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Poems

Dreamers All

by Paramhansa Yogananda

I am only awake

When I enter the chamber of slumber.

Then I forsake all dreams of wakefulness

Or nocturnal dreams of fancy.

I am awake when I silence my mind

And its dreams of this cosmic puzzle.

The dreams of sleep are one dream for me

And the dream of wakefulness is another dream.

When both these dreams

Disappear from my mental stream

Then alone I am awake.

At night I may have many dreams,

But every day during wakeful hours

I dream I live in a temple of flesh

And have eyes, ears, smell, taste, and touch,

And that I have to live or die.

But when I sleep I awake in blissful vastness

Forgetting all my dream titles of the day.

All those who think they are born are dreaming.

All those who died have been dreaming too.

Those who thought they were sick,

And those that gloated o’er health,

Were dreamers all.

Those who thought they were man or woman

Ah, all dreamed,

For when they sleep, die or melt in God

They are really awake from this dream of life.

— From Inner Culture Magazine, June 1940

Poems

Compassion’s Castle

by Paramhansa Yogananda

While shots and shells of hate

Fall around thee

Remain castled in love.

While bombs of misunderstanding

Keep bursting

Remain hidden

‘Neath the deep caves of compassion.

While poisonous vapors of delusion

Seek to choke the life of thy wisdom

Mask thy soul with taintless love.

For the castle of love divine

Is a safe haven

From temptation’s armies.

Dig a moat of steadiness

And fill in with love’s waters

That selfishness may not swim across

To behead thy soul’s wisdom.

— From Inner Culture Magazine, March 1939

Poems

God Alone

by Paramhansa Yogananda

I drank the crushed beauty of a sextillion stars;

I sipped the sap of all sane pleasures;

I made a bonfire of all sorrows and basked in the

blaze of bliss.

I quaffed the commingled love of all hearts;

I mingled paternal, maternal, and fraternal love

together,

And drank that to the dregs.

I squeezed the Scriptures for a drop of peace;

I pressed poems from the winepress of Nature;

I stole the sweetness from the honeycomb of pleasures;

I stole gems from the mine of thoughts;

I read, I smiled, I worked, I planned, I throbbed,

I aspired

But naught was sufficient,—–

Only nightmares of incompleteness, ever-receding

Will-o’-the-Wisps of promised happiness

precipitated and haunted my heart.

But when I cast all dreams away,

I sat in the sanctuary of Peace,

And my Soul sang, “ God alone! God alone!

— From Inner Culture Magazine, September 1935

Poems

Freedom

by Paramhansa Yogananda

Brave cords bind me hand and foot

Yet lo, I am free, ever free.

Disease, try your tortures,

Yet, I am free, ever free.

Health, try your lures,

Yet, I am free, ever free.

Death, destroy my body-prison if you will,

Yet, I am free, ever free.

Long chains of desires

Forged in the furnace of incarnations

Have tried to bind me,

But I escaped from life to life

And I am at last free, ever free.

I enter through the rainbow

Into the free skies

I am free, ever free.

None can bind me

Unless I bind myself.

None can free me

Unless I know I am free —

When I know naught exists

To ever bind me,

Then I know I am free, ever free

— From Inner Culture Magazine, August 1937

Original Christianity

This is my Christmas song to you: that by daily meditation you will so prepare the cradle in your consciousness that you will behold the Infinite Baby Christ laid there anew. From today until Christmas pray deep and long until every day becomes a true Christmas day of Christ-communion.

Spiritualize the social ceremonious Christmas celebration around the Christmas tree of material gifts by exchanging spiritual gifts of soul qualities of love, peace, joy, and forgiveness with other true souls around the Christmas tree of universal brotherhood.

Kindle a glamorous light of love for all nations of the earth in the fireplace of patriotism to drive away the gloom of war. As a true Christ’s son, make a solemn vow within: “I will love America with all my being, and I will love all God’s people as I love America.”

Live Christ’s unifying influence at home, at business, at church, in society, in politics, in international understanding, and Christ will be with you. You will be a Christ-one – Christian – one with Christ.

— From Inner Culture Magazine, October 1940