In 1986, just 13 months after beginning his weightlifting journey, Sri Chinmoy lifted an elephant in Conneticut. Interviewed by a TV presenter, Sri Chinmoy was asked what he hoped to show from this kind of lift.

Sri Chinmoy replied that he hoped to show that we can all gain physical strength from our spiritual source.

Sri Chinmoy: “First of all, I would like to make it very clear to you that I am not a body builder, I am not a weightlifter. But, I am a truth seeker and God lover. For about thirteen months, my inner pilot, God, has been telling me to be of inspiration to the world of strength. That is to say, not to neglect the body, one has to accept the body as something most important in our life.” (unofficial quote from video)