3801. True freedom will come

True freedom will come,
But where will it come from?
Not from the height
Of my mind-tower,
But from the bliss
Of God’s unconditional
Compassion-Shower.

3802. The secret of your inner progress

I shall not give you
What I really want to give you —
My great advice —
If you tell me
What you really do not want to tell me —
The secret of your inner progress.

3803. God is within me

God is within me.
Therefore, I am precious.
God is for me.
Therefore, I am courageous.

3804. Give cheerfully

Give cheerfully
If you want to become
Immediately perfect.

Love soulfully
If you want to be
Supremely perfect.

3805. You will really be happy

You will really be happy
By questioning every day
The sincerity of your own purity.

3806. You are an ideal-sea

You are not a thought-bubble.
You are not an idea-ripple.
What are you then?
You are an ideal-sea,
The sea of yesterday’s
And tomorrow’s peace.

3807. God will deny you

Be not afraid of inner obedience
And outer obedience.
If you are afraid
Of inner obedience,
God will deny you
His Satisfaction-Heart.
If you are afraid
Of outer obedience,
God will deny you
His Protection-Feet.

3808. The immortality of peace

If you can appreciate
The beauty of peace,
Then God will grant you
Not only the divinity of peace
But also the immortality of peace.

3809. A great barrier

Every way you turn
You see a great barrier.
Why, why?
Because you are not willing
Consciously and soulfully
To become the oneness-carrier
Of God’s Love-Light.

3810. A soulfully surrendered heart

A soulfully surrendered heart
Actually knows
What a haughtily narrow mind
Pretends to know.

3811. Anything useless

On earth
Is there anything useless
That does not tell us
It is absolutely needed
And also add
That its absence
Can and will shatter
Our earthly happiness?

3812. Self-deception must give way

Self-deception must give way
To self-examination.
Self-examination must merge
In self-perfection
And stay forever.

3813. Inner neighbours

A seeker must know
That he has to make friends
With his immediate neighbours
In the inner world:
A calmness-sky
And
A fulness-sun.

3814. When I think and think

When I continuously think and think,
God gives me the surges
Of His quantity-advice.
When I sleeplessly pray and pray,
God grants me the Himalayan peak
Of His quality-advice.

3815. Faith will change his future

Sincerity
Changed his past
Slowly and steadily.

Determination
Is changing his present
Powerfully and convincingly.

Faith
Will change his future
Amazingly and permanently.

3816. You entirely belong to God

You have to know
To whom you belong.
When you stand in front of
A multitude of people,
You must feel
That you belong to yourself.
But when you stand in front of God,
You must immediately feel
That you entirely belong to God.

3817. You do your duty

You do your duty:
Discard your wrong thoughts.
God will do His Duty:
He will reward you
With His Infinity’s Vision-Dawn.

3818. An awakened soul

An awakened soul can easily halt
An express train of problems and crises.
Therefore,
What you desperately and immediately need
Is an awakened soul.

3819. Renunciation-light helps you

Renunciation-light helps you
In your inner awakening.
Your inner awakening helps you
In your God-becoming.

3820. You are fully ready

If you think that
Life has a higher purpose,
Then you are fully ready
For the spiritual life.

3821. The absolute Fulness of God

Look forward until you see
The full Vastness of God.
Dive inward until you have grown into
The absolute Fulness of God.

3822. A spiritual person liberates me

A strong person encourages me.
A weak person discourages me.
A spiritual person liberates me.

3823. To run to the unknown

To run from the known
To the unknown
Is to run from bondage
To freedom.

3824. What is right for my heart

What is really right
For my aspiring heart
Cannot be wrong
For my searching mind.

3825. Discard this false notion!

Who told you
That you are obliged
To think ill of yourself?
Discard this false notion!

3826. You have done my job

If you praise yourself so highly,
Then I am happy to tell you
That you have already done my job.
Thank you.

3827. Tired of forgiving

When are you going to be
Tired of forgiving
Your doubtful mind
And
Your fearful heart,
When?

3828. A fruitful God-Satisfaction

Confession is the beginning
Of a powerful illumination.
Illumination is the beginning
Of a fruitful God-Satisfaction.

3829. His bountiful and gracious Heart

If you lead
A faithful and spontaneous life,
God is bound to grant you
His bountiful and gracious Heart.

3830. God gets the opportunity

God gets the opportunity
To enjoy Himself
When I carefully and strictly
Examine myself.

3831. The perennial Truth

Unless you know
What the perennial Truth is,
How can you know
Those who are the permanent embodiments
Of that transcendental Existence-Reality?

3832. When I say I belong to God

When I say that I belong to myself,
I know nothing,
I am a stark fool.
When I say that I belong to God,
Not only do I know myself,
But I also know that
God is my heart’s Oneness-Partner.

3833. God's Ecstasy-Heart

If you can show God
Your hard-earned liberated mind,
God will show you
His Infinity’s Ecstasy-Heart.
He will also tell you
That you can have His Heart
For the asking.

3834. The Light of the Beyond

Ignorance-night
Does not want to see
The Light of the Beyond.

Knowledge-dawn
Longs to see
The Light of the Beyond.

Wisdom-day
Has a free access to
The Light of the Beyond.

3835. My surrender-life tells me

My desire-life tells me
That God has no time
To think of me.

My aspiration-life tells me
That God thinks of me
Only when I think of Him.

My surrender-life tells me
That God thinks of me all the time,
Whether I think of Him or not.

3836. Intuition knows

Stupidity thinks that
Intelligence is not needed.

Intelligence thinks that
Intuition is not needed.

Intuition knows that
Stupidity is a self-destroying force
And intelligence is earth’s
Success-employing force.

3837. Just feel that I am yours

The schoolteacher tells his students:
Read, you will know.

The spiritual Teacher tells his students:
Become, you will know.

God tells His eternal students:
Just feel that I am yours.
What more do you need to know?

3838. If you are doing something wrong

If you are doing something wrong,
Then do not hide it from others.
They can perfect you.

If you are doing something right,
Then hide it not only from others,
But also from yourself.
Both God and man will love you more.

3839. A big nectar-feast

When sound challenges silence
And badly loses,
And then silence embraces sound,
God arranges for a big nectar-feast.

3840. The pride of ignorance

Frustration discarded,
Determination awarded,
The pride of ignorance completely thwarted.

3841. A self-transcending beginning

Each right thought
Is a new awakening.
Each new awakening
Is a self-transcending beginning of God
In me, through me and for me.

3842. Develop a new heart

Do you want to win
In the battlefield of life?
Then do not run away,
Do not idle away.
Only develop a new heart
And stay inside it,
Forever stay.

3843. I need God badly

I tell God,
“My Lord, I need You badly
To enlighten my mind.”
God tells me,
“My child, I also need you badly
To entertain My Heart.”

3844. What you are

You are not
What others think of you.
You are not
What you think of yourself.
You are precisely
What God’s Compassion-Heart
Asks you to be.

3845. An eternal Breath

Your reputation does not
Have a lasting breath.
But your self-examination,
Which is another name for God-Satisfaction,
Has and is an eternal Breath.

3846. To see the Face of God

If you want to see
The Face of God,
Then you must at least
Spend some hours every day
With His chosen instrument:
Your heart.

3847. Be aware of your thought-life!

What you give to the world
May not come back,
But what you think of the world
Will not only come back
But may even attack you ruthlessly.
Therefore, be aware of your thought-life!

3848. To know more

To know more,
You do not have to do more,
You do not have to say more,
You do not even have to become more.
You only have to try to think and feel
That God thinks of you infinitely more
Than you can think of yourself.

3849. In the beginning

In the beginning
You are not asked
To be perfect.

In the beginning
You are asked
Only to see how much damage is caused
By your teeming imperfections.

3850. The answer

Depression is not the answer.
Suppression is not the answer.
Rejection is not the answer.
Illumination is the inner answer;
Transformation is the outer answer.

3851. The source of all strength

A false friend is he
Who increases my weakness.
A true friend is he
Who not only increases my strength
But also helps me love consciously
The Source of all strength: God.

3852. A grateful seeker

A sincere seeker
Is a prince in the inner world.
A pure seeker
Is a king in the inner world.
A grateful seeker
Is an emperor in the inner world.

3853. Three most significant things

God has done
Three most significant things for me:
He has prepared my heart,
He has repaired my mind,
He has appeared unsought.

3854. How can God care for you?

How can and why should
God care for you
If you do not dare,
Even for a fleeting second,
To close the door on your past
And all its dust?

3855. An unusual compromise

His own heart
Stood vehemently against him
When the seeker made an unusual compromise
With ignorance-night.

3856. I shall not give up

My mind thinks
That it does not have to hurry up
For anything.
My heart feels
That it does not have to wake up now,
For Eternity is at its disposal.
Alas, alas!
But I am telling myself
That I shall not give up.

3857. Your utter ruin

Just because you are burdened,
You are confused.
Just because you are confused,
Your utter ruin is fast approaching.

3858. The way to change your mind

The one way
To change your mind amazingly
Is to convince your mind
That your heart has nothing to do
With autocracy.
It embodies only Eternity’s oneness-life.

3859. The transformation of man's nature

The transformation of man’s nature
Is not an easy task.
Everybody knows that.
But is it not true
That there are many who really enjoy
Their animal nature?

3860. Why are you so hesitant?

Why are you so hesitant?
Ask your vital
To be immediately pure.
Ask your heart
To be always sure.

3861. Love alone will rule

Love alone can and will
Eventually rule
The undisciplined vital
And
The unprincipled mind.

3862. God will open his Heart

Slowly and steadily
If you can still your restless mind,
Immediately and cheerfully
God will open His measureless Heart.

3863. The key of love

The key of love
Not only opens the door of belief
Above
But also closes the door of disbelief
Below.

3864. Do you not see?

Do you not see
That sick human thoughts
Are killing you?
Do you not see
That strong divine thoughts
Are eagerly waiting
To save you?

3865. Your life cannot be rootless

If you are enjoying
Your service to Eternity,
Your life cannot be rootless
And your heart cannot be sunless.

3866. Conquer your idle thoughts

Conquer your idle thoughts
If you want to become familiar
With the secrets of golden silence.

3867. A perfect treasure

Knowledge-light
Is a great treasure.
Wisdom-delight
Is a perfect treasure.

3868. Your life will be blighted

If your mind
Is blinded by shameless pride,
Then your life
Will be blighted by deathless humiliation.

3869. He who does not love life

He who does not love life,
To him life is a taut
And rigid grasp.
He who loves life,
To him life is a beautiful
And powerful clasp.

3870. Humility

Humility is not a slave mentality.
Humility helps you rocket
To the highest heights
Of Satisfaction-Delight.

3871. I am pleased only with my soul

I am not pleased with my mind
Because it speaks to God too much.
Unthinkably, it embarrasses me.

I am not pleased with my heart either,
Because it speaks to God too little.
It unwisely represents me.

I am pleased only with my soul
For it speaks to God
Not only soulfully but also judiciously,
And it does not use
Either one word more
Or one word less than necessary
When it converses with God.

3872. A true and sleepless love of God

If you have a true and sleepless
Love of God,
Then nobody will be able to snatch you away
From the Embrace of God.

3873. God the Justice

If I have to make a choice between
God the Forgiveness
And
God the Justice,
I shall choose God the Justice,
For the Thunder-Feet of God the Justice
Will be followed by the Illumination-Eye
Of God the Perfection-Bestower,
Whereas God the Compassion will forgive me
Time and again,
And yet I shall remain an ignorance-prince.

3874. A God-lover knows

A God-seeker thinks
That he can be free.
A God-server feels
That he will be free.
A God-lover knows
That he is free.

3875. Patience was the beginning

Yesterday
Patience was the beginning
Of my perfection.

Today
Patience is the flowering
Of my satisfaction.

3876. I must go beyond thought

I must go beyond thought
If I at all dare to expect
That my mind’s confusion-storm
Will someday pass.
I must needs go beyond thought!

3877. Obey the small whispers of peace

Obey the small whispers of peace
In your inner life.
You are bound to be happy.

Disobey the thunder-sounds of war
In your outer life.
You are bound to be happy.

3878. Ignorance binds us

Ignorance binds us to
The things that we do not own.
Knowledge helps us disown
The things that we do not need.

3879. God Himself has chosen

How can any seeker be helpless,
Hopeless and useless
When God Himself has chosen
To play with him
Tirelessly and sleeplessly?

3880. Your vital ease

Be careful!
Your vital ease
Will, without fail,
Corrode your peace-loving heart.

3881. If your heart-flower is withered

If your heart-flower is withered,
Blame not God,
Blame not even yourself.
Just pray to God
To grant you another opportunity.
Just ask yourself
Not to miss the opportunity
This time.
If you do not miss the opportunity this time,
Yours will be a fresh heart-flower
For God the Compassion to use
In His own Satisfaction-Way.

3882. Two unanswered questions

My sincere life is troubled
By two unanswered questions:
How can I tell humanity
That I have never cared
And I will never care for it?
How can I tell God
A downright lie —
That I have loved Him only
And I will always love Him only?

3883. What does Heaven like?

What does Heaven like?
Heaven likes its heart
To be gracious.
What does earth like?
Earth likes its life
To be adventurous.
What do I like?
I like my soul’s Heavenward return journey
To be auspicious.

3884. The things I feel

To me, the things I see
With my human eyes
Can never be as important
As the things I feel
With my soulful heart.

3885. I thank You for two reasons

My Lord, I thank You
For two reasons:
I thank You for listening
To my heart’s quest,
I thank You for not listening
To my mind’s query.

3886. A small measure

A small measure of sincerity
Is nothing short of
A large measure of beauty.

A small measure of beauty
Is nothing short of
A large measure of humility.

A small measure of humility
Is nothing short of
A large measure of purity.

3887. Your happiness will be multiplied

Instead of telling the world
What it is supposed to do,
Why don’t you immediately do it yourself?
In this way, I assure you,
Your happiness will be
Surprisingly multiplied.

3888. After you have revealed

After you have revealed your heart’s security
To its fullest extent,
You may try to do something else,
And that is to conceal your mind’s insecurity.

3889. If you have a prayerful heart

If you have a doubtful mind,
Then give it to God
For its illumination.

If you have a prayerful heart,
Then give it to me
For my perfection.

3890. His heart knows

His mind knows what a conflict is.
His vital knows what a complaint is.
His heart knows where a solution is:
In love.

3891. The wall of cheerfulness

Remain cheerful,
For nothing destructive can pierce through
The adamantine wall of cheerfulness.

3892. You are most precious to God

Your life is remarkably harmonious.
Therefore, you are most precious to God
And most prosperous
In God’s Heart-Kingdom.

3893. Faith is fruitful

Hope is beautiful,
But may not be powerful.
Determination is powerful,
But may not be fruitful.
Faith is not only
Beautiful and powerful
But also fruitful.

3894. A new and perfect boss

Your unconditional love of God
Does two things:
It transforms your mind
And it informs ignorance
That at long last
It has found a new and perfect boss:
God.

3895. Years from now

Years from now
You will be completely happy and satisfied
That you entered into the Golden Boat
To journey to the Golden Shore.
Just remain seated where you are.

3896. Truth really loves us

Truth really loves us.
Therefore, there is no need to hesitate
When we tell others about Truth.

3897. Silence speaks for you

Doubt does not shout for you.
It shouts only for itself.
Silence speaks not for itself,
But for you
All the time.

3898. An added delay

Each wrong thought
Is an added hurdle.
Each new hurdle
Is an added delay.

3899. A true sense of satisfaction

Two thoughts give me
A true sense of satisfaction:
God does not want to leave me alone;
I shall love my only Saviour — God.

3900. My mind needed greatness

My mind needed greatness.
God has granted it.

My heart needed wideness.
God has granted it.

My life needed oneness.
God has granted it.

What else do I need?
I need only one thing more,
And that is God’s Satisfaction
In and through me
In God’s own inimitable Way.

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the thirty-ninth 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

On 11 September 1978 in New York, Sri Chinmoy met with Ambassador Elliot Richardson, U.S. Representative to the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. The two discussed their work at the United Nations and Sri Chinmoy presented the Ambassador with one of his original paintings. After their meeting, Ambassador Richardson sent Sri Chinmoy a copy of his book, The Creative Balance, inscribed with these words: “To Sri Chinmoy, Artist, Musician, Thinker, Articulator of ideas, Communicator of insights, with the sincere admiration, respect and gratitude of a fellow labourer in the vineyard of peace.”