Paramhansa Yogananda at the Sea in Encinitas
Poems

My Prisoner

by Paramhansa Yogananda

Long You hid
Beneath the static of my restless thoughts,
Long You fled
In the chambers of eerie ether,
At last I found Thee
Hiding behind the quiet desert dunes
Of My desirelessness.
Fastened with strong cords of devotion
You are my Prisoner.
I’ll keep You
Locked in the dungeons of silence
Fastened beneath the bars of my closed eyes.
Beloved Prisoner
I’ll keep You enshrined
On the altar of my secret songs.
Beloved Captive
I’ll keep You hidden
In the bower of my caresses,
In the temple of my dreams.
Beloved Infinite
I’ll keep You ever imprisoned
Behind the strong walls of my undying love.

— August 1937

Paramhansa Yogananda in Lotus Pose on Verandah
Poems

Peace

by Paramhansa Yogananda

I obey Thee in the temple of discipline.
I love Thee in the temple of devotion.
I worship Thee in the temple of my love.
I touch Thy feet in the temple of stillness.
I behold Thy eyes in the temple of delight.
I feel Thee in the temple of emotions.
I fight for Thee in the temple of meditation.
I enjoy Thee in the temple of peace.
Peace flows through my heart, and blows through me as a zephyr.
Peace fills me like a fragrance.
Peace runs through me like rays.
Peace stabs the heart of worries and noise.
Peace burns through my disquietude.
Peace, like a globe of fire, expands and fills my omnipresence.
Peace, like an ocean, rolls in all space.
Peace, like red blood, vitalizes the veins of my thoughts.
Peace, like a boundless aureole, encircles my body of Infinity.
Peace flames blow through the pores of my flesh, and through all space.
The perfume of Peace flows over the gardens of blossoms.
The wine of Peace runs perpetually through the wine-press of all hearts.
Peace is the breath of stones, stars, and sages.
Peace is the ambrosial wine of Spirit flowing from the cask of Silence,
Which I quaff with my countless mouths of atoms.

— December 1932