77,000 Service-Trees 14

At the time of his passing, Sri Chinmoy had completed over 50,000 poems in his project to write 77,000 spiritual poems. It is a unique project, unprecedented in scale.

To gain the most from reading the poetry of Sri Chinmoy, one needs a degree of receptivity. This receptivity is a quiet and open mind; a reflective attitude. Receptivity need not be mistaken for intellectual comprehension. Sometimes the greatest poetry requires the utmost concentration to unravel the linguistic marvels the poet weaves. Sri Chinmoy deliberately seeks to create the contrary effect. Words are used with the utmost precision and reserve. If an idea can be expressed in four words, then Sri Chinmoy will not create unnecessary noise and linguistic effects by using more. He has also employed the innovative technique of using compound nouns, expressing more with less..The effect is that the Service-Trees poems are easy to read, they do not tax the intellectual mind but speak to the heart. The style of poems reflects in part their message - the benefits of simplicity, silence and an open heart.

An unmistakeable feature of reading the Service-Trees is that one feels the words are speaking directly to oneself. One particular aphorism may suddenly spring out as being the answer to an inner problem. Another aphorism may feel like one’s own conscience speaking. In the back of our minds we know the right thing to do, but quite often we need this good thought reinforced. In the right frame of mind the Service-Trees can help us to surmount our own doubts, fears and insecurities.