I Will Collect Flowers for Thee

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Try to imagine a world without flowers. What would it be like? Less vibrant, less inspiring, less joyful, less peaceful? Flowers create so much beauty. In their stillness they captivate us and draw us inward. While rhythmically dancing with the breeze, they enchant us and enliven our hearts.

How would you describe a flower? Poets have compared them to clusters of stars or the secret abode of forest fairies. Some insightful beings have compared them to the soul.

Flowers have a special message for seekers on the spiritual path.

What is that message? Flowers show us that the spiritual path need not be complicated. There is no need to follow complex doctrines or subject oneself to difficult or harsh penance. One simply needs to emulate a flower's purity, beauty, and selflessness.

In I Will Collect Flowers for Thee Paramahamsa Prajnanananda presents original and thought-provoking insight about how our lives are like gardens, and our minds are like gardeners. As this marvelous book nourishes you, it will also challenge you to consider the role you play in the wanton destruction of the natural world. You cannot read this book without feeling a greater love and respect for Mother Earth. Paramahamsaji's complete oneness with nature will speak to you on many levels. May every new revelation take seed in your heart and mind, blossom into a magnificent flower, and bring beauty and inspiration to all God's creation.

Flowers are beautiful. Beauty that we can all immediately perceive is demonstrated in a flower. It does not take a long time to find one. A garden is the most beautiful place because it is full of trees, flowers, and natural beauty. It has been said that a garden brings God closer to us; it is where we can relax and rejoice and also be connected to God and His beauty through nature.

Forests and gardens are similar and also dissimilar. A forest (vana in Sanskrit) is a natural garden, but a garden (upavana or vatika) is manmade. In the name of civilization we destroyed a lot of forests. To reverse this process we can create forests by planting trees and letting them grow naturally on their own. A garden is a product of proper planning, planting, regular care, and constant human attention. Forests, on the other hand, can survive without human intervention. A garden can be indoor, outdoor, private, community, or public. However, no matter where the garden is, we must possess the right attitude and some interest if we want to create and maintain it.

Our beloved Shri Gurudev was a lover of gardens since his childhood. With his own hands he worked long hours in gardens, and with his skill and talent he transformed many barren lands into beautiful, flourishing paradises. During his life as an itinerant monk he planted many flowering and fruit-bearing trees in the gardens of many devotees and disciples. Until today, those trees still provide fruits bearing his memory and love.

Shri Gurudev said each human being is a gardener, and each life is like a plot of land. During our lives, our actions can convert our land of life into a beautiful garden. But, unfortunately, many are not aware of it. The choice is ours about our life and lifestyle, our action and reaction, and our emotion and emancipation. Although we are blessed with this beautiful life with multiple choices and unimaginable opportunity, still many of us are not using it in the right way. A hardworking person can create a beautiful garden on barren land with a lot of effort, or a lazy person can convert a beautiful garden into a jungle or a barren landscape.

Life is magical in that every human life can be transformed into a beautiful garden.

If one possesses the eyes of beauty, one will see beauty everywhere and in everything. A joyful heart finds a fountain of joy wherever the eyes look. A serving hand will find opportunities to serve everywhere. God is beautiful, and His creation is beautiful. God is both the matter and the maker; thus, His beauty permeates everything. We humans, being the children of God, have the ability to perceive the beauty of God in all and make creation more beautiful with meaningful and purposeful living. Everything depends on our attitude and our choices. Spiritual seekers make their own lives beautiful, and they perceive divine beauty everywhere. Their lives become a divine romance of peace, bliss, and joy.

If we want to make this world more beautiful, the first step is to make ourselves beautiful; then we will beautify everything around us. To make ourselves beautiful we must transform our hearts. A pure heart reflects God's beauty. God is the source of all beauty, so our beauty manifests more as we bring God into our thoughts, speech, and actions in a practical spiritual manner.

Many of us have read and sung our beloved master Paramahamsa Yoganandaji's song, "O God Beautiful," a wonderful song in its meaning and melody. The words were originally written in Hindi by Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism in India, about five centuries ago. The great master translated this song into English and added music. He sang and now others sing along with him. This song describes God's pervasive beauty.

All living creatures are attracted to beauty, especially the beauty of a flower. Some beautiful and attractive flowers are alluring but have no smell, such as palash (Flame of the Forest, botanically called Butea monosperma). A Sanskrit proverb states, gunahina na sobhante nirgandha iva kimsukah: "Like the Flame of the Forest flower that has no aroma, those who do not have a good nature and noble qualities are not liked by others." Aromatic flowers and noble people are the same: without love and sweetness, no one will really love us. People in the world are very conscious of their appearance, but very few are careful to cultivate good character and noble behavior.

We are flowers in God's garden. Children are like buds; they should gradually bloom. What happens if the buds are eaten by worms before they bloom? It is our bounden duty to protect our children from vices, which prevent them from manifesting their inner beauty. They should be provided an environment that promotes good qualities, an environment where their souls can thrive. In the present world we need people of beauty and integrity with high moral and ethical values who can stand as role models for others.

Creation is truly the Garden of Eden, and in this garden of God every adult should be a good gardener who protects and preserves the divine garden in the form of family, society, nature, and natural beauty. Every child is a bud that should bloom. Our hearts and minds should bloom like flowers. Our lives should bloom like flowers. Proper attention and orientation are required.

In modern times people use flowers for decoration. They may decorate themselves with flowers or use flowers for decorating their homes, temples, or deities. Sometimes they even make essences and cosmetics out of flowers to beautify themselves or create inviting fragrances. Often they forget that their home is a temple, and their bodies are the body of God. If we realize the reality of this creation, our nature and behavior will change in a positive way, and like a flower our lives will become beautiful and pleasing to others.