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On 19 August 2005, Sri Chinmoy lifted Sri Shibendu Lahiri, Great Grandson of Sri Lahiri Mahashoy, Great Bengali Yogi of The 19th Century - Jamaica, NY, USA.

Sri Chinmoy meets Sri Shibendu Lahiri with a photo of Lahiri Mahashoy in the background.

Lifting Up The World

Sri Chinmoy lifts Sri Shibendu Lahiri as part of his "Lifting Up The World With a Oneness-Heart" award - a programme to honour individuals of distinction.

Lahiri Mahashoy: A Revelation Of The Beyond

Sri Chinmoy wrote a book (2005) about the great yogi Lahiri Mahashoy and offered a dedication to Sri Shibendu Lahiri.

"I am dedicating this humble book to Sri Shibendu Lahiri, the great grandson of Lahiri Mahashoy, on the occasion of his blessingful visit to our Aspiration-Ground, Queens, New York, 19 August 2005."

Sri Chinmoy, Lahiri Mahashoy: A Revelation Of The Beyond, Agni Press, New York, 2005

One of the many stories from the book

High time to wake up

Lahiri Mahashoy's wife was named Kashimani. Once she woke up in the middle of the night and was so surprised to see that her husband was not at his usual meditation spot. He was seated in a lotus position high up in the air, quite a few metres above the ground.

Lahiri Mahashoy said to her, "Kashimani, it is high time for you to wake up from your sleep. This time when you wake up, remain in that condition forever. Do not go back to ignorance-sleep. Get up and look for wisdom-light within."

Then Lahiri Mahashoy initiated his wife as his disciple.

Spiritual commentary

Human life is unconscious sleep. Divine life is conscious awareness. Unconscious sleep makes us feel that there are millions of things which we cannot do on earth. Conscious awareness shows us clearly that there is nothing here on earth or there in Heaven which we cannot do. As a matter of fact, conscious awareness makes us feel unmistakably that everything has already been done. What we are doing now is only observing and appreciating it.

Sri Chinmoy, Lahiri Mahashoy: A Revelation Of The Beyond, Agni Press, New York, 2005

Vivekananda used to say, "If you have to value anything, you have to pay for it. Otherwise you do not value it." If any book comes free, you do not touch even one page. But if you buy the book, you read it. If you give anything for free, nobody pays any attention. Anything free, nobody values. So, I said, "If you want to value your spiritual life, the day you entered into the spiritual life, you have to remember. To value your spiritual life, which is the most important thing in your life, you should give ten dollars in an envelope, saying, 'On this day, I joined the Path.'"

And the day you were 'baptised', the day you got your spiritual name, on that day I am bringing it down to five dollars. So, I make fifteen dollars.

Then Pulak started arguing with me. First, he said it was too much money. That was not enough. Then he said, "How will people know which day?"

I told him, "The day they hear from Centre leaders, or from someone who has given me the pictures. That day I will take it as the day, the day the person hears."

He started, "But you did not concentrate on that day. You concentrated on another day."

I said, "My force will remain for a few days. If Ashrita or the Centre leaders or anybody has to give the message, my force will hold."

But no, again he started saying, "But you did not concentrate and accept them on that day."

I told him we have to start with him! But I enjoyed his arguments, idiot!

Then the culprit became Anjali. The day before yesterday was her name-day, so she gave five dollars. Then again, Pulak started saying things. I said, "It is not compulsory, for God's sake! It is only for those who value their spiritual life. At least on that day, when you give ten dollars, you will say, 'O my God, I entered into the spiritual life. What am I doing? Now I have so many problems.' That will pinch you, when you give ten dollars. It will awaken you, and on the day you will do well."

People always say, in India also, that birthdays are the most miserable days. People are only thinking of gifts, this and that. Once, in the Ashram, on his birthday, somebody thought, "How could Mother refuse something? Mother will be so happy to give it to me." He went on his birthday with a list to have a little butter, to have it sanctioned. Mother threw away the list. She said, "Birthdays are for butter?"

If you remember that on such-and-such date you came to the Path, then how you prepared yourself, how much sacrifice you made to leave your parents and dear ones, if those good ideas come to your mind, you will value it. Otherwise, when it is a matter of birthdays, for five or six days beforehand, your mind will be all the time thinking this and that, about parties and so on. I said, "The best thing is to think of your birthday as the day you joined the Path. If you remember that day, twenty or twenty-five or thirty years ago, the ancient sincerity, intensity and depth will come to the fore."

There was another condition. Nobody should deprive Kanan of his business. Here, on their birthday, they send me flowers or on their soul's day they send flowers. That has to continue. I do not want his business to suffer. You rogues, you will give me ten dollars then you will forget to give flowers!

If you put your money in an envelope to give as a love-offering, on that day you will remember how much sacrifice you have made to come to this Path, how much sincerity, simplicity and purity, how much eagerness you felt when you joined the Path. Otherwise, you are observing the day but you are not going back to the source. I am giving you an opportunity to go back to when you started your journey

You can spread it; I am not going to make announcement. But if it does not work, if you people feel it is the same thing — when you give the flowers you do not mean it, but you just observe mechanically. So, by giving five or ten dollars, it will be the same thing. If that is the case, then what can I do?

22 March 1998

Published: Sri Chinmoy, "The Golden Mystic Sun", Madal Bal Studio, 2021.

Sri Chinmoy offered the following talk at Aspiration-Ground on 8 August 1988. It was the 55th anniversary of the very first time his parents first brought him to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the spiritual life.

It is a most significant day in my life. On August 8th, 1933, when I was two years old, I came to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram from Chittagong. My parents and my elder sisters and brothers brought me to the Ashram and the spiritual life — the place of my heart's awakening and my life's oneness-realisation with the highest Absolute Supreme. Nothing can be more important, more significant, more meaningful and more fruitful than to go and sit at the feet of one's Master in the life of a seeker.

The Supreme in me is your Master, everybody's Master, but try to remember the day, the very first day, you saw me physically in your heart of aspiration and life of dedication. That was the day your soul consciously, cheerfully, lovingly and unconditionally made its eternal connection, birthless and deathless connection, with my soul. If you want to remain a seeker throughout Eternity and if you want to remain in my Boat forever and forever, then the very first day you saw me on the physical plane is the most supreme significant day in your life.

On that day, your heart, aspiration-heart, listened to the dictates of your illumination-soul, and your illumination-soul made a solemn promise to the Absolute Lord Beloved Supreme that you would manifest the Highest Absolute Lord Supreme’s Light and Delight in and through your heart, mind, vital and body here on this earth planet.

This day can never be forgotten. This day can ever be treasured with one's heart's ceaseless love and deathless devotion and oneness-surrender-delight.

On that day, the Master offers the most significant message to the disciple: "My child, you are of me and me alone."

And the disciple tells the Master, "My Lord, I am for you and for you alone."

I am an Indian, so two Indian sweets I am offering because I was two years old when I came to see my Master.
 

Published: Sri Chinmoy, "The Golden Mystic Sun", Madal Bal Studio, 2021.

On August 14th, 1945, a young Chinmoy wrote this poem in honour of Sri Aurobindo's upcoming birthday (15th August).  Nearly 50 years later Sri Chinmoy then set this poem to music on July 8th, 1995. 

Later, Sri Chinmoy recited the poem and also sang a solo performance. The song has become referred to as Dyulok chariye, August 15th and also affectionately as "The Long Song". 

 First stanza

August 15th, 1945

Dyulok chariye nara narayan
Sparshila aji dhuli
Tar jaya gan chalo mora kari
Sakala karma bhuli

God in human form
Descends from Heaven today
To touch and feel
The breath of earth-dust.
Comrades, His Victory
Let us proclaim, casting aside
All our world-responsibility-obligations.

- Full song at Sri Chinmoy Songs August 15th, 1945

Links

Today God from Heaven Descends at Radio Sri Chinmoy

August 15th, 1945 at Sri Chinmoy Library

[In fact, Kshamar Adarsha, another epic poem, Sri Chinmoy set to music is also known as "The Long Song"]

Further links

Venu Sings "Dyulok Chariye" at Radio Sri Chinmoy. Sri Chinmoy remarked this was the best performances of his song by one of his students, and ideal for learning.

Sri Chinmoy Centre Choir sing in 1997

At midnight on August 27th, 1978, the first Sri Chinmoy 47 mile race was held to honour Sri Chinmoy's 47th birthday. 

Sri Chinmoy made the announcement for the race with little forewarning, which was characteristic of his spontaneous approach to new races and new challenges. The late 1970s was still very much pioneering days for the notion of running ultramarathons. As reported in the running press:

He (ed. Sri Chinmoy) had just presided over eight hours of qualifying trials for his meditation community's upcoming annual international sports day in New York City. As the tired meditators were finishing a well-deserved picnic lunch, the muscular Guru wondered aloud, 'So, who is going to run 47 miles for my birthday?...'

 Kamen, Jeff. "The Guru's Ultra." Marathoner/Winter 1979. (47 Mile Race at Sri Chinmoy Races)

Despite the late notice, many students of Sri Chinmoy put their names forward. Only a handful of the participants had run even 26 mile marathons before. As a result, Sri Chinmoy asked his good friend and ultra pioneer, Ted Corbitt to give advice to those taking a step into the unknown. Ted Corbitt's advice and the spiritual atmosphere of the race, helped 57 out of the 58 starters to finish the distance, a remarkable completion rate. The Runner's Gazette also commented on the international flavour of the event.

Oddly enough, the 58 devotees in the run represented nine different countries, so the field in this otherwise obscure event was actually the most international in scope of any U.S. ultramarathon...Garima Hoffman (led) the women in 8:00:44.

Anahata Nada reported 47 men and 11 women raced around a 1 1/4 mile loop circling Jamaica High School in Queens.  

Video Footage from early events

Video footage: Utpal Marshall, Abakash Konopiaty, (Mridanga Spencer DVD)

On the morning of August 27th, as several runners were still completing the distance, local Queens Councilman Morton Povman came to the track at Jamaica High School to read the proclamation of Sri Chinmoy Day in Queens. 

To encourage the runners, Sri Chinmoy himself ran most of the night until an injury disabled him.

1979 - 47 Mile Race

By the 1979 edition, the numbers participating had risen to 85 men and 37 women.

 In 1979 Sri Chinmoy himself completed the 47 mile race in a time of 12:41:48. 

1980 - 47 Mile Race

This was the second time Sri Chinmoy completed the 47 mile race, improving on his previous time by over an hour. He finished in a time of 11:27:24. 

It would be Sri Chinmoy's final race at the distance.

The Race continues

In 1981, the race was temporarily increased to 50 miles, in honour of Sri Chinmoy's 50th birthday. But apart from that year, the race has been held at 47 miles annually ever since and is an important aspect of Sri Chinmoy's Birthday Celebrations.

Although Sri Chinmoy no longer ran, he would always visit the race and often walk meditatively around the course. Sri Chinmoy really valued the benefits of running, especially when combined with a spiritual attitude of self-transcending - competing with ourselves.

He once said that the best birthday present his disciples could give him was to run the 47 mile race.

Sri Chinmoy encouraged the organisers to decorate the race with inspiring aphorisms and photos to help create a spiritual vibration. Many who run or help with the race comment on the spiritual atmosphere which is created by the overnight race.

The race continues

Further reading

• Sri Chinmoy - ultradistance running at Sri Chinmoy Reflections
• The 2025 Sri Chinmoy 47 Mile Race - reported by Utpal (Perfection Journey)
• 47 Mile Race - Karteek Clarke

All five boroughs of New York City proclaim – Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island – proclaimed August 27, 1978, as ‘Sri Chinmoy Day’. 

Queens Councilman Morton Povman personally came to Jamaica High School Track in Queens to wish Sri Chinmoy happy birthday and present him with the borough’s proclamation. 

The first Sri Chinmoy 47 Mile Race had begun at midnight on August 27th and some runners were still finishing the race during the presentation.

Video clip from meeting

Proclamations from the Five Boroughs of New York

Text version of Queens Proclamation

Borough of Queens
City of New York

DONALD R. MANES • PRESIDENT

Proclamation

Greeting:

WHEREAS, Sri Chinmoy of Jamaica is a renowned spiritual leader, poet, artist, musician and lecturer; and

WHEREAS, Sri Chinmoy has travelled and lectured extensively throughout the world and is Director of the United Nations Meditation Group; and

WHEREAS, Sri Chinmoy has been a leader in many beneficial community efforts and was instrumental in organizing the Liberty Torch program to help celebrate our Nation's Bicentennial; and

WHEREAS, August 27th is the birthday of Sri Chinmoy and he will be honored on this day,

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD R. MANES, President of the Borough of Queens, the City of New York, do hereby proclaim Sunday, August 27th, 1978, as

SRI CHINMOY DAY

in Queens in recognition of the teachings, leadership and contributions of Sri Chinmoy.

Done at Borough Hall, Kew Gardens, in the City of New York, on this the twenty-fifth day of August, in the year one thousand nine hundred and seventy-eight.

DONALD R. MANES
PRESIDENT, BOROUGH OF QUEENS

Sri Chinmoy placed great value on great feats of self-transcendence, and one of the most notable challenges was swimming the English Channel. 

The first disciple to swim the English channel was Vasanti Niemz on 9 September 1985, followed the next day by Adhiratha Keefe. Since 1985, the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team has completed 40 solo swims and 10 team swims. The most recent crossings were this summer Abhejali Bernardova, who completed he first crossing and first time swimming breastroke and first timer Jayasalini Abramovskikh

Other notable swims included Vijaya Claxton who swam the channel, aged 59, taking just under 22 1/2 hours. See: Concern: A Reality of the Heart

Question: It takes a very long time, a lot of effort and a lot of money to go on mountain-climbing trips. Is it really worth all the time, effort and money, or would it be better to do something else with our resources?

Sri Chinmoy: You have to change your attitude. When you climb a mountain or swim the English Channel, you may call it a silly adventure, but I take it as part of our manifestation. In the world of manifestation, there is an outer history and an inner history. One is in the mind and one is in the heart. The mind’s history we will forget the next day, but the history of the heart we will forever remember. We will forever remember that somebody became inseparably one with his Guru’s will and achieved something remarkable.