In this CD, Sri Chinmoy recites from his poetry, talks and aphorisms. The recording includes extracts from some of Sri Chinmoy’s most significant works – including – Songs of the Soul, Silence Speaks and Everest-Aspiration.
Before I Pray, CD 2
Last modified July 15, 2014
In this 2nd CD, we start with Sri Chinmoy reading from one of his most outstanding works of poetic prose, “Songs of the Soul” (tracks 1-3).
My body
O my body, you are a gift of the Supreme. Potentiality inexhaustible you have, deep within you. To misunderstand you means to misunderstand the chosen instrument of God.
You want not, you must not, you cannot conquer the length and breadth of the world with your physical strength. Offer your growing heart to the hearts far and near. Offer your glowing soul to the souls around, below, above. Then alone you become the conqueror and possessor of God’s entire universe.
O my body, invoke your soul always for you to lead. Invoke! Never shall the monotony of the uneventful life plague you. With lightning speed yours shall be the ceaseless march… upward to the highest, inward to the inmost, forward to the farthest.
Sing, sing the song of Bliss in Immortality! Breathe, breathe in the breath of Consciousness in Immortality! Live, live the life of Existence in Immortality!
Death? Die you must not. For your death will be a great loss to humanity and by far a greater loss to Divinity. Fight, O my body, fight with ignorance to the bitterest end. Never allow ignorance to envelop you, your outer cloak. Your tearing efforts shall be crowned with success.
O body of mine, fare you well for Eternity. May each earthly year of yours have a trillion fulfilling years.
God the Eternal Dreamer is dreaming through you, with you. God the Eternal Reality is living for you, with you and in you.
Sri Chinmoy, Songs Of The Soul, Agni Press, 1971
The next 3 tracks comprise a talk about the qualities that the seeker needs in his spiritual life (tracks 4-6).
In track 7, Sri Chinmoy reads from his “Silence Speaks” poetry.
Alas, I barter not
With God’s sleepless Affection-Light.
Yet He abandons not
My life-journey’s perfection-flight.
Sri Chinmoy, Silence Speaks, Part 1, Agni Press, 1990
Tracks 8 and 9 contain poems from Sri Chinmoy’s “Ten Thousand Flower-Flames”.
A Map Of Silence
What do I see in my Heaven-free mind?
I see a map
Of midnight-silence
With a stupendous
Satisfaction-smile.
Track 10 contains two talks from “Everest-Aspiration”.
Dream
What is dream? Dream is creation. Creation is either division or union. “Division” is a complicated word. When we use division to divide the existence-reality, we enter into the world of ego and “I”-ness. But again, when we use it to divide work, labour, capacities, at that time it is a veritable blessing. If we divide and, through our division, get the result in a solid, concrete way to form one truth and one reality, then that division is good. But when we divide the reality into pieces and give supremacy to one piece and do not appreciate or value the other pieces, then we sing the song of separativity. This kind of division ends in destruction, the destruction of the little world that we claim to be ours….
– Sri Chinmoy
Continue reading at: Everest Aspiration Part 1, Agni Press, 1977
Track 11 contains an inspiring message about the “golden month” of March 1986. Track 12 contains “a cautionary message pertaining to the end of the year, during a meeting with his disciples” at the end of 1983. Track 13 is a recording of Sri Chinmoy’ New Year’s Message for 1987. This is followed by Sri Chinmoy’s soulful talk, “I Thank You”, delivered at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City, November 27,1980. “East and West” is the subject of the next track, from a radio interview in February 1965. Last, but not least, Sri Chinmoy reads the translation to his song, “Nayan Nehare”, and then sings this most soulful and elevating song.
NAYAN NEHARE
The eye sees the entire world
But it sees not its own life;
Therefore, keeping the two eyes closed,
The Yogi meditates on You,
O Lord Supreme.
The ear hears only
The messages and the clamour of the outer world.
It hears not the messages
Of the highest Heaven;
Therefore, the true seeker of wisdom
Always tries to keep his ears
Under his perfect control.
– Sri Chinmoy, Supreme, Teach Me How to Cry
We hope you enjoy these recordings of Sri Chinmoy sharing his literary inspiration with the world at large.
Related
Artist: Sri Chinmoy
Name: Before I Pray, CD 2
Composer: Sri Chinmoy
Release Year: 2012
Duration: 1 hour 18 minutes
Acknowledgements: Sri Chinmoy
Tracks uploaded and published: Kamalakanta Nieves and Tejvan Pettinger
Format: Advanced Audio Coding
So priceless! A way of downloading the whole CD would be extremely useful.