Vijaya: I am eternally grateful to Guru for giving me this opportunity, because it is such a remarkable experience. It gives you the opportunity to transcend. You have no choice. One thing I wanted to do, since this was my fourth attempt and I was hoping this one would be the successful attempt, I re-read Guru’s talks on the Channel, given to other swimmers who had not succeeded in their initial attempts. And the one thing that stood out was Grace and “no mind.” I remember reading over and over again that Grace is so powerful, it can even change the tide, so I was really relying on Grace and “no mind.”
Vijaya continues speaking about her successful English Channel swim, in which Sri Chinmoy stayed in constant touch with her boat about her progress.
The pilot had said the tide suddenly changed at the last minute, allowing her to finally reach the shores of France.
Sri Chinmoy: Concern can be a reality of the heart. In my case, concern was a reality of the heart for Vijaya’s swim, not a mere dictionary word. I offered tremendous, tremendous concern for her victory.
16 September 2007
Aspiration-Ground, New YorkVijaya Claxton was a UN legal advocate who spearheaded the effort for internal UN justice reform. She was one of the most energetic in supporting the activities of the Peace Meditation Group, prompting Sri Chinmoy to refer to her as his “main envoy” at the UN. Vijaya’s English Channel victory won her the Gertrude Ederle Award from the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, for the most meritorious swim of the year by a woman, as well as the Cape Storm Award 2007 for the longest solo swim of 2007.↩
From:Sri Chinmoy,Concern: A Reality of the Heart, Agni Press, 2025
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/crh