201. The God-Hour strikes

An unfinished Dream of God
Brought me down.
The God-Hour then struck.

An unending Reality of God
Will take me up.
The God-Hour will once again strike.

202. What you did

God wanted you
To go to Him untouched.
But what you did,
You know!
You went to God unchanged!

203. The stairway of your dreams

The stairway of your dreams
Is fascinating you, your entire being.
The soulful ascent of your aspiration-life
Is satisfying God, your Beloved Supreme.

204. Two unchanged obsessions

Two permanently unchanged obsessions
I see in his nature:
“Why is God so indifferent to me?
Why is man so ungrateful to me?”

205. Where, O where, is God?

Where, O where, is God?
Is He inside my fondness-hope?
Where, O where, is God?
Is He inside my oneness-scope?

206. Our creations will crumble

Your creation will crumble
Because it is weak.

His creation will crumble
Because it is impure.

My creation will crumble
Because it is uncertain.

But God’s creation will forever last
Because it is sleeplessly self-giving.

207. God just gives and gives

God just gives and gives.
He does not take.
He does not even know
The clever art of lending,
Which we learn
At the very dawn
Of our earth-sojourn.

208. Our faith-life only

Our faith-life only is secure;
Everything else is insecure.

Our oneness-heart only is perfect;
Everything else is imperfect.

209. Yet I shall go on

Mine are shattered dreams.
Yet
I shall go on.

Mine is a punctured heart.
Yet
I shall carry on.

210. The boon

Scold me, my Lord, untiringly.
Insult me, my Lord, unreservedly.
But, my Lord, do not forget Your Boon.
You told me millions of years ago
That You would grant me the capacity
To love You sleeplessly.
Something more, unconditionally.

211. A devoted member of God's Society

If you want to be a devoted member
Of God’s Society,
Then immediately reject what you are not:
Venom-doubt,
And soulfully accept what you are:
God’s choice instrument.

212. Two observers

God watched me from the sky
With His unchanging Compassion.
I watched God from the ground
With my increasing hesitation.

213. The most ancient story

Temptation grips man,
Compassion grips God:
This is God’s and man’s
Absolutely most
Ancient story.

214. Two hopes

Two hopes are constantly singing
Inside my throbbing heart:
I shall one day start loving
My Lord Supreme unconditionally;
My Lord Supreme will secretly tell me
That He has forgiven me everlastingly.

215. Let hope once more refresh you

Let hope once more
Refresh you.
Let faith once more
Guide you.
Let surrender once more
Fulfil you.

216. Inside there should be

Inside my talking
There should be some light.

Inside my light
There should be some delight.

Inside my delight
There should be some God-Satisfaction.

217. Our different ways

Yours
Is the inimitable way.

Mine
Is the imponderable way.

God’s
Is the inseparable way.

218. An aspiration-life means

An aspiration-life means
An unmeasured and treasured scope.

A desire-life means
A binding and strangling rope.

219. A determination-stride

They call it
A determination-stride.
I call it
A great ignorance-challenging friend.

220. All your dangers

Your fear of truth
Is your own danger.
Your love of ignorance
Is your own danger.
Your constant oneness with your little “I”
Is your own danger.
How can you come out of all your dangers?
Just say soulfully once:
“God still loves me.”

221. Are You tired, O Lord?

Are You, O Lord,
Tired of being good?
It seems You are.

Are You, O Lord,
Tired of being divine?
It seems You are.

Are You, O Lord,
Tired of being perfect?
It seems You are.

O my Lord Supreme, then do bless me
With Your Goodness-Heart,
Divinity-Life
And Perfection-Role.

222. How far can you go?

How far can you go with death?
Not very far!

How far can you go with life?
Not very far!

How far can you go with God’s Vision-Eye
And His Compassion-Heart?
You can go to Eternity’s
Birthless and deathless Shore.

223. Her determined speed

Her determined speed
Is her eternal journey’s soul.
Her adamantine will
Gives her the immortal Victory’s Goal.

224. Three Heaven-bound passengers

Three Heaven-bound passengers to escort us:
Her sincerity-life,
Her purity-heart
And
Her divinity-soul.

225. A mystic gulf

A mystic gulf
Between God and man.
Again,
A mystic union
Between God’s Compassion-Feet
And
Man’s imperfection-head.

226. I know you will wait for me

O my Lord Supreme,
I know You will wait for me
No matter how long I delay in offering
My timidity-heart,
My futility-mind,
My stupidity-life.

227. Although he barks and barks

Although he barks and barks,
His sweetness still is extremely sweet
In his heart.

Although he ruthlessly insults,
His oneness still is completely one
Within and without.

228. What can I expect?

Yesterday my life began in darkness.
What can I expect
From my darkness-life?

Tomorrow my life shall begin
With God-oneness-life.
Everything of everything
I can soulfully expect
From my God-oneness-life.

229. Soulful happiness is my escort

Soulful happiness is my escort.
Therefore
I shall go very far.

Fruitful oneness is my escort.
Therefore
I am reaching my Perfection-Goal.

230. Fulfilling faith will rule

Teeming doubts
Cannot rule for long.

Shattering fears
Cannot rule for long.

Fulfilling faith
Can and will rule
Not only for long,
But forever and forever.

231. O my failure-fountain

O my failure-fountain,
Although I do not love you,
I do not hate you either.

O my victory-fountain,
Although you have granted me
A vast range of victory-mountains,
I can’t love you unreservedly,
For my satisfaction-sun
Is still a far cry.

232. I hear no more

My Lord Supreme
Has stopped my ears.
I hear no more
The world’s wild destruction-rumours.

My Lord Supreme
Has closed my eyes.
I see no more
The world’s deathless ignorance-night.

233. To perfect me in his own image

To terrify my earth-roots,
Ignorance-dragon has ruthlessly appeared.
To save me, to perfect me
In His own Image,
My Compassion-Lord
With His infinite Bounty
Has breathlessly appeared.

234. An honest unbeliever

You are
An honest unbeliever.
I appreciate your honesty.

You are
An honest ignorance-supporter.
I admire your unshaking conviction.

But someday, somehow
You will bless us all
With a totally different story.

235. No longer necessary

Despair, no longer necessary.
Hope-moon is blossoming.

Hope-moon, no longer necessary.
Promise-sun is dawning.

Promise-sun, no longer necessary.
My victory-smile
God has already granted.

236. Ego feeds on attention¹

Ego feeds on attention.
The perfection of our precarious
Animal-human nature
Feeds on God’s Compassion-Sea.

237. O my raindrops of hope

O my raindrops of hope,
This time do bring down with you
Your reality-rays
To satisfy my heart’s
Sleepless hunger.

238. My need

My need is prayer,
A tender prayer.

My need is meditation,
A short meditation.

My need is perfection,
An iota of perfection.

239. Kindness is not blindness

Kindness is not blindness.
Kindness is oneness-awareness.
Blindness is failure:
Failure within, failure without.

240. Love mankind here

Love mankind here,
Soulfully and sleeplessly.
The reward you will get elsewhere,
Unmistakably plus infinitely.

241. What is silence?

What is silence?
God’s natural Beauty.
What is silence?
Man’s hard-earned perfection.

242. A tower of fortitude

A tower of fortitude,
How to become?
Not by challenging,
Not by fighting,
But by becoming one
With God’s illumining and fulfilling Will.

243. An impossible task

A spiritually established life
Is not an easy task,
But
A materially satisfied life
Is an impossible task.

244. Soon they will be over

My confusion-mind,
My hesitation-heart,
My imperfection-life
Will soon be over and done with.

245. Pride does not confess

Insecurity confesses,
Impurity confesses,
Jealousy confesses.
But pride finds it almost impossible
To confess anything, anywhere.

246. God's timeless Dream

God’s timeless Dream:
Man’s total perfection.
Man’s endless reality:
His biting frustration.

247. Beauty without vanity

In the vital world,
Body-beauty without vanity
Is almost an impossible reality.

In the psychic world,
Soul-beauty without vanity
Is a natural and inevitable fact.

248. My conscience

My accusing conscience,
I love you because you care for me,
My perfection.

My illumining conscience,
I love you because you care
For the supreme satisfaction
Of my Beloved Supreme
Within me.

249. I see a smile

In the physical world
I see a cancerous smile.

In the vital world
I see a dangerous smile.

In the mental world
I see an ungenerous smile.

In the psychic world
I see a precious smile.

250. I study alternatives

I study alternatives.
It is in the mind’s alternatives
That I get peace of mind.
It is in the heart’s alternatives
That I get abiding satisfaction.

The mind’s alternatives:
A doubtful night or a faithful day.
The heart’s alternatives:
A noiseful division or a soulful oneness.

251. Since nobody wants to play

Since nobody wants
To play with me,
I play with my shadow.

Since nobody wants
To sing with me,
I sing with my failure.

252. O silver flames

O silver flames of my mind,
I love you.
Do awaken my life!

O golden flames of my heart,
Do expedite
My Heaven-bound journey!

253. No parallel

The kind earth
Has no parallel.

The indifferent Heaven
Has no parallel.

The unchanging life
Has no parallel.

The forgiving God
Has no parallel.

254. Disturb not the world

Disturb not the world.
It is very busy.

Torture not the world.
It is very weak.

Change not the world.
It is very stubborn.

255. A fatal experience

Life has no permanence.
Indeed, this is a sad experience.
God has no assurance.
Indeed, this is a fatal experience.

256. Even my shadow avoids me

Even my shadow avoids me.
Even my body dislikes me.
Even my life disappoints me.
Even my God forgets me.

257. Obedience

Obedience is immediate death
When you obey the lesser gods.
Obedience is perfect perfection
When you obey the real God.

258. Ecstasy's unplumbed skies

If you have an aspiration-flight,
In the long run
You are bound to reach
Ecstasy’s unplumbed skies.

259. This defective life

This defective life
Is really defective,
Yet
This creative heart
Is soulfully creative.

260. You are not a man

You are not a man
Although you look like one.
Your very presence
Is nothing short of a nightmare.
Upon seeing you,
My whole world shall die
Before it hopes to dare.

261. Beyond the reach²

Lord Supreme,
You were then
Beyond the reach of my voice.
You are now
Beyond the reach of my silence.

Lord, my Lord Supreme,
This is more than enough.
Please, please, never be
Beyond the reach of my choice,
For that will totally smash my heart
To pieces.

262. The shortness of the day

Many years ago
The shortness of the day
Disappointed my desire-life.
Alas, after so many years
The same shortness of the day
Is disappointing my aspiration-life.

263. He has planted his footsteps

He has planted his footsteps
Inside my love-heart,
Inside my gratitude-life,
Inside my surrender-perfection.

264. Sweet thoughts

Sweet thoughts live
In my dream.

Sweet ideas live
In my reality.

Sweet ideals live
In my divinity.

265. Together they have returned

Greed and frustration
Together have returned.

Efforts and failures
Together have returned.

Aspiration-life and desire-knife
Together have returned.

266. A little more time

O my imprisoned aspiration-flames,
I shall set you free.
Do give me a little more time.
I shall unmistakably
And
Permanently
Set you free.

267. A very, very long time

It has taken God
A very, very long time.
Never mind!
He has finally done it.
He has banished His wild,
Unbearable and impossibly cynical children
From the snow-pure, white heart
Of the world.

268. Perpetual benedictions

Your Smile-Flames, my Lord,
Are perpetual benedictions.

Your Frown-Fires, my Lord,
Are perpetual benedictions, too.

269. Who betrays whom?

Nature never betrays
Any man.
The soul never betrays
Any man either.
Who then betrays whom?
Man the ingratitude betrays
God the Compassion.

270. Whips of God

Whips of time
I deserve not,
Yet I am always whipped.

Whips of God
I unmistakably deserve,
Yet I am never whipped.

271. Two monumental mockeries

Two monumental mockeries:
You will realise God
Before me.
God will have you
As His chosen instrument,
And not me.

272. They show me

My cheerful faith
Shows me my Lord’s Crown.

My soulful love
Shows me my Lord’s Throne.

My fruitful surrender
Shows me God Himself.

273. Like the sleeping flowers

Like the sleeping flowers
Of the silence-evening,
My snow-heart shall rest
In the ever-blossoming Dawn.

274. Guardian of my heart

My fruitful realisation
Is the guardian of my heart.
My soulful heart
Is the guardian of my life.

275. Human life is really something

Who says that human life is nothing?
I say that human life
Is infinitely more than something.
It is, indeed, nothing short of
Monster-ingratitude.

276. What a downfall!

There was a time
When I prayed to God
For Eternity’s sunrise.
Now I am praying to God
Only for a fleeting flame.
Alas, alas,
What a downfall!

277. O beautiful meditation

O beautiful meditation,
You are great.

O prayerful meditation,
You are good.

O soulful meditation,
You are perfect.

278. A sweet silence-thought

A sweet silence-thought
Purifies my venom-mind.
A pure silence-soul
Expedites my Godward journey.

279. Make the right choice!

Yours is the faith
That can shatter mountain-obstructions.
Again,
Yours is the doubt
That can empty the ocean-vast Love of God.
Be wise —
Make the right choice!

280. A willing God

A willing God
Is merciful.

A willing soul
Is helpful.

A willing heart
Is soulful.

A willing life
Is fruitful.

281. You are all right

Your aspiration-life
Has been censured by my vision-eye.
But you are all right.
You will reach your goal,
For sincerity has unreservedly
Befriended you.

282. A sweet disorder

A sweet disorder
I see on your childlike face.
A sweet uncomeliness
I see inside your childlike heart.

283. Devouring time

Devouring time,
I shall, without fail, ignore you.

Illumining time,
I shall, without fail, need you.

Fulfilling time,
I shall, without fail, please you.

284. Do not give up

True,
Your will is overruled by fate.
But I assure you,
God’s golden Gate will always
Remain open for you.
Therefore,
Do not give up.
Never!

285. The same old God

O my long, fruitless stay on earth,
What can I do?
You are helpless,
I am hopeless.
And the one who alone can help us,
I mean God, the same old God,
Is deliberately heedless.

286. The midnight dream³

The midnight dream
Gives a blue boat.
The morning dream
Looks for it desperately
Inside the abysmal depth
Of ignorance-river.

287. Idle hopes

Idle hopes fly away,
Idle ideas die away,
Idle body sleeps and sleeps,
Idle life nothing sows,
Nothing reaps.

288. Beauty

Tenderness lives with beauty.
Kindness lives in beauty.
Soulfulness houses beauty.
Oneness feeds beauty.

289. Duty

Each thing is full of duty.
What is duty?
God’s unveiled Reality
And man’s unprecedented opportunity
In disguise.

290. How to kill desire

How to kill desire?
Just by reviving
Your aspiration-flames
And by awakening
Your sleeping heart.

291. Confidence of reason

Confidence of reason
Is a flickering flame.
Confidence of faith
Is an ever-illumining dawn.

292. Do dissolve me

O Lord Supreme,
Do dissolve me
Into Your Infinity’s ecstasy.

O Lord Supreme,
Do dissolve me
Into Your Eternity’s nothingness.

293. The smile that conquers

The smile that conquers many lives
I have in the outer world.

The cry that conquers many hearts
I have in the inner world.

The surrender that conquers
God the Creator and God the creation
I have in my soul’s world.

294. When God first created man

When God first created man
He knew that it was not a joke.
Such being the case,
His Compassion-Presence let us invoke.

295. Let it all end

If I am destined to do
Something for You, my Lord,
Let my sorrows have an end.

If You really care for me, my Lord,
Even for a fleeting second,
Let Your indifference come to an end.

296. In the ancient Heaven

In the ancient Heaven,
Compassion-song
Was supremely sung.

In the modern Heaven,
Frustration-song
Is perfectly sung.

297. A white Heaven-born thought

A white Heaven-born thought
Awakens my heart.
A green earth-born thought
Energises my life.

298. Mistaking earth for Heaven

Mistaking earth for Heaven,
He sighed.

Mistaking Heaven for earth,
He died.

299. When the outer world deserts him

When the outer world
Deserts him ruthlessly,
He suffers sleeplessly.
Finally he withdraws
Into his soul’s delight-chamber.

300. A serious matter

Dear Heaven,
I need your kind advice
In a serious matter.

Dear Earth,
I need your practical help
In a serious matter.

Dear God,
I need Your immediate Forgiveness
In a serious matter.

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the 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.