Opinion Badminton champ Pullela Gopichand on his spiritual journey with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

I’ve been very blessed to have found a guru at a young age, an age when I was at my most vulnerable. The year was 1994, and my badminton career was picking up, but a serious knee injury threatened to derail everything. I completely tore my ACL in my left knee. Back in those days, such knee surgery was uncommon, and doctors told me it would be very difficult to recover from a surgery and play badminton. For athletes performing at the highest level, the biggest challenges injuries bring are not physical in nature; they are psychological. Looking back, I don’t think any men’s singles player in the sport has had to deal with an injury of that level, and I was just 20 years old, grappling with the fact that I might never play badminton again. It was at this crucial juncture in my life that the presence of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar helped me manage my mind and even heal my body.

Every day I practised the Art of Living’s breathing technique called the Sudarshan Kriya. It helped me stay in the present moment and rein in my mind from chewing on worst-case scenarios. I was also dealing with chronic upper respiratory issues. It was a tricky situation given the strict anti-doping rules; I was forced to stay away from medication. The Kriya helped me overcome this issue. Gurudev played the roles of mind coach, psychologist and even a doctor. I can’t stress enough how important his words and presence were to me at that time. He had taken complete responsibility for my heart, my mind and my health. And before I knew it, I was back to playing again. I played my best badminton and won the biggest tournaments for my country.

I’d train in Bangalore and I would spend Sundays with Gurudev at the Ashram. The spiritual knowledge that Gurudev imparted connected very deeply with me, but what I found most surprising was how well his wisdom translated to sports. For an athlete, staying in the present moment is the most important thing. Dwelling too long on a lost point or thinking about the next point will make you lose the point you’re playing. And in badminton, as in any sport, a single point can make the difference between winning and losing. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna told Arjuna to not focus on the fruit of the action but to put all his effort into the action itself. It is this mindset that all the most successful sportspeople imbibe, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

And yet this knowledge was present in ancient Indian scriptures. To remember and recite scriptural knowledge is one thing, but to interpret its correct meaning is another, and to take a disciple from an intellectual understanding of knowledge to an actual experience of that knowledge is totally different altogether. And that’s exactly what Gurudev has done for me. He once said that a guru doesn’t just give you spiritual knowledge; he makes sure you live the knowledge. And one such opportunity to live the knowledge came to me when I was contemplating my future after retirement from the sport.

I was travelling with Gurudev to the Art of Living Ashram in Bad Antogast, Germany. I was discussing with him the possibility of coaching after I was done playing. What Gurudev said to me that day, I can never forget. It made my decision very clear and moulded who I am as a coach today. He said with a smile, “Taking responsibility to uplift people is the Art of Living; the more responsibility you take, the more the Divine will support and bless you.” Coaching badminton is limited to a few hours a day but what happens in the 16 hours outside the court has a big impact on an athlete’s life and performance on the court. And it is here that I try to apply Gurudev’s teachings and what I see him do for me and others; which is to take responsibility to not just make my student a better sportsperson but also a better person.

I feel very blessed that in India we have been born with the guru and disciple tradition. But unfortunately, in the last few years, the title of guru has been misused. The recent Hathras stampede tragedy is a prime example of this. So it’s very important to understand who is genuine. Because when we call someone guru, we give them our mind and body. Surrender is a big part of being a disciple. And surrendering to someone who does not have your best interests in mind can be catastrophic. In my experience of being associated with a spiritual organisation for 30 years, the authenticity of a movement and organisation can be gauged by looking at the number and experiences of people that have been touched by it.

As far as the guru is concerned, I will say this: looking back at the way Gurudev has taken care of every aspect of my life, something that he continues to do so even today, I realised something; it’s not just me he’s done this for; he’s done exactly this for tens of thousands of people across the globe. And that to me is what a guru truly is: someone who takes the supreme responsibility for everything about you, in this life and beyond, without asking for anything in return.

Pullela Gopichand is Chief National Coach, India national badminton team