Question: What do you experience while you are producing your works at a tremendous speed? What do you do to reach the proper consciousness? Can you create or compose whenever you want to, or only when you feel a call from within?

Sri Chinmoy: When I work with tremendous speed, I experience a limitless sea of delight inside myself. I experience the finite in myself entering into the infinite Inner Pilot Supreme. I experience the limited speed entering into the unlimited speed. I experience my limitation-bound body becoming inseparably one with my free and measureless soul-vastness and immensity. Finally, I experience the way God the creation is offering gratitude to God the Creator, and the way God the Creator is becoming exceedingly proud of God the creation.

In order to be in the proper consciousness for creating something that will be of value to aspiring humanity, I do not pray to God for inspiration or meditate on inspiration. Before I create something or do something most important and significant, I just meditate for God to be supremely victorious in and through the poet or the author or the singer or the artist in me.

I can create or compose at any moment I want to. There are two types of poets, authors, singers, artists and so forth. One type has to run after the inspiration-bird in order to catch it. The other type is divinely blessed by God’s Grace; the inspiration-bird itself flies towards him in order to be caught. But in both cases there can be difficulties. Those who run after the inspiration-bird may not succeed in catching it. Again, those who receive the inspiration-bird when it flies to them may not be soulful and grateful. Therefore, they may also fail — in their case, by not offering the utmost divinity through their creations.

I am fortunate enough to be able to catch the inspiration-bird at almost any time, without my having to chase it. The inspiration-bird comes to me quite often — about ninety-five times out of one hundred.