Introduction

Precious are the words of a spiritual Master, conveying his message of inner and outer peace in so many forms. This volume reflects the various formal and informal settings in which Sri Chinmoy offered his instructive insights, and complements Sri Chinmoy’s many books of talks, university lectures, questions and answers, plays, stories, poetry and songs.

Compiled from transcripts of recordings and stenographic notes taken during events and functions over the years, this publication includes informal comments and stories which Sri Chinmoy shared at the time. It is hoped that the book’s diverse format can provide a deeper glimpse into the many ways that the Master rendered his timeless teachings.

Questions and Comments, 1970s and 1980s

Question: What is the best method to meditate on your paintings, that is, to receive the most from them as a meditation?¹

Sri Chinmoy: Each painting has something to offer. According to one seeker, one painting may embody more light than the other paintings. That seeker may think it is light that he is seeing in the painting, but you as another seeker may find that particular painting abounding in peace. A third seeker may come into the gallery and see neither peace nor light, but power in that same painting. At that time, the seeker should dive deep within and see whether he needs light, peace or power. If you need to add more peace to your life, more than you already have, then at that time, try to invoke the peace which the painting embodies. If the other seeker who saw light in it wants to add more light to what he already has, then he should meditate on its light quality. If the third seeker wants to acquire more power, then he should meditate on the painting’s power aspect.

Suppose when one sees the painting right in front of him, he sees power. Then he can concentrate on the painting and feel that it is not just a drop of power, but a flood of power, dynamic power, a running river with tremendous power. If it is a flood of power, a running river, that means the seeker is constantly creating something. Then he has to become one with the flow of the river. He has to become one with the flood of this power-consciousness. If he sees power, then let him concentrate only on the power aspect of the painting.

If one sees peace, then let him concentrate only on the peace aspect. If yet another person sees light, then he should concentrate on its light aspect. On the strength of his identification with the painting, he can concentrate on receiving the light.

One should not see the painting only as a piece of paper, or the strokes of brushes or the physical medium of paint. Please feel that the painting is an intimate friend of yours. You can talk to that friend, chat with him, communicate with him. Feel that for a long time you have not seen this friend, and now you can unburden yourself to him. Feel that you have to tell him everything that you have heard, that you have felt, since you last saw him. Each time you see a painting which you appreciate, please feel a long-forgotten friend has just appeared before you. What happens when an old friend of yours comes to you quite unexpectedly? You get tremendous joy, and you exchange your ideas with him; you exchange your feelings and experiences with him. Each time you have this kind of exchange, you increase your light and delight. And believe me, you may feel that you are receiving something from the painting and the painting is not receiving anything from you, but this is not so. It is a reciprocating friendship. Each time you appreciate the painting on the strength of your oneness, the painting itself increases its light-capacity.

I know there are many times when I have done this with my poems, with my paintings, with my music, with many things. Even after something is completed and being displayed, you can concentrate on the creation and increase its own existing achievements. When Aum Magazine, our monthly bulletin, first came out many years ago, say ten or twelve years ago, I had written articles to be printed in it, and I did this very same thing. After the magazine was printed and came back from the press, the first time I read it I had an elevating experience. After I read it, I became totally one with each word, each idea, each ideal. With each experience that I had while reading it, I felt that I was giving new life to the article, a new resonance.

Something more: at times when we look at a flower, our human mind feels that the flower has given us tremendous joy. It is true, but we have no idea as to how much joy we have given the flower itself. We have seen a flower and appreciated the beauty and the fragrance of the flower. We feel that out of its magnanimity, the flower has given us everything. But instead of using our capacity to appreciate the flower, we could have become jealous of the flower. We could have thought, “O God, You have made this flower so beautiful, why have You made me so ugly?” Instead of doing that, we became one with the beauty and fragrance of the flower and became inseparable friends with it. We gave the flower our best achievement, our sense of appreciation. What we had as our best quality, our best capacity, we offered to the flower, or in the case of viewing the gallery, we offered our oneness to the painting.

When we give appreciation cheerfully and devotedly, will it not be an added factor, will it not add to the reality that somebody or something is? The beauty of the flower definitely increases when we appreciate it. Our appreciation, sincere appreciation, means our conscious awareness, conscious one-ness with the reality that we call a flower. Here also when you look at a painting and you appreciate it, please feel the beauty, inner beauty, subtle beauty of the painting. If you can soulfully appreciate it, then the reality of the painting has definitely increased. I have done it many, many, many times with my writings and my paintings and my own creative life.

Here the game is not one-sided – that somebody does something and you appreciate it, and your part is over. No, you have given joy to yourself by seeing it. But you have no idea how much joy that particular person or object, that creation of God, has received from your soulful appreciation. Here appreciation is the expression of conscious oneness.

If you see power in a painting, then please identify yourself with that power aspect. You will not see only the paper, or the painting. You will see a consciousness-reality of God, which at the present moment you are calling power, and somebody else is calling light, and still another is calling peace or delight. Do not let the mind function at that time. Simply enter into the consciousness-reality and become that aspect.

Progressive Purity

During a public meditation in the Chapel at Teachers College, Columbia University, Sri Chinmoy answered the following question on purity asked by a member of his newly established Silver Centre, which had been inaugurated on 15 March 1978.

Question: Master, what is the best way to maintain permanent purity on all levels of my being?

Sri Chinmoy: To be very frank with you, to establish permanent purity at this stage is not possible. I am in no way throwing cold water on you. It is not that that day will never dawn. That day will come. But if you use the term ‘permanent’ right now, you will create difficulties for yourself. Today if you are extremely pure and tomorrow if you become impure, let us say, you will be disappointed, disgusted and disheartened. That would not be beneficial.

Only try to observe one thing in your life: progress. You know how much purity you had before you accepted our path. Now that you have accepted our path, try to see if you have established an iota of purity. Definitely you will see that you have established an iota of purity! Then, for a few months kindly pray for purity. You are bound to feel more purity than you have now. It is a gradual progress. As you progress, everything increases; even so, purity also increases.

When you want to see your spiritual growth and your real progress in developing purity or another quality, you have to pray most soulfully for that particular thing, let us say, purity. While you are breathing in and breathing out, please repeat in silence ‘purity’.

Quite a few years ago I told some seekers how they could achieve considerable purity. It can be done by repeating God’s Name daily in a specific manner. Kindly meditate and repeat God’s Name 100 times the first day, then 200 times the next day, 300 times the following day, then 400 times and so on. Every day increase the number, up to 700 times. Then, every day come down: from 700 times to 600, then 500, 400, 300, 200 and 100. This is a very significant process. If you try, you will definitely be helped by this process. This is known as japa. Seekers for hundreds of years have used this process. If you use japa beads, it will help you keep track of the repetitions. Again, during your prayer, during your meditation, if you just repeat ‘purity’ while you are inhaling and exhaling, you are bound to develop purity.

Instead of using the term ‘permanent’, you could say ‘progressive’, if you want to make progress in your purity-life. Today you know how much purity you have. Tomorrow, please try to see if you have made progress in your mind’s purity. Try to observe how many new pure thoughts you have, and how many old impure thoughts have left you. If you make a comparison between the purity-world of today and the purity-world of tomorrow, you will be happy to learn that you have made progress. It is progress that is of paramount importance. There shall come a time when you will be able to have abiding purity. But right now, only try to increase your purity every day. That will give you the joy and encouragement to progress.

Mother Kali’s Victory-Dance

On 8 March 1987, at a Sunday morning function at “Progress-Promise,” his meeting place in Queens, Sri Chinmoy made the following comments about a video of his synthesizer performance recorded earlier that day.

Comments before viewing the video

Please dive deep within. Dive deep, deeper, deepest, and fly high, higher, highest. The higher you go, the deeper you go, the more spiritual wealth you will get. Reach your height and reach your depth. Please try to do your absolute best meditation.

Comments after all view the video

Kindly repeat with me:

The Absolute Supreme Compassion-Victory-Battle-Dance of the Mother Kali.

The Absolute Supreme Compassion-Victory-Battle-Dance of the Mother Kali.

This morning, at 7:15, I played on the synthesizer for an hour. Throughout the performance, I felt that my Mother Kali³ was dancing on my shoulder or on my head. You cannot imagine how powerfully she was dancing! At that time, I was in my high, higher, highest consciousness, so I was not aware of how powerful it was. But now while watching the video, I could feel how powerfully she was dancing – beyond my imagination!

Throughout, my Mother Kali was the per-former, she was the performance and she was the only audience. She was everything, from the beginning to the end. That is what she wanted. She wanted to declare and establish her Compassion-Victory-Battle-Dance on earth. So the name of this piece is “The Absolute Supreme Compassion-Victory-Battle-Dance of the Mother Kali.”

Sri Chinmoy’s Second Visit to Sacred Rock, 1996

Dedication of the First Statue of Sri Chinmoy, at Sacred Rock, Home of Narada Michael Walden

On 20 October 1996, Grammy award-winning music producer Narada Michael Walden hosted his meditation teacher, Sri Chinmoy, for a second historic visit to Narada’s home, “Sacred Rock,” located in Tiburon, California. On a beautiful, peaceful afternoon, Sri Chinmoy meditated with Narada. Narada had graciously welcomed many of his friends to meditate with Sri Chinmoy, sing some of his spiritual songs and ask questions. These seeker-friends offered Sri Chinmoy their prayerful gratitude.

The visit culminated in the unveiling of a life-size statue of Sri Chinmoy created by sculptor Kaivalya Torpy. Installed outside Narada’s home, the statue was the first in the world dedicated to the Master.

Following are some highlights from the occasion, which was captured in a documentary video that began with comments Narada made before Sri Chinmoy’s arrival.

Narada: Guru likes us to believe it is our mission to bring the love and the light of Heaven to the earth, through whatever profession we choose. In my case it is music. Through music, I try to bring inspiration, light and compassion to this planet, which has a lot of suffering, and always has had a lot of suffering. If I can bring some joy, that is what I am here to do. Then, I need to have joy, in order to give joy! I need to have gas in my car to drive the car. Sacred Rock and the peace of this place give me a good feeling, so that I can charge my batteries and go out to the world and do what I have to do.

Narada greeted Sri Chinmoy as he arrived, and they proceeded to Narada’s meditation room for a private meditation before they joined the assembled guests, all dressed in white at Narada’s request, seated around an indoor reflection pool. Narada then introduced the Master to the assembled guests.

Narada: This is Guru Sri Chinmoy’s second visit to Sacred Rock. Many of you were here before. How many of you were here before, and how many are new? Wow, many new people today! I am very happy that Guru has come to join us today, to share his time with us and to elevate us. Just to set the mood, this is a poem that Guru wrote about peace:

O dreamers of peace, come. Let us walk together. O lovers of peace, come. Let us run together. O servers of peace, come. Let us grow together.⁶

Kindly welcome Guru Sri Chinmoy.

Sri Chinmoy: Why is Narada so special to me? Narada is special to me because in his inner life he is an aspiration-bee, and in his outer life he is a dedication-butterfly. Honey-nectar-delight he sleeplessly collects only to offer it to the world at large smilingly, affectionately, unreservedly and self-givingly.

Why is Narada so special to me? Because when Narada closes his eyes, Eternity’s Silence-Beauty sleeps in his heart. And when Narada opens his eyes, Infinity’s Sound-Splendour resonates in his eyes.

Sri Chinmoy meditated and then sang several songs he had composed in English, inviting the audience to join him. The Master then answered questions from the audience.

Sri Chinmoy: Now I would like to be of devoted service to you. If you have any spiritual questions, I shall be extremely happy and grateful to be of service to you.

Question: We always feel we are the doers. How can we be more aware of God’s Will for us, and how can we be better instruments?

Sri Chinmoy: We can be more aware of God’s Will and we can become better instruments of God if we soulfully pray to God and meditate on God in utmost silence. We have to dive deep within during our prayers, and specially during our meditations. We have to reach the inmost recesses of our heart. Once we reach the inmost recesses of our heart, we are bound to feel that our heart is surcharged with silence. In silence we can hear the Dictates of God. Again, in and through silence we can fulfil His Will. Once we are in a position to fulfil His Will consciously and self-givingly, we automatically become His choice, choicer, choicest instruments here on earth.

Question: Welcome, Sri Chinmoy. It is so wonderful to see you again. I feel blessed. I think we all feel blessed. I would ask that you help me and my brothers and sisters here and guide us by telling us what discipline or practice we may undertake to bring ourselves closer to God, closer to the Light.

Sri Chinmoy: In order to bring ourselves closer to God, we have to realise that everything else and everybody else on earth will fail us eventually. Every-body with no exception, everything with no exception will fail us, but not God’s Compassion, not God’s Love. Again, by virtue of our prayers and meditations if we can feel the living Presence of God in each and every human being, then we shall definitely have a free access to God in each and every human being. Each and every human being at that time will please us, will fulfil us.

Once we feel the living Presence of God inside each human being, inside each object, material or ethereal, we are bound to feel that we are nearing God’s Feet. We are coming close, closer, closest to God. But first we have to feel that there is nobody on earth, nothing on earth, that will be able to please us or fulfil us. Everybody will ultimately fail us. Again, when we feel the living Presence of God inside each and every human being, we will see that we are coming closer to God.

First we have to feel that there is nothing on earth and nobody on earth that will be able to satisfy us in our own way. Then we have to realise that only when we please God in His own Way will everybody be able to please us. We have to start with the feeling that there is nobody, nobody who either can or will come forward to please us in our own way. Then we have to be wise. We have to feel that we do not need anybody to please us in our own way as long as we please our Lord Supreme, our Inner Pilot, in His own Way. Once we can please Him in His own Way, we are bound to see and feel that everybody is pleasing us, because God Himself is acting in and through them. But we have first to please Him in each and every one. That we can do only on the strength of our conscious and constant self-giving to God’s Will.

Question: Good afternoon, Guru. Earlier Narada shared with us a poem of peace that you had written. Following that, there was music that we heard and phrases that we repeated. Everything seemed to imply a level of positivity, oneness and reaching fulfilment with God, oneness with God. How does one try to reach that level of oneness from day to day when there is turbulence and volatility within? How does one transform the level of turbulence and volatility within into this level of fulfilment and oneness?

Sri Chinmoy: Early in the morning let us try to pray for at least ten minutes. Either let us pray or let us meditate. Meditation is more difficult, much more difficult than prayer. You are accustomed to praying, specially in the West. In India, in the East, perhaps it is easier to meditate. I am not saying you are inferior and we are superior — far from it! Your soulful prayers reach God sooner than the soonest.

After our prayer and meditation in the morning, let us try to look at a flower and see the beauty of the flower. Let us try to smell the fragrance of the flower. The beauty and the fragrance of the flower will definitely give us joy. The flower we are seeing in front of us with our human eyes. Now, let us try to imagine this beautiful flower with its celestial fragrance inside our heart. Then let us go to our place of work. Yes, we shall have to enter into the hustle and bustle of life. There is so much turbulence and so much wrong movement there. But if we know that deep within us is beauty, beauty unparalleled, and fragrance, fragrance unparalleled, then the outer world of conflict, turmoil and negative forces will not be able to disturb us. To a great extent we will be able to keep ourselves free from the outer circumstances. We will not be disturbed because our inner beauty and fragrance will be of constant help to us.

Early in the morning we are starting with inner beauty and inner fragrance. If the inner beauty we can maintain throughout the entire day, then when somebody is unkind to us, we do not have to be unkind to him. Let us say that the “tit for tat” principle will not work. The other individual will see something divine within us. Like a magnet, something within us is pulling the person who is misbehaving towards us, and that is our love. Our love-power is infinitely stronger than his negativity-power or his misconduct. This all-pervading love we can have only when we see the beauty within us and when we feel that we are nothing but fragrance. Our entire being is inundated with Heavenly fragrance. We have that fragrance as our divine weapon. We have protection within us to face the outer world.

The outer world of uncomeliness can easily be challenged and defeated by our own inner beauty and inner fragrance. This inner beauty and fragrance is our indomitable strength. We have to feel that our inner light, our inner power – whatever we have deep within us – is infinitely stronger than the forces of the world that are disturbing us. Provided we can use them properly, these divine weapons can easily fight against the disturbing outer situations. But if we do not have inner wealth, inner resources, then we suffer.

Early in the morning God gives us ample opportunity to pray to Him and meditate on Him. The last song of mine that you just learned was, “To be cheerful is to be on God’s Side.” When we look at a flower, the beauty of the flower and the fragrance of the flower will without fail make us cheerful. Once we are cheerful, we are bound to feel that God within us is for us, because we have taken His Side. But if we are doomed to disappointment, depression and frustration right from the morning, then we cannot achieve anything. Everything will fail us because we have started walking along the wrong road.

We can start walking along the right road by praying, meditating and looking at a flower or looking at something else that is most beautiful, something that pleases us immediately. Anything that pleases us in a divine way has to be seen or even imagined. Imagine a baby’s smile, or the smile of a little child. The child may not be in front of you, but you can imagine his smile, and you can see his smile. That smile will offer tremendous strength and encouragement to you as you face the outer world.

Question: Venerable Sir, can you tell us more about your work for peace in the world? Do you recommend that people be involved politically?

Sri Chinmoy: On our path we are not politically involved. We are only spiritually involved. Politics is not my forte. My forte is prayer and meditation. Whatever message I get from deep within, I try to offer to my Lord Supreme. As an offering, I try to see Him and feel Him inside the aspiration and dedication of each human being.

Politics is one way. There are many, many ways that lead to Rome. We feel that each individual has to make the ultimate choice. He has to decide which road he is going to take. In our case, we have chosen the way of spirituality, which is conscious self-giving to our brothers and sisters, humanity.

Question: Do you believe that the year 2000 and this time that we are alive is very special?

Sri Chinmoy: From the ordinary point of view, it is special. From the spiritual point of view, this very moment is special. Every second is special. Inside every second, God’s infinite Compassion is blossoming forth, and God’s Love for us we are bound to feel.

Many people say that after four years [in the year 2000] the world will have a new life. But “after four years” is the future tense. It is now the present. How are we going to accept the future now? How do we accept the sun early each morning? We can wake up and look at the sun, pray and invoke its light, its illumination. Again, we can remain fast asleep. It is the same sun, the same light. Somebody is utilising the sun for his own illumination, while others are sleeping and paying no attention to the sun.

We have to value each moment. The fleeting moment is bringing us the message of the Infinite: the infinite and immortal Love of God, the immortal Peace of God, the immortal Compassion of God. The future grows in the soil of the present today. Today if we do not invoke the light from Above, or if we do not bring to the fore the light from within, then days will run into weeks, weeks will run into months, months will run into years, and years will run into centuries and millennia.

We have to prepare ourselves. “Tomorrow” is not going to give us anything. “Four years later” will not give us anything. We have to prepare ourselves to receive the light today. We have to prepare ourselves to give what we have and what we are. What we have is our love of God, and what we are is God’s instruments. We have to increase our love of God in infinite measure. Then, consciously, at every moment, we shall have to try to abide by God’s Will. Our preparation is of paramount importance. We have to use time properly in God’s own Way. Otherwise, time will not come and help us.

For a sincere seeker, the message is always “here and now, here and now,” and not the remote past or the distant future. If we want to please God, then we shall see that to please God is to please our-selves. By pleasing ourselves only, we will not be able to please God. But by pleasing Him here and now, we are going to please ourselves without fail.

According to my inner philosophy, the future has to be invoked by today’s prayer, meditation and self-giving. Otherwise, the future will come as usual, and perhaps it will seem meaningless or useless. But where is that future? It is in the immediate feeling of our divine reality within us. The year 2000 will perhaps be of no avail unless we are fully prepared to offer ourselves now to the light that the future has and is for us.

We have to prepare ourselves. This is the only message I can give. Otherwise, nobody – not even God – is going to give us anything. Our preparation is of supreme importance. Again, we know it is He who prepares in and through us; we can do nothing. He is at once the seeker in us and the inner Guide, the inner Light. We are aware of the undeniable fact that He is the One who is inspiring us, He is the action in us, and He is the One who is acting in and through us.

To come back to your question, let us only pray to God to make us worthy of His Light. This Light we have to get from Him as soon as possible – not by hook or by crook, but by offering Him our heart’s ever-climbing cries.

Question: Thank you for being here today. I appreciate the invitation to be part of this. I have deep concerns about my personal life. It seems as if it has been a real roller coaster. It has been very difficult to get balance in my life. I am just wondering if by my presence here with you today, you might be able to give me some guidance in that regard.

Sri Chinmoy: On the strength of our prayers and meditations, we have definitely brought down God’s Compassion, His Light and His Love. My request to you is this: kindly dive deep within and try to have peace, peace of mind. If you have peace of mind, then you will feel that your own Inner Pilot, your Supreme Pilot, is going to illumine you. While He is illumining you, your problems inner and outer will be solved.

My outer advice is of no avail, but our combined prayers and meditations can be of tremendous help to you if you do not allow any thought, even an iota of thought, to enter into your mind. In the silence of your mind your teeming problems can easily be illumined, and thus they can be solved.

After the question-and-answer session, all the guests offered Sri Chinmoy flowers and lit candles while Narada performed a special song he had composed for the occasion, accompanying himself and other singers and musicians on the keyboard. These are the lyrics to the song: “What has happened to me? My candle flame is burning bright. My life has made a change tonight for the better. And we thank you, Sri Chinmoy, for sharing your love today.”

Sri Chinmoy: We do not have to take the trouble of going to Heaven. Narada has brought Heaven down for us!

Sri Chinmoy then meditated on a large golden statue of the Lord Buddha seated in meditation, that Narada had placed on the sloping grounds outside his home. Sri Chinmoy also prayed before a most soulful statue of Mother Mary set into a special outdoor shrine. Then Narada and Kaivalya Torpy from London unveiled the life-size statue of Sri Chinmoy created by Kaivalya, and Sri Chinmoy blessed the sculptor.

I do not have to go to Heaven

Sri Chinmoy (to Narada): I do not have to go to Heaven. You have brought Heaven down! Your infinite love is immutable. You have truly brought down Heaven for me and for all of us. Heaven’s celestial delight, ecstasy and immortality you have brought down for us and for the aspiration-heart of Mother Earth. You have brought down the message of universal love and love and love.

Every second of your life you are offering divine love to humanity. The world does not know, but the world can definitely know at God’s choice Hour that you are now inspiring thousands of people. There shall come a time when you will inspire millions and millions of people. You will awaken them and inspire them to receive Love and Love and Love from the Absolute Lord Supreme.

Narada¹¹ is the one who carries earth’s bleeding heart to Heaven, and from Heaven brings down Heaven’s all-illumining love and light. You are the bridge between earth’s aspiration-cry and Heaven’s illumination-smile. Only two hundred people are here, but our souls you have touched, our hearts you have touched and our lives you have touched so beautifully and so powerfully, and in turn our souls have touched countless souls. The love you have given us has already reached countless people – countless aspirants, peace-seekers, peace-dreamers and God-lovers on earth.

I have written many, many, many books, but now I am speechless!

Your love for the Supreme in me discovers my love. All my soul’s love I offer to you in silence – my deathless appreciation, admiration and love. You have literally brought down Heaven, Heaven, here in the heart of Sacred Rock.

Sri Chinmoy then offered prasad (blessed food) to everyone present while standing in front of the statue of himself. A few comments followed.

Narada’s mother: We are happy to have you here today, Guru, and it is a beautiful statue. You have done some wonderful things for him. Thank you.

Sri Chinmoy: Your son is doing many wonderful things for God, and I am so proud of him, so proud of him!

Kulan, Narada’s brother: Thank you, Guru. Sacred Rock has always been a spiritual place for me to come and be with Narada. Now it will be an especially spiritual place. Thank you for coming and blessing us.

Narada and Kaivalya garlanded the statue while Sri Chinmoy meditated. Narada gave the Master an award in honour of his second visit to Sacred Rock.

Sri Chinmoy (to Narada): Universal greatness is your outer name. Universal goodness is your inner name.

Comment by Narada for the video, after the programme: Guru, thank you, with deep gratitude for the love that you have shown to me and to my brothers and my sisters on this Planet Earth. Your love has been an example – an example I am learning from, my brothers and sisters are learning from and the world is learning from. Carry on, stay strong, and we are here every step of the way!

Talks And Events, 1999-2005

Knowledge and Wisdom

If there is no wisdom in knowledge, then knowledge may eventually end only with the notion of supremacy – the notion of how much more I know than you. But wisdom does not do that. Wisdom tells us, “Whatever capacity God gave me, I have got. Whatever capacity God gave you, you have got.” Wisdom is always a uniting factor. How can I expect my little brother to know as much as I know? Again, he is my brother. The big brother is claiming the little brother. The little brother is also claiming the big brother. This is wisdom. This is the wisdom of one-ness. Otherwise, starting only with knowledge, it can end with a divisive sense of supremacy.

Another example is like a father buying a car. The father buys a family car, and his child says to others, “It is my car.” The father does not come and say, “You do not have any money. How can you say it is your car?” No, rather the father is proud and happy that the little child is claiming his father’s car as his own.

First, the child claimed his father’s car as his own, and his father was so happy. Then afterwards when the child grows up, as an adolescent he wants to have his own car. He may beg his father to give him a large amount of money to buy the car, and then he tells the whole world, “This is my car.” If at that time he says his father has only an old car and his own car is much better, then it is similar to how knowledge starts dividing and dividing. When the little child was in his heart, it was all oneness, and wisdom could prevail. He claimed his father at every second. Then afterwards when the child grows up, if the ‘me’ starts in, then with our mind we may go to separation and competition. Ego comes in, and we sacrifice the wisdom of oneness.

We start with wisdom. Then with our mind we go to separation. The son is competing with the father, telling the whole world that the father’s car is old, ancient, useless, and his car is so good. But God gave us the wisdom in the beginning. Knowledge without wisdom will not save us, will not save the world.

Again, there will be some people who will take up the spiritual life. Then they will be very grateful to their parents or other members of the family. Our family was so grateful to our eldest brother. Had he not joined the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, who knows what would have been our fate. Our eldest brother, Hriday, brought all of us to the spiritual community that he was in. There we sincerely studied. Here also, some people came first on the Path, and they were able to bring their dear ones. Unfortunately, not all disciples could bring their dear ones, or they brought, but their dear ones disappeared.

In my case, I came to America to spread the message of the Divine. I got the divine adesh and obeyed that inner command of the Supreme to be of service to the Western world. Everybody else in the family stayed at that Ashram. Of course, my case was different. But I am grateful to my eldest brother and my family. My family came to the Ashram. Other-wise, perhaps my fate would have been different.

29 March 1999, Sri Chinmoy’s Home

Gratitude to the Source

It is good to be grateful to the source, to whomever brings you to your Path, not only to your relatives who may have brought you, but to somebody who shows you the Path. Many of you give talks. If somebody comes from your talk and becomes an excellent disciple, that person says, “He gave a talk and brought me to the Path.” Look at the source. It helps us so much when we express our gratitude.

If somebody shows me the way, then I shall be so grateful. Had he not shown me the way, then God knows when I might have found somebody to show me the way. He has played his role. That person is not the goal, but he has shown the way to the goal. That is something to be grateful for. Gratitude helps us to grow spiritually.

I am so happy that people are bringing seekers. They are doing such a divine service. If those seekers are sincere, they will express their gratitude. Gratitude helps us grow. Gratitude is a very good thing both to have and to express. Have gratitude. Always have gratitude to those who have helped us find our way.

29 March 1999, Sri Chinmoy’s Home

Inspiring Others

How much you can inspire others is important in life. In tennis, good players get such joy when they see excellent players playing. The good players are learning so many things when they are watching the excellent players. Here also in the bodybuilding or weightlifting world, if somebody is doing well, others are bound to get inspiration. It is so beneficial to see one who is excellent in something. It teaches us also how to become better, especially in sports. It often begins with imitating those who have superior capacities. It can be a form of learning. We can more easily learn by seeing an example. Look to those who are superior in something.

29 March 1999, Sri Chinmoy’s Home

Love-Power’s Historic Achievement

On 14 November 2004 Sri Chinmoy offered the following comments about the weightlifting demonstration held the previous evening, when he performed a number of weightlifting feats for invited guests in an auditorium at York College in Queens, New York.

Outwardly last night’s weightlifting demonstration went very smoothly; inwardly this is undoubtedly an historic achievement. Many Gurus believe in occult power and spiritual power. Perhaps I too have occult power and spiritual power – God knows. Spiritual power, occult power, are all in existence, but you can say your love of God, your love of your Guru, does not need occult power, spiritual power. And God the Supreme, the Absolute Supreme, is extremely, extremely proud of you, that you do not care for occult power, spiritual power. You care only for your love-power, and that love-power you offered to me yesterday.

Each time I was doing something, only I was thinking how much my children love me, how much my children love me – how much self-sacrifice, how much unconditional love they show me. Your love and my gratitude went together. Otherwise, for me to accomplish anything is simply impossible. It is all your love that enabled me to do this. For me, it is nothing short of impossibility if you use the mind. Out of four hours, three and a half hours we lifted. Heavy lifting! How promptly, how accurately, how smoothly everything went. This exhibition of heavy lifting is something very, very rare in the world history.

The Master of Ceremonies, Mahasamrat Bill Pearl, is so kind, so affectionate to me. Every time he comes to visit in New York, I see his closeness and oneness with me. There is no limit to our progress. This is our philosophy, and Mahasamrat proves it. Every time he comes, he goes one step forward. Two years ago, we lifted 100,000 pounds in one day. This year we did over 200,000. This is what your love-power can do! It is your love-power, and nothing else – no other power.

14 November 2004 Sri Chinmoy’s Home

The Master’s Discipline

Right after my morning meditation, either at 3:00 or 3:30 or 4:00 – it depends on my meditation – I sing the Invocation, accompanying myself on my big tote-a-tune, and then I sing “My Lord Beloved Supreme.” After that, I do ten different exercises on various machines, followed by stretching exercises and lifting heavy weights.

Then I do 20 pages of bird drawings. Each page has four birds. In another book, I fill a whole page writing down ‘Supreme’, and in a third book, I write out the Invocation. I also write 10 poems or aphorisms for Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, and compose one Bengali song and one English song. Then I read spiritual books for 15 or 20 minutes. Needless to say, I like Bengali books very much, so I have Bengali books about Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda and others. I do all this upstairs.

Then I come downstairs. For two or three minutes, I pray and meditate. Then I take one, two, three exercises on a machine. Five days a week, I do a seated calf-lift of 1400 pounds. Some days I do 1500 pounds. Then for three days, I add a bench-press of 1100 pounds. Nowadays, I have started practising 1400 pounds. Before I used to practise 1300 pounds. Last year I showed 1100 pounds for the public. But now, this year, without any difficulty, I will be able to show 1200 pounds – if not 1300 pounds.

My morning schedule continues with playing the sitar. At the end of this year, I will be observing the second anniversary of my sitar playing. Then I play the Chinese instrument, the erhu, and about 14 other instruments. I play five or six songs only once on each instrument. It takes at least an hour. Then I take all kinds of hand and leg exercises.

This is how my morning starts. Regularity and I are inseparable. Most of the days I am also punctual, but I am always regular. If there is regularity, then we can accomplish quite a few things in life. The very first thing I do is serious meditation. Then all the other things I do in a meditative consciousness. If I can be active and dynamic at 74 years of age, if your Master can be so disciplined at this age, hopefully it will inspire my spiritual children.

If you usually get up at 5:30 or 6 a.m., and one day you are getting up at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. or 9 a.m., you have to feel that you are responsible for shortening your day, which is God’s day. God is not responsible, you are responsible, fully responsible for shortening God’s day. You have shortened God’s day by getting up at 7 o’clock or 8 o’clock. If you can get up earlier, then you are lengthening the day. Then during that one hour or two hours you can accomplish so many things. But if you get up late, you are shortening the day. Then how can you accomplish the things you are supposed to do?

Again, before you go to bed – before you feel that the Goddess of Sleep is entering into you – please, please, at least for five minutes, if not ten minutes, even while lying down in bed, meditate or only repeat “Supreme, Supreme, Supreme.” For the last five minutes, before you go to sleep, put aside your newspaper or your book, or turn off the television. The last five minutes should be only between you and your God, the Supreme. Do not fall asleep while reading the news or watching television. That is no good, no good, no good. The last five minutes at least, should be only you and your God, you and the Supreme. Meditate sitting up, or even while lying down you can repeat “Supreme, Supreme, Supreme.” Please, the very last five minutes, before you go to sleep, should be between you and your God and nobody else, and nothing else.

13 May 2005, San Diego Centre

Visit to Guatemala, July 2005 - Prayers for All Countries

Following are several questions that Sri Chinmoy answered and comments he made at functions during a visit to Guatemala in July 2005.

Question: Guru, I live in Tijuana, Mexico. Are you expecting very good things to come soon to Mexico?

Sri Chinmoy: Every moment I am expecting very good things, not only for Mexico, but for all the countries that God has created. Every day I pray to God for only good things to blossom in the heart of each and every country. In that case, I do pray to God for your country, Mexico, to blossom into a very good, excellent country. These are the good things I pray for – for all the countries, for all human beings on earth. I pray for only good things to come to the fore and bad things to disappear from this world. This is my daily prayer and daily meditation.

Question: I am from Guatemala. How have you felt in Guatemala?

Sri Chinmoy: Since my heart stepped onto the soil of Guatemala, I have been very happy. I have been swimming in the sea of joy and ecstasy for quite a few hours since I arrived here.

1 July 2005, Guatemala City, Guatemala

The Bliss of the Heart

Sri Chinmoy made the following comments while visiting The Bliss of the Heart ice cream shop and restaurant in Guatemala City on 1 July 2005.

When he was visiting America, Swami Vivekananda became extremely fond of ice cream. Once he went to a restaurant with six or seven of his students when it was very, very cold. Before he placed the order, he asked the restaurant to please supply them with ice cream first. The restaurant could not believe he was asking for ice cream before the proper meal. He said that yes, we love ice cream more than we love the meal. So, the restaurant gave ice cream first.

I am also fond of ice cream. The name of your divine enterprise is The Bliss of the Heart. Your ice cream is sweeter than the sweetest. I am inspired to compose a song dedicated to your enterprise.

Sri Chinmoy spontaneously composed and taught all present a song entitled “The Bliss of the Heart.”¹⁹

1 July 2005 Guatemala City, Guatemala

My Home in the Hearts of Many Countries

Where is Australia, where is New Zealand? My heart is asking where is farther than the farthest Australia and New Zealand? New Zealand and Australia are inside my heart. How could an Indian village boy conquer the hearts of Australian and New Zealand spiritual seekers, and the hearts of seekers from so many countries? If God wants a tiny drop to become an ocean, He can turn the drop into an ocean. Even in my wildest imagination in my Chittagong life, I never thought that in my heart so many countries would find their home and vice versa – that I would find my home in the hearts of so many countries. So God can do anything He wants to.

1 July 2005 Guatemala City, Guatemala

Supreme Experiences of Lord Buddha

I have had so many, so many supreme experiences of Lord Buddha. The latest one was during my concert in Borobudur [25 December 2003] when he came to me inwardly and played and played the drum. He said to me that other spiritual Masters do not often appreciate the achievements of others. But I appreciated, admired and adored my predecessors. That is why he came down and was congratulating me.

So many experiences I have had at the Kamakura Buddha. I still cherish the hope, the idea of going to Japan only for one thing, to give a Peace Concert at the top of Mount Fuji. Now a car can take you there, you do not have to walk. It is my wish to go to Mount Fuji to give a concert.²¹

1 July 2005 Guatemala City, Guatemala

Remarks at the Change of the White Rose for Peace Ceremony

On 2 July 2005, Sri Chinmoy offered the following remarks at the Change of the White Rose for Peace Ceremony, an event held at the National Palace of Culture that commemorates the signing of the Peace Accords ending Guatemala’s 36-year civil war, on 28 December 1996. Sri Chinmoy had the honour of being only the third non-Guatemalan to participate in the Ceremony.

My dear and esteemed friends, I am offering you my heart’s soulful and prayerful gratitude for this signal honour that you have bestowed upon me. This is a very beautiful palace and a very soulful shrine. Here I am feeling the presence of peace in profound measure. I am so happy and proud to be of service to this shrine, this beautiful rose. These beautiful roses will bring to the fore our own beauty and fragrance.

I have come here not only as a visitor, but also as a simple server of the soul, heart and life of Guatemala. The last part of ‘Guatemala’, ‘mala’, has a very special significance in the heart of all Indians. ‘Mala’ means garland in Sanskrit. A garland of gratitude I am offering to all those who have made this great arrangement for me to be of service to you. May my humble service to this august place, to this beautiful shrine and to this peaceful palace grow and glow more, ever more.

Once more, to you and to your colleagues, the Ministers, I am offering gratitude from the inmost recesses of my heart. May we all grow and glow in the Heart of God together, Him to please in His own Way. Not in our own way, but in God’s own Way, let us work together with our heart, soul and everything that we have and everything that we are.

2 July 2005 National Palace of Culture Guatemala City, Guatemala

Sincerity in Dedication

The Guatemala Centre has done something unimaginable, unimaginable. Many disciples accompanying me have offered their appreciation and admiration. They are all joy, joy, joy. You have only six or seven disciples, but your organization for the Peace Concert was so successful that over two thousand seekers came. So, where there is a will, there will be a way, and here is the proof. The more sincere we are in our dedication, the greater is our satisfaction. Each and every Centre should be proud of and grateful to our Guatemala Centre and its leader.

2 July 2005 Guatemala City, Guatemala

Sowing the Seed

Thirty or forty years ago, very few people went out to give talks, but seekers heard my name and came to see me. In those days we did not give classes, only seekers heard about me by word of mouth. We did not have as many manifestation projects. Now, people give classes and offer talks all over the world. In so many ways we are trying to spread our light, but nowadays it is difficult.

In those days perhaps many of you were hippies. Hippies wanted to have a new life, they were fed up with their old life. They were always for the new. They were so kind to me: they gave up their long hair, they stopped taking drugs, they started wearing proper, clean clothes.

Question: Now when people come to classes, they want peace, they might even want God, but they don’t seem to want a new life. They seem satisfied with their life and don’t want to try something new.

Sri Chinmoy: These people are not satisfied. They are only increasing the number of their desires. When they hear you give talks, they feel that they may have to curb their desires. It is not that they are fully satisfied with their life. As soon as some of them hear our rules and regulations, then they feel, “Oh, that is not meant for us.” They do not want to have, as you say, anything new. They have everything, but they continue increasing their desires.

Some people work very hard, every second. Their desire for money is infinitely stronger than our desire for God. Their God is money. So they want to reach their God as soon as possible. Our God is somewhere in the blue skies, so we do not have that intensity. They have such intensity that they become so rich in such a short span, and still they are increasing their desires. And the other thing is so true. People do not want newness in life, newness in life.

But again, who knows? Nothing remains unfulfilled. Now you are working very, very hard to spread my light. When you sow the seed, it takes time to germinate, so we shall have to be very patient. But the farmer does the same thing, he sows the seed and waters every day. If he wants to get the result after one month, he will find nothing there. In exactly the same way all those who are giving talks must be patient.

Philadelphia still is my dearest, sweetest, fondest place in the entire America, so I want those who are giving classes there to continue, continue, continue. At what point Philadelphia will ring her bell we do not know. Now we say the bell is broken. Even if it is broken, one day you will see Philadelphia will wake up, wake up.

Some people can go there and enjoy a picnic. We have to approach them not only from the spiritual point of view, but also the social point of view. Socially you have to engage them. Ask them how many children they have, what kind of hobbies they like. New York disciples should go there for Joy Days. If you have Joy Days a few times, then they will feel oneness.

When you give talks, whatever you say is so new to them. They see that there is a yawning gulf between the teacher and the student. But the teacher should bring her colleagues and make the students feel that there is no big gap between the teacher and the student. The teacher and others should come for Joy Days to mix with the seekers.

I do sincerely feel, I am most convinced that Philadelphia will one day bloom and blossom. When? At God’s Hour. But His Hour is His posses-sion. How can I steal His possession? Only I know that Philadelphia will not fail me. Because of my love, because of my fondness for Philadelphia, it will one day bear most delicious fruit. Only the hour we do not know, God’s Hour. But the prophecy that I made and I am still making will definitely come true. And if 10, 20 or 30 disciples go there at least twice a month or even once a month, the fate of Philadelphia is bound to change.

Then some people have miracle powers. One disciple from New Zealand went to the Los Angeles Centre, which was not bearing any fruit for years and years. He went and gave talks, and he got six or seven disciples. Can you imagine? Others had tried so hard. Then from New Zealand somebody came and gave a talk and found seekers. In the New York area, I hear that someone from India and someone from Scotland are joining Americans in giving successful talks. I do not know how these miracles can take place. Out of hundreds of local disciples, there should be several groups to give talks and mix with people. It is the bounden duty of all those who live in New York to work hard, very hard.

2 July 2005 Guatemala City, Guatemala

Prince Dipokusumo and Princess Febri Meet With Sri Chinmoy in Malaysia, February 2006

Meeting with the Prince and Princess of the Court of Solo

Following are some excerpts from Sri Chinmoy’s meeting on 6 February 2006 with King Sinoehoen’s beloved son Prince Dipokusumo and dear daughter-in-law Princess Febri, held during a Christmas and New Year’s trip to Malaysia. Sri Chinmoy had first met the late King Pakoebowoeno XII, respectfully known by the title ‘Sinoehoen’, which means ‘King of Kings’, in Indonesia in 2003, when the two became close friends.

Prince Dipokusumo: The motor cart that you gave to King Sinoehoen is still in the Palace.

Sri Chinmoy: That cart is symbolic of a journey. When you have a vehicle, you go from one place to another. Here also, you please keep that gift as a symbol of his inner journey. The soul flies on its inner journey. Outwardly, we need a motor cart or a car for the outer journey. He had this cart a matter of only a few months, not even a year, before he passed on. On earth it indicates a kind of outer journey, and in the inner world it symbolises the journey of the soul. I would like you to keep it as my prayerful, soulful gift to him, and I am sure you will take very nice care of it.

I am so happy that you have got peace, you have joy, with your sweet family – your wife and your sweetest children. You have a small family, but you have a very big heart. From the spiritual point of view, your father’s blessings are showering upon you and upon your wife. Inwardly it is a tremendous victory to have peace, to have joy. For us peace is the most important thing in the world. If you have peace, a little peace, then you have so much joy. We value peace infinitely more than power.

You always pray to Allah. For me, Allah and God and the Supreme are the same Person. When you pray to Allah, at that time I can be of help to you to make your prayer strong. In my prayer I may use the term Supreme, but that is the same as your Allah. Here on earth I can play the role of a guide who can help you to realise Allah.

If you learn to meditate, then that will help you even more to feel peace inside your heart. When you pray to Allah, you feel He is descending to bless you with peace. And when you meditate, you feel Allah is here inside your heart with the presence of peace.

If you learn how to meditate, it will help you. The first thing is not to allow any thought, even about your family members or your children. When you meditate, at that time you would like to be alone with God. Then of course when you are alone, you will see inside your heart your sweetest family. But do not think of your family at that time, only medi-tate on God. Let Him inundate you with peace, love and bliss. And when you get peace and bliss, you will offer them to your wife and children. They are your dearest ones.

Usually the husband goes outside to work. The husband brings money, and then he gives it to his wife. The wife takes care of the children, and she uses the money for her children. Again, both roles are equally important. If the wife takes care of the children, her task is also difficult. If the husband goes outside and works, he gets the money power, and he gives it to his wife so that she can use it for herself, or for the husband or the children.

It is exactly the same in the spiritual life. If you pray and meditate, then your children will automatically get the benefit. Here also when I meditate with my students, I bring down spiritual wealth, and then I share it with them. When I pray and meditate, I bring down spiritual wealth from Above. Again, it is from within. From my heart I bring it and share it with my spiritual children. Physical parents share their mate-rial wealth, affection and love with the children; in exactly the same way we share spiritual wealth.

Princess Febri: Guru, may I ask a question? You have taught us that we have to feel peace and we have to pray to Allah, but how can we develop patience in a difficult situation?

Sri Chinmoy: If you keep praying, praying to Allah, He is full of Compassion, infinite Compassion. Just because Allah is not listening to your prayer right now, you cannot say that Allah will never listen to your prayer.

For everything there is a special time. My meeting with King Sinoehoen came at a special time. Before that I came to Indonesia, but I did not meet with him. Here everything needs patience. When you sow a seed, you cannot expect a tree immediately. It takes time for the farmer to plough the ground, and it will take months to germinate. Then it becomes a tiny plant, then it becomes a tree, and then it becomes a huge tree. Patience is needed.

In our case, when it is a matter of a few months or years, we become tired. We feel that if God wanted, if Allah wanted to fulfil our desire, then He would have fulfilled it by this time. But every-thing has its own time. Now the question is, are you doing the right thing? Are you praying to Allah early in the morning to keep your family happy, to give you peace every day?

Then comes how much sincerity is involved when we are praying. At that time if we think of this and that, all kinds of things, then our prayer cannot be very sincere or intense. You are doing the right thing, but then intensity is needed. How intense is your prayer? If you love God and God loves you, then there shall definitely come a time when you will see that whatever is best for you, Allah will do. At this moment, what He is doing is the best thing for you.

There is a constant battle between divine forces and undivine forces. In the beginning if undivine forces win, the victory is short-lived. It is not forever. Divine forces ultimately win, but we need patience. There is nothing else you need except patience. But your prayers, regular prayers, have to be more sincere and more intense.

At this point I can only make a suggestion to you, to look at my Transcendental Picture. You will pray to Allah, but once in the morning and once in the evening kindly look at my Transcendental Picture. This will help you. You are not praying to my Transcendental – far from it. You are praying to Allah. But my Transcendental Picture is a real, real friend of your heart. This picture will help you to bring down Allah’s Grace, Allah’s Compassion, Allah’s Blessings.

When you are praying to Allah, if there is a flower or a beautiful scene of nature or something else to inspire you, it will help you. If you pray early in the morning, you can look at the vast sky or the sun to help your prayer. You are getting so much inspiration from the rising sun and nature all around you. In exactly the same way, while you are praying, occasionally you can look at my pictures. This one especially will inspire you to intensify your prayers and meditation. It is like a friend who is helping you to get the thing that you need.

Injustice cannot rule the world or lord it over the world forever. God is both God the Compassion and God the Justice. Now He is using His Forgiveness with people who are doing wrong things. But a day will come when He will use His Justice-Light. At that time, those who are doing wrong things will not be allowed to continue. They will be punished in God’s own Way, Allah’s own Way. What you need is only patience, patience. This is the only way. But do not neglect morning prayers and meditation.

It is good that you pray and meditate five times a day, in accordance with your Muslim faith. When you pray, try to feel that your prayer is more sincere and more intense. You can easily know whether your prayer is extremely sincere, extremely intense and extremely soulful. We do many things mechanically. Again, we do many things very soulfully and sincerely and self-givingly. If you see that something is missing in your prayer, kindly add that thing to your present prayer.

And one more thing, please, when you pray to Allah for the things that you need, specially pray for the protection of your children – protection, protection, protection. Every day when you pray to Allah, please add to your prayer the protection of your sweet children, beloved children. Pray to Allah, “Protect them, protect them, protect them.” Please add protection in your prayer.

Royal family member: I would like to ask about the meaning of our life, what is our fate and destiny. I believe that everybody has their own mission in their life, and I want to know what our mission is in life.

Sri Chinmoy: You have to discover the mission of your life. Nobody can thrust it upon you. Nobody else can tell you what the mission of your life is. It is something that you have to discover. Then how do you know what the mission of your life is? When you pray most soulfully, one day you will be able to know the mission of your life. It is through prayer and meditation. If you pray and meditate, one day you will hear a voice, a very sweet voice who will tell you, this is the mission, this is the mission.

Nobody else can tell you, but if somebody has a spiritual Master, then the spiritual Master can tell somebody what their mission is. Otherwise, the person needs to discover it himself.

There is only one general mission, to work for the betterment of humanity – not to pray to God, “Give me success, give me glory.” If somebody really wants to help mankind, then he has to pray to God to give him the capacity to love God inside humanity, that means to love Allah inside everybody and to serve Allah in everybody. That is the best prayer: to pray to God, to pray to the Almighty Allah to give you the capacity to love Him inside everybody, inside every human being that you meet with, and also to serve Him inside every human life.

That is the general mission for people who are spiritual, who love God and want to make God happy in His own Way. Again, each individual has his own way of pleasing God. No two individuals please God in the same way. God wants every human being to please Him in His own Way. When you pray and meditate, you will definitely hear from deep within what your mission is. If you are spiritual, if you want to lead a spiritual life, then there will be one mission. If you want to lead an earthly life to fulfil all your desires, then at that time again, God will decide whether He will fulfil all your desires or not.

Suppose you have a desire today to have one car. Then God fulfils your desire, and then tomorrow you want two cars, three cars. After two cars, God will say, “No, he does not need more than two cars. One is enough, but if he has two, then it is more than enough.” Then God stops fulfilling your prayer. If you say, “O God, You are so kind to me. When I prayed to You for one car, You gave it to me. When I wanted two cars, You were a little bit unwilling, reluctant. But now when I am asking for three cars, You have stopped fulfilling my prayer.”

God knows how much you need. Need is one thing, greed is something else. We are so greedy. We look around and say, “My neighbour has four cars, then I want to show off that I can have five cars. He has five cars, then I need six cars.” God may say it is unnecessary, unnecessary. It is only competition that is going on. God does not believe in that kind of competition. God wants only to make you happy with two cars, not more than two cars. And if God fulfils somebody else’s desire by giving them six cars, then you will see how many accidents will take place instead of making the person happy. Today one son will take one car without the permission of the par-ents, and he will meet with an accident, and tomorrow somebody else will meet with an accident.

Here God gives you two cars because you need them. If you have a small family, then you may need a maximum of two cars. But if you have greed and compete with your neighbours, then you will only have miseries and no happiness. Like that, God decides for us how much we need, although sometimes we are not satisfied with what He gives us.

Again, if we pray and meditate, then we feel that our needs are very few. We do not need too many things because the more material possessions we have, the more problems we have. The more our desires are fulfilled, the more problems we face. If we need just a few things in our life, we get more joy, more satisfaction. Here we are asking for just a few desires to be fulfilled, and inwardly God becomes so pleased with us, He not only gives us what we need, but He gives us much more than we ever wanted.

I will give you an example. When I came to America, I had a desire to write two hundred books. But every day I was not praying to God to give me the capacity to write two hundred books. My desire was to write two hundred books, but day and night when I prayed and meditated, I never prayed to God, “God give me the capacity to write two hundred books.” No, I prayed for the manifestation of God’s Victory on earth – God’s Victory inside me, inside you, inside your religion, inside everybody. Only to fulfil God in His own Way: that is my prayer.

God was pleased, and He said, “You have the desire to write only two hundred books? I will bless you.” Now I have written over 1,500 books. My desire was two hundred. But for the fulfilment of that desire, I never prayed. God was pleased with me because I was praying for His Victory, so He fulfilled my desire with 1,500 books instead.

Here I was praying to God all the time for His Victory, His Victory, His Victory, His Way, not my way. Then God said, “You have a desire for two hundred books? It is such a simple thing.” Now He has given me 1,500 books. And I have composed thou-sands of songs. I never prayed to God to give me the capacity to write so many songs. In Bengali, I am nearing 13,000, and in English 7,000. These kinds of things are not from prayers. I am not praying to God to give me the capacity. No, I am praying to God only for the fulfilment of His Will. Then when I fulfil Him in His own Way, He gives earthly things. I never had the desire to become an artist. Now I have drawn more than fifteen million birds and 200,000 paintings. My mind cannot believe it. Raisa Maximovna, the wife of President Gorbachev, the former head of the Soviet Union, chose painting number 100,000 when she visited our Jharna-Kala Gallery in New York.

We do not pray for material things. But if God is pleased, He may feel that if we have some material outer things, it will inspire us, and then He may give them to us. Even so, even here in Malaysia, I have done one thousand paintings. It is only God’s Will we try to express, and He has given us the capacity, capacity to do these things. He gives us infinitely more than we need and deserve. He feels that my paintings, my writings and my music will inspire people. And if they get inspiration from my writings, from my music, from my songs, from my paintings, then people will be happy. I inspire my students, and they inspire me. When I do something, they get tremendous joy, and this is spiritual joy.

In the beginning it is necessary, as long as we are in human bodies, to pray to God for something good. At that time, we pray to God to give us some-thing good, not with the idea of defeating others – friends, relatives, neighbours. No, that idea should not enter into us. Only if you feel that something will make you happy, you can pray to God, but not with the idea of defeating others. You may be happy by fulfilling your desire, but if your desire is to defeat others, then you will never be happy. God may give you the capacity. Then you will see that if you get ful-filment from your desires, your desires may just increase and increase and increase. It will make your life miserable. But if you pray to God only for the ful-filment of a small desire which will not create any problem, either for you or for others, God is more pleased. God sees you need something for yourself, not to compete with others, not to defeat others, and God fulfils the desire. If there is competition, then it does not work.

When you pray and meditate, God will definitely tell you from within, Allah will tell you from within what your mission is. He wants you to be here on earth to do His Will.

Royal family member: What is the difference between fate and destiny? And if we pray to the Supreme or to God, can we do anything to change it?

Sri Chinmoy: Fate is on one level, and destiny is the ultimate level. Destiny is much higher than fate. Ordinarily we use the word fate. Something good happens, and we say that it is my fate that I have got this thing. It is my fate, it is good luck. Again, fate can be bad, that I wanted something, but God did not fulfil my desire. If it is fulfilled, it is my good fate. If it is not fulfilled, it is my bad luck, bad fate.

Again, fate can be changed, if you know that something is going to happen to you. Suppose you have done something wrong. Then you will feel, “O my God, since I have done something wrong, my fate will be that I will be punished.” Then, if you pray to God for forgiveness for a long time, when the punishment time comes, God nullifies it.

When we do something wrong, naturally we will be subject to the law of karma, which is fate, in one month or two months. But in the meantime, if we pray to God for forgiveness, what happens? God changes the mind of that person who is supposed to punish us. God enters into him in the form of for-giveness, and the person says, “All right, let me for-give him or her.” This is how God protects the person who is the culprit. In such a peculiar way God enters into the person who wants to punish the one who did something wrong. Then the person says, “No, let me have peace and forgive that person.” So you see, fate is changed, by what? By your prayer.

Then there is another way to change your fate: to meet with some people who are praying and meditating. You may not pray every day, but there are some people who believe in God, who believe in Allah, and they pray and meditate. They have good qualities in their lives. If you are unable to pray and meditate every day, but if you can mix with them, it helps a lot. It is called being in the company of good people. If you mix with bad people, then you go out to a bar and drink and all that. But if you mix with good people, then you go to a mosque, or to a church or a temple. It depends on what kind of people we are mixing with. If you are mixing with good people, you will go to a mosque with them. If you are mixing with bad people, they will take you to a bar to drink. Always be in good company. They do not have to pray to Allah, they can pray to their God, for instance, Jesus Christ. If you are praying to Allah, and they are praying to their God, it is all one God, one God. They are good people, they are praying regularly, daily, the way you are doing, so if you mix with those people, it helps a lot to change your fate.

It is very difficult sometimes for one person to change his fate. But if we mix with some people who are also praying, who are also trying to be good people on earth, then it helps a lot. It is like a tug of war. If on your side there are more people than on your oppo-nent’s side, you are bound to win. If many good people are for you and you are for them, then you can easily change fate, alter fate. Fate can easily be changed if you pray and meditate and also mix with good people. There are good people on earth, and bad people on earth. But if you can mix with good people who regularly pray and meditate, they can help you.

You do not have to tell them, “I am in difficulty. Please help me, help me.” No, your prayer is reaching a particular height. Their prayers are also reaching a particular height, and then they mix together. You do not have to be outwardly conscious of those people who are helping you. They do not know even that they are helping you. They do not know even that you are helping them. If you mix with good people, their vibration helps you. When you look at them, you feel some joy, pure joy, so that is a help. If they smile at you, believe me, at that time you are getting help. You are getting more determination, more aspiration, more enthusiasm. When a good person smiles at you, you get so much strength. Then if a bad person looks at you, immediately you feel miserable: “Why did I look at his face?”

But destiny is something which comes at the end, very end. Our destiny is to realise the highest, Allah, and become fully one with Him. According to our Hindu philosophy, our daily activities are meas-ured. Everything that we do, that I am talking to you, you are talking to me, it is all registered. Everything that happens here, the question that you have asked, such a nice question, is recorded, and the answer is recorded.

Destiny is something very high. Our destiny is on a very high level, the highest level. Your life is completely changed because you have become one with Allah’s Will, with the Almighty Allah. You can say that fate, good and bad, is changing every day.

But destiny, the ultimate destiny, is to be fully one with the Will of Allah. That is destiny.

6 February 2006 Malaysia

Royal Farewell

Sri Chinmoy said good-bye to Prince Dipokusumo and Princess Febri and the Royal Family, who were leaving the Christmas and New Year’s trip, and made the following comments:

Every day I shall pray for you. Every day I shall pray for your whole family. I belong to your family, you belong to my family. This is my big family that you have joined. You are all true brothers and sisters. I am like your spiritual father. Every day I shall think of you and meditate on you.

And this is giving tremendous, tremendous joy to my beloved brother-friend, your father King Sinoehoen. But he does not want me to call him my brother-friend. He wants to remain only a child in my heart and my soul, where he gets the utmost affection, love and sweetness. That gives him the utmost joy.

Do you believe in reincarnation? Your mother left this earth when you were six years old, so usually human beings remain in Heaven six years or eight years or nine years. But when they are spiritually mature, they remain in Heaven fifty years, one hun-dred years, two hundred years, like that. It depends on one’s spirituality. If they practice spirituality, prayer and meditation, they remain longer. Heaven is always joy, joy. But people who are not very spiritual, their limit is between six and nine years. If they are very spiritual, then twenty, thirty, fifty, one hundred years. And some spiritual Masters will stay four hundred years, five hundred years. Some do not take birth again. They suffered so much here, and now they do not have to come back. They stay there in Heaven.

I am one of those. I am not going to come back anymore. God has promised me that I do not have to take incarnation anymore. This is my very last human incarnation. I will not be coming to earth anymore. God has given me the permission. I have come as a spiritual Master many times. This is not the first time. This is my last and highest. From Heaven only I shall help my dear ones.

You belong to my family, and I belong to your family. And our sincere love, sincere feeling of oneness, will prevail. Always you love us, we love you. You think of us, we think of you. Again, if you forget to think of me, I will never forget to think of you.

Once I love someone, I have taken responsibility. I have taken full responsibility for your spiritual life. Once I take full responsibility for your spiritual life, I will never forget. Children can forget their parents, but parents do not forget their children. I am your spiritual father, you are my spiritual children, so I will never forget you, the way physical parents always think of their children. Even if you forget, I shall never, never forget. That is my promise to your soul, not to your mind, not to your body. When I make a promise to the soul, it is absolutely sincere. To your souls I made this promise. Even if you forget Sri Chinmoy, I will never forget, never forget you.

It is not a coincidence that you happened to join our Christmas and New Year’s annual trip. This is King Sinoehoen’s express wish for his family to be here. He wanted his family to be part and parcel of our family, so they belong to us, we belong to them.

8 February 2006 Malaysia

Christmas and New Year’s Trip to Malaysia, February 2006

Expectation and Hope

On 7 February 2006, during the Christmas Trip to Malaysia, Sri Chinmoy commented on the following weightlifting prayer:

My Supreme, my Supreme, my Supreme!
I do not want to live anymore
In the expectation-world.
The expectation-world is
   Very, very painful.
My Supreme, my Supreme, my Supreme!⁹

Commentary:

There are two English words: expectation is one word, hope is another. Expectation is frustration. When you expect something, then inside your expectation, frustration looms large. Expectation is in the mind, the vital and the body, what you call the physical.

But hope is in the heart, hope is in the soul. The existence of hope inside the heart is very sweet and very pure. Hope is very pure, so you have to see the difference between expectation and hope. Hope is something very, very sweet inside the heart, inside the soul. When you hope, God may not fulfil your hope, but there is tremendous sweetness in the word hope. You can hope to become a great singer, dancer, musician – everything, but God has His own time. When there is hope, God fulfils that hope, either today, or tomorrow, or in ten years, or twenty years, because it is something inner and deeper.

But when we expect something, most of the time God keeps His big ears sealed so He does not hear. Then we suffer, so it is better to have hope. Remember there is a big difference between expectation and hope. Hope belongs to the divine inner world. Expectation is in the mental world, vital world, physical world. We suffer so much when we expect something from someone or from something. You should know the difference between hope and expectation.

7 February 2006 Malaysia

No End to Progress

I always say there is no end to our progress. Even God is making progress, which may sound unbelievable, but believe it from a God-realised soul. God is Infinity and Eternity, and all these are progressing, progressing. For the mind it is impossible to believe. There are things that the mind will not comprehend, only the heart will believe it and feel it as something absolutely true.

My Transcendental Picture has my highest Transcendental Consciousness. In this photograph I am one, absolutely one, eternally one, immortally one with the Absolute Highest Supreme. But again, over fifteen years ago, one day in my house there were about twenty or twenty-five disciples meditating with me. All of a sudden, this Transcendental Picture fell down. It was very nicely framed, and there was no wind – nothing. When it fell down, immediately I knew what had happened. I had transcended my Transcendental Consciousness in my meditation, so this Transcendental bowed to me, saying that you have surpassed me. This photograph is my highest, absolutely highest consciousness. This consciousness is always sleeplessly one with the consciousness of the Absolute Supreme. But there is no end to our progress. This Transcendental fell down at my feet because I went beyond it.

For you, I am telling you, there is no end, no end, no end to your progress. In the outer world there is an end. If you are five feet seven or eight, whatever height you have gained is enough. You cannot go higher. But in the inner world you can go higher. Inner progress has no limit. Outer progress has a limit. Success and progress are very limited in the outer world. Where success ends, progress also ends, and we descend. But in the inner world, if we keep our aspiration, meditation and realisation intact, then we are bound to make progress.

If I was able to go higher than my Transcendental Consciousness, I do not see why you people cannot make progress. Some people have been with us for over twenty years, thirty years and nearing forty years. I pray to God for them to continue making progress. There is no end to our Heavenly progress, Heavenly achievements, so please, please make progress, make progress, make progress.

In the outer life if you cannot make progress, what can you do? But in the inner world, every day there is abundant opportunity to make progress with our aspiration and dedication, and also to conquer jealousy and insecurity. Do not allow jealousy, insecurity and impurity to have a permanent abode inside your life. Please get rid of them, kick them out of your life, say “I do not need you, I do not need you.” Insecurity, jealousy, impurity and frustration, these undivine qualities should be kicked out of your system, and this has to be done on a regular basis.

7 February 2006 Malaysia

Transformation and Illumination

Question: Could you please speak about the transformation of the physical into light, as this concept is mentioned in Sri Aurobindo’s writings? I have not heard you talk about this.

Sri Chinmoy: This concept is mentioned in Sri Aurobindo’s and the Divine Mother’s books, especially the Mother’s books. The Mother spoke about physical transformation, the illumination of the body, all the time. That was the Mother’s prophecy. The Mother’s theory was that the whole body will eventually be completely illumined.

Sri Aurobindo used to speak of fully illumined supramental beings who would come from the higher plane, and then they would take human form. They would not need to eat and a bullet could pass through them and nothing would happen. At will, they could go from here to another place. When we use the term ‘supramental beings’, they are all illumined.

Then Sri Aurobindo brought that light when he left the body. For three days it lasted. The disciples and the Mother begged and begged him, but he did not want to stay because the earth-consciousness was not receptive enough. For three days you cannot imagine how powerful the glow was on Sri Aurobindo’s own face, on his chest, on his body. For three days the supramental light we spoke about was on Sri Aurobindo’s face, on his chest, on his whole body – not earthly light but divine Light. Then alas, the earth was not ready to receive it.

But I do not usually speak of the transformation of the body. It will take thousands and thousands of years, not hundreds, for the physical transformation. This concept is something absolutely true, but it is not going to take place in the near future or in the distant future. It will take a very, very long time. God knows by that time how many times you will have taken human incarnation!

In my case, the Supreme has promised me that I do not have to come back anymore. This will be my last incarnation. Repeatedly He has told me that I do not have to come back anymore. Outwardly and inwardly how much I suffer – every day problems are coming, people are sick, people are dying.

I always say that nobody is indispensable. If I die at this moment, the whole world will go on. But when you are on earth, some people, like me, have tremendous responsibility. That responsibility, God has not given to somebody else. It falls on spiritual Masters and others. Outer responsibility and Heavenly responsibility, as well, you have to fulfil. Some people have to bear the responsibility of thousands of people, while others have to take care of only them-selves. Even then they cannot manage it. Some individuals cannot take responsibility even for themselves.

For the physical transformation and illumination, God alone knows how many years it will take. I never talk about the physical illumination. I talk about the transformation of our nature. The transformation of our nature means, for example, if someone tells lies every day, then let him decrease in lying. If someone smokes every day, then he should decrease the number of times he smokes. Or if I do something wrong, I will try not to do it anymore. That is trans-formation of our nature.

The transformation and illumination of the physical body is much more difficult to attain and retain. On our path, we try to concentrate on our spiritual progress, the spiritual transformation of our nature. Even in that, we pray for God’s Grace to transform our nature.

8 February 2006 Malaysia

Visiting from Heaven

Sometimes it is very difficult for souls to come from Heaven to visit their relatives. When they come to visit a spiritual person, there is one road. When they want to visit ordinary people, there is another road. There are two roads. To visit a spiritual person, there is a very grand, wide road. When they come and visit their relatives, dear ones, the roads are not very illumined. Sometimes the roads are full of thorns.

Some spiritual Masters have given very vivid descriptions of the different roads. When souls come to ordinary people, the roads are so dark and dingy, with no light. When they come to a spiritual person, the road is very wide, clean, illumined. The road is beautiful, full of flowers and lights, but when they come to see ordinary people, there is a very small lane with stones and thorns. This is the difference. This is the main reason for the departed soul not to come to visit their relatives and dear ones. It is very difficult for them, very difficult. And going back is worse, even more difficult.

But again, if it is to visit a spiritual Master like me, they can come to me. My mother and others can come because they get a wide road. But when they have to visit some people who are not spiritually developed or advanced, there is another kind of road that is so dark. When people who are very, very undivine, let us say, want to see their relatives, it is very difficult, in spite of their best intentions.

Sometimes people can see their relatives in their dreams, but often their dreams are from the vital world. In the vital world you see your mother and father, but nothing is true. It is all from the vital world. It is all gratification, almost like mental hallucination.

One Indian spiritual Master gave a very vivid description of how difficult it is for ordinary people to come to visit their relatives and to go back, also. He was speaking about ordinary people upstairs visiting ordinary people downstairs.

Again, one spiritual Master told his wife that in six months he would die. His wife did not believe him at all and said, “You are just talking.” But on the last day of the six months the wife was crying: “Oh, you are fooling me,” this and that. The Master said, “I told you six months ago but you did not believe me.” The wife said, “Then how can I live without you?” The Master told her, “You are so undeveloped that for you it would be difficult to visit me, but for me it will not be difficult to visit you.”

Then the spiritual Master asked his wife to keep a blanket that he had used in one corner of the room where he stayed. He said, “I will come every night and sit on the blanket and talk to you. Keep the blanket there, no matter how unclean and untidy it becomes, and do not wash it.” At first his wife did not have faith and did not believe him, but afterwards she surrendered. Then she had such wonderful experiences.

One day the grandson of the spiritual Master came and inadvertently kicked the blanket of his grandfather. The wife was horrified and started crying, “What have you done, what have you done?” The grandson said, “What? This is dirty, filthy. I want to wash it.” The wife said, “No, your grandfather told me that this one should not be touched by anybody, but I forgot to tell you.” The boy felt miserable for what he had unconsciously done.

Every night the spiritual Master would come and speak to his wife about earthly things, not Heavenly things – what is happening, who is quarreling, earthly gossip. I think he did this for one year. Then he said, “I cannot come anymore. I do not want to hear earthly gossip anymore.” And then the spiritual Master stopped coming.

13 February 2006 Malaysia

The Temple and the Shrine

For us, the physical and the spiritual go together. If you want to manifest God’s Light on earth, then the physical is of paramount importance. We need both the temple and the shrine. The spiritual life, inner life, is the shrine, and the temple is the body. Inside the body is the heart and the spirit. In our philosophy the physical and the spiritual must go together to do God’s work here on earth.

18 February 2006 Malaysia

The Concept of Freedom

People cry for freedom, freedom, freedom. For those who are true seekers, our prayer to God is just the opposite. We pray to God not to give us freedom because we may misuse it and ruin our spiritual life. We may destroy our life. Our philosophy is this: “God, if you really love me, then do not give me freedom. Only Your Will I want to execute. I want to fulfil You in Your own Way.”

This is our philosophy. We pray to God, “Do not give us freedom. If You give us freedom, then we may misuse the freedom and ruin our spiritual life.”

We have a special song where we pray to God not to give us freedom. The song says to God that if You really love me, then do not give me freedom. I want only to abide by Your Will, by Your Will.¹⁰

18 February 2006 Malaysia

Not Judged by Numbers of Disciples

There are many who have not achieved my spiritual height, but they have many more disciples than I have. They have 20,000, 30,000 or one million disciples, but they have not realised God. Some of the disciples of those Masters are more spiritually advanced than the Master himself. Years ago many so-called Masters came to America to get millions of disciples, but I am a little bit higher than some of them were.

Masters cannot be judged by the number of disciples. The Christ was a spiritual Master. How many disciples did he have? Sri Ramakrishna was a spiritual Master. How many disciples did he have? Some had 12, some had 16, some you could count on your fingertips.

18 February 2006 Malaysia

Himalayan Austerity

Some souls are totally ready for our path. Their hearts are ready, but their minds and vitals are in their own world. Their minds want austerity. If they find a Master in the Himalayan caves, eating only fruits, perhaps they will accept him. Their minds are fixed, that the Master has to be always on the top of the Himalayas. Then their minds will be able to accept the Master. But actually, I have gone through those types of austerities. I do not need them anymore.

Again, if the Master is on the top of the Himalayas, some seekers’ minds may say, “What are you doing? Are you doing anything for the world?” Who will answer that question? No matter what the Master does is wrong for some seekers.

Again, some disciples say, “Whatever the Master wants to do, we shall follow him.” You people are like this. Now my leg is getting massaged. Is there any disciple who is thinking, “Oh Master, you are so bad. You are in the comfort world.” No, they are sympathising with me that my leg muscles badly need a massage.

Disciples will take it one way, and another person, a newcomer, may say, “Oh, he only wants comfort.” I cannot change my way of life because some seekers want to have a Master who is in the Himalayan caves and perhaps lives only on fruits. I cannot do that here. Sometimes the seekers’ hearts and souls do not believe in austerity, but their minds, which are deception incarnate, will say, “Oh, he has to be at the top of the Himalayas all the time.”

Then if those seekers in this lifetime find a Master in the Himalayan caves, after some time the same mind will say, “If you really love God, do you not want to work for God? Then why are you spending your time in the Himalayan caves?” Then the seeker may have another struggle. The mind will take him to the Himalayas, and the same mind will again bring him back again. The judgmental mind can be like that.

Our minds must be flexible enough so that we can learn and unlearn. Both are necessary for our progress in the spiritual life. We must keep our minds young and flexible.

20 February 2006 Malaysia

Piano: Peace inside Power

When I perform, when I play on the piano, the Supreme in me creates many worlds – small worlds, big worlds, beautiful worlds, powerful worlds, soulful worlds. Inside these worlds, while I am playing, I clearly see mountains, trees, rivers, oceans, paddy fields – everything in those worlds. After about 10 seconds or not even 10 seconds, a new world comes. God knows how many worlds are created, created not by me, but by the Supreme in and through me. Sometimes in 5 seconds, 10 seconds or 15 seconds a new world comes, and each new world is beautiful, full of beauty and power.

It is like my painting. When I paint quickly, the worlds are also being created quickly and new worlds come. Then what happens at the very end of my piano performance, when I am about to end, I see all the worlds on the piano that have been created. While I am playing powerfully, I am not thinking of these worlds. Only the Supreme wants to show me that inside the power of the music is tremendous peace. People may think I am striking the keys powerfully with exhilaration, with no rhyme or reason. But inside the spontaneous loud sound, I clearly see peace, peace, peace. The audience may feel it is powerful and dynamic, but inside that sound my mind sees peace.

You can call it rhythmic or arhythmic, but there is peace inside the sound. I hope that you can feel the peace inside the sound. Outwardly the music can be dynamic and active, but inside I see peace, peace, peace. The music makes a change in the consciousness of the listener. After the exhilaration of energy, there comes a more pronounced peace, a palpable peace. The music listener is a participant in this creative experience of sound and silence, in the experience of music. Music can be used as a tool to change one’s consciousness.

20 February 2006 Malaysia

Piano Blessings

During the concert, a spiritual Master of the highest order was standing behind the piano facing me, with a huge garland of white roses. As soon as I reached the piano, that particular person blessed me with such affection, love and compassion. After I was performing for three or four minutes, I saw the same person standing behind me with boundless compassion. His utterance was that I should give up all other instruments, and I should only play this instrument and become world famous. Do not play any other instrument, only play this instrument. This was the comment of the spiritual figure.

20 February 2006 Malaysia

Pujaloy: The Most Sacred Place

Please come to see this painting that I have dedicated to Pujaloy so that you will be inspired to visit in the future. I want to inspire you so that you go to visit Pujaloy. After one hundred or two hundred years, every day thousands of seekers will go there. In the painting, the big bird is Sri Chinmoy, and the little birds are all the disciples. I am inspiring you so that you will come either once a week or on alternate weeks, or if that is too difficult, then once a month.

If you go once a week, it is very good. If you go on alternate weeks, it is good, and if you go once a month, it is fair. And if you cannot come once a month, then you are your own disciple. You are both the Master and the disciple.

The seed is sown. Now it has to become a plant with the aspiration to become a huge tree. When it becomes a huge tree, then that will be the life-giving peace, peace to the whole world. It is for you to take care of this plant so that it becomes a huge tree.

20 February 2006 Malaysia

This is my very serious statement. I wish those who live in Germany to visit Pujaloy once or twice a month. If you live very far, please come once a month, and if the distance is three or four hours away, please come twice a month.

Pujaloy will one day prove to be the greatest, most sacred place. Then Germany can really be proud of it. For that, the aspiration of all German disciples is needed. Some Centre members come every week. I understand that even some disciples from the Czech Republic and Slovakia have been coming quite often, even though it takes them twelve hours to come, and twelve hours to go. This is their love for me. This is their sympathetic oneness. I have visited Pujaloy, and so much of my meditation, so much of my divinity I have poured into that temple. And disciples from Austria, Hun-gary and other countries can also come to visit Pujaloy, just like people from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

13 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

In a few years, 20 or 30 or 40 years, thousands and thousands of people will flock to Pujaloy, not only from Germany but from other places. It will be a most significant temple and shrine, a most significant temple and shrine. All those who are my disciples who come regularly are the pioneers, so please come.

24 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Visit to Japan, July 2006

Concert on Mount Fuji

On my way up Mount Fuji for the Peace Concert, the soul of Mount Fuji was kind enough to appear three times. It was very, very beautiful, very beautiful. This was on the way to the concert.

During the concert, at one point I was in my highest, very highest meditation. Six monks came with folded hands, bowing and bowing and saying how grateful they were. None of the monks are alive; they are all in Heaven. They were very nice looking and stout. Previously those monks presided over Mount Fuji. They saw my spiritual status, and afterwards one by one they came up and were showing me tremendous love, respect and gratitude.

11 July 2006 Japan

Kamakura Buddha Peace Concert Experiences

Question: I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but it seems that the face of the Kamakura Buddha is changing over the years, even from when we saw it last time.

Sri Chinmoy: I think it is your own consciousness that reflects this. The Buddha is the same. In the morning if you see Lord Buddha, he will appear in one way. At noon if you go, you will have another experience, meaning that you will see him in a totally different way. Then in the evening again you will see him differently. As many times as you go, you can have new experiences. The Buddha remains in his own most sublime consciousness.

This time I had five or six experiences at the Kamakura Buddha. These are my own experiences. But it is the same Buddha. I am extremely fond of him; he is extremely fond of me.

The first message was on the first day, when I stood and folded my hands and then sat down and meditated. I had a most sublime meditation. The Lord Buddha said to me that I shall have to wait only for 100 years. Then my statues will be all over the world. Previously he used to say this would happen in 200 years. Now he has gone down to 100. So you people will be able to see, if you live for 100 more years.

During my Peace Concert, I saw Sri Aurobindo three or four times, and I saw the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Divine Mother six times. While I was singing, I saw her picture on the right side of Lord Buddha. She showed me the exact place where she and Rabindranath Tagore were standing when they visited the Kamakura Buddha. In the Ashram I had the picture of them at the Kamakura Buddha that Mahatapa’s great uncle had given me.

Then while I was singing, it was very hot. I saw clearly on my right side that the Ashram Mother was fanning me with a most simple Japanese fan with such affection and concern. Then I saw Sri Aurobindo behind me, watching very intensely, very lovingly and proudly, while I was singing my song dedicated to the Mother, “Janani Mirar,” and my Sri Aurobindo song. When the singing was over, I saw clearly they were going away.

Then I started playing, and I saw the Mother and Sri Aurobindo as old and mature. At the same time, on my right side, I saw that Lord Buddha had taken the form of a little boy. Lord Buddha’s highest transcendental statue was there, and I also saw Lord Buddha as a young boy, around 10 or 11 years old. I said, “What are you doing?” He said, “You are such a great Avatar, and here people come from all over the world to offer their homage to the statue.”

Behind me the Kamakura Buddha statue was in the highest trance. I saw clearly that the same Lord Buddha was on my right side, taking the form of a very cute little boy. I was begging him, “You are my guest, I am your host. Please sit on the chair that I am going to use for my harmonium.” But he would not sit on the chair.

Then I asked, “Why are you taking this form?” He answered, “I am tired of my highest height. I want to be in a childlike consciousness. Now you are in your highest, creating all joy and enjoyment, so I am taking the form of a child.”

And then, when I started playing louder-than-the-loudest, I saw the little Buddha had disappeared. And who came? The big statue, which is in the most sublime trance and beyond trance. What was the statue doing? The statue was pressing my shoulder so affectionately, so powerfully, while I was playing. This was not the little Buddha who was there earlier, but the real Kamakura Buddha, the statue, pressing my shoulder.

These are a hundred per cent my experiences. If you do not believe these stories, I do not lose anything. But when I believe them and I get joy, what else do I need in the world? If something gives me joy, and even if you say it is my imagination or mental hallucination, I will not mind, because I have received joy from these experiences.

My experiences are not thwarted by doubt or self-doubt. Even if you say it is hallucination, doubt is not entering into my experiences. Since doubt was not attacking me, I was enjoying them very nicely. If doubt attacks, then there is conflict. Doubt is telling one thing, and my experience is telling me something totally different.

But while I was experiencing this, there was no doubt-interference. If you people have a high experience, immediately you may say, “Oh, how can it be? This morning I told millions of lies.” Doubt will enter. In my case when I see something, at that time I take it as such a powerful reality that doubt does not dare to intervene.

11 July 2006 Japan

Lord Buddha’s Jharna-Kala Appreciation

In the morning, the first time when I went to the Jharna-Kala exhibit near the Kamakura Buddha, twice Ranjana and I were passing from one end of the exhibit to another. I saw very clearly that the Lord Buddha was two or three steps ahead of us. All the paintings I liked, but some five or six or even more paintings he enjoyed the most. Tomorrow morning when I go there, I shall point out those that he liked. According to me, the ones that he chose are simpler-than-the-simplest, but they are beautiful.

11 July 2006 Japan

The Greatest Man on Earth

For many years I was told that in Sri Aurobindo’s room there was only one picture, that of Lord Buddha. Swami Vivekananda and others have said: “Lord Buddha was the greatest man that ever lived on earth.” In the Ashram also I had very, very high experiences with Lord Buddha.

Many foreigners appreciate, admire and adore Lord Buddha. Unfortunately, sometimes the Japanese consciousness does not value the Lord Buddha. They have their own gods. Over the years, Burma or Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other places have built hundreds and hundreds of Lord Buddha statues.

The last time we were in Myanmar, they wanted to build a statue larger and taller than the Kamakura Buddha. It was then under construction, and they were hoping for donations to build the statue. Many came to see the statue under construction and offered donations there, and I put a very large amount since it was for a very good cause, for Lord Buddha.

11 July 2006 Japan

Faith in Acupuncture

If you have faith in acupuncture, you can try it. But the treatment I received today is not the same as the acupuncture treatment I got many years ago. At that time, it was very, very painful. Today it absolutely did not hurt at all. This kind of treatment I can take every day – there was no pain. If you want to take this kind of acupuncture treatment, I will have no objection. Today, I enjoyed it.

Question: Is there a difference for the subtle nerves between this kind of acupuncture and the other kind that you had?

Sri Chinmoy: In my case, my inner body and my subtle nerves are a little bit different from yours. Many things may not be good for the disciples. But for me, I am a little bit higher spiritually, so they do not affect me.

15 July 2006 Japan

Visit to Seattle, October 2006

The True Miracle: Raising Human Consciousness

If you want to read the volumes of miracle stories collected from my disciples, there you will find miracle after miracle.⁴⁸ You will see many, many miracles. But sometimes you may believe in the miracles that took place 2,000 years ago, and not believe in the present-day miracles.

The most difficult miracle, most powerful miracle, I tell you, is the miracle of raising one’s consciousness. No other miracle can be compared to the raising of human consciousness. And if you meditate with me, if you are in a high consciousness, and if I also am in a high consciousness, I will raise your consciousness. You will see the difference between your higher consciousness and your lower consciousness. There is a yawning gulf between your own higher consciousness and lower consciousness.

When you meditate with me or on my Transcendental Picture, when you raise your consciousness, that is the most difficult miracle in your life. You may say, “Oh, it is so easy.” But try to keep your consciousness high, very high even for an hour – not to speak of one day. For one hour try to keep your consciousness higher than the highest. You know your own highest consciousness. If you can raise your consciousness and keep it high for only an hour, then I will be so proud, extremely proud of you. That is a great, very high miracle in your life, and in my life as well.

Try to raise your consciousness high, higher, according to your capacity, according to your receptivity, and maintain it even for an hour – not for a day, not for a week or a month, but for one hour. Then if you can keep your most sublime consciousness, even for an hour, I will call it the miracle of miracles. Your consciousness is the real miracle. To raise your consciousness and keep it high, very high, that is an infinitely more powerful miracle than some of the other miracles that you may hear of.

In your own life what do you want? Only to keep your consciousness high, higher, highest so that you can commune with God directly.

I know how difficult it is to raise one’s consciousness. A trance is simply higher than the highest consciousness. When you have raised your consciousness considerably high, and if you happen to enter into the Universal Consciousness for a fleeting moment, the joy and bliss you will get are simply unimaginable. The ‘Universal Consciousness’ – these are not mere English words. If you have a glimpse of the Universal Consciousness, you will not need anything else either from earth or from Heaven.

20 October 2006 Seattle

Savitri’s Soul

Many of you know the story about Savitri’s soul. Once during a very short race in Flushing Meadows Park, she was not even running, she was walking, and she fell down and fainted. O God, it was so serious. They wanted to take her to the hospital immediately. I believe in the existence of the soul. Alas, her soul left the body. There was a nearby tree, and I saw that the soul had not completely disappeared, and it was on the topmost branch. I think I have a little more power than her soul. Then I compelled the soul to enter back into the body.

She was 20 metres away from me when she fell, and then the soul was ready to go. Luckily, it was a very short time, and the soul did not fly away. It was there watching from the topmost branch of the tree, and it came back into the body. She lived for many, many years afterwards.

I used to run by that particular tree, where her soul had been, when I ran in Flushing Meadows Park. I used to run around and around the course. Each time I would pass by, although Savitri’s soul was inside her body, I used to see her soul when I was coming near the tree. When I was nearing the place, 5 metres or 10 metres away, immediately I would see her soul there.

If the soul leaves the body, it can remain for 11 hours outside the body. After that, if the soul does not come back, what can you do? Most spiritual Masters will agree that the maximum is 11 hours.

After 11 hours the soul cannot come back. In one second the soul can go to the Himalayas or some other place; that is the speed of the soul. In a second, farther than the farthest the soul can go. I used to go out running two or three times a week in the afternoon. I would run by that tree and see the soul. These stories give me joy. See how far, how fast my imagination can fly. I get tremendous joy from my imagination.

20 October 2006 Seattle

Christmas and New Year’s Trip to Thailand, February 2007

Let Your Life Be God’s Victory

Life is a battle. When you are in the battlefield, you can either win the battle for God or you can surrender to the ignorance of mankind. Please try to win your battle for God, for the Supreme. If you win for God, then you are the real hero. But if you surrender to mankind’s ignorance, then you are the real loser.

Some of you were lucky in that your parents brought you to the spiritual life. Some did not get that kind of support from their friends and relatives. Please do not surrender to ignorance. God’s Victory is the only victory that your heart needs, that your soul needs, that your life needs. Let your life be God’s Victory.

8 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Faith in the Master

Either three days or four days or five days before Sri Ramakrishna left his earthly body, he expressed a desire. Perhaps you could say that it was all an examination, a test. He wanted to have one particular fruit called amalaki that was out of season. There were many of his disciples who did not try to find it for him because it was out of season, thinking how could you get it? Swami Vivekananda was one of those. He did not try because it was out of season.

But since the request came from his Master, from Sri Ramakrishna’s mouth, Nag Mahashay went from village to village, and finally he found one. God knows how many tried, but Nag Mahashay was successful. This was his faith in his Master. Once the request came from his Master’s mouth, he went to find the fruit. When Nag Mahashay was standing in front of his Master after giving him the fruit, Sri Ramakrishna said, “This is called faith in the Master.”

In my case, this kind of thing has happened quite a few times. At nine o’clock at night I will ask for something. Even though it seems too late, my disciples go and find it. Once a disciple was driving me somewhere to find a violin, but it was so late, we were not finding a store open with musical instruments. Can you imagine? We went into an exercise store that had exercise machines, and a violin was hanging up in the store. Somebody had given it to the owner to sell. Believe it or not, we bought a violin at an exercise store. This is called faith in the Master. Sometimes when the Master requests something, it is there somewhere, somewhere, somewhere.

A few days before his earth departure to Heaven, Sri Ramakrishna wanted to examine his disciples. Otherwise, why was he hungering for amalaki? Nag Mahashay always went to the extreme. They used to serve food on a plantain leaf. Everybody would eat the food from the plantain leaf, but Nag Mahashay went to the extreme and he used to eat the plantain leaf as well since it was blessed by the Master. Everybody would laugh when he ate the plantain leaf. This is his story.

After Sri Ramakrishna’s earth departure, Nag Mahashay would not eat or drink anything, not even water, for days, so everybody was worried. Then his fellow disciples came and said, “It is a great sin if you do not feed the guests. A guest is God. You have to show your hospitality to the guests.” So Nag Mahashay went out and bought things from the grocer because it was a great sin not to feed and show hospitality to the guests. He cooked and served his fellow disciples. Then Swami Vivekananda said, “I am not going to leave until you eat.” Nag Mahashay had to eat at Swami Vivekananda’s request. Nag Mahashay was a great soul, a great soul.

8 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Prayers in Many Languages

One day my prayers and aphorisms will be really appreciated and admired by the whole world. Here there are at least 40 different nationalities. Some very nice prayers and aphorisms you can translate into your own languages if you really care for Sri Chinmoy’s path. It is absolutely necessary to translate my writings into your different languages. If you want to spread Sri Chinmoy’s light, translation is of paramount importance. I am sure there are some qualified disciples who can translate my writings into their own languages. I will be very, very happy if you can do so.

Already we have five hundred books translated into Russian. Russians have done a splendid job. And there are hundreds translated into German, French, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Portuguese, Norwegian, Icelandic, Sanskrit, Persian, Hindi and other languages. Hindi is our main language in India, and for the Hindi translation, we have to thank our dear friend Dr. Jayaraman.

Sri Aurobindo always used to publish a political magazine, even when he entered into the serious spiritual life in Pondicherry. Swami Vivekananda used to tell his disciples all the time to bring out a newspaper or some publication. We have television, radio and other things, but I am begging you also to translate your Guru’s writings as much as you can.

9 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Blessings from the Saviour

Sri Chinmoy made the following comment after Kamalakanta asked him if he had helped Kamalakanta’s father after he passed away.

I helped your father quite a few times. When he was in Puerto Rico, I was in New York. In my house I used to make inquiries about your father. I went four or five times in the inner world to be of service to him, and then I helped him immensely, immensely. I have served your father’s soul, to be closer to and to receive blessings, real blessings, from the Saviour Christ.

The Saviour Christ and I are two real brothers. The Saviour Christ, the Lord Buddha and other spiritual Masters are my real brothers. I am extremely fond of them, they are extremely fond of me. Only because I came centuries later, and they came centuries before, they sometimes offer me advice. As they appreciate me, admire me, regarding my work on earth, even so they offer me advice.

For three consecutive days, Lord Buddha came to appreciate me, admire me, and say how much he loved me, and then he started offering me advice.

Again, the other day when I was lifting the monks, the same Lord Buddha came. His disciples, the monks, have renounced everything. I can say my disciples have nothing to renounce. If you have something, then you can renounce it. But we have surrendered to God’s Will, so we have nothing to renounce. We have surrendered to God’s Will, so automatically all our possessions, inner and outer, belong to God. So, what do we have to sacrifice to God, what do we have to renounce?

10 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

A Father’s Gratitude

The story about Kamalakanta’s father reminds me of Sphulinga’s father. He was the Chief Editor of Time magazine. His father came to see me. The very first thing he said was, “Sri Chinmoy, I am so grateful to you. You have brought back my son to me. For years and years, we lived in two worlds. He never, never listened to me, never listened, but now that he has joined you, he comes regularly to my place, and we have established such harmony. So grateful to you that you have brought my son back to me.”

I will never forget our first conversation. He has come so many times to our art exhibits, and he likes my bird drawings.

10 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Be Careful What You Pray For

We should be very, very careful with our prayers. You know that famous story about someone who sat at the foot of the desire-fulfilling tree that would give you anything that you wished for. Finally, a desire-tiger came and devoured him.

This is a story about the fulfilment of our prayers. A very great Indian political leader had developed properties in another country, and his son was taking care of his properties. The time came for his son to get married. This political leader had an assistant who was extremely dear to the leader and the leader also was very fond of him. This assistant had a daughter who was quite beautiful, but unfortunately, she was stone deaf. Nobody wanted to marry a deaf girl, so her father was miserable. This political leader said to his assistant, “Do not worry, I’ll definitely take care of your daughter.”

He wrote a letter to his son: “Son, the time has come for you to get married. I have seen many, many girls who could be your wife, but one particular girl is so beautiful, with so many divine qualities. I would like you to marry her.” The son said he would definitely marry her. In those days parents or the relatives made the match. It was not like it is in the modern culture where they live together for years and then decide.

Then the political leader said, “She has only one slight defect. She is a little bit hard of hearing, but she has so many good qualities.” The son said, “Who cares if she is a little bit hard of hearing? Whomever you choose, I have such faith in you, father.”

O God, the son came back home to marry the girl. To his widest shock his wife was totally deaf. But he had promised his father, and he wanted to please his father. The wife was deaf, but her eyes were in good condition. For years and years, she was seeing that family members were quarreling and fighting, but she could not hear anything that was going on. She could only see their gestures: one is going to beat up the other, that kind of thing. They were screaming, but she did not hear anything.

Then after about ten years she prayed to God, “O God, I am now quite old. Please bless me with hearing. I have very few more years that I shall live on earth. Please give me my hearing back.” God was very kind, and God gave back her hearing. Alas, the moment she got back her hearing, she could hear everything, how her family members were quarreling, fighting and ready to kill each other. Then she said, “O my God, I have to hear all this!” Then she started praying to God to turn her deaf again, but God was not listening to her prayer. She lived seven or eight years longer, suffering like anything. She did not want to hear quarreling and fighting.

So you have to be careful. When she prayed the first time, God listened to her prayer. The second time, unfortunately, God did not listen to her prayer, so she suffered for seven or eight years. She had to hear everything that was going on – the fighting, quarreling, everything. This is one hundred per cent an authentic story.

This kind of thing happens quite often. Sometimes the parents’ friends beg and beg the parents, but their daughter is illiterate or has other problems. Out of compassion one party agrees, and the husband suffers, or vice versa. Boys also can be a problem. Indian families are very clever. They want to add good qualities for the daughter. They bring tutors to teach their daughters how to sing a few songs. Some girls are not at all talented, but the tutors drill and drill them. They learn two songs.

After being tutored for months, they know two songs. The parents say, “Oh, my daughter can sing so well. She knows so many songs.” Then from the bridegroom’s side the parents and the groom come and see. They hear one song, and they are so satisfied. After they get married, alas, that is the only song the bride can sing.

11 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Blessings from the Lord Buddha

This morning during the video showing me lifting the monks, Lord Buddha came to chat with me. When the video showed me composing the song, he was standing right behind me, on my right side. When I was lifting the little ones, he entered into trance, a very serious trance. The monks were about eight, ten or twelve years old. He was blessing them with his utmost love, joy and pride.

While I was cycling here on the stationary bike, again I saw the Lord Buddha. First, he was on top of the window. Then he came down and sat where there was more room.

If you do not believe it, I do not lose anything. One spiritual Master in India sat under a tree, facing the river Narmada. Some people questioned him regarding his God-realisation. He said, “I sat on the bank of the river Narmada, at the foot of a particular tree. If you do not believe in my God-realisation, you will all go to hell.”

I do not say that. I say if you do not believe me, I do not lose anything.

11 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Mushrooming Cancer Cases

Now it is the second week of February. Since the last week of December, I have been blessed with eight cancer patients – one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Some are very advanced cases, perhaps even terminal – I do not know. Previously, I was asked to offer prayers for one cancer case every ten years. Then it became one a year. Last year it was three or four. This year, since the beginning of the year, I have been asked to offer prayers for eight cases. How can these cancer cases mushroom? In some cases, the patients are very dear to me.

Some doctors are acting out of concern and are sincerely trying to cure the patient. Again, some doctors are not trustworthy. With one patient, one doctor unnecessarily operated on two parts of the body where there was nothing, just to make money. That is the problem. Some doctors are excellent, with sincere concern. But when you have a doctor with a roguish nature, what can you do? Then I say to let me take the responsibility. At that time, it is better to be in the hands of the Guru than in the hands of the doctor.

In one case the patient felt they had the capacity to walk, but the doctors would not let them out of bed. After four or five days, I told the disciple, “Just walk. Let us see.” The patient wrote down how many times they had walked. In four sessions in the hospital they covered a mile, and they let the doctor know.

Sometimes we have to use our common sense. Doctors are essential. Some doctors are so kind-hearted. They take each patient as a member of their own family. But some doctors only want one thing: operation. Our mantra is “God, God, God.” Their mantra is “operation, operation, operation.”

12 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Reconciliation in Heaven

Some parents of disciples become so devoted to me in the soul’s world after they leave the earth – in two days or in two months or six months. With one parent, a day and a half after they entered the soul’s world, they recognised my height. One father has become so devoted. In many cases parents become my real devotees and disciples.

Heaven is a place where reconciliation can take place. Earth is very painful, very painful. Nothing is permanent on earth – nothing, nothing, nothing. Today someone will be our dearest friend. We turn around, and the dearest one becomes our worst enemy. Again, someone enjoyed hostility towards us for many, many years. Then all of a sudden something happens, and that person becomes our very, very close friend, self-giving friend. The world has another name: uncertainty.

This world is uncertainty in the normal earthly consciousness, but it is predestined in the highest world that this game will take place. The enemy becomes a friend, the friend becomes an enemy. It is all pre-destined.

When Lord Buddha’s worst enemy died, the Buddha’s disciples asked, “Where will that fellow go? He was your worst enemy.” The Buddha said, “He will go to the highest Heaven.” His disciples asked, “How can he? He was so bad, so bad.” Lord Buddha answered, “He only thought of me, only thought of me. My name was all the time on his mind. He was always criticising and insulting me, and thinking how he could humiliate me.”

Lord Buddha said his worst enemy would go very high because the enemy was all the time thinking of him.

13 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Joy Days

I am so happy when there are big Joy Days, and many, many disciples come – 400, 500, 600, 700. I am extremely proud of them. As for those who do not come, they are their own disciples. Again, for Oneness-Dream-Boat-Shore Joy Days, they get nine hundred, one thousand or more. The Centres are not near each other; they are very, very far apart, but when they hold Joy Days, hundreds and hundreds of people come. Is this not the height of their love for me? I get tremendous joy when Centres meet together.

Again, some countries like England and France, France and England, very often meet. Quite a few disciples come from England and other places to France, and vice versa. I cannot expect New Zealand to come to Australia. I know even the Australian Centres are quite far apart. But at least once a year they can meet together.

No matter how sincerely and self-givingly I try to have harmony in some Centres, I sometimes fail. What can I do? It is my fate. Again, there are some Centres which do unimaginably well. I am so proud of those Centres, so proud. God has given me experiences that break my heart, and again, God has given me some experiences that make my heart so happy.

13 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Experiences with Lord Buddha

Lord Buddha is very, very kind to us. Here in Thailand he has come to me at least seven or eight times, including during the Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart ceremony. I was lifting here, and I saw Lord Buddha.

He also came when we visited the Kamakura Buddha in Japan. Again, we have visited many statues and had experiences of Lord Buddha in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, China and other places.

In most countries we visit, the soul of the country comes to see us, and I also honour the soul of the country.

14 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Emperor Ashoka Spreads Lord Buddha’s Message

The mind does not conquer the world. The heart does. Our disciple Ashok is the proof. His heart does everything, not his mind. God does not know where his mind is. But God knows and we know where his heart is all the time – inside his Guru’s heart.

There was a king, an emperor, named Ashoka the Great. He was a mighty ruler. There was a battle between Ashoka the Great and a feudal state named Kalinga. Many were killed, so people used to say that Ashoka was very unkind, cruel and undivine. When Ashoka saw that thousands and thousands had been killed, his heart changed. He said, “I cannot do that anymore, I cannot.”

Then he became a great follower of the Lord Buddha. His name became only forgiveness. Most of the time his justice became forgiveness. And Ashoka sent messengers to various parts of the world to spread the message of the Lord Buddha. The message of nonviolence started with Lord Buddha. As an emperor, Ashoka had waged war, and then he became a follower of Lord Buddha. He sent messengers with the message of Lord Buddha to so many countries.

15 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Books and Spiritual Practice

In some Indian almanacs it is predicted when it is going to rain. Then the day comes when it is supposed to rain, and there is no rain. Even if you squeeze the book that says there will be rain, alas, you do not get even one drop of water.

Many people love to read about occult power and the Kundalini. If you are eager to get occult power, even if you squeeze all the books on Kundalini and occult power, occult power does not come. Books can guide you, but the book cannot meditate for you – that you have to know. The book can tell you that you have to do yoga, but the book cannot practise yoga for you. You have to do it.

Parents can tell their children to go to school. But if they do not go to school, are they going to learn anything? The parents have done their duty by telling the children to go to school. In exactly the same way, you have to read and read spiritual books and then practise what you read.

There is a story about one fellow reading the Bhagavad Gita who was shedding tears. A pandit came by and said to him, “Ah, I think you are finding it difficult to understand.” The scholar wanted to explain the philosophy, but the poor fellow said, “No, no, I am shedding tears because while I am reading, I am seeing Sri Krishna right in front of me in his chariot. So I am moved to tears.”

The scholar thought that the poor fellow did not know Sanskrit well, so he was coming to explain the Bhagavad Gita. The scholar was not seeing Lord Krishna, but the devotee was shedding tears because he was seeing him.

16 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Expediting God’s Hour

With my students and disciples, with people whom I love, I will correct them if I need to. With others, God will take care of them. With people whom I love, God tells me that I have to take care of them, and others will have their own time. They have to wait for God’s choice Hour. In our case, we try to expedite God’s Hour. When I correct people, I try desperately to expedite God’s Hour. For others that I do not correct, God is there at His choice Hour. That can take centuries and centuries. That is the difference.

16 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

One Incarnation to Another

One very great spiritual seeker who was Sri Ramakrishna’s disciple did not realise God at that time. In one incarnation one can be a very great seeker. If God wants that person to continue and continue, then definitely he will realise God. But sometimes it happens that one can be a great seeker in one incarnation, but in the next incarnation the seeker may be tempted by desires. From where to where? He may try to become a doctor or a scientist, or some other profession.

There is one story about a seeker who did realise God, but there are degrees of God-realisation. Then he said, “Oh, if I become a scientist, if I can discover something, then millions of people will get the benefit. I have realised God, but now let me become a scientist.” He gave up striving for a higher degree of God-realisation at the age of fifty. He went to college and university to get his degree in science so that he could be of great help to others.

It is all God’s Grace. God decides. In this incarnation you may be a great seeker. In the next incarnation, if your soul does not want or God does not want, you may end up being an engineer or a photographer. It is not a direct line.

There is the tree trunk, and all of a sudden there will be branches on one side. If you go to that side, then God knows how many incarnations you will have before you again take to the spiritual life. Or it may happen that in one incarnation you follow one profession, and in the next incarnation you continue the spiritual life.

17 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Guidance for Reprinting Books

It is my humble request that when you reprint my books, if they are translated and printed in any language, the cover has to be exactly the same as the original book. If there are any birds or other artwork, please use that same design, because I have taken the time to choose everything. You can easily get the exact artwork from The Manifestation-Glow. In the future, in any language if you print my books, the cover has to be the same. Inside, you can modify the design, but the cover has to be exactly the same. If there are birds, use the same birds. If there are my pictures or scenery, please use the same ones. To all those who translate and print my books, I am asking that the cover be exactly the same. The size of the book can be different, but the cover will be the same. If it is difficult to get the original cover artwork for older books, please let me know and I will choose a new design.

18 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Mahabharata Movie Versions

Question: The Mahabharata series that we are watching in the evening is a different version from the one we have seen before. Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel that these actresses and actors do not carry the consciousness as well as the ones that we watched a couple of years ago.

Sri Chinmoy: You are 100 per cent – not 99 per cent, but 100 per cent – right. This version is inferior to the previous one. The one we saw in New York is twice as long as this one. In this version some of the actors portraying bad people or impossible rogues are doing well. Otherwise, there is no comparison with the actors portraying Lord Krishna, Arjuna, Draupadi and others.

Question: While we are talking about the Mahabharata, it said that Ashwatthama was cursed to walk the earth for thousands of years. So, would he still be around now? Or when they say thousands of years, is it just for a couple of hundred years and then it finishes?

Sri Chinmoy: That curse did not last for hundreds of years. He died and then his earthly role was over. It is only that when someone killed someone, someone else said that for thousands of years he would be cursed to walk this earth, and death would not take him to hell. Now God knows where hell is.

So these curses often have no value, no value.

18 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Advice for Losing Weight

Question: Do you have any advice for people who are trying to lose weight?

Sri Chinmoy: One way will be to drink at least five glasses of water a day. I used to take seven or eight glasses, but five glasses would be right for some of the girls. The second way is to smell a flower. It does not have to be a rose, but take any flower that you like. While smelling the flower, imagine that the fragrance of the flower is entering into your system, your stomach, and purifying your system. I have not practised this, but I feel that it can help. The fragrance of the flower purifies, and when there is purity, desire is fulfilled. Your desire is to lose weight, so if purity enters into your system, then you are bound to lose weight. I have not practised this, but I am telling you about this because it is my own feeling.

The other advice is practical, to drink five glasses of water every day. And the second way you can try with any flower that has fragrance. In your case, you do not have to lose weight; you are perfect, perfect. Only walk and run every day.

18 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Advice for Breathing

Question: From the spiritual point of view, is it better to breathe through your nose or through your mouth? Does it matter?

Sri Chinmoy: Absolutely it matters. There is such a difference. It is absurd to breathe through the mouth, unless it is absolutely necessary. The mouth God gave to eat. The nose He gave to breathe in and out, so why do you have to use another organ? Use the mouth only if it is an emergency and you cannot breathe through your nose. Sometimes you are running fast, and you cannot take in enough oxygen through the nose, so at that time you can breathe through your mouth. Otherwise, always breathe through the nose.

Then if one nostril is not working, try always to open up that one. If you see that you are having trouble with both nostrils, early in the morning put cold water on your palm and then try to breathe in to open them up. Otherwise, only if you are running or exercising, breathe through your mouth.

While some disciples are running, they make so much noise breathing through their mouths. They announce to the whole world that they are running. Others run with no noise. In the Ashram, when I was running 100 metres in competition, right from the start I used to breathe in and make a noise. From 100 metres away, everyone could hear it. I was the only one to make that noise, and it was throughout the 100 metres or 200 metres.

For 400 metres I did not make the same noise.

Question: You’ve told us that you made that noise before. But I feel that it must have been for a different reason, like an inner reason.

Sri Chinmoy: The inner reason is that I wanted to forget the outer circumstances. I wanted to obliterate completely the memory of even the last five minutes. I did not want to hear anything, I did not want to see anything. The noise I made while running was in my speed, and also it was in my consciousness. And I was not looking this side or that side. Everybody was screaming, but it was not affecting me. But if I did not make that noise, perhaps it would have affected me because so many names were coming. Some were screaming “Chinmoy, Chinmoy.” Some were screaming the nickname of the person in second place, “Tiki, Tiki.” Right from 1944, I made that noise while competing.

Question: If the cartilage is not straight inside the nose, is it better to have an operation to fix this if you are having difficulty breathing?

Sri Chinmoy: If the doctor assures you that by having an operation it will be better, then please take the operation. It has happened to many people. Doctors can cure this. I advise you to go to the doctor.

18 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

God’s Will and Earth’s Uncertainty

Question: For me you are the Supreme. When you want something, it is the Supreme’s Will, so why doesn’t it always happen?

Sri Chinmoy: First of all, let me make it clear that I am one with the Supreme, but He is still higher. I am here at the foot of the tree as one individual eating a mango, but more mangoes are hanging high on the tree. Sri Aurobindo made it very clear that our highest is the absolutely Highest Height. From the foot of the tree when we want something, the one who is higher can reject, like the Supreme Court rejecting the decision of a lower court.

To manifest something on the earthly level, we have to have a little bit of desire. This may not be the ultimate Will or highest Will. I mix with my disciples on one level, and I have written many books. In my highest, I do not have to write anything. Sri Ramakrishna did not write anything. But if you enter into the manifestation-world, then this eagerness is mixed up with some desire. Again, the Highest wants us to manifest the light.

For example, this building looks so nice. How much sand, clay and bricks went into the foundation. Then when the building is finished, it is so beautiful. In one way, eagerness is desire-bound. It is God’s Will, but everything plays a role. In a play, the king, queen, minister, subjects and all are needed. But when you play the Cosmic Game, it is like a three-ring circus. Which way will you look? Will you look to this side or that side? If you look one way, you will miss something. If you look the other way, you will miss something else.

Nothing is certain on the earth plane. On the Heavenly plane, I tell you, everything is certain. I always say it is like a ripe mango that is supposed to drop at the foot of the tree. Alas, wind takes it farther away. You are certain it is going to fall at the foot of the tree, and then some hostile force takes it away.

Nothing on the earth plane is certain. If the Supreme uses His ultimate Will, He makes it certain. But unfortunately, He does not use His ultimate Will for me, what I am going to have for breakfast or this and that. For millions and billions of things He does not get involved.

In so many ways, disciples are praying for my manifestation. You people love me. In this way you are increasing your love for me. My children are showing me such love, such concern, and I am collecting all your love and devotion and placing it at the Feet of the Supreme.

Through your prayer, you are showing me your love, your devotion, your oneness. All these things are helping in your spiritual life. The more you can love your Master, the more you can abide by his will, the faster you make progress. You are praying for me outwardly. The Supreme is not going to remain indebted to you, to me or to anybody. He never does. If we give Him a drop, He gives us the ocean. But unfortunately, we do not always give the drop with utmost sincerity.

To come back to your question, nothing is certain on earth. Only if God uses His omnipotent Will, then He makes it certain. Sri Ramakrishna brought down another spiritual hero like Swami Vivekananda. Sri Ramakrishna could not find him even. Look at that! Sri Aurobindo wrote that the Supreme was going to choose either Sri Aurobindo or somebody else. The Supreme chose Sri Aurobindo, and the other person, nobody knows who it was.

In one case I brought back to earth the soul of a disciple who had passed away. As a little child, they came to see me in New York and recognized a disciple who had been their dearest friend. The little child said that inwardly they heard Guru telling them that person was their dearest friend in their previous incarnation. But now the parents do not keep any connection. Nothing is certain. You can bring someone back, but then you get zero. This world is like a hungry wolf. What it is going to devour, it devours.

One person said to Sri Aurobindo, “You are divine. What can a hostile force do against the divine force?” Sri Aurobindo answered, “What can they not do?” They can do anything. There is nothing certain. We play the game. Then we must surrender. If we can surrender, we are happy. If we cannot surrender, then we are miserable, miserable.

On the one hand, spiritual Masters say that no sincere effort ends in vain. How sincerely people try to do something. Then they may not get results. But they do get results in a different way. If there is sincerity involved, then results we will get in a totally different way. It may seem that God has not heard our prayers. The moment our desires are not fulfilled, we blame God. But our prayers will be answered in a different way at a different hour. At that time, if we deserve five cents’ worth of God’s Blessings, then God gives us $10,000 worth, so we should not make serious complaints against God.

God’s Will is like that. There is a traditional Indian saying: Rakhe Krishna mare ke mare Krishna rakhe ke. It means: “Whom Krishna saves, who can destroy? Whom Krishna destroys, who can save?” We have the strongest weapon to keep us happy – surrender. The Saviour Jesus Christ said, “Let Thy Will be done,” and also our Indian philosophy teaches surrender. Sri Krishna asked Arjuna to surrender to his will. Sri Krishna told Arjuna to fight against his cousins, nephews and dear ones. God’s Will was Sri Krishna’s will.

God’s Lila is so complicated. Nothing is real on the earthly plane. But the higher we go, the more we find there are things that are not manifested. They are in the world of vision. Everything is kept in absolutely perfect order. But when they try to manifest, the lower they come, the stranger it becomes. Then again, God has not given up His Will. He wants His Light to descend into the lower than the lowest earthly plane. What we see Above, we have to see it manifested here on earth. But what can I do? What can anybody do?

It is always a game. Somebody is about to die. O God, he gets an extension for 30 or 40 years. Again, why do some people die at the age of 10, 15, 20 or 30? There is no extension for them. Their relatives cry and cry and pray to God so sincerely. The only way to make ourselves happy is to surrender to God’s Will. Since the last week of December, I am praying for eight cancer patients, and the previous year there were three cases. Luckily all are still alive. Some are almost terminal cases. What can you do? If you have love for someone, if you have concern for someone, if your love is sincere, if your concern is sincere, then you do suffer.

Again, you have to place this cheerfully at the Feet of the Supreme. I am saying that I am absolutely so sad. I look to this side, one cancer patient asks for my prayers. I look to that side, another one asks. And there are other types of serious cases, also. These people I know well. A long list comes from different countries: this one is suffering from this, this one is suffering from that. These are people whom I know well on the physical plane, earthly level. God knows how many will live, every year. There was a time, ten years ago, I did not have even one cancer patient.

Then gradually, gradually it changed. But from the end of December until now, I cannot believe! Messages are coming and coming!

20 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Uncertainty of Friendship

Whoever enacts my play The Descent of the Blue, please do not add anything. Memorise or read out the lines, but do not add anything please. With other plays, you can add some lines, but The Descent of the Blue is so sacred for me. When I wrote it, before every scene I used to meditate and meditate and meditate. I am very grateful to those who do not add anything and are sticking to the original.

The other day I was asked a question, and I said, repeatedly, on earth there is nothing certain, nothing certain. I made it very clear that in this world nothing is certain. God knows the ultimate, but with our human eyes, with our human heart, we get puzzled when things go wrong. Do you have a copy of The Descent of the Blue here? Let me read out the speech that C.R. Das gave to the court on the day of Sri Aurobindo’s release from jail.

Sri Chinmoy reads from the book: “My appeal to you is this, that long after this turmoil, this agitation will have ceased, long after he is dead and gone, he will be looked upon as the poet of patriotism, as the prophet of nationalism and the lover of humanity. Long after he is dead and gone, his words will be echoed and re-echoed not only in India but across distant seas and lands.”¹²

This was his prophetic utterance. They had such friendship, such admiration for each other. Alas, it ended. C.R. Das came to see Sri Aurobindo, and he wanted to realise God. Sri Aurobindo said, “If you want to realise God, then you have to give up politics. Politics and spirituality do not go together. I have realised God because I gave up politics, so the same thing applies to you. You have to give up politics if you want to realise God.”

C.R. Das did not see eye to eye with Sri Aurobindo. Then he found a Guru who was infinitely, infinitely inferior to Sri Aurobindo. I am not saying this because Sri Aurobindo was my Guru. That Guru said that politics and spirituality can go together. C.R. Das was very, very happy that he could be in the vortex of politics and at the same time practise spirituality. That is not enough. He begged Mahatma Gandhi to be the disciple of that Guru, but Gandhi said, “No, I cannot be his disciple, but I can say nice things about him.” There is a picture of C.R. Das with folded hands watching his Guru with utmost devotion, next to Gandhi’s commentary.

Earlier C.R. Das had begged Sri Aurobindo to translate one of his books from Bengali into English. The name of the book is Sagar Sangit. His poems Sri Aurobindo translated so beautifully. I cannot remember the actual figure, but C.R. Das had such appreciation and gave a large sum of money to Sri Aurobindo for translating that book from Bengali into English. A few years later C.R. Das said the translation was no good because Sri Aurobindo was not familiar with Bengali literature and so forth. The same fellow a few years earlier had such appreciation. This is called human appreciation. Then C.R. Das translated the book himself and printed it. This is what happened with Sri Aurobindo and C.R. Das. They had such friendship and admiration, but on earth nothing is certain, nothing is certain.

22 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

An Improved Singing Voice

Question: Many radio stations are now playing you singing your own compositions. So many are commenting how beautiful your voice is.

Sri Chinmoy: I must say that if you compare my singing voice now to the early days when we had our first recordings, now it will be much, much better. Tagore had a different opinion. In his case, he said that when he was the composer of just a few songs, he had a very good voice. But then when he started producing thousands of songs, his voice declined. But in my case, I do not think my voice has gone down over the years, after thousands of songs. God alone knows how long it will last!

24 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Inner and Outer Education

Question: How can meditation help with the problem of teen suicide?

Sri Chinmoy: Here we see the supreme necessity of education. The inner education or even outer education is needed. I was told that in Japan the suicide rate is very high, and in other countries also. Many will not accept the spiritual life. It is too much for them. But you can take from my writings what happens when you commit suicide. If you can freely distribute my writings on suicide, perhaps some will believe it.

This world gets completely lost and goes down, down. But with the Forgiveness and Grace of the Supreme, seekers can go up. Again, with the intervention of spiritual Masters or highly advanced souls, or by the special intervention of the Supreme, if people commit suicide, they can be saved. But for ordinary human beings, suicide is the worst possible blunder. Blunder is the right word; otherwise, who believes in sin? It is all imperfection. Imperfection is nothing short of sin.

Now they need some mental light in their mind, a little light. You can take from my writings on suicide and also on hope, never to give up hope – that kind of inspiring thing. Never give up hope; there is time, there is time while walking along Eternity’s Road. Always there should be encouragement for those people. Suicide is a most serious crime against the soul. It is like we have a beautiful bird inside the cage, and we smash the cage. It is very sad.

24 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Gratitude through Happiness

Question: How can I thank you for inspiring the help that people gave me when I was injured recently?

Sri Chinmoy: The best way to thank me is through your happiness. We have no outer way to offer our gratitude to our Lord Beloved Supreme. If He sees us sincerely happy, that happiness He takes as gratitude. Again and again, I wish to tell you, if you are sincerely happy, sincerely happy, that happiness is the real expression of our gratitude to Him. I wish to thank each and every one who went to help you from the very depths of my heart. We have a large family, a oneness-family, oneness-family. I know of many experiences when sons and daughters who live far upstate do not come to visit their parents who are in the hospital. They feel that some-body else will care for them. That somebody does not exist. So I am very happy and very grateful that many people went to help you.

24 February 2007 Chiang Mai, Thailand

Selected Meetings with Purushottama Boris Grebenshikov

A New Dream Blossoming, February 2006

On 19 February 2006, during a Christmas and New Year’s trip to Malaysia, Sri Chinmoy and the great Russian musician Boris Grebenshikov met for the first time. Boris Grebenshikov performed for the disciples, and afterwards singers performed an arrangement of a song that Sri Chinmoy had written in his honour. Below are excerpts from the conversation that followed.

Boris Grebenshikov: It is such a great honour even to be thought about by you. And this song composed by you about me, it’s something that I cannot really imagine or understand. So it bypasses the head and goes straight to the heart. Which I think is the best way. So thank you with all my heart.

Sri Chinmoy: After Boris’ performance, there will be no other performances today. His magnificence is sufficient. He brought down Heaven, that much you can say. Boris brought down Heaven for us. I am still in Heaven. So we cannot bring the mundane world into the spiritual world. He has brought down spirituality, from the Highest Height. I enjoy his spirituality. Each and every song of his is so soulful, so beautiful. It is like he is expressing each time a new dream. Each time a song is sung, a new dream is coming into reality. I felt a new dream blossoming inside the depth of his heart, beautifully and perfectly, for the world to receive and get tremendous benefit from each and every song that he has sung. Soulfulness, beauty and fragrance I have felt from each and every song that he has sung.

(To Boris) I was quite surprised to see that you were singing songs from your memory. You did not need the music in front of you to get the words. I was very proud, very proud, that one after the other, one after the other, you were singing from your memory. Others need papers.

While you were singing, inside your heart I saw a roaring lion. Outwardly I was seeing a very beautiful, most affectionate lamb, on your face, in your eyes, but inside I was seeing and even hearing a most powerful roaring lion. Inside you I saw a roaring lion, outside I saw a most affectionate lamb. This is my observation.

A very sweet, very tender, beautiful lamb I saw on your face, but inside I was seeing a roaring lion, roaring lion. Some singers and musicians make faces while they are singing, but throughout I was observing your face and eyes. They were very sweet, very sweet. Some musicians jump up and down or dance when they are playing or singing music. Unless they twist their body ten different ways their music is not complete. I am so proud of you, that you do not have those unfortunate qualities.

I am offering to you on behalf of all my students gratitude and gratitude and pride. This gratitude is coming from the very depths of my heart, from the inmost recesses of our hearts. We shall cherish you, treasure you, in the very depths of our hearts – not only Boris the great singer and the great musician, but Boris the great God-lover and God-seeker. For all these good qualities, divine qualities, we shall always cherish you and also your wife, Irina, who is a flower, whose heart has become an ever-blossoming flower. We shall cherish both of you at the same time in our hearts of infinite love, gratitude and pride, pride, pride.

19 February 2006 Malaysia

The Highest Heaven of Bliss, January 2007

During a Christmas and New Year’s trip to Bulgaria, Sri Chinmoy made the following remarks after a concert offered by Boris Grebenshikov at the Kempinksi Hotel in Varna on 10 January 2007. Sri Chinmoy had offered the spiritual names Purushottama and Bhuvaneshwari to him and his wife, Irina.

My dearest Purushottama, I have written many, many books, but I am sincerely unable to express my feelings. Only in silence I am offering you my soul’s infinite joy, my soul’s infinite love, my soul’s infinite gratitude, and my soul’s infinite pride and pride and pride. Your unfathomable musical capacities have transported all your brothers and sisters, all of us, to the highest Heaven of Bliss, Bliss, Bliss, Bliss. My heart and my life shall ever remain grateful, grateful, grateful to you.

Since we met last year, in how many ways you have been spreading the light of your Guru Sri Chinmoy, through your radio performances and through your own personality. Your very personality carries my divine light and my inner peace and bliss. Everywhere you go, I feel in you my infinite, infinite delight, delight, delight.

We shall never, never, never forget the unimaginable joy that you give us. Your soul’s haunting voice is at once melodious and most powerful – full of tenderness, sweetness, soulfulness and power. Such power it carries! Everything that a superlative singer needs, a singer of the highest order needs, you have in bountiful measure.

In the outer world, you are a supreme musician-singer. In the inner world, you are a supreme hero, hero-warrior, hero supreme.

10 January 2007 Kempinksi Hotel Varna, Bulgaria

A Visit from Purushottama and Bhuvaneshwari, August-September 2007

From 25 August through 3 September 2007, Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov, the legendary Russian singer and songwriter, joined Sri Chinmoy and 1500 of his students for the Master’s 76th birthday Celebration in New York. Purushottama was accompanied by his wife, Irina Bhuvaneshwari, and their daughter, Samragyi, as well as Bhuvaneshwari’s sister, who was also visiting New York at that time.

On 26 August, Sri Chinmoy presented the U Thant Peace Award to Purushottama. Purushottama kindly performed for Sri Chinmoy’s students on several occasions, including on Sri Chinmoy’s birthday on 27 August. On 28 August Sri Chinmoy lifted Purushottama and his wife as part of the Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart programme. One of the high-lights of the Celebration was a concert Purushottama offered at the United Nations on 29 August, at Sri Chinmoy’s invitation.

A few selected excerpts from some of these functions follow.

Excerpt from the Evening of Sri Chinmoy’s Birthday, 27 August 2007

Purushottama (before the last song in his performance): And one more song. It’s hard to believe that we met you only one year and a half ago, and I was blessed enough to write this song the first time we saw you. I think it’s a fitting song for a birthday. (Purushottama sang “There Are Birds in the Garden” to great applause.)

Sri Chinmoy: (at the end of the evening): Happiness is Heaven, Heaven. Happiness is not somewhere else. Wherever you can establish happiness is Heaven, Heaven. This whole week has been nothing but happiness, happiness, happiness. And it has not ended! [turning to Purushottama] It will end only after the 29th, after your performance at the United Nations. Then our happiness for some time will take rest. But still it will continue, continue until your super-performance at the United Nations. Our birthday celebration is not over. It will be over only after the 29th, after your performance at the United Nations.

Purushottama’s Concert at the United Nations, 29 August 2007

The evening of 29 August, Purushottama gave a spectacular concert at the United Nations. Sri Chinmoy, as leader of the Peace Meditation at the United Nations, opened the concert with a moment of silent meditation.

During the concert, Purushottama said “Thank you” to the appreciative international audience in several languages. After a number of songs, he noted:

Purushottama: I think it is important to remember that there are other languages besides Russian, and other songs!… Every song, indeed every work of art, is a sort of prayer, although it might sound a bit far-fetched when you look at all the songs we listen to. But indeed, they all are prayers. Maybe people do not understand it, but they are.

(Later): I would wish to dearly, from the bottom of my heart, thank Guru Sri Chinmoy, who gave me this wonderful opportunity to sing here, and for everything. Thank you. The first time I met Sri Chinmoy, I was moved to write this song, and I still sing it with greatest happiness. (He then sang “There Are Birds in the Garden.”)

Sri Chinmoy: (garlanding Purushottama at the end of the concert): My dearest Boris, Purushottama, has brought down Heaven for us. We are swimming in the sea of ecstasy. Let us try to remain in this blissful consciousness at least for an hour – at least for an hour! Otherwise the mind may take away our joy.

He is all soul, all heart. We have seen his heart of self-giving. A musician, a singer of the highest order, he has brought down infinite peace, infinite bliss for us. Let us swim in the sea of peace and bliss at least for an hour.

My heart is all gratitude to you and my life is all pride in you – pride, infinite pride; pride and gratitude. I have been serving the United Nations for the last 37 years, but I have never had the opportunity to have this kind of joy. I have offered my service here for many, many years, but today for the first time you have made me and my service happy, hap-pier, happiest. For that, my heart is all gratitude, all gratitude, all gratitude to you.

Ranjana then presented flowers to Bhuvaneshwari, who, along with her daughter, Samragyi, was introduced to the audience.

Afterwards Purushottama was featured at a press conference held in a smaller UN conference room, conducted primarily in Russian.

Function at Aspiration-Ground after the Concert at the UN, 29 August 2007

Sri Chinmoy: Hero! Hero supreme, hero supreme! I am asking my British disciples to arrange a concert by you at the Royal Albert Hall. They will do everything, exactly like last year. It is my invitation: you will be playing in Royal Albert Hall again. I saw the video of your performance there last year. First, I saw it when I was in Mongolia, and then in New York I also saw it.

Each song today brought down Heaven in a special way. Heaven came down each time, after each song, with new, new, new, new blessings, new bless-ings. Each time you performed one song, I saw that very clearly Heaven came down with new blessings, new joy and new pride, new pride. I have been for 37 years serving the United Nations. I have never, never got such joy, believe me. I am telling you absolutely, in all sincerity, never, never! You elevated the body of the United Nations. Then again, the heart of the United Nations embraced you most powerfully. The soul of the United Nations blessed you profusely, profusely. This I am saying because I saw it, I saw it, I saw it. It is not my mental hallucination. This I saw very clearly. The soul blessed you profusely, the heart embraced you most lovingly, and the body of the United Nations you just elevated. I am so proud of you, so proud of you, so proud of you.

You said you are 53 years old. To me you look 23. Really, I mean it. In all sincerity I am telling you that you look 23 years old, not 53 – no, no, no. Such dynamic energy and enthusiasm only a 23-year-old will have! Very great! Very proud of you!

Purushottama: Thank you, Guru. I am learning from you. I am trying to learn.

Sri Chinmoy (at the end of the evening): If there is something called divine pride, divine pride, then I wish to offer it to you. I am offering it to you in infinite measure. I wish to say from my God-realisation, my highest God-realisation, how much I love you, how much I treasure you and how proud I am of you.

Concert by Purushottama at Aspiration-Ground, 30 August 2007

Sri Chinmoy (after the concert): My dearest Purushottama, yesterday you brought down Heaven at the United Nations, and I said many things about Heaven. Your music brought down Heaven on earth. Today your music has fed sumptuously the song-music-hunger of Mother Earth. The song-hunger-cry of Mother Earth your music has sumptuously fed. With your song and music, you are an all-elevating soul. With your song and music, you are an all-embracing heart. With your song and music, you are an all-giving life.

Enthusiasm and dynamism of the ever-transcending music: your music is flooded with enthusiasm and dynamism. And this enthusiasm and dynamism directly come from the ever-transcending Beyond, Beyond, Beyond.

Gratitude in infinite measure from my heart, and pride, pride divine in infinite measure from my soul I am offering to you. Your greatness and good-ness can only be felt and can never be described in words, although I have written many books. My love infinite, my gratitude infinite and my pride infinite I am offering to you.

Excerpts from a Conversation with Purushottama at Aspiration-Ground, 2 September 2007

Sri Chinmoy: May I know some of your loftiest, most significant experiences from deep within during your performances, since the beginning of your career?

Purushottama: You mean, significant for me spiritually?

Sri Chinmoy: Let us start with spiritually.

Purushottama: I would say almost every performance is a chance to achieve something wonderful. It always happens for several songs at least, almost in every performance. It’s hard to explain, but it is as if I am singing to the whole universe, and the universe responds, and I can feel it.

Sri Chinmoy: I am so proud of you, so proud of you. That is what a real musician has to do. You are conversing with the universe. This moment your music is entering into the universe. Next moment the universe is blessing you with its own universal music.

I am telling you in all sincerity, what strikes me the most is your sweetness and soulfulness, and then your power and your heart’s breath. The heart has two kinds of breath: one is outer breath, and the other is inner breath. That inner breath only communicates with the universal consciousness. There are a few more divine qualities, not only in your voice, but also in your music.

In your case, I see sweetness, soulfulness and power. There are two kinds of power in music. One power destroys everything. Another power elevates the consciousness of the audience, according to their height. Each individual has a height of his or her own, and that power elevates that height. Again, what happens, some musicians excite the audience. It is usually their vital. There at the United Nations I observed, people cheered you. Their cheering was from the heart, not from the vital. I was so moved. People who raised their hands and were appreciating, admiring and adoring you, it was something very, very – I do not want to use the word exciting – it was very charming and energising. While they were raising their hands, there was no vital excitement, no vital excitement. It was the awakening of something deeper in their own life. Each song you ended, they got joy. It was not the joy of a lower level of consciousness. It was the joy of a higher level of consciousness. I looked around, and I saw this was not vital excitement. No, it was the awakening, awakening of the heart, so I was so deeply, deeply moved and deeply proud of you. This is from the spiritual point of view.

Apart from the guitar, do you play other instruments?

Purushottama: Well, I play the mouth harp a little bit, about as well as Bob Dylan, and no, nothing else – guitar: acoustic guitar, electric guitar.

Sri Chinmoy: This is one instrument I really failed to learn. I did not play guitar at all. I tried all the instruments. When it came to the guitar – surrender, surrender.

Purushottama: Guru, actually it’s very easy to play if you use an open tuning. Usually a guitar is tuned in such a way that you have to put your fingers in strange combinations. But if you tune it differently, it’s very easy to play. I can show you. You play the esraj. A guitar is easier.

Sri Chinmoy: I started with the harmonium, and then the esraj. For years I played mainly one instrument, that was the esraj. Then gradually, gradually I began playing quite a few instruments, like a jack of all trades, master of none. There is something called the inner world. This is the outer world, but in the inner world many, many musicians of the highest order over the years have come when I perform. You can call these experiences my sheer mental hallucinations, but sometimes I see them performing with me.

There was a very well-known cellist. I am sure you know of him. His name was Pablo Casals. In the very evening of his life, I met with him at his home in Puerto Rico. As soon as he saw me, he placed his hands on my shoulders and started shedding tears, tears, tears. They were all falling on my shoulders. During the evening, we talked for about three hours. Then he played two pieces for me.

A rumour had spread in Puerto Rico that his wife was his mother in a previous incarnation. They said that his mother’s soul took birth and became one of the members of his symphony, and then became his wife. Some people believed, while others did not believe. Still others did not care, but I was quite curious. His present wife was there, so I asked Maestro Casals to show me the picture of his mother, to see whether they had any connection: his present wife and his past mother.

I concentrated very, very seriously for two or three minutes. For me, if I am serious, if I use my Third Eye, it takes a second to know. I concentrated very seriously, and then I said, “Definitely, your present wife was your mother in a previous incarnation.” I made him and his wife so happy. It was not flattery, but absolutely, absolutely true.

Many, many times he has come in the inner world during my concerts. It was his fervent inner request, whenever I give serious and soulful Peace Concerts, that I invite his soul, and I do have the capacity. You will not believe, on my birthday also he came in the inner world.

Leonard Bernstein also often comes in the inner world. He knew me well on the physical plane. The Maestro showered his blessings upon me, and he wrote a song about me. I went to his place on two separate occasions, and he would ask me to meditate with him.

Once I was playing the piano, and I saw Leonard Bernstein in the inner world. What was he doing? He was playing the viola. I have played viola many times. He was playing the viola while I was playing the piano. My piano performance has no mother, no father. I was playing very fast and very loudly, and I was seeing how fast he was playing. In his lifetime also he played the viola, and in the inner world he sometimes plays the viola.

The souls of a few great giants, musical giants, come and join when I perform, and they also perform, but only Pablo Casals will not perform. Only to meditate, he will come. He will sit right in front of me every time. He only wants to observe peace, peace from my soul and peace from my heart. This time on my birthday, he meditated deeply with folded hands. Only he comes to take from me the spiritual aspect of my life. At that time, he is not interested in performing. I see him only observing peace, light and bliss from my heart and soul.

The other day, the night of our Classical Concert, everyone played classical music so well. When it came time for me to play the piano and I sat down, a spiritual Master of the highest order blessed me with a garland of white roses. Sometimes before, sometimes while I am performing, sometimes at the end of the performance, this Master garlands me. This Master has an inner connection. He has affection and compassion for me. He is of a very high order in spirituality. He says if I play only the piano, I will become famous. My piano is all extemporaneous, but that Master likes my piano performance. Not only that, every time I play the piano, he comes and blesses me with a garland of white roses.

Editor’s Notes

Book title selected by Sri Chinmoy Centre Publications NY from Sri Chinmoy’s comments on page 32.

Front and back cover photos by Ranjana K. Ghose. Bird drawings by Sri Chinmoy

Published by Agni Press in cooperation with the Jharna-Kala Art Foundation 86-06 Parsons Blvd. Jamaica Hills, New York 11432

Printed at The Manifestation-Glow, New York 27 August 2022