by Pavitrata

A native of  Iceland, for the last few weeks he has been in Columbia with a group of Icelandic friends.  They are here conducting meditation classes in various parts of the country.  His visit here, which is just over 5,000 miles from his home, is not unique. For many years, he traveled for a few weeks each year, during the winter months, with his late spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy.  It is a tradition that has continued on.  Besides his 3 Icelandic friends he is also joined here with a group of about 100 fellow students of Sri Chinmoy from around the world, who are enjoying the groups first visit to Columbia.  Over the years Snatak has visited dozens of countries, and he has seen his own spiritual life blossom.   He has also attempted to share the philosophy and the teachings of Sri Chinmoy, wherever he goes.

“I am a spiritual farmer. God, out of His infinite Bounty, has entrusted me with the task of plowing the spiritual land. This is my first visit to your beautiful island. I have been here for about four hours. During these four hours, I have felt the Indian consciousness here in Iceland. India’s natural beauty I have observed here; India’s inner peace I have felt here. My presence here makes me feel that my life of aspiration and your life of aspiration in the inner world have built a bridge between spiritual India and spiritual Iceland. My Indian heart offers its soulful gratitude to your hearts of aspiration, for it is you who have given me the opportunity to be of dedicated service to you today. Nothing gives me greater joy than to be of dedicated service to the Supreme inside aspiring human beings.”

Excerpt from My Rose Petals, Part 4 by Sri Chinmoy.

“When I was 13 I was drawn towards books on yoga, and spiritual questions.  I found it fascinating.”  At a very precocious ages he discovered the first yearnings of a spiritual life, stirring within himself.  “I felt that this was the way to go.  I remember reading the yoga book by Patanjali.  I felt that this was the real thing.  I just didn’t know how to do it.  I felt I had to do something.”

by Pavitrata

In 1975, when he was 14, one of the most painfully ironic moments of his life took place. Sri Chinmoy came to Iceland for the second time, and gave a talk in the small town of Akureyri, where he was living.  It has a population of only about 17,000.   One day, while his mother was at work, she heard from some friends, that a talk was being given by an Indian Yogi in a small hall in the town.  The next day she described the experience to her son.  “When I came into the hall it was like walking into a wall.  It was just so powerful.  This man he can’t live very long, because he is giving off all this energy.  It was like walking into a wall of power.”

He admits to being disappointed at the time, that he had not been able to attend the talk himself.  His mother had gone spontaneously, and he says, it took place in the days before mobile phones.  He says with a sweet smile, “there was a real yogi in town and I missed him.” She did however purchase a book at the time and brought it home to him.   He was much impressed with what he read.  Of the experience of reading the words of Sri Chinmoy for the first time, he says emphatically, “He was not fooling around.”  The book included all the requirements, that one must accept, if one wanted to apply to become his disciple.  It was all very new to him.  He describes the time as the Hippy period.  When young men, such as himself, wore their hair long.  The book was a tantalizing guide post to a life journey, that he himself would one day take.  Yet there was no clue he says, of how to pursue this teacher, or his path at that time.

A year later he happened to go into a bookstore, where there was a small collection of Sri Chinmoy’s books.  “I bought all of them.  That was it. From then on I was just reading Guru’s books.  I couldn’t help myself.  I was reading them an hour a day.  This was my spiritual nourishment for many many years.”  He recalls trying to write a letter to Sri Chinmoy during this period, but he simply had no idea where to send it.  He was  filled with such enthusiasm by what he was reading, that he would sometimes spontaneously find himself speaking to others, about this spiritual teacher that he was reading.  From the beginning he felt it was important to inspire others, and to share the philosophy that he was learning from Sri Chinmoy’s books.

When it came time for him to go to University, he decided that he would enroll in a University in America.  Thinking, that perhaps if he came to the U.S., then he would at last be able to locate Sri Chinmoy in person.  He eventually received a scholarship to attend a University in Virginia called Washington and Lee, in Lexington.  He says that without fail, during each school break, he would come to New York.  Both during Easter and the Christmas break.  His seemingly simple dream was that, “I would go to New York and try and find Sri Chinmoy.”  It would not be until his second year of school, 1983, and on his 4th visit there, that he at last found the elusive prize, he had been seeking for such a long time.

He describes a less than fashionable bookstore in the Village,  as the place where he would at last get the real clue to end his quest.  Stuck to a pole in the basement of the shop was a “tinier than the tiniest invitation by the students of Sri Chinmoy offering mediation classes.”  There was a phone number that you could rip off.  “That was it.  I ripped off the number and went outside and called the number.”  It turns out that he was calling at a fortuitous time.  A public concert was soon about to take place in Manhattan.

It was now 8 years since his mother had first attended the talk in Iceland.  Like all great adventures however, his story did not conclude, at least not just then, with a eureka moment of realization.  He went to the concert with a school friend, who he says, was in a hurry to get back to Virginia.  Because of this he had no opportunity to browse the book table, or chat with anyone in the group, before he had to leave.  He admits however that his mind was not in a receptive space.  He says of it now, “it was going overtime.”  Clearly his time had not yet come.  He says that regardless of how unreceptive he was at that moment, “at least I had seen Guru.”

The next year, he went to England to study music.  He admits, “I became very very unhappy.  By my second year in England, I was really depressed.  Here I was trying to find a spiritual path for 9 years, and I hadn’t found anything! So at that point, every night before I went to sleep, I prayed and prayed like crazy, for many months, for me to find a spiritual master. ” Eventually he came across a poster at his school in Manchester, offering mediation classes, once again by the students of Sri Chinmoy.  He says, “that was it.”  The the class was being given by Bhavani, who came up there from London regularly, to give the class.

He tells me that at the end of the class, he asked her, that if he wrote a letter to Sri Chinmoy, could she give it to him.  He describes the relief he felt, to be able to at last write a letter to Sri Chinmoy, and know for certain that he would receive it.  The experience he recalls, was so gratifying , that he felt himself unreservedly shedding tears.  “I really asked for guidance.”  He also included a photograph of himself.  A short time later, he received a post card from Bhavani saying, that he had been accepted as a disciple. It was April of 1985. This news brought him tremendous joy and hope.  At this memory he lets out a “Wowwwww” sound, as he describes the feeling of elation he experienced.  “Of course my problems were not over, but I felt as something really significant had happened there.  I could feel it.  There was something going on.”

He says that when he heard that he was accepted to Sri Chinmoy’s path, he wanted to get on the first plane he could, and immediately fly to New York and see him.  It was quickly decided however, that he could come for the August celebration that summer.  When he got there he says,”I had a fantastic time.  I couldn’t get enough.  There were moments there when I just knew I had found the real thing.” He describes how he had powerful and profound meditation experiences.  It was as though he was at last having the kind of spiritual life he had been only able to read about years earlier.  Of his meditations then he recalls,”I do not know where I went.  I was in tears.  I could not believe how beautiful it was.  I couldn’t get enough.”

Everyone’s first spiritual experiences are unique.  He, like most new students to a spiritual path, have really no idea where it would all lead to.  They just realize that now they are where their hearts truly belong.  That ultimately they will be guided, body, vital, mind, heart, and soul, to ever new and greater inner realities.  He says of this time, “I was soaking it in.  I had a great time.  There was no question.  Finally I had found the real thing.”

To some it may appear to be a cruel irony, to be searching for so long to find a spiritual teacher, when for at least for a brief time, he must have been only a few blocks away.  In 1975 Sri Chinmoy almost magically arrived to give a talk in his small village, and yet only his Mother was there to see him.  He describes how he tried to learn and practice meditation by reading books, but he describes the results as painfully meagre.  Ultimately, it is only when the student is at last fully ready, that they at last find themselves himself being drawn into the all encompassing protection and guidance of a spiritual path.

The task that now lay in front of him, soon became clear.  By this time there was just one student in Iceland, so he decided to go back and live in his native country.  “I felt compelled,” he describes, and from that moment on he has been giving meditation classes here and there, and became the leader of the Iceland center.  He says, that he simply wanted to, “increase the awareness of what Guru was all about.”  Among the events he organized was the first Peace run there in 1987, which he describes as, “a tremendous success.”  It is clear that he was inspired, by what he was experiencing in his own spiritual life.   With this inspiration he worked hard, to share this experience with as many people as possible.  “I had lots of enthusiasm.  I had lots of energy.”  Humbly he adds to this,  that he may not always have gotten it right, but nonetheless he enjoyed very much, this ever unfolding new life committed to spirituality, and the path of Sri Chinmoy.

I ask him why it is, that it appears as though Iceland has been so successful, compared to its small size, in accepting spirituality.  He offers a simple succinct reply.  “If we work hard anything is possible.”

I then ask him if he had any significant personal experiences with his Guru that he might care to share.  Something, that would stand out, in the 22 years he had the great opportunity to spend in the presence of Sri Chinmoy.   Without pause, he describes for me a concert, that took place in Iceland in 1988.  It had been a long time since Sri Chinmoy had last been to the country, something like 13 years.  Despite this fact, it seems that the Icelandic people had learned so much about Sri Chinmoy.  He tells me that he was so well known, that he was even the topic of a question, in a local televised quiz show.  “Who lifted 7,000 lbs. with one hand?”  The answer was immediate by the contestants.  Snatak says, “so many people knew.”

The concert was once again a big success.  As Sri Chinmoy was about to leave from the airport, he walked directly over to Snatak, and stood in front of him.  Sri Chinmoy praised him, and repeated this to him, again and again with such love and affection.  His reaction to this unexpected attention he recalls, “I just lost it.”  A flood of tears came over him, and he felt at that moment, the soulfully deep, and profoundly sweet connection, that existed between himself and Sri Chinmoy.  For him it was a one of the most cherished moments in his life.  One, that took place with such incredible inner intensity, but also one, in which he still feels the love and inner connection he shared with his teacher.

From his very early years as a student of  Sri Chinmoy, he would take part every year, in the annual Christmas Trip.  Starting first in Malta, he who would journey with his teacher to various parts of the world, each year the trip gradually getting longer and longer.  “It was fantastic.”  He describes the informality of these trips and that Sri Chinmoy would be available and accessible almost all day long.  He describes the spontaneous creativity that took place when his teacher was present on these trips.  For hours at a time Sri Chinmoy would be composing songs, or painting, or exercising.  The list of activities that flowed across the day, and well into the night, was endless.  He describes that for him these experiences exemplified, what he dreamed and felt the true spiritual life is all about.  The closeness and intimacy of the trips with his spiritual teacher, felt like for him, as though it were a very fulfilling traveling ashram. For him even now, in this new era, he still feels reinvigorated by the Christmas trips.  He feels the unique sense of oneness that comes with traveling with those he looks upon as members of his spiritual family.  And that when you are visiting different countries in this way, your problems seem to pale into insignifcance.  “I feel it is really important to come on it.  For me the trip is still a priority.”

by Pavitrata

For Snatak, this is now his 3rd trip to Columbia.  He is busy, along with some others, also giving classes here, but he is as well,  participating in all the camaraderie and activities, that are part and parcel of this new Christmas trip experience.  His trip this year, started some weeks ago in Guatemala, and will conclude almost 2 weeks later in Puerto Rico.  He says of the Christmas trip, “I really appreciate it. It really gives you a boost.” He is after all, part of a larger Spiritual family, that now is spread across much of Europe, but is only now really making progress in establishing itself in Latin America.

As he describes for me his own first tender steps toward the spiritual life, he also describes the understanding he has, that there are still more new students of Sri Chinmoy out there in the world waiting to make their own connection with his spiritual teacher.  In his heart he feels that there are countless ones, who have yet to be reached and inspired by Sri Chinmoy’s philosophy and his path.  The experience he says, for a new generation, will be different for each and every seeker.  Just as the experience of having a teacher was unique for each and every one who had a chance to be in his physical presence.  He says, it just depends on their aspiration.  “Sri Chinmoy will give them everything.  What they aspire for they will get.  I am 100% sure.”

Out of curiosity I asked once again about his Mother.  Did she ever have a chance to see Sri Chinmoy again.  He describes that she was able to be lifted by Sri Chinmoy in Iceland in 2003.  Sri Chinmoy said of his mom, “her heart was wide open.”

During this trip to Columbia, Snatak will celebrate his 49th birthday.  A few years ago he was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological problem but it seems not to slow him down hardly at all, as he completes a very busy unvacationlike daily schedule.  He can be found early most mornings, running on the flat Cartagena beach.  Not one to sit back and laze about under the sun, he looks forward to each new day as a divine opportunity.  He wants to manifest the great spiritual treasure that he feels he has been gifted as a student of Sri Chinmoy.  It has been a long journey for him, one he feels fortunate to have been able to take.  One that began decades and miles away and yet still continues at pace.

“It is only a matter of time before the whole world becomes aware of these treasures.  In the beginning it is a trickle, and then it becomes a stream, and eventually it becomes a river and then it becomes an ocean.”  He feels that it is a privilege to share this experience with the world.  I know that in the future the inspiration of Sri Chinmoy will go way beyond anything what we can imagine now. We had the opportunity to learn and we still have the opportunity to learn.  How to build this path upon oneness.  This our role.  We were chosen to bring this oneness of the heart into the world.  According to our inspiration and aspiration we try our best.  I am really excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.  I am having great fun.  It’s fun to be alive.”

Of course great dreams and divine opportunities can stride into one’s life at their own time and in their own unfathomable way.   It was the encouragement of one of her music teachers who was able to shift the focus of her life.  He, along with others, saw in her an unquestionable wealth of talent that she had as an athlete, that far surpassed her musical abilities. It was clear to many that her feet could move her much further and faster than her fingers.

So at age 14 she at last found herself able to be outdoors, but it was not at playing frivolous games.  Instead, she quickly became focused on the disciplined and challenging world of track and field.  As she talks about it today she speaks with an easy confidence, as if she was destined for the life of a world class sprinter.  She advanced very quickly in the sport and by the time she was 15 she was winning meets.  When she was just 17 she represented Russia at a World’s junior competition in the 100 meters.  She ran her personal best at this time which was 11.84.  She says of this experience, “I was a little bit scared but otherwise it was okay.”

She has been competing internationally now for more than a dozen years.  Her specialty has become both the 400 meters and 4×400 relay.  The track and field world knows her as Olesya Zykina, but to those who are her fellow students of the late Indian Spiritual teacher, she is Lelihana, which means the Climbing Flame.  When asked what her spiritual name means to her she says, “I like it.  It is beautiful, this is my name.  When it is difficult for me I repeat my name.”

New York now for her has become a very special place ever since she became a student back in 2007.  Her decision to devote herself to the spiritual life is of course a not so obvious choice as simply peering out from a school window and wishing to join the kids outside. The success and disappointments of our lives can appear to change the way we look at the world but sometimes simply the heart wants to travel forward quickly and leads us onward to a deeper goal within.  In Lellihana’s case it was her friendship with another Russian athlete, Sarbottama Tatyana Lebedeva who became a close friend to her on the Russain team.  She encouraged Lelihana to learn more about Sri Chinmoy and his teachings.

Sarbottama and her husband had been inspired by Sri Chinmoy for several years and she said of him, when he passed away in 2007, “We are grateful to the Supreme that in the course of life we met this man. Sri Chinmoy taught us to take correct decisions by listening to our hearts; he made us more spiritual. He is and will always be for us an inspirer, a wise Teacher, a worthy example. The intellectual and spiritual inheritance that Sri Chinmoy has left us gives us an opportunity to continue perfecting ourselves endlessly.”

Lotika, Lelihana, Bipula, three friends

Lelihana’s birthday was October 7th and this year she turned 29.  She visited Queens shortly afterward with  her good friend Lotika.  They are very comfortable in each others presence and one could easily imagine them to be playful sisters and not just friends.  Recently over breakfast at the Smile of the Beyond restaurant, Lelihana answered some questions about her life’s journey with Lotika offering smiles, encouragement, and some translating.

The anniversary of Sri Chinmoy’s passing was on the 11th and she and Lotika where here for the events that took place in and around that date.  Training for Lelihana of course continues.  The fall is usually a transition period for track athletes.  It is a time that exists between the outdoor and indoor competitive season.  Though her future is not clear, and she has no plans as of yet, she continued to train every morning while in New York.  For her traveling companion Lotika, it also means daily training sessions inspired by Lelihana.   “She is my friend for real and she is fun to be with.  She inspires me to run here.  We go out every morning.  I have already improved my 2 mile run time.”

Heart Garden anniversary run-Photo Jowan

I can remember all too well the first time I saw Lelihana run.  It was during a sports day competition in 2007.  These meets have been held every August, usually around the time of Sri Chinmoy’s birthday.  There were a few fine athletes competing, but none where anywhere near the caliber of an international athlete such as her.  Almost out of the blue, Sri Chinmoy then invited Lelihana to run her distance, the 400 meters.

When she bolted from her crouch in the starting position, there was simply no comparison between her and everyone else.  There had been a suggestion to give the other girls a 100 meter head start, but it was soon dismissed.  It was like watching a high performance race car hurtling forward being chased by puffing mopeds.  Even though she did not run at her top speed her awesome strength and power was evident with each long swift stride. Her red hair bobbed rhythmically as her heels flicked lightly up behind her.

You can see her winning form in the world indoor championship in March 2008

2008 World Indoor Championship

When she first came to New York in August of 2007 she says simply, “I wasn’t really searching.”  Yet from the first moment she saw Sri Chinmoy meditating and driving one of his little carts, “I simply felt that I wanted to please him and make him happy.”  It was all a very wonderful and different world for this ginger haired sprinter from Moscow.  But from the beginning she says, “I could feel his inner peace.  I could feel that he loves me.”

There are often many new experiences that occur within when one enters the spiritual life.  The inner connection between the student and teacher is one that is deeply personal and is unique to each and every seeker.  It is in and through this inner connection that the teacher inspires the student, and from that, the transformation of the inner life takes place.  There are no stop watches, no strides counted, no baton is passed, the goal is within.   It is clear that Lelihana has found herself once again on a new path, but this one lies within.  It is also one that has helped and inspired her as well in the outer world.  When the world indoor games came around the winter after she became a student, Lelihana won her first gold medal in 400 meter individual competition.

Sitting in the small Queens restaurant she is clearly at ease.  From time to time she looks wistfully out the window at the busy street.  There are a few brief silent moments when it seems as though she is searching for answers.  Finding the best words to describe the wealth of her inner and outer experiences.   It is for her after all, an amazing journey that she finds herself now taking.  Most of the time she simply laughs with ease.  When asked what she likes about the little Spiritual community in this Queens neighborhood she says, “I like that you people are always positive and always smiling.  I feel nice around you all, very comfortable.”

When asked what awaits her in a few days when she returns to Moscow her answer is, “I don’t know.  I don’t know when my next competition will be be, my coach and I haven’t made plans.”  When one examines her accomplishments it is a lengthy list. Her record of achievements stretches back more than a dozen years.  Many times she has appeared on the world stage.   At two Olympic games she has returned home with medals in the 4×400 relay.  She received a bronze medal in Sydney and a silver medal in Athens.  When asked whether or not the London games of 2012 are in her plans, she admits, “Yes this is my dream.  I don’t have a gold medal.” Also she still hopes to run the 400 meters under 51 seconds.

When asked if the World of music is gone for ever, she smiles with delight and laughs lightly.  “Now I am inspired to start playing again.”  As of yet, she has yet to purchase a piano.

When asked what Sri Chinmoy may have said to her, she smiles wistfully, recalling his conversation.  She says he told her how he used to run barefoot in competition when he was a young boy in India.

When asked what changes she has seen come over her in the past few years she says, “I became more patient.  I became kinder.  I became more attentive, more observant, and more responsive.  I have learned how to live day by day and get happiness just by living.  To be happy just because we are living.  To enjoy every single day.”

She admits however that she will miss New York when she returns to Moscow and the long winter ahead.  One in which indoor competition may or may not happen in late December and January for her.  She says, “I will miss the smiles.  I will miss the sincere joy of the people here and I will miss the sincerity.  I will try and preserve inside me, the light that I got here.”

She met Sri Chinmoy in person only during her short trip to New york, in the summer of 2007.  When asked what are her feelings about him are now she says, “I still want to please him when I do something. I also hope he is pleased at my self transcendence.”  She then tells me that on her birthday, October 7th 2007, just days before he passed, he called to wish her Happy Birthday.  It is clear that he spoke to her words that could inspire her for a life time. When asked how high the climbing flame in her can reach, she smiles with such sweetness and says, “I think if it wants to climb high, it can really climb high.”

For Guinness champion Ashrita Furman, who has often taken on simple child like pleasures and escalated them into herculean accomplishments the task of constructing the world’s biggest lollipop seemed like a worthy challenge.

On the anniversary of his spiritual teacher’s birthday he has often turned to creating extraordinary sweet treats to honor him.  In what would have been  Sri Chinmoy’s 77th birthday last August 27th he and a large group of students created a birthday cake with 47,000 lighted candles.

http://heartlotus.blogspot.com/2008/10/lighting-up-world.html

This year he says he wanted to honor Sri Chinmoy’s birthday, “with the sweetest item we could think of.”  This was a gigantic task of course because the previous record was an incredible 4,759 pounds.  Two weeks earlier the process of making a bigger one started in earnest.  Ultimately Ashrita believes that something like 50 people volunteered to make this sweet dream a tasty reality.

Steve Guy from Cambridge England worked just about non stop for 10 days on the lollipop.  He found himself working on sugar preparation almost from the moment he arrived in New York.  But like most who look forward to participating in one of Ashrita’s great adventures each August, working on a lollipop came as no surprise.   Two years ago he worked with a team that created the worlds largest popcorn cake.  He says of this project, “We knew the proportions for the sugar, we knew the temperature, we know how to rotate the cooking of the pots.”  All this experience was crucial, in that the sugar, which was also mixed with corn syrup, color, and flavoring needed to be cooked to the correct temperature.  To add to this, the pots of syrup needed to be created in a steady stream, and then transported down the street to a wooden mold on top of a flat bed truck.  The most important ingredient in this recipe  according to Steve is, “we knew how to work together, and be cheerful, all night long.”

Steve believes that over his week plus of  volunteering he put in 10 – 14 hours a day on the project.  He knows that as strong as the hardened sugar may appear to the naked eye it is also very temperamental, “it can be very strong but at the same time it can just shatter.”

He says for him the best part of the whole project is, “how it unfolded.  There was a certain idea of how it would start, a vision.  That was changing daily, sometimes hourly.  You were only taking a step forward and the path would then appear in front of that step.  That is an amazing experience.  You have to surrender to the moment.  You have to put all your energy and cheerfulness into that moment, and it all just unfolds.”

Click to play Steve interview

There were times in the boiling process when the batch, for no apparent reason went bad.  The tell tale sign was a poor pale color of the mix.  Most often of course when the correct temperature was reached, in a reasonable interval, the mix would be a bright red.

Mark Royden an aeronautical engineer from New Zealand has also used his talents on several of Ashrita’s large projects.  He had literally just gotten off the plane, and was looking for accommodation, when he had a chance encounter with Homagni Baptista while coming out of the local health food store.  He recalls that he mischievously smiled at him and inquired, “are you busy?”  What he was not anticipating was finding himself involved non stop for the next 2 weeks in helping out with the project.

He says that in no time he was, “head to foot in candy.”  He says in the early stages it was all about design and logistics.  A small core group had to sort out how it would work, what was the easiest way to do it, and what would be the right amount of steel to include so that it wouldn’t collapse.”    The destructive power of sugar is well known to dentists but is not so formally understood by engineers.  The group simply knew that when building a giant lollipop, “It needed something.  It has a similar behavior to glass,” said Mark.

He said that creating a horizontal lollipop would have been infinitely easier.  But none of the group wanted to create a reclining candy that simply lay flat.  It must be strong enough to be raised aloft just as though it was to be enjoyed by a very large, and hard to determine the size, gigantic individual.

He says he knows from first hand experience that the candy can easily shatter.  He said he did the test personally by hitting a large block of candy with a hammer.  He had also worked, like Steve, on the largest popcorn cake.  An experience he calls, “an adventure.”

He worked on various parts of the project.  He says that Bishwas and himself designed the steel frame and though an outside firm bent the steel.  It was himself and Unmilan that did all the welding.  It must be noted of course that the final weight of the lollipop will not include the steel.  This weight will be deducted from the overall total in order to achieve the final finish weight.  He tells me that the sugar alone used in the project weighs 4500 pounds.  In addition there is another 2 and half thousand pounds of corn syrup.  In the early stages a goal of 6,000 pound seems within reason.  He adds as well, “it also has to look like a lollipop.”

Homagni has been working on trying to make sure that the syrup will not stick to the mold.  It is a part of the project that no one knows for sure what will happen.  It is extremely hot in the tent that he works within.  There is also little ventilation and he is working with various sprays that make the conditions there, to be kind, challenging.

Homagni started working on the project very early on by doing test syrup boils in his kitchen.  “I started with smaller mixtures and then got to larger batches.  Ashrita and I then got started with larger pots in his back yard.  The main problem in this process he says is cooking the mixture too much thus causing it to caramelize.  “You end up with a gooey mess.”

He said that there comes a point in the planning when time runs out, “and there is no more time for experimenting.”  The ultimate ingredient of the mixture of course is a lot of hard work by a large group of willing people.  “We had a whole team of guys from all over the world.”

Once the mold is leveled than the constant parade of hot syrup begins its journey.  It will take several days to finish filling the mold up to the top.  A lot of good science has gone into the calculations but the final weight is far from certain.

Click to play Homagni interview

There is lots of excitement as the first bucket of syrup is brought up the ramp on the back of the truck in order to be poured into the mold.

	It is a scene that is repeated hour after hour for several days.
	All day and late into the night teams cook up the syrup and deliver it to the slowly filling mold.

The plan for having a two colored lollipop falls by the wayside as the internal barrier fails to hold back the red syrup.  With little other options the lollipop becomes a single color.  The surface decoration however will add lots of color.  Fully candied letters are added to the surface. They are attached by melting them by heating them with a torch.

Now that syrup production has finished Steve joins Asidhari and Anurakta who are decorating the surface.

Everything is edible.  The paint used on the Jharna Kala bird in the middle as well as the colorful topping applied to the 3d letters.

Once the mold has been removed the project is almost complete.  It has yet to be officially weighed however, and more importantly it has not been lifted into the air.  There is however, the not so small matter, of backing the truck out onto the street.  One that was much narrower than when it first arrived.

“He asked if I could pick up a lollipop for him.”  Russel Leach manages United Crane and rigging and he bemusedly recalls a phone call he received from Ashrita 5 days earlier.  “It was a 7,000 pound lollipop, and I said no problem.”  He has asked every conceivable question pertaining to the lollipop.  He is concerned about how fragile the lollipop is but predicts that there is a great chance that it can be lifted and weighed.  He particularly appreciates the internal steel frame adding strength to the candy.

He jokes that he had told his kids the night before what he was going to lift the following day.  He says, “they wanted to come and eat it.”Click to play Russel Leach interview

Nick is the master rigger on the job and he has spent a lifetime lifting heavy difficult objects but had never before lifting a lollipop.  He says that finding the center of the lollipop for him was a problem and also that because of the heat the candy began to change shape.  He says, “It is hard work but its a lot of fun.”Click to play master rigger interview

Mike Nova is the operator of the crane on the job.  He says, “I was really hoping it would work, I didn’t want to see it fall apart.” Click to play Mike Nova interview

There are lots of nerve wracking moments in trying to get the lollipop airborne.  Not only is the lollipop unwieldy the mold proves to be stubborn to remove.

The candy also appears to be melting in the hot August sun.

Click to play Mark interview

A decision is made to get the lollipop off the truck and remove the mold stuck to its back surface.  The crew who made it now help lever the lollipop into the correct position.

Russel Leach watches his crew closely.  Each step brings the lollipop closer to being weighed.  It is also clear that it is very soft in the middle and once the mold is removed it dramatically begins to change shape.

For Ashrita it is all great fun.

A little lopsided the lollipop is eventually hoisted into the skies.  The initial weight by using the crane scale is estimated to be 6706 pounds.  Later when weighed more accurately it turns out to be 6514.  A weight which is 1755 pounds greater than the old record.

Mark speaks for everyone when he says of Ashrita’s Guinness projects, “I look forward to this.  To me it is one great adventure.  We do this a lot to inspire others.  It pushes people beyond what they thought was possible.  It is innocent good fun, and in the end this is what the world needs is this innocence and fun, and this, look what we can do if we work together.  We can accomplish things that people think are impossible.”

Click to play Ashrita Interview

I had taken hundreds of pictures in and around the track lit bright by candles and dangling light bulbs.  Out on the still twisting streets I flashed even more shots of the smiling faces of the intrepid runners who ran with light and determined steps, at least during the early laps.

Throughout the long night more and more precious moments from the race where being captured by my camera and my microphone.  Those fragments of joy, of determination and of selfless service had inexorably gathered into a mountain of data stuffed onto digital memory cards.     After the race I faced  the daunting task of unraveling a story that now seemed much more difficult than tying on shoes and running the 47 miles itself.  A persistent case of nagging procrastination dogged my heels for weeks.  I felt myself almost uncontrollably sliding towards a precipice where the story was heading towards some digital oblivion.

Photo by Jowan

Then on a recent bright Sunday, which seemed to be gilded more by the soothing promise of Spring than the gray dullness of late Autumn, I found myself out running on the 47 mile loop.  On an afternoon flooded with light and warmth I felt myself caught up in fervent tide of sweet memory.  From whence it came I do not know but soon my dawdling middle aged footsteps were feeling the selfsame effortless lightness and unbridled hope of all those many times I had run the 47 as a much younger man.   It was though  my own countless cherished memories of running the race were reaching out to me from my own not too distant past.   But it was not just my own memories that were calling out to me it was as well as though the inspired experiences of those who had just run weeks earlier were calling out to me to bring that magical night back into focus.  To find a voice for a magical event in which impossibility itself becomes banished in the boundless enthusiasm of those who take part in this most sacred of Sri Chinmoy Marathon team running events.

As I rounded the corner near goose pond and made the sweeping right hand turn, across from Jamaica High school and looked ahead, I had a profound moment.  It was a vivid experience in which I felt as though I could clearly see Sri Chinmoy running on the road ahead of me.  He had run the full race himself on 2 occasions and had run on the course during the race at least one more time.  I remember clearly, during one race,  coming round this same corner only to be shocked to see the familiar form of my Spiritual teacher bobbing along under the dim street lights in front of me.

At the time he would have been either 48 or 49 years of age.  I was in my running prime and gradually I was overtaking him.  As I came up behind him, each step I took I felt myself repeating his name in silence to myself.

This was after all his birthday and it was in honor of him that I ran.  It could not escape me what a beautiful experience it was to thus find him there on the course as well.  I can remember my slow and inevitable approach from behind him and then my sweeping pass on his right side.  I can remember saying something as simple as, “Way to go Guru, way to go.”  I am not aware of any comment or remark that he may have made in return.  Nor do I remember any other time that I passed him again, though most certainly through the night I must have passed by him a few more times.  What I do recall however is how so much I wished to carry him with me throughout the night and lighten the burden of his steps.  Yet inevitably in time I would understand, that all along that it was he who was actually carrying me.

Before the start of the race it is so easy to forget the lateness of the hour.  Instead of thinking of sleep you are surrounded by those who are preparing to do nothing else but run for the entire night.

Or as in the case of many others to simply volunteer for  long hours.

There is such enthusiasm and energy swirling around the course it is almost impossible to think of sleep.  The runners all come with such eagerness and the helpers only want the runners to do well and enjoy a night like no other.

For Ananda-Lahari running the distance will not be that challenging.  He has run the marathon just 2 days ago and let us not forget the 3100 miles he ran just weeks earlier over the entire summer.

Ujjwala has had experience at multi day running herself. 

The running of the race of course is not just one long celebration.  Most have registered days earlier and the logistics have been carefully put in place so that all will be counted and helped correctly.  Tarit is one of dozens who have spent long hours making sure everything is organized and ready for the 100 plus field of runners.

Getting the clock ready is just one of so many tasks that is needed to be done by a busy crew.  Medur and Nibir are old hands at helping out at the 47.

For some of the runners like Uddipan there are just a few minutes of relaxation before a long night of running.

Every runner starts the 47 with a similar deep inner resolve to have some kind of heartfelt if not soulful experience while running the race.  Outwardly everyone wants to finish and no doubt some have set their sights on times which will represent self transcendence over past achievements.  Adelino has a goal tonight much different than everyone else.

On his 42nd birthday in October of 2008 he set out to run 42 marathons in dedication to his teacher Sri Chinmoy.  Earlier tonight, a few hours before everyone else he ran 5 miles around the course so that when he completes the 47 he will have completed both his 41st and 42nd marathon.  He says of the experience, “it was good, but hard sometimes.  Especially 2 marathons when I was about to give up.”  He faced many obstacles which not only included fatigue but also bad weather.  His smile is bright but his voice captures hints of how tough his might challenge was. He also ran the marathon 2 days earlier.  “I just kept going,” he says and there is a light laugh behind the words.

Remarkably his times for the distance all ranged between 4:30 and 3:40.  He hasn’t yet made any new goals for the year ahead.  When I ask what he has learned from running so many marathons he says, “I think one of the main things is to acquire patience and determination to go on.  Whatever happens, if you are not in a good mood, you just go on.”   Click to play Adelino interview

Soon enough the runners are called to the start.  The night becomes suddenly still and a profound sense of peace pervades the darkness.  All joking and laughter disappears.  There is just the sound of runners moving steadily forward towards a faint line on the track.  Their running shoes making a light scuffing sound on the smooth plastic surface.

Arpan is one of the few who have run every year since 1978

For Dipali it is also her birthday and is a race like no other.

Pratyaya has been the director of the race since its beginning.  There is a moment of silence before the runners disperse on their night long journey.  The ‘Invocation’ is sung and than she simply says, “Go.”

Virendra charges fast from the starting line.  He also ran those first races and set the course record which still stands since 1980.  This is the second year he once again is attempting to catch and then break a very elusive goal.

Now is the time when everyone is attentive and busy.  Adrenalin and hope flows fast and deep touching bodies and hearts so that in the coming hours everyone will have done their best.

Karteek is one of the counters tonight and he himself set off on a monumental undertaking in the wee hours of the morning just a few weeks earlier.  For the 10th time he swam the English Channel.  He jokes that the number 10 is not a very good number, “maybe I should have stayed with 9.”

He also adds that with each of his attempts the swim does not get easier but instead he says, “it gets harder every time.  Presumably if it got easier there wouldn’t be much fun in doing it.”  There is an interesting contrasting blends of experiences he says.  From experience he knows it will be tough but also experience has shown him that it is also doable.  “There is no backing out.” His time this year was just under 17 hours.

Talking about the 47 he recalls how on his first trip to New York and helping with the race and immediately thinking, “I want to do that.” Ultimately he ran the race several times and describes it as, “it is amazing when you finish.  It is a special day.” Click to play Karteek interview

Chitrini and Toshala have sat side by side as counters of the race for a few years.  Chitrini on this night is counting for 2 girls, Fredrika and Lydia.  She enjoys the excitement and joy as she watches the runners trying to transcend themselves.

Toshala used to run the race herself back in the 90’s but over the past 7 years has had the job of counting laps for Dipali.  When asked to describe Dipali’s performance she responds with an emphatic, “9 minute laps.  Precisely exactly every lap.” What impresses her more about Dipali though is the inner commitment she brings to the race.  She calls it, “solid spirituality and devotion.” She feels that despite the day being her birthday she does not run for herself but instead offers the race wholeheartedly to her late Spiritual teacher.

For herself she describes her experience at running the race as, “absolutely beautiful to run.  You can feel that there is an absolute bubble of protection, security and joy around the track.”  She also is not hesitant to recommend that all runners should train before entering the 47 mile race.  Now that she is a counter she describes her job here tonight is more than counting laps.  “I have to say that cheer leading is possibly one of my all time favorite things.  I get lots of joy encouraging the runners.”  Click to play Toshala interview

In the early stages all look fast	Adelino's training shows
Ujjwal runs joyfully	There is lots of Kiwi Joy this night
Petra glides down the steep hill	Jayasalini also knows the power of birds
Paramita knows the necessity of good food and good medical	3100 mile runner Stutisheel knows this section of road
Pranab shares his enthusiasm	Sophie finds some ipod inspiration
Nirbhasa remembers the importance of training	Some find the race easier with a friend beside them
Gaurima always running always joyous	The ultimate birthday gift
A Feast for body and soul	Shishir accepts an invitation from the dream world

photo by Jowan

Vajin had never run the race before yet he has run superbly all night.  Granantan has been an ideal helper for him from the first mile till his last.  He is an experienced athlete and ran the race himself for the first time last year.  The two together are an ideal team.  I have arrived just after Vajin’s tremendous first place win in a time of 5 hours 27 minutes.  He says when asked, “I am not sure myself what happened.”

He now has the second fastest timing ever for the 47.  Remarkably it comes on the 20th anniversary of when Hutashan set the previous mark.  Hutashan was present and Vajin tells me, “he was overjoyed.”

He tells me it was an interesting race.  The longest race he had run prior to the 47 was the marathon.  He tells me how inspired he was watching the 47 last year.  “I got a lot of inspiration from seeing the race, and just watching everyone run.  I really got a feeling that it would be nice to try myself this year.  It has got quite a different feeling to any other race that I have done.  It is a very soulful race.  It is like its own world the 47 mile race.”

Not surprisingly for someone who has only raced a marathon he found that the race got harder as the miles piled up.  He recognizes as well that with the presence of Virendra who still has the course record and others who have run from the beginning that the 47 is unique.  He says, “it is a lovely thing.  It feels like you are slipping into history.  It is not just a one off event.  So many people have come and strived and aspired in for so many years.  It has got a real consciousness and life of its own.  It is nice to come along and play your role in the continuing saga. “  Click to play Vajin interview

Hutashan had the unique privilege of seeing his 20 year old second fastest time of 5:32 be eclipsed.  He remembers his race in 1989 very well because he was hoping himself to beat the previous best time of 5:33 which had previously been set by a friend of his.  He says for him it was the only time in his many years of running the race that he concentrated on the record.  In every other race he would simply focus inwardly and hope to offer his best.

His first race was in 1983 and in that year he won over Arpan in the tightest finish ever of the race.  He can remember little more of his finish other than collapsing and Arpan than falling on top of him.  He describes that as a Swiss man living in the Alps it has always given him an advantage in the race.  Altogether he won the race 8 times which is itself a record that is yet to be close to be challenged by anyone else.

Of Vajin he says that he obviously prepared himself both inwardly and outwardly for the 47 this year.  Of his winning time, “he deserves and obviously Sri Chinmoy would be very happy with him.”   Click to play Hutashan interview

To give some idea of how spectacularly Vajin ran this night it will be nearly an hour before the next runner completes the race.

Nibir describes being conscripted to his current job 31 years ago as a data retrieval expert.   It is a glamorous description for gathering all names and making sure they are timed correctly.  He says that the final part of the job is producing result sheets which he calls, “pretty straight forward.  It has gotten so easy the last few years because we have done it so many times.”

He notes that technology has changed since his first race but his job has remained basically the same.  He also notes that the improvements in the track surface have helped the race but most importantly he says that everyone knows that Sri Chinmoy himself has run this race on this course.

“Being a helper here and even being on the side cheering people are putting aside their own self and their own problems and come out here and give encouragement to other people who are doing a ridiculous thing……running 47 miles overnight.”  With this he laughs.  “To me it is an amazing indication of what can happen when you forget about yourself, and let a little compassion come to the fore and be there for somebody else.  It makes me feel good afterwords.”  Click to play Nibir interview

Sumandala is a counter who started on the second shift.  He has been perhaps one of the most vocal of enthusiasts in the late stages of the race and his chants have not only encouraged the runners he has managed to conscript the other counters on either side of him to join in his cheer leading.  When asked what is his secret he describes the benefits of both green and black tea.  He despite that despite the boisterousness of his group they are also working hard at also counting the laps of their runners correctly.  He says, “they are very pleased when we keep track of them.”

Click to play Sumandala interview

She will be the first girl to cross the finish line by more than an hour.  There is something heartfelt and unique to see Kishore there supporting his little sister and to pass her the flag which she carries for the final lap of the track.

Her time is not a record but she admits to have not felt well during the race.  She was even sick to her stomach a couple of times.  Stefan who won the race last year has been forced to admit he was beaten by a girl this year.  He is the 3rd male finisher and 4th overall.  He arrived at the race late and gently suggests that if he had not come 20 minutes late there would have been a different outcome.

Stefan’s time is 7:10

There than becomes a steady stream of finishers.

Smarana 7:34	Stutisheel 7:10
Sadanand 8:29	Kaneenika 8:21
Karl 8:22	Manjula 8:22

“I just love this race.” Jayasalini has run magnificently.  Her time of 7:56 has placed her just behind Arpan and 12th overall.  She is however the second girl to finish.  “This race is very special for me, it is one of my favorite races.”  She describes being able to participate as a special gift to her late spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy for his birthday.  Just two days ago she also ran the marathon and feels that being able to also be part of this race as “amazing.”

Click to play Jayasalini interview

Each finisher of the race has had a unique experience.  They will longer remember being here even if they come back and do it again and again.

Picture by Jowan

The story of Adelino and his run here is one that may not be repeated any time soon.  Each step forward for him was self-transcendence on his way to completing a remarkable 42 marathons in one year.

His French friends celebrate his achievement.  They know all too well what a long difficult struggle it has been for Adelino.  There is one perhaps who knows better than anyone else how challenging a thing it is that he has accomplished.  Unnatishil attempted the same feat just a few years earlier and could not complete it due to his health.  Yet today his heart full of pride and oneness for his friend.  He rejoices at this achievement as do we all.  As do we celebrate all who help, and run, and find some small way to participate and celebrate a unique event, the 47 mile race.

In 1980 Sri Chinmoy ran the 47 mile race for the second and last time.  He bettered his time from a year earlier by more than an hour and 12 seconds.  His time was 11:27:23

Photo by Bhashwar 1980

“It is a very challenging project as a musician. I would say it is the most challenging thing I have ever tried to do.” He says that what he is attempting to accomplish is to take his teacher’s spiritual music and by using his understanding and abilities as a ‘regular musician’ translate that spirituality so that it might sound more familiar to western ears.

The result of his efforts is not only a fine new CD but also a new understanding in himself of the direction he wants to take with his life. He feels a new fulfillment in focusing almost exclusively and creatively on Sri Chinmoy’s music and says, “I am no longer interested in playing any other kind of music.”

His first CD he describes as being an almost 10 year effort to produce. Before it was finished he sent some of the recorded tracks to New York for SriChinmoy to listen to and he was very pleasantly surprised to hear later how much it was appreciated by his teacher. He was also surprised to find that children as well seemed to enjoy the eventually completed CD. He tells me he has heard many stories from parents that their kids wanted to hear it again and again.

He had performed for Sri Chinmoy on several occasions and on each he was encouraged by his teacher. It was however in June of 2007 that he made his last and his most memorable performance for his teacher. It was a brief solo concert, of what he calls his looping bass piece. At the end of which Sri Chinmoy is heard to say, “very nice, very nice.” Pavaka says that the recording of that performance is something he will always cherish. “That has meant a lot to me.” Pavaka, June 23, 2007

He has now become a regular on the Songs of the Soul concert tour. He describes however that his live performances are quite different from his recordings. The main difference being that in the recordings he has access to an ensemble of musicians, where in concert he doesn’t have the same luxury. He calls his live performances, “little bits of this and that. You don’t really get a chance to dig in.” Yet he is very inspired by the concert format which now has staged concerts in many countries across Europe and North America. He says, “it is a privilege to share Sri Chinmoy’s music that way.”

His own introduction to music came at the very tender age of 4 or 5 when he first took up cello lessons at his home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He tells me that he started composing his own original works almost as soon as he learned how to write music. He thinks he was about 8 or 9 when he first did this. He took great delight in his new found love of composition. He remembers asking his Mom at what age Mozart was when he first started composing. He laughs even now as he describes her answer. “He was 4 but he was a genius.”

This did little to discourage him. He continued to study the instrument for 10 years when he was then inspired to enter whole-heartedly into the world of rock music. He tells me that he decided to dedicate himself to the bass guitar which he selected because he mistakenly thought was tuned the same as a cello. He was surprised to discover that in fact it was not.

After a short time of learning the bass guitar he devoted himself to trying to create rock music that represented his own French-Canadian sensibilities. He felt there was lots of 90’s rock music that understood the mood and culture of English speakers across the spectrum but very little at all the represented his own French perspective. He says, “I performed a lot, with a lot of different groups, and in a lot of different venues. There just wasn’t any good French heavy rock so we will write it. So we did rock in fact.”

He describes that of course his tastes have changed dramatically as he himself has immersed himself in his spiritual path. He still feels however that spiritual music has yet to be expressed adequately in the popular world. That in fact there is a need for spiritual music to be expressed in Pop, rock, jazz, and all other more traditional forms of music. His own hope is that on his part he can bring forward Sri Chinmoy’s consciousness into this world so that more can appreciate and be inspired by it.

He says that there are many of his musician friends who are concentrating solely on presenting soulful interpretations of his teacher’s music. For himself though, he is clearly inspired and focused on bringing forward his teacher’s music in a dynamic and pragmatic way. He feels there is a real need and a wish in audiences worldwide to have access to this inspiring music. He hopes as well that his music can both entertain the mind and also perhaps offer some consciousness to the heart at the same time.

He feels that of all of Sri Chinmoy’s music his keyboard compositions were his favorites. In his own way he tries to imbue his guitar playing with some of the same form and intensity that Sri Chinmoy seemed to use so instinctively well. When referring to them he calls Sri Chinmoy’s works as, “brilliant pieces of music. When he played on the organ in particular I think it was phenomenal.”

On a warm afternoon in August Pavaka quietly released his second CD. Most of the musicians who had helped in the recording were there to help launch a project that he had worked on painstakingly and with real devotion for many months. It was a quiet affair that can best be described as neither dramatic nor pretentious. It was simply Pavaka and friends sweetly and beautifully playing their teacher’s music.

The little concert also in a way marked a major change in the course of Pavaka’s life. He had just recently terminated his job and was now embarking on a new direction in his life. One in which recording and performing Sri Chinmoy’s music was taking a more center stage in his life. When he is asked whether performing live or people listening to his CD is more important he says simply, “what I am interested in is people listening to Sri Chinmoy’s music.”

He laughs now at the difficulties and challenges involved in the current CD’s creation. His first recording was well received and he thus felt a real challenge in surpassing and transcending his first effort. He received lots of input in trying to make it listenable and that the spiritual aspect of it fit in seamlessly and naturally. He is confident that he is fulfilling an inspiration that comes from within to be more involved in the musical world. His teacher on many opportunities encouraged him to take this path. Sri Chinmoy praised his first CD and as I listen to the sweet full rich sound of the new one I am sure he would appreciate this one even more.

The mantle of heroine doesn’t fit too well upon Suprabha’s slight frame.  In a supermarket line or even out here at the 3100, as the only woman running with much younger men, after a quick assessment of her, one would probably be hard pressed to easily identify her as an exceptional athlete.  She certainly does not outwardly resemble someone who has the distinction of being, as Sahishnu called her, “the greatest super long distance runner in history.”  What defines this petite champion is not her outer strength and speed but her absolute inner dedication to this race created by Sri Chinmoy 13 years ago.  Yet even if the world does not celebrate her astounding list of achievements her incomparable distance records clearly demonstrate by themselves how incredible an athlete she really is.

The vocabulary of language is in so many ways inadequate to catalogue or even properly comprehend her accomplishments.  After so many years and miles of constant running competition, descriptive adjectives have long since failed to keep pace with her as she just keeps going and going on.  Suprabha tells me that once a friend came to her earlier in the summer and related to her that she had been listening to some old tapes in which her late spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy is speaking about her.  He said several times how miraculous it was that Suprabha ran this race.  Yet now she has done it again for a record setting 13th time.

If one has any belief, or just simply accepts, that heart power is far superior and more significant than the power of the mind or the body then what Suprabha has done, not just this year, but throughout her ultra-distance career becomes abundantly clear.  It would seem that it is in her receptivity and her inner spiritual connection, that she finds her apparently limitless strength and enthusiasm.  What would crumble most people to the ground, she simply accepts, not as adversity but as inspiration to reach higher and dig deeper.  All of course part and parcel of her spiritual teacher’s philosophy on life.  She says, “it has taken me until this year to really understand what Sri Chinmoy gave us in this race.”

There are just a handful of people on hand to watch her start the final 29 miles of her journey.  It is not surprising, it is not a particularly easy time for most people to be up and about let alone ready to run at 6 AM in the morning.  Yet as you see her standing alone, just as she has for the last five days, you cannot but help but appreciating the breadth and depth of her history here.  It is one that looms  imposingly vast behind her.  With each new race it continues to stretch out behind as she forges forward with ever new self-transcendence.  Just to imagine 13 years of 6 am starts is imposing and impressive by itself, particularly to those who cherish sleep and feel easily swayed by lethargy’s tempting call.

She tells me how she got up in the middle of the night and then thereafter would wake up almost every hour with happy anticipation that she would still be able to come back in the morning and run. That the race was not yet over.  She says, “I consider myself to be a morning person.  You have all your work lying in front of you.”  And yes she finds beauty in the evenings  as well.

She talks of still corners where night rests gently and as she describes the course you begin to understand how she has probably seen every bit and fragment of this place that she calls, “sacred ground.”  It seems no matter what gift nature and weather bestow upon her here it really does not matter.  This is her world and to most it would be a tiny hard block but to her it is a limitless universe of spiritual possiblity in which she has traveled farther than anyone else.

She is joined by some young girls and seems delighted in their company.  She greets a man walking his dog and says goodbye to him and asks him to pass on greetings to his wife.  Just as she knows the material world before her here she is also  friends with a large company of people who move in and out of the school, the houses in the neighborhood, and the homeless ones who sometimes take up temporary residence here.  She says, “I have known these people for years.” She has as much if not more enthusiasm for the race as when she first started off years ago.  She says the race, “is such an amazing thing.  It is an incredible gift, not just for me but for everybody. Everybody can find a place for themselves in this race.” She understands that as selfless as many people are who contribute to the race they also must receive something back from it inwardly

If she feels blessed to be part of it she also feels that it has something to offer all who identify and contribute in any way no matter their capacity.  She mentions not just the team that organized it, she says, “I felt the support of the whole marathon team.”  There are many others as well who played significant roles in making the race not just practically doable but also inspiring.  She mentions also those who come and perform music , or bring food, or even just come by and cheer.  “It does so much for so many people.”   She points to the flowers and speaks about those who not only planted them but kept coming back time and again over 2 months and cared for them.

She mentions a long list of medical people who have come and helped on numerous occasions, and all the little miracles that allowed them to afford not just the time but the money to come here.  For herself personally she says it was the financial support of her friends that made it possible for her to run this year, “I am so lucky and so grateful.   Without that I wouldn’t be here this year.”

She says that for her the next job is to simply, “to integrate back into society.”  It is no simple matter to abruptly shift focus from a very public outdoor world of running and meditation to a life that somehow fills up the other 10 months of her life.  As for next year and what it brings, that is a story that is yet to be told.  Savita reminds me that ‘this’ is the moment that counts.  The current one that still has almost a half day of running.  She says that it is enough to, “treasure every step, the race is so special.”  She too calls it sacred ground.

This year will not be her slowest race in 13 years.  That distinction goes to one some years ago in which an injury prevented her from really training and the race that year lasted almost 63 days.  When Sri Chinmoy heard that she was coming off an injury and was not race fit he told her, “good girl you have done more than enough training.  In your case it is all grace.”

So many repeat how much Sri Chinmoy loved this race and how often he would come here to the course.  It has been 2 years since his passing and yet in so many ways his inspiration is still so bright and luminous here.  Suprabha says of her race this year, “there were moments when I could actually feel Sri Chinmoy.”

.

photo by Alakananda

Sahishnu says, “she has a supremely determined will.”

Her time is 60 days, 8 hours, 58 minutes, and 51 seconds.

Her 13th finish.  He adds, “from all of us and perhaps the world, congratulations.”

Suprabha’s finish

Race prayer from August 9th 2006

Today’s victory we celebrate

only to invoke a new goal

by Sri Chinmoy

“Now we think that we know but it is actually that we know nothing.”  One thing that is crystal clear and has no philosophical overtones is that this afternoon, after Ananda-Lahari completes another 42 miles he will have finished his 5th 3100 mile Self-Transcendence race.

In the great scheme of things it will not be his fastest race but it will still nonetheless be 6 hours faster than his effort last year.  Sahishnu will say at the award ceremony, “5 times is no joke.  That is 15,500 miles.  You have tremendous capacity. You can do 70 miles on any given day.  If it is God’s grace you will come back and transcend yourself even more, not by hours but by days and days.  We all see your capacity.  We all know your smile and your heart, but now you have to show the world that you are great as well as good.”

by Bhashwar August 1981

Inspiration is the first step. The second and final step towards God-realisation is aspiration. He who has no inspiration is no better than a dead man. He who has inspiration, soulful inspiration, is constantly running towards and crying for the Beyond.

Rupantar had asked Ananda-Lahari yesterday whether he was excited about finishing this years race.  He said, “no, I am grateful.  And I did not mean for the last day, or the last 3 days or the last hour.  But I feel grateful for the whole experience of being here and doing the race over 2 months.”

“When you finish it is just a moment.”  He says that all spiritual philosophies essentially come back to the same conclusion when trying to understand how to approach and truly appreciate the race experience and that is to try and,” live in the moment here and now.  I try and experience this fully.”

We have a discussion about ego.  I am puzzled at how the subject can still exist in this world in which so much of the outer personality is buffeted by adversity that it can still even possibly exist to be contended with.  He jokes at the inanity of this particular subject and says, “I spoke with other boys about this.  O yes you are spending all summer running around a concrete block, year after year,” and then laughs.  He says, “I think you can do it once or twice like this with a strong ego.”  Eventually you cannot keep coming back if the ego is too strong he suggests.  “The race is too long.”

It is a world here that is now showing so much change and yet in one respect it remains the same.

Suprabha continues to shoulder a burden that for a brief time seemed just too difficult to carry and now she makes the impossible look effortless.  She is not alone of course in many ways.  There are many who come and cheer and support but none can really grasp the magnitude of her journey.

There are a few of course who know a little better how hard the path is before her.  Yet they are all gone now.  Their journeys complete, and they take part in simple things that were not available for o so long.  Maybe they have yet to dream of the next big race a long year away. Then again perhaps they are simply understanding what the journey meant to their lives and gathering a harvest of inspiration to come back again for even more self-transcendence.

Ananda-Lahari is the 10th finisher in this years race.  His time was 55 days, 10 hours, 12 minutes, and 7 seconds. When asked to give he speech he responded with but one sentence.  “Never give up.”

Inspiration-flood

Is my mind’s beauty.

Aspiration-sea

Is my heart’s duty.

Excerpt from Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, Part 19 by Sri Chinmoy.

It is just a perfect morning to be wide awake.  Yet the first words he speaks today are, “It is like a dream.”  But this is a real and perfect dream for Pavol.  Today he will at last reach his goal.

On day 56 of last years race Pavol found a generous portion of solace for his mind but in his heart he felt he had not achieved his true victory.  He managed to complete 2700 miles on the penultimate day of the 3100 mile race.  It was a terrific performance considering how hard he had to work to get it but he had come to complete the full distance, not 2700, so it was a bitter sweet victory after 56 days of struggle.

On this bright morning he steps forward from the line with just 49 miles ahead of him.  There will still be a hint of brightness left in the sky when he crosses the finish line in the early evening.  He is not dreaming or sleeping in any way today. As he run he looks as though he is savoring each step. He does not look like one that he has spent 111 days here over two years going around and around thousands of times.

He is all too awake and alive and grateful to be here.  He is doing what his heart has asked of him. Tomorrow when he rises early and does not come back to the course, perhaps that will be a real dream.

This picture was taken by Alakananda at Asprihanal’s finish in 2007. Today is her birthday and she has offered this picture to all who have come to the race this morning.   For both herself and her Dad this picture represents their spiritual teacher’s love and affection for this race.  Sutisheel says, that you can see in this picture that he is asking her to take it.  So today she is giving it away.

On May 4th, his birthday, Stutisheel also gave it away and included the following aphorism.

I love the Supreme because I came from Him. I devote myself to the Supreme because I wish to go back to Him. I surrender myself to the Supreme because He lives in me and I in Him.

Excerpt from Service-Boat And Love-Boatman, Part 2 by Sri Chinmoy.

It is the last morning in which there will be 3 starters.  On Saturday there will be two, and from then on Suprabha runs alone.  She is 300 miles away from her goal.

I ask Pavol why he calls this all a dream.  He says, “I feel that this is all not real. I cannot believe that I am almost finished.  I will only believe when I run my last lap.”

He says, “Last year was hard and I made some big mistakes.  Last year I came to race and I had a problem with my knee.”

Despite his problems at the race last year he feels grateful for the experience he had.  He knows that he learned a lot and that both outwardly and inwardly it prepared him for this year.

He knew when he came this year that he had a much better chance to finish but he says, “who knows.  More and more things could happen.”

“I feel that for me this race is the best thing.  I feel I must come and be here.  I must try and finish it every year.  It is a strong feeling.”

He says that this for him is the best possible place for him to be.  He says that when Sri Chinmoy created the race he knew that those who came here would have incomparable experiences in all parts of their being.  He also says that not just the runners but also all those who help can receive something from being here and taking part if even in a small way.  He says, “it is here that they can make the fastest progress.  Because this is not easy.  The fastest spiritual progress is hard work.”

Those that have already finished still come most mornings. Though later tonight the first start to fly back home.

It is a family like no other.  For 50 plus days the three working as one.  Sharing in both joy and in pain.  They have already tasted Self Transcendence victory but today it is the simple joy of a birthday.

Pavol is the 9th finisher of this years race.  His time is 54 days, 14 hours, 26 minutes, 40 seconds.  Sahishnu says, “he had to pick himself up and invoke the higher spirits within.  He was steadfast and strong. He kept going and now here he is finishing.” Pavol finish

Ananda-Lahari tells me this morning, his 54th day on the course, that he walked all day yesterday.  I ask him if the reason he walked was due to lack of inspiration or due to lack of energy.  He answers quickly.  “Inspiration I have always.”

He is here at the race for the 5th straight year.  Over the years he has been much much faster and slower than he will be this year.  He has a personal best of 49 days and 14 hours.  It is a time that is almost 7 days faster than his current pace.  This year he is likely to finish on the 56th day, a slightly quicker time than he did here last year.

He is one of those very rare individuals in which the outer results seem to be secondary in importance to the inner achievement.  It is something that most of us like to strive for but so often fall into the obvious trap of wanting to see the results of our efforts all line up in our favor.  It is simple human nature to set goals and try to achieve them.  Ananda-Lahari is someone who is not oblivious about wanting to surpass his previous achievements, but more significantly, he wants to be satisfied and content within himself all along the way.  There is an outer goal he has worked hard to achieve here, but there is for him an inner goal that cannot be reached with footsteps alone.  It is reached with joy, positiveness, and prayer.    As he says, “I believe there is nobody here who is not trying to do their best.”

by Shraddha September 1981

Keep trying!

Ananda-Lahari tells me about his experiment with running fast.  He had done something similar last year when he spontaneously would run very fast loops particularly in the evening.  He felt as though his child like love of running had come forward and just enjoyed the feeling of speed and being up on his toes.  It is also something that he has done this year as well but it is a strategy that appears to have had created some serious consequence for his body the next day.  He says, “I pushed too hard and also maybe I was not too careful, and my body is too fragile for this so my body just crashed.”

He says in the beginning it was giving him much inspiration when he ran fast but despite the warnings of some of his fellow runners to slow down he did not.  “He says I wasn’t careful.  I am just coming back now to the running world.  My legs are still soar.”

He feels that the standard of the race is continuing to go higher at the 3100.  Today he started the morning walking and as the day progresses he will start to run a little more each lap.  He feels that nobody really likes to walk in this race but if circumstances dictate it than so be it.  He says, “running is more natural.  Then of course you make more miles.  The race is very long and it may seem that a few days more or less doesn’t matter.  But every day is like a 24 hour race.  There are many 24 hour races here.  If someone finishes in 45 days or in 55 days there is a 10 day difference in between.  That is really a big difference.  And if someone is walking that means he has some problems.  Even if you are having a comfortable day here still you have to do it for 18 hours.  In my case when I run I have less problems with my feet.  When I walk a lot I get blisters. “

He says he has been really inspired by the many different music groups who have come and performed on the course for all the runners.  “You can hear them only for a few seconds.  But those few seconds can be very intense.  All of a sudden you come to the place where they are performing music just for us.  There is something they create, some kind of atmosphere.  This can make a special moment for us.  It is really great.”

He feels that this year he has made inner progress.  He says, ” I pray a lot during the race.”  He says that he uses the purification power of prayer during his regular day to day life as well.  But it is only at the race that there are no distractions in doing it.  His mind is not encumbered by all kinds of normal problems and activities when he runs here.  He says, “you can concentrate on listening to your inner self.”  He says here there is almost limitless amount of time at his disposal to work on his inner life.

When I ask if his mileage really matters at all he says, “it is also about miles and making progress at running faster.  Definitely I would like to do better miles.  I definitely believe that this (running the 3100) is what I am supposed to do.  This is a great opportunity for practicing a never give up attitude.  We don’t have to be perfect, we just have to try our best.”  He believes that it is possible that he can correct some of the things he is doing and get a better result in his timing.  He tells me, “I am happy with my effort, but I am not happy with my miles.  I have such gratitude for this race.  I love to be here.”

On this, his 53rd day on the course, Pavol is just 161 miles from completing his journey.  Just like Pushkar, his race in many ways began one year ago when he entered the 3100 for the first time in 2008.

His race last year was an epic struggle almost from the beginning.  An injury prevented him from ever really being able to run.  He courageously stayed on the course however for 56 days, at which time he reached 2700 miles and was obliged to stop, 400 miles short of his goal.  On the following day Suprabha finished her 3100 miles and the race was officially over.

5 days ago Pavol crossed a self-transcendence threshold that has weighed upon him for the past year.  Late friday afternoon he past the 2700 mile mark and then just kept going without a pause.  Knowing full well that not only was each step, one step further than he had ever gone in a race before, but also that his goal was now most certainly and assuredly fast approaching.    It now appears that on Friday, sometime in the evening of his 55th day on the course he will complete running the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race.

From time to time Pavol has written some short poems about his experience here.  Today his poem is:

No Mind

No Form

No Break

I am only running.

For many of us a break is often a gentle refreshing pause in a hectic day that seems without end.  It may mean stepping out of the office, having a coffee, reading a newspaper, or just staring out the window and wondering where the day has gone.  None of these things are even remotely possible to the runners here.  At least not until after they have completed the race.

Of course our idea of a busy day pales into shadowed insignificance, when compared to the 18 blazing hours a day of almost continuous movement that the runners have put in here at the 3100 mile race over the past summer.   For them taking a break may be a fleeting 20 minute pause.  To lie down and be so briefly reclined that they cannot even come close to the soothing world of dreams.  Then immediately pull themselves up and tie on their shoes once more.

Eating is no excuse to stop either.  Food is pushed into plastic bowls and cups and snatched from a table where it has probably already gone cold.  Stabbed with a plastic fork until it is gone and all the while moving, moving, and more moving.

Pavol tells me this morning that he had a hard day yesterday.  “My feet were very painful, I could not run, only walking.”  He has noticed how often others have taken breaks and he was impressed that Diganta, on his last four days did not take any breaks.  Also he says that Diganta ran almost until midnight each night at the end as well.  He tells me that on his last two days he will also not take any breaks.

He says that when he passed the 2700 mile mark he still saw a real challenge in completing the final 400.  He says now however that with less than half of that distance remaining it is just getting easier.  Tomorrow, when he passes 3000 miles he says will be his joy day.  He tells me that today also is for him is a joy day because he is able to run very well.  Yesterday was so hard, I could only walk.”

He says that he is not bothered by the fact that there are so few runners left on the course.  He tells me that he stayed here almost until midnight last night.  Suprabha had left much earlier and Ananda-Lahari went home at 11:30, when out of nowhere 3 runners came and started running around the course as well.  He says, “wow, it was very nice.”

He says for him everything about this year is different compared to last year.  Where last year he was forced to walk most of the race this year he says, “I am running nearly every day.”  Only a couple of days this year has he been only able to walk.  Last year he says, “was pain, pain, pain.  This year, not too much pain.”  As he says this, smile brightens across his face.  “Running is a special thing.”

He tells me that when he was young, “I hated running.  O my God, it was so hard for me.” He recalls how difficult it was for him to run 1500 meters at school.  He describes having to run for just 12 minutes and how difficult it was for him, “absolutely hard.” He tells me that despite this he loved all sports.  He enjoyed hockey, volleyball, table tennis, soccer, and others.  His first sport was soccer which he started around the time he was 8 or 9.  Yet inevitably running was part of the training which he resisted.  He says, “I came to play football not to run.”

Subsequently because of his trainer’s urgings, he eventually started to run a couple of times a week on his own. Initially he was inspired to just go out on his own for just a few kilometers.  He says, “this is when I started to really like running. I had a new feeling.” As he continued to play soccer the training became harder which also included more and more running.  He says it was hard, but afterwards he would feel good.

When he became a student of Sri Chinmoy he noticed that many in the group where running every day and this gave him even more inspiration to explore the possibilities of running.  “I started running every day.  In the morning I would run 3km, 20 minutes, every day.” He feels that his body was not ideally designed for running, but never the less he had a positive experience by running every day.

He hadn’t been with the group long before he took a trip to a 24 hour race in Germany in the fall and helped as a counter.  He was impressed to see a man in his 50’s just running and running and running.  Even the rain came and did not slow him down.  He was so impressed he said, “wow, I must try this.”  The following spring while listening to a recording of Sri Chinmoy’s music he got inspired.  “I will go to Basel and run the 24 hour race.”

What makes his decision to enter a 24 hour race so remarkable, is at the time, he had never even run a marathon.  The furthest he had run was 20km.  His friends in Bratislava Slovakia were perplexed.  He told them, “I feel, I like, I go.”  He describes the experience in Basel as, “It was a funny race.  It was cold.  At night it was 4 degrees C., and rain.”  He tells me that just one hour after the noon start the rain came and did not stop.  To compound his problem he had only brought two pairs of running shoes.  One pair was old and the other pair were too small.  “After 6 hours I could no longer run and my legs were dead.”  There was a pain in his knee so he could no longer run only walk.”  In the end he switched to wearing a pair of sandals and walking in the rain and carrying an umbrella.  He overslept that night when he took a break at midnight and did not get up again until 5 the next morning.  In the end he covered 103km.  “It was a very nice experience.”

For the following week he was in pretty bad shape but still he feels that the inner seeds of inspiration to run long races had been firmly planted within him.  “I was very happy.” His interest in the sport of ultra running has gradually grown in importance.  Where at first he felt his body was not suited to it he has gradually learned to adapt and find solutions to the pains and problems associated with this ultimate endurance sport.  In just two days more he will climb for the first time to the top of the multi day Everest.  Each new step taking him forward.  Each one transcending the last.  Each one bringing him closer to a goal both within and now at last just 161 miles away.