3201. The shrine of my heart

Not fear,
Not worry,
Not doubt,
But aspiration-flames
Will today adorn
The shrine of my heart.

3202. O superiority-tree

O superiority-tree,
You have damaged my heart.
O inferiority-leaf,
You have damaged my life.

3203. A questioning mind

A questioning mind
Cannot give.
An unaspiring heart
Cannot receive.

3204. It was God's Plan

It was God’s Plan
Right from the beginning of time
To give our soulful faith
A splendid victory.

3205. O blissful independence

O blissful independence,
Will you ever be mine?
O peaceful oneness,
Will you ever be mine?

3206. My heart has succeeded

My mind has failed
In eclipsing my heart-image.
My heart has succeeded
In nesting in my God-Image.

3207. In my Lord's Heart

My Lord has His tomorrow’s Beauty
In my heart.
I have my today’s purity
In my Lord’s Heart.

3208. Newness satisfies

Newness satisfies my thirsty eyes.
Fulness satisfies my hungry mind.
Oneness satisfies my crying heart.

3209. Not a difficult task

Not a difficult task
To empty load after load
Of ignorance
When the mind is no longer
A slave to teeming doubts.

3210. When I became a candidate

When I became a candidate
For the path of love, devotion and surrender,
I inherited two invaluable possibilities:
God-Joy and God-Satisfaction.

3211. Your capacity for self-delusion

As long as you maintain
Your great capacity for self-delusion,
Your inner poverty-life
Cannot and will not leave you.

3212. Your Forgiveness-Sun

My Lord, someday perhaps
I shall be able to express
Your Compassion-Light,
But Your Forgiveness-Sun
Will always remain
Far beyond my expression.

3213. The smile of my eyes

The smile of my eyes
Has a beautiful soul.
The cry of my heart
Is a fruitful soul.

3214. My dream-eyes exist

My dream-eyes exist
Only for God the Beauty.
My reality-life exists
Only for God the Forgiveness.

3215. When I was a purity-heart

When I was a purity-heart,
My Lord taught me how to feel
Another’s joy.
When I was a certainty-life,
My Lord taught me how to feel
Another’s woe.

3216. Rather a quick death

I would rather die
A quick death,
Before I am ruthlessly forced to suffer
In ignorance-sea.

3217. I am ready to weep

I am ready
To weep a fountain of tears
Until I am completely engulfed
By my Lord’s Forgiveness-Sea.

3218. God Himself is suffocating

Because you are
A money-minded seeker,
Even God Himself is suffocating
Inside your totally false aspiration-life.

3219. The supernal mysteries

If you can weather danger-clouds,
Then the supernal mysteries
That lie behind the terrestrial vagaries
Will all be yours.

3220. If my doubt is mighty

If my doubt is mighty,
Then my faith is almighty.
If my outer smile is beautiful,
Then my inner cry is all beautiful.

3221. My soul's sacred smile

Alongside my heart’s
Secret and helpless cry
Shines my soul’s
Sacred and powerful smile.

3222. On the inimitable way

At long last
My heart is on the inimitable way
To God-realisation.
No more my poverty-stricken,
Earth-bound human life.

3223. I am realising you

Today I am realising you
As an adversary-threat.
Tomorrow I shall realise you
As an advantage-smile.

3224. Born to do something great

I was born to do something
Really great for God
On this planet.
How can I fail?
Why should I fail?

3225. I have buried my past

I have buried my past.
Therefore,
My Lord is extremely happy.

My Lord is blessing my mind
And beckoning my heart.
Therefore,
I am extremely happy, plus grateful.

3226. My heart and God's Heart

My heart is an eternal cry.
God’s Heart is an eternal Smile.
They live together and grow together
Inside a concern-cave
And inside a Concern-Palace.

3227. God's Grace-Kingdom

God’s Grace-Kingdom
Is my only home.
The rest of the world
Is nothing but a stopping place.

3228. A Source unknowable

My heart is an unknown smile,
My life is an unknown cry,
And I am an unknown query.
Why, why, why?
Because we have come all the way
From a Source unknowable.

3229. Sanctioned and guaranteed

Beauty is beauty
Only when it is sanctioned
And guaranteed
By God’s Eye.

Purity is purity
Only when it is sanctioned
And guaranteed
By God’s Heart.

Divinity is divinity
Only when it is sanctioned
And guaranteed
By God’s Feet.

3230. The weight of my ignorance-night

The full weight of my ignorance-night
Shall rest inside God’s Forgiveness-Sun
And not upon my trembling shoulders,
If not every day,
At least for today.

3231. How can fear torture me?

How can fear torture me?
How can doubt frown at me?
Do I not know that God
Has all of me
Inside His Protection-Light?

3232. A breathless whisper from afar

A breathless whisper from afar
Has transformed his poverty-stricken mind
Into an emperor’s measureless
Vastness-treasure.

3233. O divine Grace

Grace, O divine Grace,
Grace, O supreme Grace,
I am drawing heavily
And constantly upon You.
Without You I am sleeplessly
Bankrupt.

3234. My inevitable choice

O my doubting mind,
You were my hasty and mistaken choice.
O my self-giving heart,
You are my ideal, unmistakable
And inevitable choice.

3235. My Lord will give His Eternity

My Lord has no time to hear
My timid complaints against my superiors.
My Lord has no time to hear
My loud complaints against my inferiors.
My Lord has no time to hear
My well-modulated complaints
Against my equals.
But my Lord will cheerfully give
His whole Eternity
To hear my marathon appreciation of everyone.

3236. To develop beauty

To develop beauty
I meditate inside a moonlit cave.
To develop humility
I meditate inside a tiny cave.
To develop purity
I meditate inside a sun-bathed cave.
To develop power
I meditate inside a spacious cave.

3237. Imperturbable cheerfulness

My eyes need renewed cheerfulness.
My mind needs unchanging cheerfulness.
My heart needs sparkling cheerfulness.
My life needs imperturbable cheerfulness.

3238. An increasing brightness

My body does not like
Blinding brightness any more.
My vital does not like
Dazzling brightness any more.
My mind does not like
Artificial brightness any more.
My heart likes
Tranquil brightness evermore.
My life consciously needs
An increasing, rising
And enlivening brightness evermore.

3239. A winning boat

A desire-life is nothing better
Than a weather-beaten, frail and sinking boat.
An aspiration-life is nothing other
Than a staunch, racing and winning boat.

3240. A well-constructed bridge

O my mind,
You are a battered bridge
Between God and me.

O my heart,
You are not only
A picturesque but also
A well-constructed bridge
Between God and me.

3241. A noisy and hollow boast

My outer life is a noisy
And hollow boast.
My inner life is a vain
And intoxicated boast.
My Lord, do give me the capacity
To cease altogether my boasting-life.

3242. You are mercifully blind

My Lord, You are mercifully blind
To my ignorance-life,
And I am wilfully blind
To my aspiration-hunger.

3243. You enjoy perennial bliss

O my vital,
You enjoy dramatic bliss.
Therefore, I dislike you.

O my mind,
You enjoy unclouded bliss.
Therefore, I like you.

O my heart,
You enjoy only perennial bliss.
Therefore, I love you.

3244. Sorrow I share

Sorrow I share
To be soulful.
Joy I share
To be powerful.
Oneness I share
To be fruitful.

3245. I love everything

I love everything.
Therefore, I can use everything.
I use everything.
Therefore, everything is
Not only of me but also for me.

3246. Nothing less than the highest

My mind has always been a candidate
For the highest Truth,
My heart has always been a candidate
For the deepest Delight.
Nothing less than the highest,
Nothing less than the deepest,
Can ever satisfy me.

3247. Perfect revelations

A self-giving smile
And a life-transforming dance
Shall be the perfect revelations
Of my life today.

3248. My witnesses

I have started running
For Eternity.
Infinity and Immortality
Are my witnesses.

3249. I affirm what God affirms

I affirm what God affirms.
What does God affirm?
He affirms that God-realisation
Is my birthright.

I negate what God negates.
What does God negate?
He negates that I am a member
Of ignorance-society.

3250. Two smiles

My heart receives satisfaction-seed
With one smile
And gives satisfaction-fruit
With another smile.

3251. An exception

Death is a daily, unavoidable
Occurrence-reality.
Nevertheless, each man thinks
That he is an exception
Who will live forever.

3252. Everything is equally important

Everything is as important
And indispensable
As everything else in God’s creation.
Try to see the divine
In everything,
With everything
Plus, for everything.

3253. The seeker can escape

The world has its teeming snares,
But the seeker can escape them
By virtue of his
Sleepless inner confidence
And deathless outer vigilance.

3254. To proceed confidently

Do you want to succeed enormously?
Then adjust your outer mind.
Do you want to proceed confidently?
Then harmonise your inner life.

3255. Aspiration-power assures

Money-power procures
Earth-facilities.
Aspiration-power assures
Not only Heaven-qualities,
But also Heaven-quantities.

3256. Man is an imperfect instrument

Man is an imperfect God-instrument,
Longing intermittently,
Although unconsciously,
For his heart’s unknown cry
And his soul’s unknowable smile.

3257. Discipline is God-interest

Do not indulge;
Indulgence is self-interest.
Discipline yourself.
Your discipline is God-interest
For God’s and your mutual satisfaction.

3258. Sleep not

Sleep not, sleep not.
Your awareness will be eclipsed
By ignorance-night.
Stay awake, stay awake.
Your awareness will be intensified
By the power-manifestation of the vision-sun.

3259. Journey's end, journey's beginning

A God-seeker consciously ends his journey
In God-Satisfaction.
A God-lover unconditionally begins his journey
With God-Satisfaction.

3260. A God-seeker's aspiration-cry

A God-seeker’s aspiration-cry
I admire.
A God-lover’s surrender-smile
I love.

3261. You can earn your place

You can earn your place
In the ranks of Truth-seekers
And God-lovers
If your life becomes a purity-sea
And your heart becomes a vastness-sky.

3262. The flight of your gratitude-heart

The flight of your purity’s
Gratitude-heart
Is from time to Eternity,
And from the known to the Unknowable.

3263. Dining with frailties

Indeed, today you are dining
With all your frailties and foibles.
But tomorrow you can taste and devour
God’s immortal Nectar-Delight.

3264. Sing the self-offering song

Sing the self-offering song, sing!
Heaven on earth and earth in Heaven
Cannot and will not remain a far cry.

3265. Just transcend your mind

Just transcend your mind.
New horizons, new frontiers
Will appear before you
With the perfection-splendour
Of vision-realities.

3266. The roots of delight-tree

Every human being
In his soul’s progress-march
Will ultimately discover
The roots of delight-tree
That weave and unweave
Through the earth-bound life.

3267. God's choice Hour

At God’s choice Hour
The cosmos concealed itself in you.
At God’s choice Hour
The cosmos will reveal itself through you.
Lo, God’s choice Hour
Is fast approaching!

3268. Your soul-bird's plumage

Do not try to terminate
Your earth-pilgrimage.
Your soul-bird’s plumage
Will, without fail,
Decorate your life.

3269. Explore the Beauty of God

Explore the Beauty of God,
Explore!
Celebrate the Smile of God,
Celebrate!
Try, you certainly can.

3270. When I do something wrong

When I do something wrong
My conscience starts bleeding,
My consciousness starts descending
And I start destroying myself.

3271. My heart knows how to receive

I know that my heart
Knows how to receive.
Therefore, my life
Cannot and will not be empty.

3272. One kind thought

One kind thought of mine
Has the capacity to push aside easily
Ninety-nine unkind thoughts
Of unfortunate human souls.

3273. The height of my victory

My good will is itself
The height of my victory,
Even if I cannot or do not
See any satisfactory result from it.

3274. In God's Hands

My ignorance-load on my own head
Is a serious problem,
But in God’s Hands
It is the beginning of my transformation.

3275. My earthly and Heavenly quest

My earthly quest
For God-realisation
And my Heavenly quest
For God-manifestation
Started right from the morning of my life.

3276. Aspiration means self-development

Aspiration means self-development.
Dedication means self-improvement.
Realisation means God-ascendance
In man.
Manifestation means God-transcendence
With man.

3277. The songs of the eternal Now

I grow with my heart-river,
I wane with my mind-river.
Beyond these two rivers
Is my soul-river,
Whispering into my ears
The songs of the eternal Now.

3278. When I pray to God

When I pray to God,
He powerfully protects me.
When I meditate on God,
He lovingly promotes me.

3279. Purity can be a daily experience

Purity can be a daily experience —
No age limit to it,
No place limit to it.
The earth-bound, impure body
Can easily grow into
A Heaven-free pure soul.

3280. A safe investment

I shall deposit a very large amount
In the bank of human joy.
Indeed,
This is a safe investment.

3281. If the world is challenging me

If the entire world
Is challenging me,
Then I shall use its challenge
To intensify my God-hunger.

3282. Its own horrifying curse

To practise a pure life
Is imperative.
An impure life is its own
Horrifying curse.

3283. The life that will rise

Because he has an unswerving devotion
To the highest heights,
His will be the life
That will rise and rise
To supreme excellence.

3284. The hunger of possessiveness

The wild hunger of possessiveness
Knows no newness-dawn,
Oneness-sky
Or fulness-sun.

3285. What was that nothing?

In the beginning there was Nothing.
What was that Nothing?
God’s Perfection-Vision
Of His own tomorrow’s Dawn.

3286. Every good thought

Don’t be discouraged.
As almost every good thought
Had a bad past,
Even so, every bad thought
Can have a good future.

3287. A fruitful pilgrim

Once you have soulfully expressed
Your readiness for the sunlit path,
You are bound to become
A fruitful pilgrim on the path.

3288. What my mind needs

What my mind needs
Is an unwavering faith.
What my heart needs
Is an abiding faith.
What my life needs
Is a pure, blind faith.
And what I need
Is an unfeigned faith.

3289. Inexhaustible enthusiasm

My vital, you need
No flamboyant enthusiasm.
My mind, you need
No noisy enthusiasm.
My heart, you need
Increasing enthusiasm.
My life, you need
Inexhaustible enthusiasm.

3290. Fabulous fame

Fabulous, monumental
And even international fame
Could not sink his life-boat,
Because his is the heart
That loves and longs to treasure
Eternity’s aspiration-cry.

3291. My body needs calm confidence

My body needs calm confidence,
My vital needs sublime confidence,
My mind needs resolute confidence,
My heart needs abiding confidence,
My life needs invincible confidence
So that I can become
My infinite Lord’s
Eternally perfect instrument.

3292. If you make others happy

If you learn how to make
Others happy,
Then God will rush towards you
To grant you His irresistible Joy
And become your matchless
And deathless playmate.

3293. Pull down the confidence-sky

Pull not towards you
Past regrets.
Pull not towards you
Future fears.
Pull down towards you,
Pull down from Above,
Only the present confidence-sky.

3294. New hopes and old regrets

As new hopes and old regrets
Cannot live together,
Even so, confidence-light
And failure-night
Cannot live together.

3295. Confidence founded upon Grace

Confidence founded upon Grace
Will always live
Far beyond the snare
Of dark attachment-world.

3296. If you want to learn

If you want to learn the art
Of rejecting all anxiety,
Then shun the spots of commonness
In your blindness-mind.

3297. An inch beyond

If you are an inch beyond
The domain of tempting hope,
That means you have already gone
Far beyond
The domain of wild frustration.

3298. The pressure of small needs

To liberate yourself from the pressure
Of small needs,
You embrace exclusively
The science and technology-life,
Only to discover
That happiness is still a far cry.

3299. Because of your great capacity

Because of your great capacity
For self-delusion,
You will always miss
God’s Compassion-Eye
And
God’s Forgiveness-Heart.

3300. What can life do to me?

What can life do to me?
God’s Compassion-Light is with me.
What can death do to me?
God’s Concern-Height is for me.

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the thirty-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

Pictured on the cover is Shashi Kumar Ghosh, Sri Chinmoy’s beloved father, to whom this book is soulfully dedicated on the occasion of his centenary. The photograph of Sri Chinmoy, taken during his ashram days several years after his father’s death, has been superimposed.