Question: Does any change take place in your body when the divine forces enter the physical?

Sri Chinmoy: Certainly. Many times, when a very high spiritual force enters into me, a dynamic force, I see that I embody hundreds and thousands of lions. When infinite Peace enters into me, I see the Pacific Ocean. If a childlike force which is very sweet and beautiful enters into me, I see myself as a child of five or six years old. Many people have seen me as a small child when they have meditated with me. Again, when a force enters into me and wants to show me my ancient life as a Vedic seer, at that time I see myself as I was in many previous incarnations, in my traditional ancient consciousness. I see myself in the jungle with a long beard and moustache and long hair.

It is not in my subtle body that I see these changes, and I will not say it is in my gross physical. But part of the physical receives the force and is transformed in different ways. Here transformation does not mean illumination and perfection, but just changing from one form to another. I do not want to say that one consciousness is superior or inferior. This moment I see an ancient Vedic seer, and the next moment I see a little child four or five years old. It is not that I am unable to maintain my consciousness; only it is not necessary. Somebody may get inspiration from the first consciousness, and somebody else may get inspiration from the second one.

The body does change, and I see it with my own eyes. The powerful forces are bound to change it. Sometimes when a force descends very powerfully and I do not want to control that force, my nose and jaw shake. At that time I am not entering into a dramatic performance. If you hold something under a tap and run water over it in a particular way, it may shake under the pressure. But if you hold it more firmly, it will not shake. Light is descending powerfully and I am just letting it flow freely.

My body or my face may shake on rare occasions when I do not want to keep control. At that time it is very difficult to return to the earth-consciousness. Consciously I do not want to come down and I cannot come down immediately; it takes time. Only one disciple has touched me when I was in such a high consciousness — Kanan. One time in Ottawa at a public meditation my consciousness was so high that at first I did not try to come down. The physical in me was not functioning with the soul at all. Then I began trying desperately to come down, and I was able to come down while touching Kanan.

To come back to your question, the physical definitely changes. The actual physical height can change. Others will not be able to measure it, but spiritual Masters will be able to. It is not deception, but it occurs in the subtle form, so we will not be able to see how the height changes with our human eyes.