The month of November 1986 shall stand forever as one of the highest summits of human endeavour. The mists of this world somehow cleared during those four weeks and our eyes perceived a world more real than this —a world where the Infinite played with human toys of weight and time.
Mounted on the wings of his great dream, Sri Chinmoy was racing towards his goal of lifting 700 pounds with one arm. By October 27th he had lifted a 600-pound dumbbell and only 100 pounds now lay between him and his goal. To many, his physical form seemed almost transparent to the mighty power it contained.
Sri Chinmoy's massive dumbbell was dismantled and reloaded. A small sign hanging from the power rack stated simply: "705". Each morning he made four attempts to lift it and, on Saturday, November 1st, it finally surrendered. The 705-pound barrier had been totally smashed. Sri Chinmoy had grasped the ultimate —but he had no intention of remaining at that level.
On November 6th a newly stacked bar graced Sri Chinmoy's power rack and he exerted himself against it. The following day, he lifted it. It weighed a staggering 806 pounds.
Each day had now become a significant episode in Sri Chinmoy's epic adventure. On November 10th, he raised 1007 pounds. He had entered the realm of four figures, leaping ahead at a pace that superseded even his own previous pattern. The same evening he left New York for a four-day concert tour of Germany.
Returning on November 15th, Sri Chinmoy immediately requested that new plates be added to the already burdened power rack. He now faced an astronomical 1317-pound dumbbell. It seemed that he had no concept of weight. The transcendent curve of his life had carried him far beyond our earthly measurements of time and space, beyond all human designs of progress and order, into the realm of the Unknown. His lifts were eternal in unrealised Time.
Having lifted it on November 17th, Sri Chinmoy left New York for another concert series, once more bringing about an enforced break in his rhythm. Back in New York on November 22nd, he added another 200 pounds to the bar, giving a total of 1515 pounds. The bar began to bend dangerously under the strain. This curvature affected the dynamics of the lift, making it even more difficult — if that was possible — since the extreme ends of the bar would potentially droop even lower as the pivotal point was thrust upwards. There was also serious concern that the bar might break under the strain, a fear which, fortunately, was never realised.
Sri Chinmoy lifted the 1515-pound dumbbell on November 24th and it became known that he had set his sights on 2,000 pounds as the apex of his one-arm lifts. A gulf of 500 pounds lay between him and this radical goal. Undaunted, Sri Chinmoy elected to conquer it in a single stride. Twenty 100-pound plates now choked the full length of the bar, causing the ends to bend even more treacherously. At 2039 pounds (including the weight of the bar) it was more than 12 times Sri Chinmoy's own body weight.
On November 27th, Sri Chinmoy faced the bar for the first time. His initial attempt, usually a warm-up, produced some movement. On the next attempt, he lifted it. A clearly distinguishable gap appeared between the bar and the metal cradle from which it had been suspended. Sri Chinmoy then went on to convincingly lift it three more times that same morning and a further four times in the evening, giving a total of nine successful lifts.
The month of November had exploded into a million fiery particles. They filled our awareness with a power too great for earth, a light too intense for thought, a vision too vast to be bound. Sri Chinmoy's great feats seem to obey no earthly laws. Like some elemental power, he has come and ignited men's hearts, transmuting our age with his wondrous energy.
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