“Transcendence-Perfection. Perfection is transcendence. Transcendence is perfection. Today is an immortal day. Those who believe in their immortality will definitely feel something in these poems.”
– Sri Chinmoy, 1 November 1978
When the clock ticked past midnight on November 1st, 1975, spiritual Master Sri Chinmoy set out to surpass his 24-hour poem-writing record of the previous year, which was already an astounding 360 poems. Twenty-four hours later he more than doubled that number, completing 843 new poems. He attributed his ability to work so rapidly to his yogic powers of concentration, developed through years of meditation. Two-hundred copies of the large-format book Transcendence-Perfection were printed and bound by his disciples the following day at Agni Press in Jamaica, New York. Explaining the title, he said, “In our inner life we always seek to transcend our previous realisations and achievements while we are walking along Eternity’s Road of perfect Perfection.”
Sri Chinmoy recites poems from Transcendence-Perfection
Transcendence-Perfection
The story of Sri Chinmoy’s remarkable achievement
From the stroke of midnight, Sri Chinmoy’s house is abuzz with activity.
Sri Chinmoy begins writing his first poem but he is not alone. Around him, are teams of local New York disciples, each with their assigned jobs. Everyone is racing against the clock because not only does Sri Chinmoy want to write as many poems as possible in one day, he wants the book published in the quickest possible time.
Hours before midnight, Sri Chinmoy was attacked by shoulder pain. And as the hours wear on fatigue is taking its toll. Sri Chinmoy employs anything he can to keep his physical going. He sings, plays the flute, stands on his head, Indian-style, and does leg exercises in that position. He walks upstairs and downstairs to check on the progress of the helpers.
He commented later, that when he wrote The Goal is Won he had lost several hours; on this occasion he had lost only forty minutes out of twenty four hours. So the next time he writes poetry in this way, he will not be able to gain working time but will have to increase his speed.
Nevertheless, Sri Chinmoy is not going to be defeated by time. At one point, he exclaims, “All right, baba! I can’t waste any more time. I am a busy man! I always compete with myself — what can I do?”
Sri Chinmoy had set himself an intermediate goal to go beyond 360 poems in 12 hours — his previous 24-hour poetry record was 360 poems for The Goal is Won, set on April 28th, 1974. To Sri Chinmoy’s great joy he passes 360 by 12 noon. He is now assured of setting a new personal record. Yet, as Sri Chinmoy later tells his helpers, “this is our achievement.”
As soon as Sri Chinmoy completes each batch of hand-written poems, they are checked and counted, and then scurried off to the Compugraphic, a few blocks away, for proofreading and typesetting. The galleys are then quickly taken over to Agni Press for the layout, plate making, printing, collating, binding, and trimming.
The teams of helpers soon find themselves hours behind Sri Chinmoy’s output. As Sri Chinmoy finishes writing at midnight, many of the team still have another day of work ahead of them.
Right until the very end, even the number count is still uncertain. But by the evening function the next day, the book Transcendence-Perfection is done! Two hundred thick volumes printed and bound. Page after page, all gracefully typed, containing the 843 poems, complete with a glossy cover featuring one of Sri Chinmoy’s Jharna-Kala artworks.
Only an idea two days ago, it is now a solid, tangible reality.
Adapted from a report in Chinmoy Family, Oct. 1975-Feb. 1976
Editor’s preface to Transcendence-Perfection
Using concentrative powers developed through meditation, Sri Chinmoy wrote the 843 poems in this volume in a 24-hour period — from midnight to midnight on November 1, 1975. This surpasses his previous record of 360 poems written in one day on 28 April of last year and published under the title The Goal Is Won.
When Sri Chinmoy endeavours to set new records of this kind, he does so out of childlike enthusiasm, for the pure joy of it. Also, such achievements become a means for inspiring humanity and demonstrating how much a human being is capable of when he invokes God to work in and through him.
Several of Sri Chinmoy’s disciples remained with the Master throughout the writing marathon, transcribing the poems from his handwritten notebooks or from his dictaphone. Others worked around the clock at the printing press, and the book in its final printed form was completed less than 24 hours after the volume was finished.
1. ETERNITY’S VISION-REALITY SONG
Beloved Lord Supreme,
Do You approve of
My self-transcendence song?
“My son, not only do I approve
But it is I who will
Sing in you,
Sing through you
My Eternity’s Vision-Reality Song.”
9. HE ASKED GOD WHO HE WAS
In the small hours
Of his earthly life
He asked God
Who he was.
God answered in the evening
Of his life:
“God’s transcendental Silence-Vision
And
God’s universal Sound-Reality.”
17. I CAN ONLY PROMISE
I can promise
To be sincere;
But sweet Lord,
It is You alone
Who have to make me sincere.
I can promise
To be good;
But beloved Lord,
It is You alone
Who can and will
Make me eternally and supremely good.
Related
Transcendence-Perfection at Sri Chinmoy Library
Transcendence-Perfection at Sri Chinmoy Songs