People are full of hopes and aspirations on the dawn of a New Year. In fact, you should consider every moment as the beginning of a New Year. Names and forms have no value without the eternal virtues. Man suffers from various ailments, some internal and the other external. A doctor can cure the external ailments. The Atmic feeling is the only remedy for all the internal ailments. You should make efforts to know the principle of Atma. The Atma is a synonym for Brahma which is nothing but the Chaitanya permeating every human being. Man has a name and form but Chaitanya has no form. The Chaitanya that is present in the human body is called 'conscience'. The all-pervasive Chaitanya is called 'consciousness'. When the individual understands the principle of unity in diversity, the 'conscience' gets transformed into 'consciousness'. In spite of being endowed with such a sacred power, man gets deluded by the vagaries of the world. He is giving importance to the New Year which is fleeting. In fact, he should give importance to the changeless "Time" and sanctify it by proper use
Always be happy and cheerful, for, your innate nature is bliss. You need not go in search of happiness. Bliss emerges out of Atma. Whenever you wish for it, you will get it. Happiness is union with God. Therefore, always be in the company of God. Once you are in the company of God, happiness will follows you like a slave. Today, man is in search of happiness, and, in the process, is becoming a slave to happiness. This is not correct. In fact, happiness should become a slave to you, for, you are verily the embodiment of Divine Atma. Believe it or not, I am always blissful. You can also experience such a state of bliss. You should not go in search of happiness. Instead, happiness should follow you wherever you go.
Divine Discourse: 1 January 2003
Today you are celebrating the commencement of the New Year. But, in fact you should treat every second as the beginning of a New Year. Many people are worried as to what changes would the New Year bring in the social, political and economic fields. But no changes will take place. Any change if it were to take place will not wait for the arrival of the New Year. In fact, many changes are taking place from moment to moment. You may wonder as to what are the big changes that would take place in this New Year. Whatever happened in the previous year would take place this year also. One need not be concerned about these things. You should be concerned that there is no transformation in your heart though years are rolling by. You have to get rid of evil tendencies in your thoughts, words and deeds. You should celebrate the arrival of New Year with noble and divine feelings. You should experience bliss by visualising the non-apparent Atmic Principle in this apparent world.
Divine Discourse: 14 April 2002
Every man expects the New Year to confer on him peace, happiness and prosperity. New Year does not bring happiness or sorrow with it. Yesterday is the same as today and today is the same as tomorrow. Days are the same, but one experiences either pleasure or pain depending on one's own actions. Meritorious deeds will not confer misery and sinful deeds cannot give happiness. One is bound to face the consequences of one's actions. But one treats pleasure and pain alike when one becomes the recipient of God's grace. God's grace destroys mountains of sins and confers peace.
Years come and go, so also pleasure and pain. Nothing confers permanent bliss except the experience of the Atma. Man cannot attain peace and happiness from his actions unless he has sacred feelings within. Many people expect the New Year to confer happiness and prosperity on them. But in fact, New Year only confers on you the results of your past actions. In order to atone for your past sins, you have to cultivate sacred qualities and involve yourself in sacred activities more and more in the New Year. In fact, Bliss is within you, it originates from your sacred feelings. So, you have to manifest bliss from within-- it cannot be bestowed on you by others. None can take away the bliss from you and you cannot obtain it form outside.
The New Year does not bring anything new with it. The day when fresh and sacred thoughts originate in your heart is the real New Year day. As you all consider this day as New Year day and welcome it with enthusiasm, I bless you all so that you may cultivate fresh, sacred and ideal feelings. I desire that you share with others all that you consider as good. I want you to lead a peaceful and blissful life and become role models for the rest of the country.
Divine Discourse: 1 January 2001
Every second is the birth of a New Year. Seconds add up to minutes, minutes to hours, and so on to years. Every second of your life is new. Thus, there is no particular sanctity about the beginning or ending of a year. This day there are people who attribute special significance and speculate on some extraordinary or awesome events to take place. The time or date is not the cause for your happiness or misery. Your own actions (Karma) in the past, are the cause of both your happiness and misery. As you sow, so you reap. Don't waste your mental energy in speculations of this or that happening. When you are a newborn babe, there are no ornaments round your neck. There are no necklaces of pearls or diamonds nor are any chains of gold, but there is, for certain, a heavily laden chain round your neck. All your actions good and bad, counted one by one have been strung together by Brahma and this is the ornament round your neck.
You must sow the seed of love in loveless hearts. Water it with love. Let Love flow in a flood and reach all. You have to cultivate this pure, firm, unselfish love. This is the practice that you have to cultivate in this New Year. Love lives by giving and forgetting. Selfish love can be compared to the foul smell of a fish. Cultivate selfless love. Love all. No need to fear anyone. Keep your love pure. Meet all contingencies with love. Transform everything into love and suffuse your lives with love. Then there shall be peace and stability in the world.
Cultivate love in yourself. The evil traits of hatred, jealousy and pride should be cast aside. These are not human traits, they are appropriate for animals only. Truth is the basis of humanity, righteousness the innate propensity and love is the most important attitude. If you possess all these, peace is your property by right. Abandoning selfishness, adopting an attitude of unity and desiring the welfare of all address your prayers to God. You are not born for merely eating, wandering and sleeping. You have to become ideal examples to the nation. What is the ideal that you have to show? You must help all to your utmost capacity. The best way to love God is to LOVE ALL SERVE ALL. Adopting service and love as your ideals, you must commence your new life from this moment - this is My blessing and benediction to you.
Divine Discourse: 1 January 2000
From the new year, you have to understand the true meaning of humanness and transform your life. You will then be true servants of the nation. Play your part in every field of public life, keeping your heart pure and unsullied.
Students! Remember that you are in a `golden age' in your lives. Do not waste it. Do your duty. Love and revere your parents. Serve society. Adhere to the good qualities associated with right education. Be happy and make others happy.
From this new year onwards, when students cultivate humility, reverence for elders and love towards all, I shall feel very happy.
This is New Year Day according to the Gregorian calendar. We have other New Year days according to the practice in different parts of the country. There is no need to bother about the year as such. Devote every moment to actions that will please God. Develop love for God, which will confer every blessing on you. This is exemplified by the life of Harischandra. He sacrificed everything in the cause of truth. And ultimately he got back everything by the grace of God.
On this New Year Day I wish you all every happiness and prosperity. The ancients used to bless those who come to them with long life of 100 years and good health. They wished the people long life so that they may lead worthy lives. Lead a long life, happy life, peaceful life, loving life and divine life. Redeem your lives by practicing Divine Love.
Divine Discourse: 1 January 1998
On this New Year Day, you should make resolve that you will start every day with Love, spend the day with Love, fill the day with Love and end the day with Love. There should be no difference of caste, creed, color, religion or nationality. Love knows no distinction of any kind. You must wish every one to be happy. Fill the heart with Love. The country will prosper and the world will prosper and everyone will be happy. Cultivate good thoughts, speak good words and do good deeds with the broad view that everyone in the world should be happy. Give up your evil thoughts and evil qualities as they are the cause for all sufferings in the world.
Divine Discourse: 1 January 1994
Regard every second as a new year and act on that basis. You need not wait for the passing of twelve months to embark on any enterprise. Transform yourselves every moment. Get rid of the bad old ideas; that will herald the birth of the new year. Take part in service activities to sanctify your lives. Adhere to righteous conduct. Live up to the motto: Help ever, Hurt never. This is the essence of the message of Vyaasa's eighteen puranas.
Divine Discourse: 1 January 1993
Calendar makers calculate the years and declare that this day is New Year Day. But lapse of time is to be calculated in proportion to the work accomplished, rather than the revolution of our earth around the sun. For each individual, there is a New Year Day, a day which marks the completion of his revolution round the sun, that is to say, the awakened effulgent intelligence, capable of conferring on him, discrimination and detachment. Enquire into the will of God, discover the commands of God, guess what will please Him most and regulate your life accordingly. Do not harden your heart through greed and hate. Soften it with Love. Cleanse it through pure habits of Love and thinking. Use it as the shrine, where in you install your God. Be happy that you have within you the source of power, wisdom and joy.
Divine Discourse: 14 January 1970
The year becomes new, the day become holy, when you sanctify it by Sadhana, not otherwise. Sadhana can grow only in a field fertilized by Love. Love or Prema is the sine qua non of Bhakthi. The love you now have towards material objects, name, fame, wife and children etc. should be sanctified by being subsumed by the more overpowering Love of God. Let your tiny drops of Love for things material merge with the stream of Love for God and be elevated. Have the Love of God filling and thrilling your heart; then you cannot hate anyone, you cannot indulge in unhealthy rivalries, you will not find fault with anyone. Life becomes soft, sweet and smooth.
Divine Discourse: 1 January 1967