1443. You can be truly happy

You can be truly happy
Only when your life-tree
Touches the vaulted skies
While standing deeply rooted
Inside the heart
Of the lowly earth.

1444. The purity of your eyes

You were sobbing as if
Your body and soul were torn apart.
You will be smiling because
God loves and treasures
The purity of your innocent eyes.

1445. My golden hopes

My golden hopes,
Like withered flowers,
Fell fast.
My diamond tears,
Like streaming rivers,
Will flow fast.

1446. Regular, like the night

Regular,
Like the night,
His aspiration-cry.

Punctual,
Like the dawn,
His satisfaction-smile.

1447. The wrong instrument

Slowly
He fell into ruin.
Firmly
Death embraced him.
Finally
His soul realised
That he was the wrong instrument.

1448. Defeated completely

With the helpless weeping
Of a deserted heart,
His soul, defeated completely
In the battlefield of life,
Came and sat
At the Feet of the Inner Pilot.

1449. Merciless as ambition

Merciless as ambition
His vital is.
Joyless as humiliation
His life is.

1450. Who is advancing towards me?

Who is advancing
Like the shadow of death
Towards me?
Is it my Master-Pilot,
My Saviour-King,
My Liberator Supreme?

1451. Ambition obeys no law

Ambition obeys no law.
But law obeys truth,
And truth obeys
God’s Satisfaction-Delight.

1452. Everything else will fade

Everything else will fade
Like a dream of youth
Save and except one thing:
Man’s sleepless hunger
For satisfaction-smile.

1453. An enormous effort

It takes
An enormous human effort
To love God soulfully.

It takes
An enormous divine effort
To please man briefly.

1454. The breath of pure ecstasy

Inhale the breath
Of pure ecstasy.
You are bound to be happy.
Exhale the breath
Of wild fantasy.
You are bound to be happy.

1455. My ego needs no nourishment

My ego needs no nourishment
To grow.
My surrender needs no light
To glow.
My perfection needs no satisfaction
To flow.

1456. In his thriving days

In his thriving days
He loves God’s blossoming Smiles.
In his declining days
He loves God’s streaming Tears.

1457. Lip service to the Inner Pilot

You have only paid lip service
To the Inner Pilot.
How do you expect Him
To grant you
His Oneness-Life
And
His Satisfaction-Heart?

1458. His constant God-necessity

His everyday prayer
Does not please him.
His everyday meditation
Does not please him.
But his constant God-necessity
Does please him.

1459. Immortal as the stars

Immortal as the stars
I want my gratitude-heart
To be.

Mortal as thoughts
I want my doubt-mind
To be.

1460. My heart stands for liberty

My heart stands
For liberty.
I stand
For perfection.

1461. Discoveries

My mind’s discovery:
God is beyond all.

My life’s discovery:
God is in all.

My heart’s discovery:
God is for all.

1462. Today's plan for progress

Yesterday’s success
Has fascinated me.
Today’s plan for progress
Is illumining me.

1463. Freely I want to live

Freely
I want to live.
Soulfully
I want to love.
Devotedly
I want to serve.
Gratefully
I want to pray.
Unconditionally
I want to meditate.

1464. Open doors

The door of my mind-room
Is open to man’s sufferings.
The door of my heart-room
Is open to God’s Blessings.

1465. Present your secret ideas

Present your secret ideas
To man.
Present your sacred ideals
To God.
You will at once satisfy
Both earth and Heaven.

1466. Mystical and musical

Mystical
Is your inner personality.
Musical
Is your outer personality.
Sempiternal
Is your aspiration-beauty.

1467. Because your eyes

Because your eyes
Are aspiring,
Because your mind
Is searching,
Because your heart
Is God-loving,
Even my suspicion-mind
Will not hide
Any secrets from you.

1468. What has meditation given me?

What has my meditation
Given me?
Two beautiful eyes,
One soulful heart,
One fruitful life,
And something infinitely
More meaningful:
A bountiful God.

1469. Because you are hospitable

Because you are hospitable
You are adorable.
Because you are faithful
You are fruitful.
Because your heart is self-giving
Your God is smiling and dancing.

1470. A very pleasing companion

O Compassion-Heart
Of my Lord Supreme,
Because You are always
Easy to associate with,
In You I have found
A very pleasing Companion.

1471. You are magnetic

On earth
You are romantic.
Therefore, you are magnetic.

In Heaven
You are sympathetic.
Therefore, you are magnetic.

1472. Pray for a glimpse

Soulfully pray for a glimpse
Beyond your frustration-days and nights.
Your outer hope-life
Will succeed.
Your inner promise-life
Will proceed.

1473. Harmonious is my inner nature

Harmonious
Is my inner nature.
Auspicious
Is my outer nature.
Precious
Is my heart’s cry.
Prosperous
Is my life’s smile.
Gracious
Are my earthly and Heavenly comrades.

1474. A dynamo of creative ideas

You want to be
A dynamo of creative ideas
In yourself.
God wants you to be
A dynamo of meditative ideals
For His manifestation
In mankind.

1475. God has given you

God has given you
An imaginative mind.
Can you not offer Him
A creative life?

God has given you
A protected heart.
Can you not offer Him
A devoted “yes”,
A oneness-cry
And
A fulness-smile?

1476. Because you are faithful

Because you are forceful
Nothing can discourage you.
Because you are faithful
Nobody can defeat you.

1477. When I love God

When I love God,
He is within me
Smiling.
When I need God,
He is beside me
Standing.
What more can my greedy life need?
Nothing,
Absolutely nothing.

1478. To see your Goal

To see your Goal
Far in advance,
You must devotedly sit
On the wings
Of your vision-soul.

1479. You can be complete in yourself

You can be complete in yourself
If you just feed your idea-plant
So it grows into an ideal-tree,
And then feed your ideal-tree
So it climbs up and reaches
Beauty’s skies.

1480. Your short-fused temper

Your short-fused temper
Has badly hampered
Your success-life.

Your ferocious tiger-vital
Has totally destroyed
Your progress-life.

1482. Art out of beauty

O my heart,
You make art
Out of your beauty.

O my soul,
You make beauty
Out of your duty.

1483. I sincerely like you

I sincerely like you
Because you are discriminative.

I unreservedly admire you
Because you are inquisitive.

I sleeplessly love you
Because you are intuitive.

1484. Gracious is your God

Gracious
Is your God.
Precious
Is your heart.
Cautious
Have to be your eyes.
Spacious
Has to be your mind.

1485. I wish to be perfected

In the morning
I wish to be perfected
Through my blossoming faith.

In the evening
I wish to be perfected
Through my surrendering life.

1486. When God thinks of me

When God thinks of me,
I walk before Him
Unconsciously.

When I think of God,
God dances before me
Triumphantly.

1487. My three teachers

My mind-teacher teaches me:
Everybody is somebody.

My heart-teacher teaches me:
Everybody is a special dream
Of God.

My life-teacher teaches me:
Everybody can reach out
For a star.

1488. If you love God

If you love God,
How do you sleep so generously?
If you need God,
Why do you doubt so shamelessly?

1489. Tomorrow I shall give God

Sincerely
Yesterday I thought of God.
Soulfully
Today I shall love God.
Unconditionally
Tomorrow I shall give God
The climbing flames
Of my silence-heart.

1490. I shall tolerate the world

I shall tolerate the world,
I shall.
Only by tolerating the world
Shall I be able to help
My mind to ascend
And
My heart to transcend.

1491. You are doomed

Because of your doubting mind
You are perpetually doomed to live
In the tenebrous night-torture
Of voracious death.

1492. This world is privileged

This world of ours
Is unquestionably privileged.
Here God sends His own
Selfless soldiers
And
Shadowless lovers.

1493. The conscious steps of purity

Your life is futility,
Your heart is empty,
And your mind is a stranger
To satisfaction.
Why, why, why?
Because you are not familiar
With the conscious steps
Of illumining and fulfilling purity.

1494. I always win

Indeed, this is a challenging world.
But I always win.
How and why?
I win because God’s Compassion-Light
Inspires my inner life
And
Directs my outer life.

1495. Six things I do

Six things I do every morning:
I energise my body.
I direct my vital.
I inspire my mind.
I open my heart.
I obey my soul.
I renew my unconditional surrender
To my Beloved Supreme.

1496. Why do you follow?

Why do you follow
Old and trodden ways
Of thinking,
Why?
Are you not
A freedom-loving soul?
Are you not
A God-manifesting hero?

1497. If you can dare to face

If you can dare to face
Any eventuality,
Then an ocean of abiding peace
Shall infallibly be
Your reward-reality.

1498. Your powerful concentration-flames

You can travel far and wide.
Your powerful concentration-flames
Will keep you always beautiful
Wherever you go.

1499. God has come to you running

You always unreservedly appreciate
The best in others.
Therefore, God has come to you running
With His Universal Nest.

1500. Your life is integrity

Your life is integrity.
Therefore, God loves you.

Your heart is responsibility.
Therefore, God loves you.

Your only goal is God-Beauty.
Therefore, God loves you.

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the fifteenth volume in a series of ten thousand “flaming flower-poems” which Sri Chinmoy is placing devotedly, unreservedly and unconditionally at the Compassion-Feet of God, our Beloved Supreme. They stand as a supreme offering from the unfolding beauty of his flower-heart and the flaming heights of his realisation-sun. Indeed, a treasure-tower which will at once be claimed by humanity’s self-ascending cry and Divinity’s God-descending Smile.

Editor's note to cover photo

Pope John Paul II received Sri Chinmoy with great warmth at a meeting in the Vatican on 18 June 1980. The Holy Father offered his “special greetings” to the members of the meditation group that Sri Chinmoy leads at the United Nations, and concluded the interview by telling Sri Chinmoy, with considerable feeling, “We shall continue together.” This was the first time the two spiritual figures had met. On three prior occasions Sri Chinmoy had visited with Pope Paul VI, who had been deeply appreciative of his efforts for world peace.

The Sri Chinmoy Library