1. DO THE GODS FEEL SORRY?

Do the gods feel sorry?
  Yes, they do.
Why?
  Because men surpass them.

Does God feel sorry?
  Yes, He does.
Why?
  Because most men
Do not dare to play with Him,
    Let alone compete with
      Or surpass
        Him.

2. MOTION AND REST

Motion and rest
  Complete God’s Game.
Motion and rest
  Are two brothers.

Rest prepares;
  Motion distributes.
Rest dives deep within;
  Motion flies far without.

In rest God dreams
  His Reality-life.
In motion God becomes
  One and inseparable
    With His Dream-fulfilled Boat.

3. WHAT IS IT?

Wisdom, what is it?
      Peace.
Peace, what is it?
      Satisfaction.
Satisfaction, what is it?
      Perfection.
Perfection, what is it?
      Light,
        More Light,
          Abundant Light,
            Light infinite.

4. AFTER THE LONG INNER STRUGGLE

There was a time
When he was far removed from Truth.
      But
Now he measures
  Not only
His life
  But also
The immensity of God’s Depth
      And
The infinity of God’s Height.
After the long inner struggle
  He sees the meaning of life,
  He feels the meaning of light.

5. CONTRADICTIONS

Human birth
  And
Life-freedom
Are contradictory.

Human life
  And
Love-perfection
Are contradictory.

Human goal
  And
God-Smile
Are contradictory.

6. NO SIN, NO VIRTUE

When sin plagues him
  He cries aloud.
When virtue plagues him
  He cries aloud.
His Lord today tells him:
“No sin, no virtue, My son.
  Only think that
I experience the life-breath
  Of every moment
In a different way,
That’s all.”

7. WHEN I CONFIDE

When I confide my secrets
  To my mind,
My mind betrays me
    In a jungle of confusion.

When I confide my secrets
  To my vital,
My vital throws me
    Into a tornado of destruction.

When I confide my secrets
  To my heart,
My heart takes me
    To my soul
  For special guidance.

And when I confide my secrets
  To my soul,
My God-Goal immediately
    Runs towards me.

8. WORDS

A man of strength
Is a man of few words.

A man of silence
Speaks no words.

A man of divinity
Uses words
  To please God,
  To bring down God,
  To manifest God the Dream on earth
              And
  To fulfil God the Dreamer in Heaven.

9. OF YOU, FOR YOU

You have seen
  What was never kept concealed.
You have found
  What was never kept hidden.
You have found your God,
  Who has always been
  In the heart of your love-light.
No matter how sincere you are,
No matter how hard you work
  To disqualify yourself for God-realisation,
You shall sadly fail.
  For God’s Transcendental Dream is of you,
  And God’s Universal Reality is for you.

10. EXPECTATIONS

I expect nothing from earth,
I expect nothing from Heaven.
My Supreme expects
      In and through me
From earth’s life.
My Supreme expects
      In and through me
From Heaven’s soul.
Earth has fulfilled our expectation:
      Service-Might.
Heaven has fulfilled our expectation:
      Light-Delight.

11. TWO WICKED SINNERS, TWO LOVING FRIENDS

Doubt and jealousy are
  Two wicked sinners.

Faith and hope are
  Two loving friends.

Courage and sacrifice are
  Two noble souls.

Beauty and Purity are
  The seeker’s heart.

Truth and God are
  Reality’s eyes.

12. ONE WITH EXTINCTION'S SIGH

He avoided humanity
  Because humanity was sick and weak.

He avoided Divinity
  Because Divinity was strong
      and indifferent.

He stayed inside his fearful cave
      and tearful heart
Until he become one with extinction’s sigh.

13. THREE MESSAGES

He had only three messages to give:
      One to Heaven,
      One to earth,
      One to hell.
“Dear Heaven,
  Be careful of your indifference-power.
Dear earth,
  Be careful of your ignorance-length.
Dear hell,
  Be careful of Satan’s autocracy.”

14. TO RECEIVE

To receive humanity
  I need an abundance of space.

To receive divinity
  I need an abundance of grace.

To receive God
  I need an abundance of surrender.

To receive my own lower being
  I need an abundance of power.

15. ARE YOU NOT INSEPARABLE?

O truth-lover, O man-saver,
  Are you not inseparable?

O love-giver, O oneness-seer,
  Are you not inseparable?

O illumination-distributor,
      O duty-fulfiller,
  Are you not inseparable?

O landlord-man, O Tenant-God,
  Are you not inseparable?

16. GOD-REALISATION DEMANDS

Austere concentration is not needed
  To realise God.
Extensive meditation is not needed
  To realise God.
God-realisation demands
  Conscious surrender
    Of the puny “I”
  And expansion-perfection
    Of the earthbound life.

17. NO ONE VENTURES

No one ventures
  To explain
    God-Truth.

No one ventures
  To serve God
    With surrender-light.

No one ventures
  To distribute
    God-vision.

No one ventures
  To know the power
    Of God-Invention.

No one ventures
  To realise the power
    Of aspiration-vision.

18. YOU ARE SPECIAL, YOU ARE DIVINE

You are gifted.
      Therefore
The world appreciates you.

You are special.
      Therefore
The world admires you.

You are divine.
      Therefore
Both God and the world
  Love you
    and
  Love you,
    Forever
      and
    Forever.

19. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN

The distance
  Between
Hope and despair
  Is no distance.

The distance
  Between
Love and hate
  Is no distance.

The distance
  Between
Doubt and faith
  Is no distance.

    But

The distance
  Between
Your lower life
  And
Your higher life
  Is incredibly long,
    Arduous and dangerous.

20. TOGETHER THEY GO

The hour of grace
      And
The shower of glory
  Together shine.

The hour of victory
      And
The power of surrender
  Together strike.

The Hour of God
      And
The flower of gratitude
  Together blossom.

21. NO COMPLETION

No purity,
No sanity.

No sanity,
No realisation.

No realisation,
No perfection.

No perfection,
No completion.

22. NOWHERE TO BE FOUND

The hermitage of peace
  Can easily be found.

The home of light
  Can easily be found.

The nest of silence
  Can easily be found.

        But
The room of perfection
  Is nowhere to be found.

23. TO BECOME

To enjoy is
  To obey.

To obey is
  To shine.

To shine is
  To become.

To become is
  To transform
    The animal in us,
  To elevate
    The human in us,
  To fulfil
    The divine in us.

24. DARKER, PURER, SURER

Darker than night
  Is my mental doubt.

Purer than dawn
  Is my weeping heart.

Stronger than a giant
  Is my blossomed faith.

25. HE WANTS BOTH

He wants both
Humanity and Divinity:
  Humanity to wash his feet,
  Divinity to breathe its love.

He wants both
God and man:
  God to pull him towards God,
  Man to push him towards God.

26. UNLESS

Unless the child cries,
  The mother brings him no milk.
Unless the disciple cries,
  The Master brings him no nectar.

Unless man tries,
  God gives him nothing.
Unless God forces,
  Man does nothing.

27. ONLY TO OFFER

Only to rise,
      He stumbled.
Only to succeed,
      He failed.
Only to create,
      He stopped.
Only to become,
      He shunned.
Only to offer,
      He is.

28. PERFECT, IMPERFECT

Doubt-pride
Is in itself imperfect.

  Faith-glow
Is in itself perfect.

  Fear-insecurity
Is in itself imperfect.

  Love-flow
Is in itself perfect.

  Satan-night
Is itself imperfect.

  God-day
Is itself perfect.

29. YOUR SADNESS IMMEASURABLE

“Lord, Your sadness
  Immeasurable,
How can I relieve?”

Think that I suffer,
  Feel that I suffer,
    Love humanity as I do.

Lo, half of My suffering-night
  Has captured your oneness-love
    With its Reality-Height.

30. O IMMACULATE BEAUTY

O immaculate Beauty,
  God needs you.

O immaculate Purity,
  God utilises you.

O immaculate Lustre,
  God perfects you.

O immaculate Consciousness,
  God expands Himself
    In you,
      With you.

31. THE AIM

The aim of all seeing
  Is serving.

The aim of all serving
  Is loving.

The aim of all loving
  Is identifying.

The aim of all identifying
  Is oneness-becoming.

In oneness-becoming
  We mark the journey’s close.

32. WHY DO I SUFFER

Why do I suffer,
My Lord Supreme?
Is it because
  I am not careful?
Is it because
  I enter into ignorance?

“No, nothing of the sort.
Your big heart
Cannot live
Without housing others’ pain
As your very own.”

33. THOUGHT-WORLD

The activity of a thought-wave
  Fascinates me.

The reality of a thought-sea
  Transforms me.

The divinity of a thought-world
  Immortalises me.

34. NOW I SHINE

I died in thought.
    Now
I fly with Will.

I died in time.
    Now
I dance with Eternity.

I died in imperfection.
    Now
I shine with God-Perfection.

35. NOW WE ARE SATISFIED

I spoke;
I was badly misunderstood.
  I remained silent;
I was properly understood.

  I loved;
I was suspected.
  I served;
I was appreciated.

  I saw;
Neither God nor I was satisfied.
  I became;
    Now
Both God and I are totally satisfied.

36. WITHOUT THEE

To think without Thee
  Is to cry.

To see without Thee
  Is to sigh.

To work without Thee
  Is to fail.

To rest without Thee
  Is to die.

I know, I know,
      Yet
I fail to practise.

37. HIS IMMORTAL SELF

He greets mortal breath
  With his immortal grace.

He illumines mortal confusion
  With his immortal face.

He transforms mortal pangs
  With his immortal heart.

He consoles mortal failure
  With his immortal progress.

38. HE ASCENDS AND DESCENDS

God’s Hour helps him
  Ascend and descend.

He ascends to pluck
  The fruits of Nectar-light.

He descends to distribute
  The fruits with Beauty’s heart.

39. YOU WILL BE CAUGHT

Don’t pretend
  Without the truth;
You will be caught.

Don’t expand
  Without the light;
You will be caught.

Don’t preach
  Without the silence;
You will be caught.

Don’t argue
  With your inner effulgent light,
  With your outer flickering candle;
You will be caught.

40. NOTHING ELSE TO THINK ABOUT

Lord, I think of You
Not because You are
Kind to me,
But because I have
Nothing else to think about.

“Son, I think of you
Not because I have
Nothing else to think about,
But because when
I think of you
I get the joy of a child,
The strength of a youth
And the wisdom of an old man.”

Lord, from now on
I shall think of You
And not remain indebted to You.

41. THE DUE PRICE

Lord, when people misunderstand me,
What shall I do?
  “Forgive them.”
I do that.
But again and again they misunderstand me.
  “My son, do not allow
  All and sundry
  To have free access to you.
  Don’t make your spirituality cheap.
  All must pay the due price.”

42. TAKE ME TO STAY WITH YOU

A beggar stood
  Before
God, man and Satan.

To God he said:
“Lord, take me to stay with You
  In Your Boat.”
“Your desire is granted, My son.”

To man he said:
“Brother, take me to stay with you
  In your boat.”
“Sorry, my boat is too small.”

To Satan he said:
“Esteemed Friend, take me to stay with you
  In your boat.”
“Certainly, you will not only stay,
  But be the boatman
  And thus relieve me
  Of my long and endless task.”

43. TO SAY THE LEAST

“Good-bye, Father,
I shall see You tomorrow.”

  Good-bye, son,
  I shall see you in a minute.

“Why and how, Father?
I am leaving, Father.
I am tired, really tired,
To say the least.”

  I am proud of you,
  I am one with you.
  I share your glory’s light
  Equally and unmistakably,
  To say the least.

44. DON'T TELL A LIE!

Who has not stumbled?
      You?
Don’t tell a lie!

Who has not failed?
      You?
Don’t tell a lie!

Who has not seen
  The Face of God?
      You?
Don’t tell a lie!

Who will not
  Become God?
      You?
Don’t tell a lie!

45. ETERNAL SURRENDER

Lord Supreme,
Eternal surrender:
Does it exist or will it ever exist?

“My son, from time immemorial
  Eternal surrender
    Has walked the soil of earth.

My transcendental Silence
        And
My universal Sound
  To each other have offered
    Their capacity-height
  In the form of surrender-light.

The surrender of My Silence
  To My Life of Sound
    Makes earth grow
  Towards the highest height.

The surrender of My Sound
  To My Life of Silence
    Makes Heaven descend
  To feel the bleeding heartbeat
Of Mother Earth.”

46. HE IS IMPORTANT

He is serene.
  Therefore
God’s Mind caresses his mind.

He is brilliant.
  Therefore
God’s Vital welcomes his vital.

He is important.
  Therefore
God’s Heart
  With Fondness-light
  Houses him,
    His dream-boat,
    His dream-river,
    His dream-shore.

47. MANY AND FEW

Many seeds, few crops.
Many blossoms, few fruits.
Many seekers, few realised souls.
Many Masters, one God.
      The self-same God
    Sails His Dream-Boat
And becomes His Reality-Shore.

48. TO GET UP, TO MEDITATE

To get up early in the morning
  Is one thing;
To meditate soulfully
  Is something else.

If I fail to get up early
  In the morning,
    How can I meditate?
Again, if I get up
  And do not meditate well,
    I just torture my poor body.

O my body,
  From now on I shall use you
    Only for God’s sake.
O my soul,
  From now on I shall use you
    Only for God’s sake.

49. YOU HAVE TO SHARE MY FATE

My Lord, is it my business
To perfect the world?
  “Son, who else’s business is it?
  If you dare to call yourself My son
  You have to share
  Equally My fate.
    Love Me, I am yours.
    Serve Me, you are Mine,
      Mine alone.”

50. PERFECT STRANGERS

Lord, Lord,
Save me, save me.
I am in terrible danger.
I am fighting against time
To prove to my spiritual children
That I am a poet of high magnitude.
Father, do save me, save me.

“Son, don’t insult Me.
You and I are perfect strangers
To the birth and life of defeat.”

Editor's preface to the first edition

This book of 50 poems is part of a four-part series written by Sri Chinmoy in the 22-hour period between 12:01 a.m. and 10:01 p.m. on 2 February 1974. It was also printed on the same day by the group pictured in the photograph above the preface.