Retired at 23, Missy fascinated by idea of karma

Monaco, february 19

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Learning Hinduism and reading the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata have taken a chunk of Missy Franklin’s time ever since the five-time Olympics gold-medallist swimmer announced a shock retirement in December last year. Chronic shoulder pain forced the 23-year-old to call time on her career but, on the brighter side, it allowed her to do things that she couldn’t do as an active athlete.

Tried yoga

Earlier, she did yoga for fun but after exploring Hinduism, it became a spiritual experience for the bubbly American, who is majoring in religion at the University of Georgia.  “I have been studying religion for a year now and it is so fascinating and eye opening. I love learning different cultures, people and their faith,” Franklin said on the sidelines of the Laureus World Sports Awards.

“My own religion is Christianity but two classes I have found so intriguing are Hinduism and Islam. Because those are the two religions I did not know a lot about and after reading and learning about them, I think they are beautiful,” said the winner of four gold medals at the London Olympics.

Bright student

Besides being a champion athlete, Franklin also comes across as a bright student who knows quite a bit about Hinduism. She is fascinated by the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and has made a conscious effort to learn the unfamiliar names in the two epics. “I think the most beautiful aspect of Hinduism is the idea of Karma and of being good to one another, doing good deeds and how that all comes back to you, how the universe works,” she said. “I find their myths and tales incredible; it is also fascinating to know about their gods, reading the Mahabharata and the Ramayana has been such an amazing experience for me. The family names in Mahabharata would always confuse me but I remember learning about Ram and Sita in the Ramayana. How Sita lived her life, how loyal she stayed to Rama.”

Thanks to her time at the University of Georgia, she also knows a lot more about the history of yoga. “Learning about the true roots of yoga and its process, how actual yogis live their lives of renunciation, it is so incredible. I have been doing yoga recreationally for three years but after learning more about it through Hinduism, it has definitely become a more spiritual experience for me,” she said. “In the West, I think the spiritualism of yoga was left out and that is a huge generalisation. But it is great leaning about what yoga is all about and how it is about that connection with the divine and creating that oneness,” she added. — PTI