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Two of the 630 English rhyming poems that Sri Chinmoy completes during a 24-hour period on this day in 1977.

Published in A Soulful Cry versus a Fruitful Smile

Devotion and Eagerness, Love and Faith

A talk by Sri Chinmoy
at Aspiration-Ground in Jamaica, New York

When I invite you to come and sit on the tennis court, those who can come down to meditate will perhaps receive more. Some people who remain in the bleachers are very sincerely and seriously praying, but there are also some who want to enjoy a comfortable meditation. Comfort and meditation do not rhyme! If you are too old and you cannot sit down on the ground, that is one matter. But if you want to be farther than the farthest and enjoy your meditation in your own way, then you are making a deplorable mistake. When you sit on the ground in front of me, automatically one thing comes to the fore, and that is your devotion. Whether you fold your hands or not, the fact is that you have taken the trouble of coming down and sitting in front of your Master.

In the Vedic eras, this time of day is what we called the twilight hour. Again, when the night is heavily descending, or in the small hours of the morning, these are the best times for meditation. Fortunate are those who try to receive their Master's blessings, love, concern, joy, gratitude and pride. They will not waste a minute by remaining away from their Master. Each second they value.

I was also a student, like you. For two or three seconds at a time — I do not think it was four seconds — I was fortunate enough to stand in front of my Master. The Mother we saw in the playground with hundreds of people. But Sri Aurobindo we saw four times a year, for three seconds each time — not four seconds. There were two guards who would very gently either push or pull us away after a couple of seconds. Even the first time, when the Mother was introducing me to Sri Aurobindo, it was too long for the two guards. They put their hands on my shoulder, because they wanted me to leave. Now, one of them has disappeared from the earth-scene, and the other is one hundred and four years old.

I am fortunate to have you right in front of me. You are fortunate as well to come and sit in front of me. This is exactly what the Vedic seers of the past used to do. In this present day also, many spiritual Masters have fixed hours when they allow their disciples to meditate and pray in front of them. I am one of those. I try again and again, sincerely, lovingly, blessingfully and gratefully, to be with my spiritual children as often as I can, as long as I can.

Develop, develop, develop the devotion aspect, and develop eagerness, eagerness, eagerness, eagerness. Many disciples come from afar for our Celebrations. If you are wise, then you will take as much as possible from the Master. Your third eye is perhaps still dormant, but the human eyes, if they are aspiring, do receive from me when I enter into a very high, sublime consciousness.

Two things we all badly need: love and faith, love and faith. It is quite easy to love some human beings, but it is not so easy to have faith in them. You have many friends. You like them; you may love them. But when it is a matter of faith, alas, you will be the first person to have no faith in them. Even in outer activities, your faith in those persons perhaps will be next to none. Where is your faith when it is a matter of something spiritual, something serious, something of the inner world? Again, at times we have faith, but we do not love. We enter into a garden, let us say. The garden is very beautiful, with many, many beautiful flowers. In this case, we have faith in the gardener, but we have love for the flowers. The gardener can make the garden beautiful, so we have implicit faith in him. But we love his achievements, the most beautiful flowers. Again, we have tremendous faith in the modern-day science and technology, which can create tremendous destruction in a few moments. But do we love them? I do not think I love the computer and modern technology. I admire the capacities of science, but it is simply impossible for me to love modern technology and scientific achievements.

If we can have faith in our own spiritual life, then our road is very clear, very clear. If we have no faith in ourselves, if we only depend on the Master, that will not do. Your faith and my love must go together: your faith in me and my love for you. My faith in you is also of supreme importance. When you lose faith in me, you descend considerably. But when you lose faith in yourself, that is the end of your spiritual life. If you doubt your Master, you can look around and see that so many people have got such lofty experiences from the Master! That means he is real. But once you feel that you yourself are useless, that you cannot climb up any more inner Himalayas, that becomes the end of your spiritual life.

Love and faith are two different things. They are indispensable spiritual qualities. If we cannot have both love and faith, at that time we are walking with one leg or running with one leg. True, one leg may be stronger than the other. My right leg was stronger when I was a young boy in my adolescent years. When I used to hop with one leg, I was able to cover forty or fifty metres more with my right leg than with my left leg. But again, after covering some distance, I used my left leg also to walk. How long can we go forward with only one leg? We need both the legs, even if one may be considerably weaker or a little weaker. Similarly, our love may be weaker than our faith, or our faith may be weaker than our love, but we need both. But if our faith is strong and our love is strong, then we run the fastest. Please keep both your faith and your love very strong.

Published in My Golden Children

A Soulful Cry Versus A Fruitful Smile

by Sri Chinmoy

Dedication

At my brother Mantu's repeated request to write rhymed poetry I have written these short poems. I dedicate these heart-offerings of mine to my brother's great seeker-soul.

Chinmoy
12 August 1977

Anecdotes by Sri Chinmoy

The Sprinter

Around 4:30 in the morning I was completing my run. It was not twenty-seven miles like some of my disciples; it was only two miles.

As I was completing my two miles near the famous bus stop on 150th Street, a middle-aged white American said to me, "Man, you are a sprinter — not good for long distance!"

I thanked him and smiled at him, and he also smiled at me. See, his intuition was working so nicely!

The Grace Protects

I had only thirty or forty metres left to complete my mile that same morning, and I was struggling like anything. Then a car with three Puerto Rican youngsters made a right turn at the end of the street and started driving very slowly toward me. Two of the boys stretched out their hands through the window and screamed, "Hey, Sri, Sri!" Then such obscene words they started to use. It was the worst possible foul language — just absurd!

But the Grace was also there. The same middle-aged man who had spoken to me at the bus stop started running toward their car, using the same terms they had used. He repeated their mantra. When he repeated what they had said, they drove away very fast.

Then the man came over to me and I thanked him. He said, "Are you Sri Chinmoy? I am so happy that I am able to speak to you. I have heard so much about you. But I am not ready for the spiritual life, and I will never be ready." He smiled and smiled and thanked me.

This was an attack of the negative forces, but the Grace came to protect me. I would not have said anything to those youngsters. Who cares for them? But this gentleman ran ten or twenty metres and frightened them away by using the same absolutely foul tongue that they had used. This was my morning blessing.

Today's incident is so amusing. The older man had heard about me but had never seen me while those Puerto Rican boys definitely knew much about me.

Two weeks ago, on 150th Street, three black soldiers — cyclists — came toward me all riding together. But on that day I was very brave. I barked at them and they dispersed.

Published in Run and Become, Become and Run, part 1

O My Pilot Beloved

During the first three days of August 1978, Sri Chinmoy offers a number of prayers to his Pilot Beloved after meditations at various venues in New York. The prayers for 2 August are reproduced here.

Surrender is of paramount importance

8:00 a.m.
Jamaica High School Track, Jamaica, NY

O my Pilot Beloved, I know that in the desire-life determination is of paramount importance to bring about success. I know that in the inner life, in the life of aspiration, my implicit surrender to Your Will is of paramount importance. But my sweet Lord, how can I acquire this surrender? How can I make this surrender to You?

"My child, you know what you are right now; you are now ignorance incarnate. Also you know what your soul thinks of you, what it feels that eventually you will become. What you can become eventually, your soul knows. Although you are now ignorance incarnate, your soul knows that one day you can become a perfect instrument of Mine. But I wish to tell you that you will not only become a perfect instrument of Mine, but something more. You will become, like Me, another God. You know that this creation is Mine, the universal Vision is Mine, the transcendental Reality is Mine; but a day shall come when everything will be yours. Like Me, you will be the possessor of the universe, the indweller of the universe, the ruler of the universe. Since you know that you will eventually become another God, for the time being, you can make your surrender complete. For a few days, for a few months, for a few years or even for a few incarnations you can try to surrender your will to My Will.

"No, you are not dealing with possibility; you are dealing with inevitability. Your life of ignorance will disappear and a new Wisdom-Light will enter into your inner being. At that time, you will become like Me, My child, another God. Therefore, right now play your role. Make your surrender implicit, complete and continuous. What you will get in return as a reward is far, far beyond your imagination. Therefore, right now do the needful; just become a totally surrendered instrument of Mine. Yours will be My Infinity's life. Yours will be My Eternity's love. Yours will be My Immortality's success, fulfilment and perfection."

First-class, second-class and third-class disciples

12:45 p.m.
144th St. Gym, Jamaica, NY

O my Pilot Beloved, I am Your disciple. Do tell me if I am Your first-class or second-class or third-class disciple. Do tell me.

"My child, I shall not tell you directly whether you are My first-class or second-class or third-class disciple. But I shall tell you who are the disciples in My first class, second class and third class. From My statement, you will know which category you belong to.

"My third-class disciples are those to whom I have given full freedom. They do anything they want to do. They say anything they want to say. They become what they want to become. I have given them full freedom. They live their independent lives. They just stay in My Boat and they feel that they are doing Me a big favour.

"My second-class disciples are those to whom I give an option. Always I keep two roads ready for them. I tell them: 'Either walk along this road or along that road. Do this or do that — whichever pleases you, in a sense. Either do this or do that, and please Me to some extent. It is up to you to make the choice. There is no compulsion. It is you who have to make the choice and thus please Me to some extent.' I do not expect them all the time to be inside My Consciousness. They, in return, do not expect all the time to receive My constant Concern, Love, Blessings and Gratitude.

"My first-class disciples are those to whom I have not given any earthbound or human freedom. For I know earthbound freedom — vital, mental and physical freedom — is infinitely worse than destruction itself. Therefore, I take full responsibility for their aspiration-life and dedication-life. I tell them what they must do; I do not ask them. If I say, 'Sit down!' they sit down. If I say, 'Stand up!' they stand up. I give them no choice. It is My Will. They have no option, no choice. They have to please Me and fulfil Me at every moment in My own Way. This is what my first-class disciples do.

"First-class disciples have no will of their own. They have no choice of their own. Their choice and their will have become inseparably one with My Choice and My Will. My Satisfaction, in My own Way, is their only satisfaction. They know that when they satisfy Me and please Me in My own Way, they will receive boundless joy, boundless peace, boundless love, boundless delight — everything, everything in boundless measure. Their sense of separativity, their individuality, their personality have totally disappeared. Only oneness-song, oneness-dance, oneness-march they enjoy divinely and supremely with Me here on earth, there in Heaven.

"You know, My child, indeed you are a disciple of Mine. Now you know where you stand: whether you are My first-class, second-class or third-class disciple.

"Third-class disciples I tolerate unconditionally. Second-class disciples I keep with the hope that one day they will try to become first-class disciples. One day in the near or distant future a new light will enter into them, and they will cry for total surrender to My Will. That is My expectation-world. That is My hope-world. With an iota of hope, an iota of expectation, I keep them in My Boat.

"First-class disciples are My veritable Pride. They carry Me the length and breadth of the entire world. They carry My Vision; they carry My Mission — eternally. It is in them I see My own Dream-Reality. It is for them I feel My Universal Existence. They are My instruments unparalleled. They are My happiness unparalleled. They are My Eternity's satisfaction as I am their Eternity's All.

"So, My child, if you feel that you are not My first-class disciple, try to become one and make Me feel that My Manifestation on earth is not an empty dream but fulfilling and fulfilled Reality."

The shortest distance

7:40 p.m.
Sri Chinmoy Centre Church, Bayside, NY

O my Pilot Beloved, today I have a volley of questions. Would You kindly answer them?

"Yes, I shall, My child."

Please tell me the shortest distance between two human beings.

"Peace."

Please tell me the shortest distance between You and me.

"A constant cry."

Please tell me the shortest distance between man and the cosmic gods.

"Understanding."

Please tell me the shortest distance between man's mind and man's heart.

"Concern."

Please tell me the shortest distance between Your transcendental Vision and the universal Reality.

"A oneness-smile."

Now, do tell me how the seeker in me can cover these distances.

"My child, for that you need concentration on the physical plane, meditation on the inner plane and contemplation in My all-illumining and all-fulfilling Plane. Without concentration, everything that you have and everything that you are will not be able to bring about success. Your life-tree will fall apart, your life-house will fall apart. Without meditation, your illumining and fulfilling hope-bridge that connects Heaven and earth will not last. It will fall apart. Without contemplation, the divine in you will never be able to manifest the Universal and Transcendental in you.

"Concentrate! You will achieve your goal. Meditate! You will be able to remain inside the very depth of your goal. Contemplate! You will become the goal itself. The all-illumining, all-fulfilling goal, it is you who will become."

Published in O My Pilot Beloved

You Have Lost Your Dearest Son

A letter by Sri Chinmoy
to a dear friend upon the loss of his son in a car accident

Quite recently you have lost your dearest son. I, too, have lost my dearest sister two months ago, and last year I lost my dearest brother. So you and I are sailing in the same boat.

We have to know our capacity and God’s Capacity. As He is infinite in everything, His Love for us is also infinite. We love our dear ones according to our limited capacity, but God loves our dear ones with His infinite Love. God gave you a piece of candy in the form of a most promising son. You were very, very, very happy. As He gives the candy, even so, He has the right to take it away. If He takes something away from us after He has given it to us, it is not because He is displeased with us in any way, but because He wants to give us something more beautiful, more precious and more significant.

God is preparing us to widen our hearts to become one with others’ sufferings, the sufferings of the world. Otherwise, it is all theoretical. When we hear that someone has died, our mind is shocked. Our heart may suffer to some extent, or even to a great extent. But our heart does not swim in the sea of tears. Our heart does not bleed. But when we have personal experiences, when we become victim to heartbreaking experiences, our heart expands unimaginably, either consciously or unconsciously.

We have to know to whom our child actually belongs. We brought the child into this earth-planet. Naturally, we can claim the child. Then who is going to claim us? Who is going to claim our forefathers? Only one Person can rightly and justifiably claim our forefathers, our fathers and our children, and that Person is God Himself.

One who is actually the Owner can have his ownership back whenever He wants to. The Owner can hire me, and He has hired many other workers as well. Suppose the owner of a bank has made somebody the manager, and the manager sees that among the workers he has a very promising worker. If the owner of the bank wants that most promising worker at another branch of the bank, who can stop him? Nobody. The present bank manager may feel it is a tremendous loss, but it is not the loss of the owner. The owner needed that particular worker to work somewhere else. Now, the present manager feels extremely sad that he has lost a very important worker, but we have to surrender willingly or unwillingly to the Owner. And if we do surrender cheerfully, then the Owner will be highly pleased with us and He will make us into His choice instrument for His manifestation on earth.

The body of your son is no longer with us, but the spirit is here, there, everywhere. If we enter into the spiritual life, then we see that God loves each and every human being infinitely more than we can ever love them. What is more, He loves them infinitely more than we can ever imagine. Now, you, as the father of your son, and your wife, as the mother of her son, have tremendous love for your dearest son. But Who has given this love to you both to start with? We must feel that the real Possessor has taken His possession back, to use His possession in an infinitely better way.

We all know that whoever loves a person most, rightly deserves him. God definitely loves your dear son infinitely more than both of you can ever love him. But by taking our dearest ones from us, God in a way is helping us to become not only impersonal, but also universal.

Thirty years ago, I went to my dentist. He was telling me, “Ghose, I have a client whom I like very much. Yesterday he lost his brother. He and his brother were extremely, extremely close to each other. They could not stay separated even for a fleeting hour. Therefore, I wanted to console him. To my greatest surprise, he illumined me. He said to me, ‘True, my brother and I were almost inseparable, but I know there is Someone who loves my brother infinitely more than I do. And I also know that He has taken my brother to Him, and nobody else can dare to do it. He who loves my brother infinitely more than I do, will He not keep my brother happy, happier, happiest and safe, safer, safest? He definitely will. My brother definitely will be happy because Someone loves my brother infinitely more than I do. Therefore, he has gone to Him. So I am now not heartbroken. My life also will end at God’s choice Hour. Let me be happy in God’s Happiness.’” So the dentist was illumined and I, too, was illumined then and there.

You are a Reverend. You have lost one son, but you have many, many followers and admirers. God wants you to have all of them as your sons. As a matter of fact, God is telling you, “I am taking from you only one, but in return I am giving you many, many, many more children. Please take responsibility for all the children of Mine that you encounter on earth who come for your sermons.”

Now I wish to tell you, Reverend, how you and your wife can console yourselves and even get inner joy from your outer loss. Please keep around yourselves as many pictures as possible of your beloved son at different times of his life. Please write down your sweetest memories of your beloved son. Then, from time to time, read those memories and become the sweetness, beauty, reality and divinity of your son’s life. While you are trying to grow into the memories, feel that your son is not only with you and in you, but for you.

There are two ways for you to commune with your son in the inner world: with your heart’s cries and soul’s smiles. Through prayers, we develop our heart’s cries. Through meditations, we develop our soul’s smiles. Either of these two can be applicable to commune with your beloved son or to derive joy from merely thinking of him. One way is to cry and bind your beloved son. The other way is to smile and feel that he is simply having a new journey. It is like a son going to a university. He was brought up in a village. Now he has gone to a distant town to take a higher course. The mother can cry because she will not see her son as before. Again, the father can be happy that his son is going far away. He will be a great scholar, and the family will be glorified by him.

So we should feel that our dearest one has outwardly left us to perform a special mission at another place. Then, if we are wise, if we are in our soul, we will tell him, “Go forward! You are paving the way. From Heaven, when we brought you down to this earth-planet, we paved the way for you. Now you are paving the way for us from earth to enter into Heaven.”

When we bring dear ones into the world, we pave the way for them. When the dear ones leave, we should feel that they are going ahead of us to pave the way and show us that we can become true members of the universal family, instead of remaining a member of one single family.

First the parents show the way to the child. Then the children can show the way to the parents. The parents do not feel miserable at that time. They say to themselves, “We gave him what we had and what we are. Now he is giving us what he has and what he is.”

Life and death are like two rooms. Going from life to death is like going from one room to the other. Life is our living-room and death is our bedroom. In our living-room, we have to work and be active and show ourselves. In our bedroom, we take rest, we sleep. There we do not have to show our existence to anybody; we are only for ourselves.

Life is Eternity’s Road. Each human being is a traveller on Eternity’s Road. Death is a series of stopovers before the traveller reaches his Immortality’s Shore.

Published in Sri Chinmoy Answers, part 36

Those Who are Still Going On

by Sri Chinmoy
at Aspiration-Ground, Jamaica, New York

I am so proud, so proud of those who have completed our 3100-mile race. I am also proud of those who are still running. Bill Rodgers once said that he had tremendous admiration for people who take a very long time to complete the marathon — even seven or eight hours — because to stay on the ground for so many hours is so difficult. Those who stand first, second and third naturally deserve our tremendous, tremendous admiration, gratitude and pride. And also those who are still going on, going on, going on relentlessly, deserve our tremendous, tremendous, tremendous appreciation and admiration.

Even if there is only one divine soldier who continues to run, I will definitely go to the race in the morning and in the evening to give prasad, and some evenings I will play music.

Published in My Golden Children