Spiritual teacher and peace advocate Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007) was also a prolific artist and his art opens a new chapter in spiritual manifestation. From 1974 until his passing in 2007, Sri Chinmoy created over 140,000 pieces of abstract mystical art, called Jharna-Kala (Bengali word for “Fountain-Art”), along with almost 16 million drawings of birds symbolising the freedom of the human soul. Sri Chinmoy showed such a huge creativity but not as a result of ego or a mind-concept, but as an act of love and inspiration for humanity – the source being his inner being, his soul. He soulfully and devotedly placed all his artwork at the feet of the Supreme (his synonym for God or the Highest).
The following questions and answers are taken from Jharna-Kala magazine, Vol. 3 No. 3, July-August-September 1980:
In painting, are there some colours that are more inspiring or more spiritual than others?
Sri Chinmoy: It entirely depends on the artist. In my case, it isn’t the same colour every day that will inspire me more than the rest. No. Some days blue will inspire me more; other days it will be green or red or pink or yellow. It is like that. Some artists say that there are certain colours which impress them most all the time, and in their case this is true. But, in my case, it changes considerably. One day I prefer one colour, and the next day that colour may not inspire me at all. So, to say that some colours are more spiritual than the rest will be a mistake. But all the colours have a divine Source: therefore, we cannot say that any colours are unspiritual.
How can we be more conscious in our dat-to-day life of the beauty of your art?
Sri Chinmoy: You can be more conscious in your day-to-day of the beauty of my art by becoming more beautiful inwardly. How can you become more beautiful inwardly? Through consious aspiration and constant dedication. This conscious aspiration and constant dedication are not mere terms; they are real realities – like inhaling and exhaling. You breathe in because it is necessary; you breathe out because it is necessary. Inhaling and exhaling are part and parcel of your life on earth. Similarly, aspiration and dedication should be part and parcel of your day-to-day life. If you can have that kind of conscious aspiration and constant dedication – which means self-giving here – then easily you can be conscious at every moment of the inner and outer beauty of my art, which is nothing but a sea of beauty, a flood of beauty, both within and without.
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