701. PERFECTION-BEAUTY

Self-giving is the quintessence
  Of perfection-beauty.
God-becoming is the quintessence
  Of perfection-duty.

702. A HALFWAY CHRISTIAN

If you live as a halfway Christian,
Then blindness is your sight,
Darkness is your light,
Nothingness is your life.

703. O BIBLE

O Bible,
The Saviour will take away
All my sins.
Can you not take away
My little, little worries,
  At least?

704. THEY FEAR

My impurity fears the known.
My humility fears the unknown.
My sincerity fears the unknowable.

705. THE CHRIST LIVES

Jesus died on the cross
To bear the punishment for your sins.
The Christ lives in your heart-cave
To enjoy the purity of your soulful prayers.

706. THE CHRIST GAVE

Jesus gave the world
  His promise-sky.
The Christ gave the world
  His aspiration-sun.

707. WE SHALL NOT SEE JESUS

Although Jesus has promised
To come back,
We shall not see Jesus.
But the Christ we shall see
  Face to face.

708. THE CHRIST HAS COME

Jesus came to you quickly
  To love you
When you were young.

The Christ has come to you unconditionally
  To save you
When you are old.

709. I LOVE GOD

I love God
  Because He is binding.
God loves me
  Because I am willing.

710. I PRAY TO GOD

I pray to God
  So that He can prepare me.
I meditate on God
  So that He can illumine me.
I surrender to God
  So that He can claim me.

711. AT LEAST ONE PERSON

At least one person has to do
  The right thing.
Since I do not have the time
To think of myself,
God thinks of me.
Since I do not feel like loving God,
God loves me.
At least one person has to do
  The right thing.

712. I AM HAPPY BECAUSE

I am happy because
God is helping me to see
Everything from His point of view.
I am happy because
God is helping me to read
Every man from His point of view.

713. GOD IS NOT SURPRISED

God is not surprised
That I do not need Him.
  God is not surprised
That I love ignorance.
    But
God is surprised
That I am constantly,
Constantly in love
With teeming fears
And growing doubts.

714. I AM NOT WILLING

My Lord has stopped talking to me
Not because of your wild complaints against me,
  But
Because I am not willing
To listen to Him.

715. I AM HAPPY

I am happy because
My heart of aspiration-flame
Is God’s ambassador.

I am happy because
My life of dedication-bubble
Is God’s supporter.

716. I AM CHOOSING GOD'S LIGHT

Yesterday
I quickly chose God’s Power
    To fulfil me.

  Today
I am quietly choosing God’s Light
    To illumine me.

717. ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE

My Lord Supreme,
I am eagerly waiting
For Your great Victory
So that my earth-bound cage
Will be transformed
Into a Heaven-free bird.
What a joy to know
The result in advance!

718. CONVERSATION

God said to me,
“Look, My son, what I
  Have to show you:
    A magic gaze.”

I said to God,
“Look, my Father, what I
  Have to offer You:
    A totally transformed face.”

719. THE DIVIDING LINE

Hesitation is the dividing line
  Between
Promise and fulfilment.

Doubt is the dividing line
  Between
Perfection and satisfaction.

720. HOPE IS BORN TO SIGH

Hope is born to sigh.
Faith is born to try.
Love is born to fly.
Oneness is born to satisfy.

721. YESTERDAY'S GOD

Yesterday’s God
  Belonged to my confidence.
Today’s God
  Belongs to my promise.
Tomorrow’s God
  Shall belong to my hope.

722. I AM TORMENTED

Alas, alas!
I am tormented by
  Wild dreams.

Alas, alas!
I am deserted by
  Lofty visions.

Alas, alas!
I shall never be energised by
  The nectar-sun.

723. THREE THINGS I SHALL CONQUER

Three things I shall conquer:
  My life’s cloudy weather,
  My heart’s teeming fears,
  My mind’s strangling doubts.

724. HOPE-BUDS ARE WIDE AWAKE

Hope-buds are
  Eternally wide awake
Inside my aspiration-heart.

Fulfilment-flowers are
  Preternaturally fast asleep
Inside earth’s indifference-reign.

725. WHAT AM I ?

What am I ?
  A tiny silver boat.
Who is my owner?
  God, the golden Boatman.
What is our destination?
  Immortality’s Satisfaction-Shore.

726. AN ILLUMINING THOUGHT

Fear is a limping thought.
Doubt is a blinding thought.
Courage is a galloping thought.
Faith is an illumining thought.

727. YESTERDAY I DESIRED TO LIVE

Yesterday I desired to live
  On reputation-bubbles.
Today I am longing to live
  With transcendence-waves.
Tomorrow I shall be crying to live
  In the very depths
    Of Compassion-Sea.

728. HIDE YOUR CLEVERNESS

Hide your cleverness.
Reveal your openness.
Establish your perfectness.
Fulfil your oneness.

729. I CAN AND I SHALL

Can I trust Eternity?
  Yes, I can and I shall.
Can I support Infinity?
  Yes, I can and I shall.
Can I love Immortality?
  Yes, I can and I shall.

730. MY PRAYER-WINGS CARRY ME

My prayer-wings
  Carry me up to Heaven
  To see God’s Beauty.

My meditation-wings
  Carry God down to earth
  To see my heart’s purity.

731. MORE THAN A LUXURY

To have a Compassion-God
  Is not a luxury.
To claim oneself as a satisfaction-man
  Is more than a luxury.

732. A SEEKER'S SECRET ADVENTURE

The religion of a conscious God-lover
Is a seeker’s secret adventure.
The religion of a surrendered God-lover
Is a seeker’s sacred grandeur.

733. WHEN I CORRESPOND WITH THE COSMIC GODS

When I correspond with the cosmic gods
  I do not forget to send them
  My heart’s gratitude-flower.

When the cosmic gods correspond with me
  They do not forget to send me
  Their souls’ satisfaction-fruits.

734. I CAME FROM GOD

I came from God
  The Eternal Dreamer.
I am heading towards God
  The Immortal Lover.

735. NOBODY IS IDLE

Nobody is idle.
Everybody is busy
  In his own inimitable way.
Indeed, this will always remain
  As an undeniable fact,
  In an imperishable way.

736. GIVE WHAT YOU HAVE

Give what you have.
Invisible forces will love you.
  Give what you are.
Visible forces will not only love you
But also treasure you.

737. I CHOSE

I chose not to understand God.
I chose not to understand even man.
  But
I chose to understand my clever mind.

738. A CRUCIAL DIFFERENCE

Here is the difference
  Between
My thinking and God’s thinking:
I think I have something to give.
God thinks I have to become something.

739. SOMETHING INFINITELY BETTER TO DO

I tell you,
You have something infinitely better to do
Than to surrender to your
  Impurity-vital
    And
  Insincerity-mind.

740. CONCEAL AND REVEAL

Conceal what you have,
Reveal what you are.
  Conceal what you see,
Reveal what you feel.

741. PRACTICAL AND SPIRITUAL

God is at once
  Practical and spiritual,
So He wants us
  To have a practical life
    And
  A spiritual heart.

742. EACH TIME

Each time I love mankind
  Unreservedly,
Each time I love God
  Unconditionally,
I reclaim a part
  Of my own real life.

743. BECAUSE I AM A REPRESENTATIVE OF GOD

Because
I am a representative of God,
  I shall be in the world
  With God’s Perfection-Satisfaction.

  Because
I am a representative of man,
  I shall be in Heaven
  With man’s aspiration-promise.

744. I APPEARED BEFORE GOD

I appeared before God
  With what I have:
    An iota of gratitude.

God appeared before me
  With what He is:
    Infinity’s Satisfaction-Smile.

745. I CHOSE GOD

I chose God to make myself
  Into greatness-pride.
God chose me to make me
  Into a perfection-smile.

746. TWO THINGS HAVE LED ME

Two things have led me
To my God-oneness:
  My heart’s soulful cry
    And
  My life’s fruitful smile.

747. HOW DO I SPEND MY TIME?

How do I spend my time?
I spend my time
  In self-discovery.
When do I spend my time
  In self-discovery?
All day and all night.

748. YOUR ACTUAL LIFE

Your actual life
Plays with the animals
  In the animal kingdom.
Your real life
Plays with the cosmic gods
  In the unparalleled paradise.

749. WHAT YOU NEED FROM THE WORLD

What you want from the world
  Is a thunderous applause.
What you need from the world
  Is a precious heart.

750. THE ONLY MEDICINE

Unquestionably and speedily,
  Enthusiasm-power is the only medicine
  That can cure the mental, vital
    And physical idleness.

751. THE ANSWER

Do you want to know why
  Your life is what it is?
Your own mind
  Has and is the answer.

752. ASPIRATION-SILENCE IS LEADING YOU

Imagination-sound led you.
  Therefore, you got lost.
Aspiration-silence is leading you.
  Therefore, you will reach home.
Whose home?
God’s Home.

753. GOD IS WAITING FOR YOU

God is waiting for you.
You will arrive Home.
Just keep your eyes
  On the beautiful
  And soulful flames
    Ahead.

754. O MY HEART

O heart, my heart,
You are sovereignty ancient,
You are beauty imperishable.

755. BECAUSE OF GOD'S JUSTICE-LIGHT

Because
Of God’s Justice-Light
  Our hearts can dance
Before God’s Satisfaction-Delight.

756. BECAUSE GOD IS ALL LOVE TO ME

Because God is all Love to me,
  He has engraved on me
  His Beauty’s Eye
    And
  His Duty’s Heart.

757. GOD IS MY ONLY LAMP

When I feel that I am of God,
I clearly see
That God is my only Lamp.

When I feel that I am for God,
I clearly see
That God’s Light is in me.

758. MY MIND TREASURES

My Lord, my Lord,
  My mind treasures
    Your Pressure
      And
  My heart treasures
    Your Pleasure.

759. FEAR NOT

Fear not, fear not
The foul criticism of others.
For one day
The Glory supernal will
  Unquestionably
    And
  Unreservedly
Rest on you.

760. IF YOU TRULY LOVE YOUR FRIEND

How can your friend and his enemy
Stay together in your heart?
Your friend will not tolerate it.
Therefore, if you truly love your friend,
Let him alone stay inside your heart.
I am sure you know who your friend is
And who his enemy is.
  Your friend is nectar-faith.
  Your friend’s enemy is doubt-poison.

761. I PRAY TO MY PURE HEART

I pray to my pure heart
  To save me.
I pray to my sure soul
  To support my heart.

762. I DEPEND ON FAITH

I depend on faith,
Faith depends on God,
And God depends on
  My cheerful willingness.

763. TWO MEDICINES

There are two medicines
To give you peace of mind:
  “I am everything”
    And
  “This world does not belong to me.”
Use one of the two.

764. THE GAME IS COMPLETE

The game is complete
  When
The heart reveals itself
  To the mind.

765. HAPPINESS

The animal happiness
  Smuggles.
The human happiness
  Struggles.
The divine happiness
  Eternally, all-where
    Is.

766. IS IT POSSIBLE?

I do not change
  My thinking process.
Yet I want to live
  My own life.
Is it possible?

767. ALAS, ALAS!

He saw his wild mistakes
  Only
To repeat them.
  Alas, alas!

He saw his sad failures
  Only
To repeat them.
  Alas, alas!

768. A GIGANTIC HOAX

“Suffering is a gigantic hoax.”
So says my old Friend, God.
But I find it very difficult
  To believe.

769. THE CELESTIAL INSPIRATION

The celestial inspiration
Is always descending.
Alas, the terrestrial aspiration
Is not always ascending.

770. THE INNER PROBLEM

All the world’s dire problems
Can be solved only when
The inner problem is solved.
What is the inner problem?
The inner problem is:
  Who am I?

771. YOU HAVE NOT ASKED YOURSELF

If others are telling you
To lead a God-life,
It is because
You have not yet asked yourself
To do the only right thing
  In life.

772. HIS RESISTANCE TO TRUTH

His resistance to truth
Has finally collapsed.
Therefore, from now on
He will never collapse
Before anything in life.

773. NO PROBLEM

Do not allow people
  To tell you what you want.
Do not tell anybody
  What you need.
Lo, your life knows
  No problem.

774. I SHALL NOT FUMBLE IN VAIN

I shall not fumble in vain
Only when I fumble in the task
Of finding my soul’s beauty,
  My heart’s purity
    And
  My life’s duty.

775. WHEN MY HEART'S PURITY RADIATES

When my heart’s purity radiates,
I may not attract
Any human being,
But I do attract
My Beloved Supreme.

776. A RISING SUN

They tell me:
What you have
  Is a suffering sky.

I tell them:
What you are
  Is a rising sun.

777. A SHINING SMILE

Soulfully give yourself
A shining smile.
Quickly your haunting nightmare
Will breathe its last.

778. A FLEETING SEPARATION

What you call
A weak heart,
I call a fleeting separation
From the Wisdom-sun.

779. MY HEART LONGS

My mind craves
For the prosperity
  Of a sure day.

My heart longs
For the beauty
  Of a pure day.

780. GRATITUDE IS GLORY

Success is glory
Known and visible.
  Gratitude is glory
Unknown and invisible.

781. HOW CAN I BELIEVE?

How can I believe you
When I know nothing about you?
How can I believe him
When I know so much about him?
How can I believe myself
When I do not know who I truly am?

782. HIS FOUNDATION-HAVEN

There was a time
When his life was
    A full-blown pride.
  There was a time
When his eyes were
    Bedewed with tears.
  Now hope-world
    Is his foundation-haven.

783. A PERFECTION-MAN

A thinker may not be
An able man,
But a seeker always is.

  A seeker may not be
A perfection-man,
But a God-lover always is.

784. MY HUMAN LIFE HANGS HEAVY

Because my human life
Hangs heavy upon me,
I try to maintain my friendship
With my divine life.
  Alas, my divine life
Is in constant need of repair.

785. A DIVINE LIFE

A human life
Is ignorance-sleep
  Without dreams.

A divine life
Is surety-reality
  Blossomed out of
    Purity-dreams.

786. HEART IS THE CHILD

Heart is the child
  Of capacity.
Mind is the son
  Of incapacity.
Nobody is the descendant
  Of certainty.

787. THE CAVE OF SOUND

When I meditate on God
I see Him on
  The wings of silence.

  When I pray to God
I see Him inside
  The cave of sound.

788. EACH DANGEROUS THOUGHT

Each dangerous and ferocious thought
In a moment
Can create a camouflage
Of ignorance-night.

789. CHOICE IS OPPORTUNITY

Choice is opportunity.
Opportunity awakens either
The man in me
To ascend
Or the animal in me
To descend.

790. BECAUSE YOU ARE CHAINED

Because you are chained
To mortal thoughts,
Everything in your life
Is contradiction-volcano,
And soon you will be lost
In everlasting tears.

791. I LOVE YOU STILL

My Lord Supreme,
I love You still,
Although You have not fulfilled
  My desire-life.

My Lord Supreme,
I love You still,
Although You have not awakened
  My aspiration-heart.

792. YOUR SOFT-SPEAKING EYES

I know, I know,
Your soft-speaking eyes
Are the power of love.

I know, I know,
Your soft-speaking eyes
Are the tears of compassion.

793. AN IMPORTANT FAILURE

His mind is in
  Intellectual chains.
His vital is an authority
  On imagination.
Therefore, his life has become
  An important failure.

794. HIS LIFE'S CLOUDY WEATHER

His life’s cloudy weather
Is tormenting his vision —
His vision of hope
And perfection of satisfaction.

795. SATISFACTION-SUN

Suspicion-night
Accents the guilty mind.
  Satisfaction-sun
Feeds the purity-heart.

796. THE GREAT CONQUEROR

Because you have not
Conquered your fate,
You are lost in everlasting fear.

Because you have
Started living in realms above,
Before long you will be
The great conqueror of ill-fated fate.

797. A WHOLE ETERNITY

All things, both great and small,
Are worth a whole Eternity.
And Eternity abides
With the Heart of Infinity,
In the Life of Immortality.

798. MINE IS THE HEART

Mine is the heart
That loves all.
  Mine is the life
That serves all.
  Mine is the mind
That interrogates all.

799. DO NOT IMITATE

Do not imitate.
You will grow into confidence.
And what is confidence?
Confidence is the flowering
  Of self-insight.

800. A TRUE MASTER

A pure heart
  Is imperishable.
A sure soul
  Is sovereign.
A true Master
  Is Infinity’s Smile
    And
  Eternity’s Cry.

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the eighth 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

Ron Clarke, the Australian runner who held 17 different world records for medium-range distances in the 1960s, meets with Sri Chinmoy in Melbourne, 11 March 1976.

Editor's note

Some poems in this first edition were later selected by the author for a special collection of 207 Flower-Flames (FFP). The author also chose to revise some of his original poems for this anthology:

FF-737: FFP 45 (revised version).