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 A MOMENT OF INSPIRATION

    A moment of inspiration
Powerfully feeds my aspiration-flames.
    A moment of aspiration
Unmistakably expedites my realisation-sun. (no. 364)

In many ways, the poet's vast storehouse of wisdom is seen as waiting, its reserves of power checked until the moment of creation:

A LITTLE MORE TIME

0 my imprisoned aspiration-flames,
I shall set you free.
Do give me a little more time.
I shall unmistakably
And Permanently Set you free. (no. 266)

At every point, Sri Chinmoy reminds us of his governing ideal to bring forth ten thousand flower-flames from his realisation-amplitude.

As with all the major writings in the history of mankind, there are no more than a handful of themes at the core of Ten Thousand Flower-Flames. These are the perennial themes of man's evolution, in particular, the evolution of consciousness. Traditionally, these themes present themselves in the form of questions. When man looks around him at the universe, the created world, he becomes aware of himself as something distinct and unique. He asks, "Who am I?" and all the world silently breathes the answer, "That thou art."' He then becomes sensible of a greater power than himself, a power which dwells both within him and outside him, and he frames the question, "Who is That?" Again he receives the answer, "That thou art." Finally, from the depth of love which springs forward from his soul, he pleads with this other, "What is the path by which I may obtain Thee?" His life then becomes the record of his journey towards God and of his eventual attainment of the goal of God-union.