As an individual, as an ordinary human being, I am nothing, I was nothing, and I will always remain nothing.
But as an instrument of the divine, of the supreme, if I can please him in his own way, then I am everything, not only to humanity, but to my supreme pilot.
So him to please in his own way is my constant aspiration.
Supreme, supreme, supreme, I bow to thee, I bow to thee, I bow to thee.
Tarnacola, tarnacola, tarnacola.
The fountain of creation is the supreme himself.
As a spiritual master in touch with this infinite source, Sri Chinmoy brings to our world through his paintings, Visions of the Beyond.
Very good, excellent, excellent.
I see so many worlds, so many worlds mingling together. I like it so much. Come nearer than sea.
Through his art, Sri Chinmoy invites humanity on a journey of spiritual discovery.
We just don't know if there is a world's record for the number of paintings done in the shortest possible time, but on tonight's edition of Bert Haney's People, he may just have found that man, a guru living in Queens.
Ten thousand paintings in one hundred days. That's a hundred paintings a day. How could you do it?
I have not done it. The supreme in me, who is my inner pilot, has done it in and through me, and I just became a dedicated, devoted, unconditional instrument of his.
Why did you do it? Did someone make a bet with you or what?
The supreme in me wants me to be a service to the aspiring mankind.
As a boy in India, Sri Chinmoy developed his interest in painting. Years later, he showed his disciples some of his early work.
We were delighted with this newly discovered talent. Shortly after, he surprised us with a book of abstract sketches called Friendship Life with the Unknown.
While on a lecture tour in Canada, gurus spend a rainy day doing paintings. He signed them with the initials of his full name, Chinmoy Kumar Ghosh, and so began what we were to know as the fountain art of CKG, Jarna Kala.
There are quite a few ways to feed my spiritual children through prayer and meditation and through my writings. Now I have entered in a new field.
My art is an expression of my aspiration, which is the food of my spiritual children.
Thank you.
We were inspired and amazed to see Guru's first 1000 paintings, but we had no idea that this was only a beginning.
When we heard that Guru had decided to complete 10,000 paintings before the end of the coming year, we knew that what some of us had viewed as a fascinating sidelight had now become a major adventure.
I have to tell you one thing.
For an ordinary person, an inspiration is something that, at times, that an inspiration bird comes and stands in front of him, at times the bird flies away in spite of his repeated requests to stay in front of him.
But in the case of a spiritual person, it is a different matter. He creates inspiration. He creates time of his own.
If he has to surrender to time or surrender to inspiration, then he will never be able to accomplish the things that the Divine within him wants to accomplish in and through him.
I do not think of color as such. Intuitively, I select a particular color and I do not know whether that color is green or blue or red or yellow.
Now, just my eyes take me to a particular color, but my mind does not act. Since my mind does not act, I do not know what color I am selecting.
And I have no preconceived idea as to what I am going to paint. I just allow myself to be carried away by a higher force.
It seems that I will be recognized as an artist before I am recognized as a poet.
God alone knows. For thirty years, I have been writing poems and now I have started my paintings only the other day, not even three and a half months.
Again, as in poetry, so in art, I offered the fruits to the Supreme devotedly.
Guru immersed himself in his work, spending endless hours seated in his chair, finishing painting after painting.
Still maintaining his busy schedule of lectures and meditations, he painted while traveling to his centers and to his meetings at the United Nations.
On February 26, after months of intensely concentrated work, Guru resolved to finish what we had thought might take all year.
In the next twenty-one hours, he created one thousand paintings. The goal of ten thousand had been reached.
Supreme, I bow to thee. Supreme, I bow to thee. Supreme, I bow to thee.
Thank you.
Supreme, I bow to thee.
On March 31, the Jharnakala Gallery was opened.
Among the first viewers were artists Paul Jenkins and collector Robert Skull.
It's an incredible, it's an incredible output and I think that that amount of paintings done in two months must be coming from a deep autobiographical well of images and feelings.
The abundance. Yes, there are many watercolors, but what's here is an abundance of color, abundance of images, abundance of things that come through your mind when you meditate.
And I don't look at them with a tough eye, say like an archist art critic. I look at them for what they are, for his joy.
And it stabilizes once and for all for me the heart chakra.
In the traditional religious artistic expressions for many ages, whether they're Hindu or Christian or other, the styles are very tight, very ceremonial, very crystallized.
And here's an expression which is modern religiosity, totally free, more than contemporary. I think it's very refreshing.
It's hard labor as well as an act of love, remarkable.
Everything is in seed form in the inner world first and then only can it become manifested in the outer world.
When I paint, I devotedly follow a streak of light. It is quite visible to me, this streak of light comes from my inner soul or my inner self.
When I paint, I devote myself to my inner soul.
When I paint, I devote myself to my inner soul.
When I paint, I devote myself to my inner soul.
When I paint, I devote myself to my inner soul.
When I paint, I devote myself to my inner soul.
When I paint, I devote myself to my inner soul.
I devote myself to my inner soul.
When I paint, I devote myself to my inner soul.
When I paint, I devote myself to my inner soul.
The supreme goal of art is self discovery or God realization and life perfection.
Life perfection is unconditional and constant surrendered to God's will, the will of the supreme.
The Jarnakala Gallery wasn't the only place the public could see Guru's paintings.
There were other exhibitions in museums, department stores and even a bank in Midtown Manhattan where a passerby could pause from the bustle of city life to reflect on another world.
The Jarnakala Gallery was the only place the public could see Guru's paintings.
April 13 marked the 11th anniversary of Guru's arrival in the West.
After each year, he created a unique painting and he dedicated them in gratitude to the soul of America.
As Guru continued to paint, new styles and techniques began to emerge. In order to accommodate the more recent works, disciples renovated the basement of the gallery.
As we worked alongside Guru, we felt with renewed poignance, the inner bond which unites us.
Our sense of fulfillment came not from setting up an art show, but from the awareness of the opportunity Guru was giving us to join him in his mission to inspire humanity.
Even the most menial task had meaning.
The Supreme said, I want you now to be my absolutely most perfect instrument. I want you to from now. You may not become an artist, but if you become his best instrument, you become at that time his living breath.
The opening night guests at Guru's new exhibit included artists Peter Max and Edith Montlack.
As an artist, I must say, I do admire very deeply his sense of color, the rhythm in his strokes, his lovely compositions, the sunny light that emanates from his canvases.
I feel that his art has a tremendous way of inspiring and uplifting the viewer. So from that point of view, I do feel that his art is extremely important in this 20th century and I think it will leave a very great mark in the world of art for the future.
As the goal of 27,000 came within reach, Guru often painted through the night, going without sleep for days at a time.
The room in which he was working was surcharged with a force of creative power.
Paintings emerged from his hand at an incredible rate. During one 100-minute period, he completed 500 paintings.
So in 100 minutes to continue to the same speed, same tempo, 12 seconds are painting, the human in me will not believe.
My own human existence cannot fathom the divine capacity that God has out of infinite bounty, has granted me.
But again the same capacity God has given to everyone. But we have to strive towards the unfoldment of the capacity. We have to unveil the reality within us.
On June 27th, the goal of 27,000 paintings was reached.
At the huge newly leased Jarnakala gallery on Mercer Street, we gathered to celebrate with Guru. He painted one final painting as we watched.
Mudeer Bola, Mudeer Chola, Mudeer Bola, Mudeer Chola,
Mudeer Chola, Mudeer Chola, Mudeer Chola, Mudeer Chola, Mudeer Chola, Mudeer Chola, Mudeer Chola.
The first major chapter of a unique spiritual adventure was drawing to a close.
As a symbol of our gratitude for the world of delight he had opened to us,
some of the disciples presented Guru with 27 gifts.
And he offered to each of us 27 sweets.
I dedicate
these soulful paintings to the supreme artist, the absolute supreme.
I dedicate these paintings to the seeker artist who'd be visiting his art exhibit.
I dedicate these soulful paintings to the lovers of spiritual art.
I dedicate these aspiring paintings to my spiritual children whose contribution can only be felt and never, never be expressed in words.
To all the disciples I offer my ever increasing gratitude heart.
Supreme, supreme, supreme, I bow to thee, I bow to thee.
Supreme, supreme, supreme, I bow to thee, I bow to thee.
