Student: Sometimes I think I should be stronger so that I can hand the heavy weights to you.

Sri Chinmoy: Then do it. Who is asking you not to be strong? I see that those who are bringing me weights are getting such a good workout, although they are not thinking of getting strong. People who help me are doing it lovingly and devotedly. Such patience they have! Sometimes they have to count five hundred lifts for each arm.

As a rule, I do not like it when two people lift a dumbbell together and hand it to me. It is like my famous story about pouring milk into the king’s pond. One person will think, “If I do not put milk, no harm. Somebody else will put milk. Let me just add water.” Then the next person says the same thing and so on until the pond is filled only with water. Similarly, one person is thinking, “If I am not concentrating wholeheartedly, the other fellow will do it.” But the other fellow will think the same thing. Whereas, when you are doing it alone, you are fully responsible. Nowadays, when I am lying down, I use the automatic machine. Here I am safe. If I cannot lift the weight, it will not fall down and hurt me. I have done 120 pounds with each arm on the machine. Otherwise, I like to do 110 pounds with each arm on a regular basis.