Swami Vivekananda's encouragement-presence²⁵

For the last few months, Swami Vivekananda has been coming every morning to watch my weightlifting. Today I did not start lifting until after eight o’clock, so I did not think that he would come. While I was standing under my 800 pounds, from the left side he came and threw his turban at me. He threw it in such a way that it fell on my head. He was upset that I had doubted his presence.

Swami Vivekananda said to me, “I do not come here to help you in your lifting. I come here to get joy. You are fighting against matter and that is giving me tremendous joy.”

I promised him that on the 12th of this month I will sing seven songs of his.