Question: What is the spiritual significance of football?

Sri Chinmoy: From the spiritual point of view, football is extremely meaningful, soulful and fruitful. Each sincere seeker should pray to the Supreme to make him His football. When we kick a football, the football is at our mercy. The football is the instrument. We kick right, left, forward, backward and play with it according to our sweet will. Now, look at this football! It is far better than we are. The football does not quarrel with us, it does not fight us. At times the football, as an instrument, can fail us; the air can leak out, the bladder can burst, all kinds of problems can come up. But the main wish of the football is to please the football player.

We should consider ourselves to be footballs of the Supreme. The earthly football, the leather football is under compulsion to please its master. The football that we kick is under our control, at our mercy. It has become our instrument and it is pleasing us, although it may not be pleasing us cheerfully. But we should be conscious footballs always trying to please the Supreme cheerfully so that the Supreme can at any moment kick us, shape us, mould us, form us in His own way. We should be real divine footballs so that He can use us all the time in His own way, according to His sweet Will.