One day I had five or six footballs inside a net and I was cycling to the playground, wearing my new football boots. I was bringing the balls because I was the captain of the football team. I was going at quite a good speed, holding the net tightly in one hand. If you go walking to the playground, there is a short way. But I was bringing so many balls there that I decided to take my bicycle and go the long way.
Halfway to the playground, what happened? All of a sudden, my right boot entered into the spokes and got caught. The whole cycle jumped up so high and I did one or two somersaults in the air! Here on the ground I cannot do somersaults — never, impossible! When it comes to doing somersaults like Ashrita does, alas, that I could never imagine doing.
Anyway, on that day I did somersaults in the air and then I fell down on the street. What a serious accident! This happened on the main street. Shopkeepers from either side of the street came running. They thought that I had gone to the other world.
But my life did not end there. What happened was this: when I fell, I saw vividly Sri Aurobindo seated to one side and on His lap was a big pillow. Sri Aurobindo was no longer in the physical at that time and yet I saw Him so vividly. I fell on top of the pillow on His lap and nothing happened to me. Believe it! This was not my mental hallucination.
My bicycle was completely smashed, but I was unhurt. One or two grains of sand perhaps on my elbow, but nothing serious; I was not even bruised. People could not believe it. They were talking to me and asking me questions, but how could I tell them what had actually happened? They thought that I would be dead — but I was alive!
I fell on Sri Aurobindo's lap. This is called protection. How much protection I can have in this lifetime! Had it not been for Sri Aurobindo's protection, my head would have broken into millions of pieces and I would have gone to God. But absolutely nothing happened.
After the accident, I had to keep the remains of the bicycle nearby at one place. Then I started walking, walking, walking to the playground. And I had problems because I did not take my regular sandals or anything. Just boots. With these boots I had to walk; it was very difficult. Luckily, it was only another two or three hundred metres.
In the case of my cycling accidents, protection came from Above. I had protection from my Guru and from my Divine Mother. But my disciples do not have that kind of faith. I am sorry to say that so many accidents take place in their lives because of lack of faith. That is why I always beg you to please pray to the Supreme for a minute or two before you drive. Otherwise, the hostile forces are always ready to give us a sad experience.From:Sri Chinmoy,My cycling experiences, Agni Press, 2007
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