In this poem the poet captures the essence of mantras: the presentation of truth in its most dynamic form. When truth is endowed with this dynamic life-force, the listener cannot remain quiescent. He must respond to the echoes that are rising within his own soul. It is a measure of the fusion of language and thought in this poem that its internal structure mimes that very echo effect in the feminine rhymes of “soulful” and “fruitful.”
Mantras such as these proceed on the premiss that the vision of the seer-poet holds true for all men in all ages. These are not relative truths, confined by individual circumstances or a specific location. They are the seminal truths which have neither beginning nor end. They can never be discovered, for they exist above man, but they may be realised and revealed. “A poet,” writes Sri Chinmoy, “is he who envisions the ultimate, absolute Truth.”
In order to use mantras effectively the poet must extend beyond all time and place, transcending the bounds of identity in order to enter into that universal spirit which sees into the hearts of all men. His speaking voice must be naked, unbounded, able to assume multiple forms and, through all these, to speak always in the native accents of the soul:
I CAME FROM GOD
I came from God
The Eternal Dreamer.
I am heading towards God
The Immortal Lover.
(734)
The sovereign sweep of this poem encompasses the journey of the soul from its source to its final goal What is most striking about this poem is its conceptual clarity in spite of the wealth of thought that is compressed into it. It is an epic in miniature. To penetrate its many layers of meaning what is required is an act of contemplation that somehow goes far beyond mere comprehension.
On a surface level, Sri Chinmoy does not present anything that might hinder our comprehension of the poems. In spite of their extreme brevity, they never become cryptic or convoluted. The greatest economy goes hand in hand with the greatest simplicity:
INFINITY’S ABODE
God’s Compassion-Eye
Is God’s
Infinity’s Abode.
(1829)
The beauty of this poem is the beauty of correct and flawless expression. It exhibits the ancient poetic virtues of proportion and symmetry: the statement divides into two perfectly matched phrases linked by the passive copula “is.” These phrases or thought-units are challenging to us because together they comprise a new name for an abstract concept. The naming of a particular experience or state of being is frequently the focal point of the poem:
TRY THE SURRENDER-KEY
If all the other keys have failed,
Then try the soulful surrender-key.
It will easily open God’s Door.
(4277)
In this poem the poet uses the image of a key to give a new concreteness to the concept of surrender. It is the same principle that prompted him to employ the highly visual images of God’s Eye and God’s Abode in the previous poem. The poet does not qualify his assertion or attempt to explain why surrender is ultimately the most successful way of reaching God; he simply expresses the truth in the most precise terms. The lack of elaboration or logical argument places utmost emphasis on the few words that he uses to communicate this truth and calls forth their original mantric power.
AN ASPIRATION-TREE
What is an aspiration-tree?
A giant
Among the dwarf desire-plants.
(2470)
Immediately we read this poem we are impressed by the contrast in scale between aspiration and desire. The poet’s question and answer are bold and trenchant. Even to the eye, the single aspiration-tree stands isolated in the second line, a giant towering over the “dwarf desire-plants” that lie below it in the final line. This single pictorial image, strengthened by the syntactical arrangement of the poem, intensifies the poet’s meaning whereas a more logical development of the theme would have diffused it. Mantras are possible only for those poets who are not afraid to risk exposure, who can deliver the substance of their vision intact without seeking refuge in self-qualification. Frequently this yields a type of poetry that is akin to commandment: