Interviewer: How Did You Happen To Take...

Interviewer: How did you happen to take up the sport of weightlifting?

Sri Chinmoy: As I said, I am a man of prayer. I got an inner message to enter into the weightlifting world. Weightlifting was not my forte. I was born as a poet and singer. Then here in the West, in America, I embarked on playing musical instruments, composing songs and so forth.

Again, when I pray and meditate, I get messages from within. I use the term 'Inner Pilot'. My Inner Pilot has commanded me to enter into weightlifting. In my youth, I was a good athlete, according to our poor Indian standard. I never used weights. I thought that if you are musclebound, you cannot be a good athlete. But now the theory has changed. I see that world champions have excellent muscles. Now my Inner Pilot has commanded me to serve Him through weightlifting, where the barriers of the mind can be lifted.