On July 28th 1974, Sri Chinmoy prepared a 40 question test for his students. Approximately 50 New York area disciples sat for this 3-hour examination on Sri Chinmoy's poetry. Sri Chinmoy had announced the test five days earlier, the morning after his return from Europe, saying that it would be inspiring and very helpful for his mission if the disciples read and studied his writings.
At Dhruva and Nayana's house, each disciple received a copy of the examination from Sri Chinmoy, who had written his name and the disciple's name at the top. Many had studied far into the night for several days; some Divine Enterprises on Parsons Boulevard closed on Saturday as last-minute inspiration drew storekeepers to their book-strewn homes.
Many worked for the full three hours, pondering over the following questions.
Sri Chinmoy Poetry Test
1. Is Sri Chinmoy a philosopher-poet or a seer-poet? Justify your statement. If you feel that he is both, then justify. (7%)
2. Use your intuition and write down the titles of the first four poems written in English by Sri Chinmoy. Give the first lines of the four poems. (3%)
3. How many poems did Sri Chinmoy write in the span of one day to offer his greatest achievements to the Mother Earth? Give the day, month and year. (2%)
4. From your memory, write down the first poem and the last poem from The Goal Is Won. (4%)
5. Name the four sisters that Sri Chinmoy mentions in his poem "Four Sisters" which appears in 365 Father's Day Prayers. (2%)
6. Fill in the blanks:
"What do I need from God ……….."
"What do I need from earth ……….."
"What do I need from heaven ……….." (3%)
7. Explain the terms:
"Beginningless beginning"
and
"Transcending ending" (2%)
8. Elaborate the experience:
"I barter nothing with time and deeds;
My cosmic play is done." (2%)
9.
"Never to meet again.
Chinmoy the failure,
Ignorance pure.
Never to meet again."
Is this the declaration of the dynamic vital poet in Sri Chinmoy or the revelation of the liberated seer-poet in Sri Chinmoy? Justify your statement. (1%)
10.
"Never the same again.
Lost joy regained.
Never the same again."
Explain and elaborate this view. (1%)
11. In the poem "Death, Tell Me Something, Please," Death tells the poet why it loves God and man. Give the reasons. (1%)
12. In the poem "Death, Tell Me Why," Death gives the reasons why some people love death and some hate death. Which are the reasons? (1%)
13. Write down any poem from memory that has sixteen lines or more than sixteen lines. (4%)
14. "My eternal days are found in speeding time." Explain and elaborate this experience. (2%)
15. In The Dance of Life, there is a poem under the title of "She". It begins: "To think of her" — complete the poem. (4%)
16. Complete:
"God saw in me a poet, therefore ……………"
"God sees in me a real man, therefore ……………"
"God shall see in me a divine lover, therefore …………" (3%)
17.
"With doubt my mind began,
With fear my heart began,
With clay my life began,
All in this shortest span."
How can I liberate my mind from doubt? How can I free my heart from fear? How can I transform my life of clay? (1%)
18. Fill in:
"An ant like me …………………clay."
"A beggar like me …………………Play." (1%)
19. In the poem "I Paid Three Visits to God," how did he visit God the first time, the second time and the third time? (2%)
20. What are the basic differences you notice in Sri Chinmoy's earlier poems and his recent poems, that is to say the Indian poet in him and the American poet in him? (4%)
21. In The Wings of Light, in the poem "They Do Not Want Me," why do Bliss, Peace and Light not want me? Give the reasons that are mentioned in the poem. (3%)
22. When and where was the first part of The Golden Boat published? (Give the exact date.) (1%)
23. In The Garden of Love-Light, there is a song that begins: "How many songs have I sung?" Complete the song. (2%)
24. How many poems has Sri Chinmoy written (published and unpublished) in the year 1974? Use your intuition. (2%)
25. From The Discoverers of Light choose any four lines from any poem mentioned and write. (2%)
26. In the book My Salutations to Japan, what does he write about the body of Japan and the soul of Japan? (2%)
27. What did the poet do when he heard a Japanese song; and what did he do when he saw a Japanese dance? (2%)
28. From God Then and God Now: "Oh, love me more and love me long." Complete the poem. (3%)
29. Are Sri Chinmoy's poems an obstacle to his God-Manifestation or a great help to his God-Manifestation? If they are an obstacle, why? If they are a help, how? (5%)
30. Has Sri Chinmoy to write more poems in order to be accepted as a good poet, or has he already written enough to be considered a good poet? (2%)
31. Sri Chinmoy's philosophy is the philosophy of love, devotion and surrender. Select any poem of his that deals with love, devotion and surrender and write down the complete poem. (2%)
32. Write down any poem written by Sri Chinmoy that deals with body, vital, mind and heart. (2%)
33. Give the main reason why Sri Chinmoy has written thousands of poems. (2%)
34. As you know, Sri Chinmoy often gives talks at universities; he also writes poems quite often. When does he get more joy, when writing poems, or when delivering speeches? Why? (3%)
35. In Europe, Sri Chinmoy's favorite poets are Keats and Shelley. In America, his favorite poets are Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Quote a few lines from works by one of his favorite poets, and show some similarities to Sri Chinmoy's writing, or show some contrast. (2%)
36. In her most illumining introduction to Sri Chinmoy's My Flute, Beverley Seigerman said, "What is most significant is that …………… beyond the human." (Fill in.) (3%)
37. In The Dance of Life, there is a poem entitled "She Was the Supreme Authority." The first line is: "She was a woman of exquisite beauty." Complete the poem. (3%)
38. In the near or distant future, will Sri Chinmoy be known as a poet of a new dawn or a Spiritual Master of a new era, or both, or none? Elaborate the answer. (5%)
39. In the book My Flute, there is a line that runs: "At every pause my life I contradict." Give the preceding four lines. (2%)
40. Write a poem of four lines on any subject and dedicate it to the poet in Sri Chinmoy. (2%)
Originally published "Chinmoy Family" May-June/July 1974, Vol. IV, No. 8
Anahata Nada report on this event
NEW YORK — (Rijuta) Carol Tooker is a 36-year-old schoolteacher. (Mukuli) Margaret Crager is a 15-year-old who could easily pass for one of her students. But on July 28th they were both students, taking an exam on their spiritual Master's poetry.
It was an unusual affair, to say the least. Sri Chinmoy took on the role of professor, preparing a 40-question test, part short answer, part essay. And his disciples — lawyers, businessmen, journalists, housewives — became schoolchildren once again.
Sri Chinmoy told his disciples that it would be of great help and inspiration to him on the inner plane if his spiritual children did well and showed that they really cared for his writings.
And the disciples spent many hours studying the Master's approximately four thousand poems, some even closing down their businesses the day before the exam in order to do some last-minute cramming.
"Studying Sri Chinmoy's writings help us in our spiritual discipline," Rijuta said. "His poems contain his aspiration, his inspiration, his realization, which will become our aspiration and our inspiration and our realization. By holding this exam, Sri Chinmoy is giving us an opportunity to progress in our inner life."
"But underlying this serious mood," said (Ashrita) Keith Furman, "was a feeling of real childlike delight that conveyed, more than anything else, a sense of what it is like to be a disciple of a spiritual Master, the joy that comes in joining him in the various facets of his Cosmic Game."
"There was a real sweetness there," he continued. "That Sunday is a day I'll always cherish in my memory."
After the three-hour exam, Sri Chinmoy invited all the participants to his home for a sumptuous feast. But while the disciples sat around eating and joking, Sri Chinmoy remained wrapped in concentration, grading the exam papers. He worked through the night, personally reading and marking each of the approximately 50 tests.
The highest scorer in Sri Chinmoy's poetry exam was (Nemi) Vivian Fredner, with an 80 and 1/2.
The following evening, he awarded prizes to those who received the ten highest marks.
A similar exam, this one focusing on the Master's short stories, will be held during Sri Chinmoy's birthday week later this month. Several hundred disciples from a number of countries are expected to participate.
Further reading