My Transcendental Photograph
Reminiscence by Sri Chinmoy
at PS 86 in Jamaica, New York
At the Sri Aurobindo Ashram I had many, many, many friends, and a few individuals were perhaps the opposite of friends. One particular individual would not drink a glass of water without criticising me!
Again, I had a mentor who was dearer than the dearest. He was absolutely sure that I had been his Master in this incarnation! When his Master passed on, this mentor came to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and became Sri Aurobindo's disciple. He was absolutely sure that I had been his first Guru. He loved me, and I always basked in the sunshine of his affection, sweetness and fondness. If anybody said anything unkind about me, that person would have a serious problem with my mentor! If anybody criticised me, my mentor would throw a book or magazine at him — whatever he had in his hand.
When this particular critic saw my dearest mentor, he would always make fun of me or say something unkind, and my mentor would become furious. Whatever was in his hand, he would throw at that fellow.
In the early days we printed my Transcendental Photograph in our books. When my mentor saw my Transcendental Photograph in one of my books, he could not stop showing it to people. He could not restrain himself from showing the Transcendental Photograph to that fellow in the street. He was fully prepared. If my so-called enemy said something unkind, then my mentor would throw the book right at him.
But what happened? When he saw the picture, my detractor looked at it and bowed to it most sincerely and most devotedly. Then he said, "Here, Chinmoy is not a man; here he is God." He bowed to the Transcendental Photograph very sincerely and devotedly and said to my mentor, "I am bowing to this picture. Here he is not a human being. Here he is God. I am bowing to the God in Sri Chinmoy, but not to Chinmoy." My mentor said that, in this way, that fellow accepted my divinity.
This is the power of my Transcendental Photograph!
Published in The Feet of the Supreme’s Compassion
Only One Goal
Commentary by Sri Chinmoy
at PS 86 in Jamaica, New York
Dear ones, you are all my disciples, so I am sure you see something inside my Transcendental Photograph. If I have left behind anything that Mother Earth will cherish throughout Eternity, then it is my Transcendental Photograph that will remain for Mother Earth. Forgive me for bragging; you are accustomed to my bragging. Forgive me to say that this photograph is not only humanity's peerless treasure, it is Divinity's treasure as well. My Transcendental Photograph is both humanity's peerless treasure and Divinity's treasure.
It is not a matter of thinking, it is not a matter of feeling; it is a matter of becoming. I hope that each and every disciple of mine wants to become my Transcendental Consciousness. That is my only hope.
Today I hope, and one day I will be able to dare to promise. I hope and I shall promise, that one day you will definitely grow into my Transcendental Consciousness. You will do it, either tomorrow or in the distant future, or in one of your future incarnations.
I may go perhaps one step ahead. If you become my Transcendental Consciousness, then there is no one, there is nothing, either in Heaven or on earth, that will not cherish your divinity. Your divinity will be cherished by the Absolute Highest. Perhaps my Transcendental Consciousness embodies the Highest.
Keep this as the only goal in your life: to grow into my Transcendental Consciousness. That is your only goal, your higher than the highest Goal. Forget about all the lesser goals. You can proclaim, "I have only one Goal, and that is my Guru's highest Transcendental Consciousness. This is what I am aiming at, and this is my Guru's hope. My Guru has implicit faith in me and he has promised to me that one day I will be able to grow into that absolutely highest Transcendental Consciousness of his."
Keep this hope; keep this promise. Your hope will be fulfilled. Your promise will be fulfilled by the Absolute Supreme Himself.
Published in Our Sweetest Oneness