2201. I need three things

Every morning I need
Only three things:
A heart of soulfulness,
A mind of willingness
And
A life of readiness.

2202. My promise I keep

My promise I keep,
I keep.
Never in ignorance-night
I sleep.

2203. My life needs guidance

Attention, —
My body needs attention.

Encouragement, —
My vital needs encouragement.

Inspiration, —
My mind needs inspiration.

Aspiration, —
My heart needs aspiration.

Guidance, —
My life needs guidance.

2204. To pray

To pray sincerely
Is better than to receive.
To meditate soulfully
Is better than to achieve.

2205. Because you are great

Because you are great,
You belong to the world.
Because you are good,
The world belongs to you.

2206. Ambassador of concern

My Lord,
Do make me an ambassador
Of constant concern
To all the nations.

2207. Every right

As you have every right
To live in this world,
Even so,
The world has every right
To teach you and perfect your life.

2208. God I can become

Earth
I can see.
Heaven
I can feel.
God
I can become.

2209. To be in God's company

If you do not have
A sense of humour,
Then God will not choose you
To be in His close company.

2210. My mind has surrendered

My mind has completely surrendered itself
To my heart.
Therefore, I am not only pleasing
My Beloved Supreme unconditionally
But also treasuring
My mind unprecedentedly.

2211. I am divinely proud

I am divinely proud of myself
Because I know how
To identify myself
With my soaring hopes.

I am supremely proud of myself
Because I know how
To identify myself
With my nourishing dreams.

2212. When I think too much

When I think too much,
I bind my mind,
I imprison my heart
And
I torture my body.

2213. My sleeplessly open heart

What I need
Is an open mind
To follow implicitly
My sleeplessly open heart.

2214. You have touched God's Feet

Do the best you can
Cheerfully.
Accept the worst
Calmly.
Lo, you have touched God’s Feet
Triumphantly.

2215. You will win me!

My God says to me:
“Attempt, My son, attempt!
You will, without fail,
Win Me.”

2216. You have constant faith

You have constant faith
In God.
Therefore, God loves you
Sleeplessly.

God has tremendous faith
In you.
Therefore, I love you
Unconditionally.

2217. Common sense

What is common sense?
Aspiration.
What is aspiration?
A blessingful gift from God.
What kind of gift?
It is God’s Love for you
In a most tangible form.

2218. One medicine

Man’s mental diseases
Must respect one medicine,
And that medicine
Is sincerity.

2219. My heart yearns to please You

My Lord Supreme,
My heart yearns to please You
In Your own Way.
Alas,
Jealousy-giant is obstructing
My path.

2220. My desire-night is long

My Lord Supreme,
I know my desire-night
Is long.
Do tell me, my Lord,
That my aspiration-day
Will also be long.

2221. May my gratitude-plant grow

May my aspiring and loving heart’s
Gratitude-plant
Grow upward every day,
O my Lord Supreme.

2222. May my surrender-flower blossom

May my serving and smiling life’s
Surrender-flower
Blossom petal by petal every day,
O my Lord Supreme.

2223. I daily apply

I daily apply my prayerful heart
To my Lord’s Satisfaction-Smile.
I daily apply my forgiving Lord
To my mind’s confusion-deception.

2224. Two humble God-seekers

Two humble God-seekers:
He who feels
God’s Compassion-Sea,
He who acknowledges
The imperfection-flood
Of his mind.

2225. A seeker's service

A seeker’s small measure
Of soulful and devoted service
Can easily produce
A large measure
Of God’s Satisfaction-Smile.

2226. Do not postpone!

Do not postpone,
Do not postpone!
If you do not unburden
Today’s light burden,
It will add to
Tomorrow’s heavy burden.

2227. How long can the mind carry?

How long and how far
Can the stupid mind carry
Its heavy impurity-load?
I am sure, before long,
It will drop dead.

2228. Patience means

Patience means
Prayerfully meditating
On God the fruitful Giver
Without doubting
God the blessingful Lover.

2229. Love your Master

Love your Master.
It is the short way
To spiritual progress.

Have faith in your Master.
It is the shorter way
To spiritual progress.

Obey your Master.
It is the shortest way
To spiritual progress.

2230. The doleful garland

If you want to learn
How to deceive,
Then the world will teach you for free
How to weave the doleful garland
Of venom-night.

2231. If your heart loves

If your heart loves and loves,
Then you will leave
An inspiring mark
On the world.

If your mind doubts and doubts,
Then the world will leave
A disgusting mark
On you.

2232. When I pray

When I pray,
I tell my Lord
To keep me from teeming
Worries and anxieties.

When I meditate,
I tell my Lord
To be in my teeming
Worries and anxieties.

2233. My imprisoned life

When my imprisoned life
Cannot find a way out,
I look up
With an open heart,
And I dive deep
With an open mind.

2234. What saves me

In the morning what saves me
Is God’s cheerful Face.

In the evening what saves me
Is God’s fruitful Grace.

2235. An ancient story

You must realise
That your love of God
Is an ancient and ever-inspiring story
And not merely a current event.

2236. In spite of my feeble faith

In spite of my feeble faith,
I shall love God the Saviour.
In spite of my uncertain love,
I shall obey God the Commander.

2237. At long last

At long last
My unaspiring mind
Has discovered the supreme truth
That my life is full
Of wasted opportunities.

2238. My desire

In the morning
My desire to pray to God
Comes from God Himself.

In the evening
My desire to realise God
Comes from God Himself.

2239. When I think of God

When I think of God,
Even my doubting mind
Becomes faithful.

When I pray to God,
Even my uncomely vital
Becomes beautiful.

2240. A wise forgetfulness

A wise forgetfulness
Is as good and as fruitful
As a pure remembrance.

2241. Give me a heart that pounds

My Lord, my Lord,
Give me a heart that pounds
Not when I am frightened,
But when I do not aspire.

2242. God does not chasten us

God does not chasten us
When we disobey Him.
He just does not
Care to help us
Hasten our inner journey.

2243. I am waiting

What am I waiting for?
I am waiting for
A soulful smile from my heart
To save my hopeless
And goalless life.

2244. You are divinely great

You are divinely great
And supremely good.
Do you know why?
Because your heart has grown
Into an ever-increasing faith.

2245. Your foes

Your past foe
Was self-indulgence.
Your present foe
Is self-torture.
Your future foe
Will be self-aggrandisement.

2246. His Master's silence-tears

His Master’s silence-tears
Stabbed his mind
And
Captured his heart.

2247. Her Master's silence-tears

Her Master’s silence-tears
Her life could not believe
And
Her soul could not endure.

2248. Meditation and manifestation

Meditation and manifestation:
One without the other
Is imperfect and incomplete.

2249. A God-realised soul

A truly God-realised soul
Must cheerfully descend
Into the earthly human affairs.

2250. Advantage-flower

Every disadvantage-thorn
Has its
Advantage-flower.

2251. A seeker's fruitful thought

A seeker’s fruitful thought
Knows the world.
A seeker’s soulful dedication
Owns the Supreme.

2252. No match

Our reality’s capacity-voice
Is no match for
Our Divinity’s quality-choice.

2253. If you are climbing

If you are climbing to reach
The highest branch
Of your heart’s aspiration-tree,
Then you are bound to reach
At least some of
The higher branches.

2254. The real in you

The real in you
Gets the supreme chance to enjoy you
Only when you do not tempt anyone
To look at you.

2255. The Master's Justice-Light

The seekers can make
Very fast progress
If they are afraid
Of the Master’s Justice-Light.

2256. The Master's Wisdom-Light

The seekers can make
Very fast progress
If they can take
The Master’s merciless scoldings and insults
As the Master’s blessingful Wisdom-Light.

2257. The Master's withdrawal

The seekers can make
Very fast progress
If they can feel
In the inmost recesses of their hearts
That the Master’s withdrawal
Is their immediate spiritual death.

2258. The power of Eternity

The seekers can make
Very fast progress
If they can value
The power of a fleeting second
The way they value
The power of Eternity.

2259. Money-power

The seekers can make
Very fast progress
If they have already discovered
The undeniable truth
That money-power
Is infinitely less significant
Than a speck of dust.

2260. The Master's heart

The seekers can make
The fastest progress
If they can dare to feel
That the Master’s heart
Sleeplessly cries for them
And the Master’s soul
Loves their lives
Infinitely, infinitely more
Than they can ever love
Their own lives.

2261. Somebody has placed a flower

Somebody has placed a flower
Before you.
Accept it with your heart’s purity
And your life’s beauty.

2262. Why I am happy

Two are the reasons
Why I am happy:
I remember not
What I have said to ignorance-night;
I remember
What I have said to wisdom-height.

2263. Self-command

Self-command
Illumines me,
Perfects me
And
Fulfils me.

Self-demand
Frustrates me,
Tortures me
And
Destroys me.

2264. So that I will become perfect

Yesterday
My Lord Supreme loved me
So that I would become good.

Today
My Lord Supreme loves me
So that I will become perfect.

2265. You are your goal

You are not
Your likeable ideas.
You are not
Your respectable ideas.
You are
Your adorable goal.

2266. A Vision-Reality

There is a Vision-Reality
That loves us far better
Than we can ever
Love ourselves.

2267. When God thinks of you

You can easily know
When God thinks of you:
When you go on doing
The right thing.

2268. My mind will not understand

As confusion
Cannot understand confusion,
Even so,
My mind will not understand yours.

2269. Self-transformation

Self-transformation is possible
Only through self-realisation.
No other way, no other way!

2270. Yours is the mind

Yours is the mind
That has the capacity
To switch from the animal hunger
To the divine feast.

2271. An unawakening sleep

His heart has not seen
The smile of morning.
His life is an unawakening sleep.

2272. Let us all thank the Supreme

Let us all thank the Supreme
That we are still walking
Along the right road,
Eternity’s Road,
Which leads to Immortality’s Shore.

2273. I have saved my heart

I do not need anybody else
To save me
For I have already saved my heart
From my life.

2274. The firmness of a Master

The firmness
Of a good spiritual Master
Is another name
For his compassion-oneness.

2275. Your mind embodies

Forget not
That your mind embodies
Its own atmosphere
And your body embodies
Its own weather.

2276. To love more

To love more
Is to discover the truth
Sooner.

2277. The beauty of God's Life

Become the purity
Of your heart.
Lo and behold,
You are now the Beauty
Of God’s Life.

2278. Two things I love

Only two things I love:
My heart’s unremembered generosity
And
My life’s nameless gratitude.

2279. Every day

Every day
My surrender-life and my gratitude-heart
Touch and greet each other
Spontaneously,
Soulfully
And satisfactorily.

2280. Lose and gain

Lose what you have:
The information-mind.
Gain what you are:
The illumination-heart.

2281. A oneness-heart

A oneness-heart
And a satisfaction-life
Can be neither hidden
Nor stolen.

2282. Surrender your mind

Surrender your mind
To your heart,
And then do
Whatever pleases you.

2283. Love-power can be measured

Love-power
Can be measured
Only with the heart-cup.

2284. Two mirrors

Two excellent mirrors:
The purity
Of your aspiration-heart
And the beauty
Of your dedication-life.

2285. Is he your friend?

Is he your friend?
Then he has to become
A perfect stranger
To neutrality.

2286. Is he your true friend?

Is he your true friend?
Then you must not ignore
Even his most trivial
Shortcoming.

2287. Sweet and secret quarrels

The sweet and secret inner quarrels
Between my Lord Supreme and me
Have tremendously strengthened
Our secret love affair.

2288. Do not try to understand

Do you want to understand?
Then try to love.
Do you want to love?
Then do not try to understand.

2289. Smile once only

You do not have to smile soulfully twice.
Once only is more than enough.
Lo, you have totally emptied
Your life-sea of tears.

2290. Love the souls of your enemies

Secretly love
The souls of your enemies.
Openly their heads
Will touch the dust of your feet.

2291. I like my mind and my heart

I like my mind and my heart
Tremendously
When they look at each other.
I love my mind and my heart
Unreservedly
When both of them together
Look in the same direction,
Towards the self-same goal.

2292. Remember only three things

Remember only three things:
Your generosity will make you great;
Your sincerity will make you good;
Your purity will make you perfect.

2293. If you live in the heart

If you live in the mind,
A forced mutual admiration
May give you some joy.

If you live in the heart,
A spontaneous mutual admiration
Will definitely give you
Infinite joy.

2294. God-messengers

Aspiration
Is the God-messenger of love.
Dedication
Is the God-messenger of peace.

2295. Because you are always just

O my mind,
Even though you are quite often unjust,
I like you.
What else can I do?

O my heart,
Because you are always just,
I love you dearly and constantly.
And nothing else have I to do!

2296. Satisfaction takes birth unseen

Satisfaction takes birth
Unseen within.
We see it only
When it dies without.

2297. Love and lose

Love,
If you do not want to lose.
Lose,
If you want to be loved.

2298. The satisfaction-distance

The satisfaction-distance
Can be measured only
By the heart-tape.

2299. An unforgivable liar

My mind
Is an unforgivable liar.
It tells me that often
It dines with my heart
In my life’s satisfaction-diner.

2300. I know

I know, I know,
Because I love God
The clouds of confusion
Will disappear today.

I know, I know,
Because I obey God
The skies of adversity
Will clear tomorrow.

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the twenty-third 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

Governor Luis A. Ferré welcomes Sri Chinmoy back to Puerto Rico, home of the Master’s first spiritual centre. In this photograph, taken during a meeting on 11 October 1972, Governor Ferré and Sri Chinmoy are autographing and exchanging copies of books they have written.

The Governor said, “You are most welcome to our island to infuse your wisdom and inner knowledge into our people so that they can raise their consciousness to the level where they can find true happiness and self-expression in a fulfilling and creative life.”

Sri Chinmoy replied, “I see in you a most dedicated heart and and a most illumined mind at the service of your people.”