Question: Peter Hirkos, who is well-known now throughout the world, was an ordinary person before he fell off a ladder near his house and struck his head. When he regained consciousness, he was able to look into the future and tell what would happen. He helps the police discover murderers and all kinds of things. What do you think happened when he fell down and hit his head?

Sri Chinmoy: The thing is that we have to know something about his past. In this life he was an ordinary person, but in his past incarnations probably he had already developed this power. At a particular hour this man got a shock and immediately he revived his old life and the power he had from his past incarnations.

Many, many times this happens to the most ordinary people: to servants and menial workers. When they are attacked with serious diseases, they get all kinds of spiritual power; all their past powers are revealed. The disease is the last stroke. We call it the stroke of inner purification. The stroke serves as the inner purification of their being, of their life. It is not an accidental stroke; it is just an occasion used by these powers to come to the fore again.