It is possible for a man, owning a
fairly strong body and an immensely strong determination, to turn
the tables on the tiger, and force it to a conviction of pussycat
defenselessness. How often I have done just that!"
I was quite willing to believe that the titan before me was able to
perform the tiger-pussycat metamorphosis. He seemed in a didactic
mood; Chandi and I listened respectfully.
"Mind is the wielder of muscles. The force of a hammer blow depends
on the energy applied; the power expressed by a man's bodily instrument
depends on his aggressive will and courage. The body is literally
manufactured and sustained by mind. Through pressure of instincts
from past lives, strengths or weaknesses percolate gradually into
human consciousness. They express as habits, which in turn ossify
into a desirable or an undesirable body. Outward frailty has
mental origin; in a vicious circle, the habit-bound body thwarts
the mind. If the master allows himself to be commanded by a servant,
the latter becomes autocratic; the mind is similarly enslaved by
submitting to bodily dictation."
At our entreaty, the impressive swami consented to tell us something
of his own life.
"My earliest ambition was to fight tigers. My will was mighty, but
my body was feeble."
An ejaculation of surprise broke from me. It appeared incredible
that this man, now "with Atlantean shoulders, fit to bear," could
ever have known weakness.
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