New Year day is celebrated by people, in picnics, in gambling, in drinking and feasting; they attend cinema shows, wear new clothes, give presents, to each other and greet all with joy and
hilarity. They exhaust their money and their energy in the pursuit of frivolity, thrill and excitement. year is given a grand farewell, on this holy da All this is due to the custom that views this day as something unique. In fact, the ‘year’ is just a convention. There are as many New Year days as there are days in the Year; many communities and countries have their own distinct calendars. It is not the first of January or the first of Chaitra (first month of Telugu New year) that is unique. The year is just a name to indicate a number of months, the month to indicate number days, a day to indicate a number of hours; the hour is a period of time counted in minutes, and the minute is a name for sixty seconds. Each second is new. It is a gift, a chance, an opportunity, a thing to be celebrated, to be used for uplift. That is to say, each second is a fresh chance given to you for training the mind, refining the intellect, purifying the emotions, strengthening the will, for getting confirmed in the convention that you are the deathless atma. (SSS Vol.4)
It is to set man on such a path of Self-inquiry that the celebration of the New year is intended. God is the embodiment of time, is worshipped by the name Samvatsara (the year). The name also means that god contains within Himself everything. God is also known by the name ‘the time-spirit’. God incarnates on earth for revealing to man his Divine essence. Man has been endowed with intelligence so that he may use for discovering the Divine within him.
The New Year comes regularly year after year. But do you have any new thoughts? You do not shed your old, mistaken ideas. They should be given up, yielding place to new, sacred and sublime thoughts. Of what use is it to celebrate New Year days if you do not change your old ways of thinking and behaving? Make proper use of time that is both precious and sacred. Do not indulge in useless gossip. Develop good qualities like compassion, love and sympathy. Act as your own monitor and correct yourself by self-punishment. By a simple method you can control your wandering mind or your anger. Moreover, place your reliance on God. With the power of the Divine to sustain you there is nothing you cannot accomplish. Today the nation needs unity above everything else. It is through faith in God that unity can be promoted. Look at the diversity of people in this hall, the different creeds they profess, the different nationalities to which they belong. All are united in their common allegiance to Swami. By this single feeling of faith in the Divine, unity can be achieved. It is the absence of this faith that is the cause of division.
All of you are embodiments of the Divine. All of you are embodiments of love and peace. You
are the Divine in human form. Develop that conviction. Immerse yourselves in Divine love. Offer that love to the Divine. Thereby you will have love for all. It is only when you develop this love principle you will be realising the meaning of festivals like these. Stand up for your belief in God, even as you stand up for your father or mother. Render service to society, without which you cannot exist. Your welfare is bound with that of society. Develop the feeling of oneness with all, loving all as members of one Divine family. (SSS Vol.29) Today the nation needs unity above everything else. It is through faith in God that unity can be promoted. It is the absence of this faith that is the cause of division. All of you are embodiments of the Divine. All of you are embodiments of love and peace. You are the Divine in human form. Develop that conviction. Immerse yourselves in Divine love. Offer that love to the Divine. Thereby you will have love for all. It is only when you develop this love principle you will be realising the meaning of festivals like these. Stand up for your belief in God, even as you stand up for your father or mother. Render service to society, without which you cannot exist. Your welfare is bound with that of society. Develop the feeling of oneness with all, loving all as members of one Divine family. Today the nation needs unity above everything else. It is through faith in God that unity can be promoted. It is the absence of this faith that is the cause of division. All of you are embodiments of the Divine. All of you are embodiments of love and peace. You are the Divine in human form. Develop that conviction. Immerse yourselves in Divine love. Offer that love to the Divine. Thereby you will have love for all. It is only when you develop this love principle you will be realising the meaning of festivals like these. Stand up for your belief in God, even as you stand up for your father or mother. Render service to society, without which you cannot exist. Your welfare is bound with that of society. Develop the feeling of oneness with all, loving all as members of one Divine family. (SSS Vol. 29) (SSS Vol. 29)
Many are wondering what troubles and losses the New year will bring. For all troubles and difficulties the year is not responsible. Our conduct alone is responsible. If our actions are good, the results will be good. Bad actions will lead to bad consequences. People think that good and bad are related to time. Not at all. Their thoughts are the cause. Hence, they should develop good thoughts and do good deeds. They should cherish good feelings and associate with good persons. (SSS Vol.30)
The New Year teaches man the lesson that he should perfect himself as an embodiment of Divinity. You should not waste time, because a moment gone will not come back. You are only looking after needs of the body, eager to make it last longer. But you forget that Time is God. There is nothing that can supersede this. So the spiritual practice you should do is to utilise your time in doing good deeds for the benefit of the society at large and not to satisfy your self- interest. Don’t waste your energy in unnecessary talk or gossip. God has endowed man with all the organs of perception and action, not for selfish activities, but to do Godly deeds and help others. (SSS Vol.27)
Sanctify the new year by engaging yourselves in pure, selfless and ennobling activities. As far as possible, avoid causing harm or pain to others. As you sow, so you reap. Whenever you feel disturbed by a sense of anger, envy, pride, jealousy and the like, be alert and resort to the contemplation of the Lord. (SSS Vol.24)
"May the New Year grant you mental peace and may your life s ideal of Self-realisation be fulfilled. May all comforts and full contentment be added unto you. That is my blessing" (SSS Vol.11)
Human life is highly noble, valuable and Divine. Do not put it to misuse by giving room to evil qualities. Use the power of discrimination and make proper use of the senses. Only then will your life be redeemed. You will attain immortality and infinite bliss. Start a novel and Divine life in this new year. Give up all the old unsacred feelings. Cultivate Divine feelings. Once you have divine feelings, no other feeling can enter your mind. Install God within, then peace will automatically follow.
Embodiments of Love!
I bless you all so that you may lead your lives with peace, prosperity and happiness. Thus I bring My Discourse to a close. (SSS Vol.34)
Good and bad coexist. It is not possible for anyone to separate them. When you cultivate more of goodness, the bad in you will become absolutely insignificant. There is no need to use any force to drive away all that is bad. When you forget bad, goodness will develop in you in full measure. This is the message I would like to give on this day. Do not think that the New Year will give you some new fruits. The fruits that you earn will be based on your qualities and actions. All that you think will be reflected back to you. Everything is the result of your thoughts. (SSS Vol.39, p.63)