8201. Do Teach Me How To Create

My Lord,
Do teach me how to create
Waves of enthusiasm inside my mind.

My Lord,
Do teach me how to create
A sea of love inside my heart.

8202. His Three Secret Misfortunes

These are his three secret misfortunes:
He does not love God.
He does not need God.
He wants his life
To remain unchanged.

8203. Before We Achieve Self-Mastery

Before we achieve self-mastery,
Life is nothing but
A most painful failure.

8204. If You Have One God-Gift

No path can be
Too hard for you
If you have one God-Gift:
Faith in yourself.

8205. God Is Anxious To Reassure You

God is anxious to reassure you
That you can be a good instrument of His
If yours is a life
Of sleepless surrender.

8206. Do Not Waste Opportunities

Do not waste any more opportunities.
All your opportunities
May suddenly and unexpectedly end.

8207. If The Heart Is Unprepared

The heart cannot see the Supreme
If the heart is unprepared.
The soul cannot manifest the Supreme
If the soul is unprepared.
But God can love man
Even if man is unprepared.

8208. Do Not Deceive Your Heart

Do not try to deceive your heart.
If you deceive your heart,
Yours will be a life
Of endless tragedy.

8209. The Mind Wants To Go Alone

The heart is always ready
To slow down
So the mind can catch up with it,
But the mind wants to go alone
At its own unimaginably slow speed.

8210. First Chance And Last Chance

My life’s surrender
Is the first chance I have
To satisfy God.

My heart’s gratitude
Is the last chance I have
To satisfy God.

8211. An Abiding Portrait

Human life is not
A fleeting picture.
It is an abiding portrait
Done by God’s own Hands.

8212. A Doubtful Mind

A doubtful mind
Means an unfulfilled life.
An unfulfilled life
Is the soul’s great disadvantage.

8213. Because You Have A Believer's Mind

Because you have a believer’s mind,
Because you have a lover’s heart,
Because you have a server’s life,
God has chosen you
As His divine instrument.

8214. Each Animal Thought

Each animal thought
Is a bitter destruction.
Each human thought
Is a sad failure.
Each divine thought
Is a supreme victory.

8215. A Satisfaction-Dreamer

Each human being
Is a satisfaction-dreamer
But not a perfection-lover.

8216. A Satisfactory Moment

Enthusiasm is a satisfactory moment
Longing for an endlessly
Satisfactory hour.

8217. A Spotless Life Of Hope

Each seeker must live
A spotless life of hope.
Then only will he be able to enjoy
His soul’s eternal journey.

8218. He Who Has No Faith

He who has no faith inside his mind
Will eventually disappear
Into outer darkness.

He who has no promise inside his heart
Will eventually disappear
Into inner darkness.

8219. An Immensely Difficult Endeavour

To satisfy either the heart’s hope
Or the soul’s promise
Is not a trivial task.
It is an immensely difficult endeavour.

8220. Each Seeker's Searching Mind

Each seeker’s searching mind
Has amazing possibility.
Each seeker’s crying heart
Has illumination-inevitability.

8221. Catalogues

A gratitude-heart keeps a catalogue
Of God’s complete Life.
An ingratitude-mind keeps a catalogue
Of its own empty life.

8222. The Unthinkable Treasury Of Emotions

No human being is ready to face
The unthinkable treasury
Of his own wild emotions.

8223. The Ways Of Loneliness

Do not blame Heaven
And do not blame earth
For your loneliness.
You are travelling the ways of loneliness
Because your mind has not tried to conquer
The darkness of frustration-frown.

8224. Faith-Seeds Precede

Faith-seeds precede
Wisdom-bud.
Wisdom-bud precedes
Peace-flower.
Peace-flower precedes
Satisfaction-fruit.

8225. I Have Watched

I have watched myself
Only to be exasperated.
I have watched my body
Only to be disgusted.
I have watched my mind
Only to be disappointed.
I have watched my heart
Only to be excited.
I have watched my soul
Only to be delighted.
I have watched my Lord Supreme
Only to be fulfilled.

8226. Do Not Doubt My Heart

O my mind,
Take as long as you want
To investigate my heart.
I am keeping it right in front of you.
But do not doubt my heart.
If you doubt,
You will lessen the beauty
Of my heart-moon
And destroy the purity
Of my heart-sun.

8227. What You Need

What you need
Is a life of innocence.
What you need
Is a heart of purity.
What you need
Is a mind of sincerity.
Do you need anything else
To realise God?
No!
This is enough,
More than enough.

8228. Born To Do Something Good

If you think and feel
That you were born
To do something great for yourself,
You may be right.
But if you think and feel
That you were born
To do something good
For God and God alone,
Then you are absolutely perfect.

8229. The Right Thing To Do

Pray first, then act.
This is the right thing to do.

Act first, then declare.
This is the right thing to do.

8230. The Music Of The Trance-World

The music of the trance-world
Can act like a lance
To stab the impurity
Of ignorance-night.

8231. The Beginning

Dedication is the beginning
Of liberation.
Liberation is the beginning
Of satisfaction.
Satisfaction is the beginning and end
Of the inseparable oneness
Of God the Dreamer and God the Lover.

8232. Your Future Life

Do not think of your present life
As a wasted opportunity.
Think of your present life
As a needed experience,
And think of your future life
As the beginning of God’s new creation
Inside you.

8233. All You Have To Do

Your mind thinks
Of success and failure.
Your heart feels the necessity
Of aspiration and dedication.
Your soul promises
God-realisation and God-manifestation.
All you have to do
Is become a conscious and constant instrument
Of your Lord Supreme.

8234. Think Of Your Aspiration-Life

Do not think
Of your past desire-life.
It will present you
With a net full of painful memories.
Think of your today’s
Aspiration-life.
Then you will see Light and Delight
Fast approaching you.

8235. What Can I Make New?

What can I make new
Out of yesterday?
Confidence-light.

What can I make new
Out of today?
Promise-height.

What can I make new
Out of tomorrow?
God’s transcendental
Satisfaction-Delight.

8236. A Short-Sighted Capacity

He who has
A short-sighted capacity
Cannot have
A long-lived quality.

8237. The Most Important Question

The most important question
Of my life once was:
“Does God ever care for me?”

The most important question
Of my life now is:
“Will I ever be able
To unconditionally surrender
To my Lord Supreme?”

8238. The Curse Of A Troubled Mind

The curse of a troubled mind:
I think God is the product
Of man’s mental hallucination.

The gift of an untroubled mind:
I know God is Peace
And Peace is Satisfaction.

8239. My Lord Wants Me To Give Him

My Lord wants me to give Him
The heavy weight of my past failures
And to keep with me
The tall height of my present dreams.

8240. God Knows My Weaknesses

God knows my weaknesses
Better than I do.
I don’t think He will
Allow me to fail Him
Constantly and permanently.

8241. If The Mind Ever Gets Peace

If the human mind neglects
To meditate every day,
Then if ever it gets peace,
This peace will be without fail
Both fleeting and fragile.

8242. If You Are Not Quick To Forgive

If you are not quick
To forgive the world,
Earth’s hatred will be
Too much for you
And Heaven’s love will be
Too little for you.

8243. The Language Of Love

If you do not know how to speak
The language of love
And want to learn,
Then God will definitely teach you.
But if you do not know
And do not want to know,
Then you will never be able to fit
Into God’s Cosmic Plans.

8244. Now That I Have Chosen God

I once chose my desire-life
To be happy.
My needs and demands
Were numberless.
But now that I have chosen God,
I have only one need:
God’s Life, and nothing more.

8245. My Heart's Hope Shows Me

Every morning my heart’s hope
Shows me a new sky.
Every evening my life’s promise
Tells me that someday
I shall own a permanent sunrise.

8246. Tomorrow Try To Be Satisfied

Today be satisfied
With what you have.
Tomorrow try to be satisfied
Not only with what God has
For you
But also with what God is
For Himself.

8247. My Life Is Forgiven By God

My life is forgiven by God.
Therefore, my heart feels obliged
To forgive the world around me.

8248. You Will Inherit

If you are a truth-seeker
And a God-lover,
You will, without fail, inherit
God’s Perfection-Throne
And Satisfaction-Palace.

8249. Do You Want To Stop Dying?

Do you want to stop dying?
If so, soulfully and unconditionally say:
“God comes first, always!”

8250. If God Has Power

If God has Power,
Then you can at least try
To use His Power.

If God has Love,
Then you can at least try
To accept and treasure His Love.

8251. God Wants To Walk With Me Today

God wants to walk with me today,
But my mind is doubting Him.
Because my mind is unwilling
To walk with God,
My heart, which is claiming God
In every possible way,
Is miserable.

8252. Only One Place For You

If you want to have real rest,
Then there is only one place for you,
And that is God’s peace-flooded
Satisfaction-Kingdom.

8253. God Has Given You

God has given you
His Power to use.
God has given you
His Love to use.
God has given you
His Perfection to use.
God has given you
His Satisfaction to use.
And what are you giving God
In return?
Can you not give Him
Even a ray of hope
That you will accept Him
As your own, very own,
Unconditionally?

8254. God's Love Is Willing

God’s Love is willing
To transform my life,
But my earth-bound life
Does not care
For either God the Doer
Or God the Action.

8255. Just Because I Am Loved

Just because I am loved
By God’s Heart,
I shall love humanity.

Just because I am forgiven
By God’s Compassion,
I shall definitely try to forgive myself.

8256. You Are Trying To Know

Your mind knows
What doubt is.
Your heart knows
What faith is.
And you are trying to know
What Eternity’s Satisfaction-Life is.

8257. No Certainty

There is no certainty
That you will be happy
Unless you have implicit faith
In God’s inner Cosmic Dance
And outer Cosmic Smile.

8258. How Do You Expect To Win?

You want to possess God
And God wants to possess you.
Have you not realised by this time
That God is infinitely stronger than you?
How then do you expect to win?

8259. The Throne Of My Silence-Heart

My Lord, I have already placed You
On the throne of my silence-heart.
Now do give me the capacity to keep You
In the thick forest of my mind.

8260. In The Silence Of My Soul

When I sing in the silence of my soul,
I become the creator of a new age
And the destroyer of my wrong thoughts
From ages ago.

8261. The Darkness Of Your Mind-Sky

Although the darkness
Of your mind-sky
Is threatening you,
You do not realise it
Because the inexhaustible Source
Of divine Love
Is still coming to your rescue.

8262. How Can You Claim Happiness?

If your mind lives
In the wasteland of false beliefs,
How can you claim happiness
As your birthright?

8263. God Will Paint A New Heart

God paints a new sky every day.
If you pray to God,
Every day He will paint
A new heart for you.
Just pray, and see it all being done.

8264. When My Soul Said Good-Bye

When my soul said good-bye to Heaven,
Heaven said, “I shall guide you
Right from here.”

When my heart said good-bye to earth,
Earth said, “You cannot go anywhere
Without carrying me.”

8265. A God-Tuned Heart

Only a God-tuned heart
Can fly in the plane of silence
In Infinity’s sky.

8266. I See God Smilingly Walking

When the Peace of God
Rules my aspiring heart,
I see God smilingly walking
Side by side with me,
Towards His own Vision-illumined Home.

8267. To See The Flowers Of Joy

If I want to see the flowers of joy
Blossoming inside my heart-garden,
What do I do?
I do not allow myself to be intoxicated
By the forces of self-delusion.

8268. Because You Are Good

Because you are great,
I think of you.
Because you are good,
I think for you
With the hope
That you can become perfect.

8269. Two Things I Desperately Need

Two things I desperately need:
A heart of gratitude-depth
And a life of surrender-length.

8270. When I Promise

When I promise,
I see the sun of my soul.
When I love,
I see the moon of my heart.

8271. Silences Of Love

If your meditations
Are blue-gold silences of love,
Then you will, without fail,
Have a silver-rose heart of joy.

8272. A Sad Smile

A sad smile
Has made my heart pure.
A happy smile
Is making my life sure.

8273. Life's Fulfilment-Poise

Life’s fulfilment-poise
Comes from the heart’s
Enlightenment-choice.

8274. What A Strangely Hungry World!

What a strangely hungry world!
Every day without fail
It enjoys eating
Hopeless imperfections.

8275. The Whole World Tells Me

The whole world in unison
Tells me it does not hate me,
But it hates my self-announcement-gong.

8276. His Life Is Beautiful

His life is beautiful and soulful
Because his heart is as pure
As his prayer-cry.

8277. Each Promise

Each promise
Is duty’s oneness-course.
Each hope
Is beauty’s newness-source.

8278. My Heart-Tears Are Serving

My heart-tears are serving
God’s Forgiveness-Feet.
My life-smiles are serving
God’s Satisfaction-Eye.

8279. May This World Be Satisfied

I am satisfied
With my heart’s cry.
May this world be satisfied
With my Lord’s Smile.

8280. The World-Perfection-Key

If you know
The heart-surrender-way to God,
Then you will be given
The world-perfection-key.

8281. Two Dreamers

My Lord is my
Perfection-Dreamer.
I am my Lord’s
Satisfaction-dreamer.

8282. What I Can Do For God

I do not know
What I can do for man,
But I do know
What I can do for God.

8283. Only A God Of Satisfaction

Only a God of Satisfaction
Can dare to create
A man of perfection.

8284. I Know

I know my climbing heart
Loves God.
I know my soaring soul
Loves man.

8285. To Have Faith

To have faith
Is to dream of God.
To dream of God
Is to eventually become
A perfect instrument of God.

8286. He Who Desperately Needs God

He who desperately needs God
Will definitely reach the mountain-summit
Of God’s infinite Love-Light.

8287. God Does Not Smile

God does not smile
When the time is not right.
God does not smile
When my aspiration is not genuine.
God does not smile
When I do not share my realisation
With the rest of the world.

8288. When I Think Of My Mind

When I think of my mind,
I deal with possibility-seeds.
When I feel God’s Heart,
I deal with inevitability-fruits.

8289. God Will Definitely Help You

God will definitely help you
If you want to please Him
In His own Way.
But first you have to know
Whether you are sincerely
And absolutely ready.

8290. Have You Decided?

Have you decided when you are going
To begin your spiritual journey?
Have you decided how long you will take
To complete your journey?
Have you decided what you will offer
To your Beloved Supreme
At the end of your journey?

8291. God Whispers

God whispers
That I can afford to have everything
Except a doubting mind.

8292. Each Trouble

Each trouble may not know
That it embodies opportunities,
But each trouble must know
That it will someday, somehow
Give way to new realities.

8293. God Does Not Love

God does not love
Your insecure shyness with Him.
God loves only
Your pure oneness with Him.

8294. God Does Not Laugh

God does not laugh at our prayers,
No matter how insincere they are.
But God does laugh when we think and feel
That our prayers will never be answered.

8295. Live In The Eternal Now

You are afraid of the future.
Perhaps it is true that the future
Holds only torture for us.
But can you not be wise?
Do not invoke the future.
Just live cheerfully
In the eternal Now.

8296. You Have Committed Yourself

You are great
Because you have committed yourself
To God the creation.

You are good
Because you have committed yourself
To God the Creator.

You are perfect
Because you have committed yourself
To God the ever-transcending Supreme.

8297. God Does Not Want To Surprise Me

God does not want to surprise me
With His Compassion.
God does not want to surprise me
With His Perfection.
God does not want to surprise me
With His Dedication.
But God wants me to surprise Him
With my own aspiration.

8298. Can You Not Bless My Tomorrows?

Lord, can You not bless my tomorrows,
Since I am forced to embody
My yesterday’s mind-forest
And my today’s vital-volcano?

8299. Do Not Expect God

Your mind may be filled
With your own great achievements,
But do not expect God to surprise
Either you or your heart
With His Compassion-Height.

8300. Will You Not Give Me The Capacity?

My Lord,
You have given me the capacity
To feel the throb of my heart
In the hearts that love You dearly.
Will You not also give me the capacity
To become a gratitude-flower
At Your Compassion-Feet daily?

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the eighty-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

Sri Chinmoy greets Pir Vilayat Khan, Head of the Sufi Order in the West, at the conclusion of an interfaith observance of the World Day of Prayer at the United Nations on 5 April 1976.