"The idea is not that everyone be the best in their fields, but that they develop their capabilities, participate, and try to go beyond where they are," Pollisar said. He explained that joy and physical fitness are integral parts of Sri Chinmoy's philosophy of life.

 

The champion juggler of the show, Pollisar contends, is Ashrita. He and his companion Savyasachi usually work a ball and club routine into a comedy story line, such as the innocently disobedient fruit market employee who just can't stop juggling.

 

Other acts use juggling to add an exciting peak to a routine. For example, Richard Naud from Montreal juggles on the tightrope, Kailash Beyer from Zurich juggles while walking on top of a 15-foot "magic wheel" as it rolls across the floor, and Nishta Baum from New York and her unicycle team juggle in their finale. Other acts run the gamut from acrobatics to clowning to trained dogs.

 

Ashrita and Savyasachi have also presented some hair-raising endurance feats in the past, but won't be doing daredevil stunts anymore. Ashrita explained that after he suffered some injuries from being run over by a small steam roller on stage, Sri Chinmoy himself asked that Ashrita stick to tamer material.

 

In an earlier circus, Ashrita lay on the floor with an apple on his throat. Savyasachi then cut the apple in half with a machete blow. Pollisar recalls another instance in which Ashrita lay on a bed of broken glass, and Savyasachi jumped off a ladder onto his stomach.

 

Less dangerous, but equally demanding feats, include Ashrita's marathon performances of jumping jacks and clapping. To train for them, he practices lesser degrees of the task at hand daily. " You practice up to a certain point, then on the day of the feat, you have to meditate your way through it. I thought I'd die about four miles into my somersaulting, but was able to turn my mind around and continue to the end," Ashrita said.

 

This self-transcendence is the essence of Sri Chinmoy's philosophy, he said. Ashrita had never juggled before joining Sri Chinmoy's path, but he was up to the five ball cascade within a few months after starting his juggling career.

 

Sri Chinmoy himself practices what he preaches, and over the years has developed tremendous physical and mental capacities. He runs marathons and ultramarathons, writes books (more than 500 published since he arrived in the West), composes and performs music (more than 3,000 songs to date), paints, and leads meditations for delegates and staff at the United Nations.

 

Ashrita's juggling 100,000 tosses was in honor of Sri Chinmoy's completion of 100,000 paintings in a year. Ashrita said his master practices "fountain art," following a streak of light he sees on the canvas and letting the painting gush out without hesitation.

 

Sri Chinmoy often joins in Madal Circus with his own act, one year consisting of tricks with spinning tops and another year of basketball shots.

 

The circus is named after Sri Chinmoy's childhood nickname, which is Bengali for "kettledrum," and reflects the exuberance and volume of the young Chinmoy.

 

For the Pollisars and other families, Madal Circus is a high point of visits to Sri Chinmoy.  "Our juggling is similar to meditation in that it is both relaxing and sharpening. The exuberance of the circus and the serenity of the meditation work well together," Nayak said.