Die to your old lower self. Be born into a newer life in spirit. Sever once and for all your connection with the little ego. Whatever be the slips, failures, disappointments and mistakes of the past year, forget them all. Never mind them. All is for the best. Be courageous in faith because there is always a glorious resurrection after each crucifixion. Spotless and untouched, lies the year before you! Resolve to stick to a life of spotless moral purity, of chastity, physical and mental. Resolve to manifest Truth in thought, word and deed.
The external world is plunged in unrighteousness, hatred and warfare because you have neglected to carry on the inner war with the vicious lower self. You have surrendered to this vicious inner nature. Commence the warfare with the inner foes like egoism, hatred greed, ambition, pride and selfishness. Crush these down and develop equal vision, forgiveness, mercy and universal love. Then all the outer war will end in a moment. A New Era will be ushered in. Darkness will pass and a new dawn will light up humanity.
The loving Lord has given you a priceless gift, a shining year, pure and clear as crystal, a year teeming with opportunities of perfecting yourself as well as working to help and elevate all those around you. Struggle hard every moment to get nearer to the Ideal. Every step you take, through every act you do, you must move towards Freedom, towards Truth, towards Light.
Make it a point to radiate love. Become a centre of spirituality through a regulated life of combined selfless activity and earnest prayer. Constantly have the Name of God on your lips. Inspire and elevate everyone you come into contact with by proclaiming to them the message of unity of all life, in the oneness of the Self. Console the distressed with help, cheer up the depressed with hope, infuse new vigour into the timid and those faltering in faith.
On the threshold of the New Year, convert yourself into a herald of Divinity. Lead a Divine Life of love, service, devotion, discipline and wisdom. May the New Year witness you develop into a perfect and ideal being!
New Year Resolutions
Sri Swami Sahajananda
On 1 January 1983, Pujya Swami Sahajananda gave us an inspiring message (delivered ex tempore). We quote excerpts from this speech: "Last year has been a wonderful year for us. By that I don't mean the external conditions. The external conditions are never going to change. They are going to get worse. People are not going to change around us and situations are not going to change also. But, if we feel that we are going towards God, if we feel that we have more surrender, more strength, then, we can be sure it's a most wonderful year.
"When the heart is empty then God will give the person the wisdom to do the right thing when the situation arises. God is not able to enter at all, as we have bolted it tight with all sorts of hatred, jealousy and petty things. The most unfortunate thing is that the opening has to be done by us. Sri Aurobindo said that at every step we've got to give consent to God. We've got to agree to the change that is going to take place. If we don't give consent, change is not going to come.
"I thought that because our accident rate is the highest in the world, we should contribute something for the safety of the people of the world. The procedure is that we should do a few Maha Mrityunjaya Mantras before we start the car. While driving, repeat it as much as possible. In that way we'll be setting up vibrations and those vibrations will go out and help in the safety of all the people who are on the road."
We thank donors once again for their keen support of our work. Sharing of our material wealth with those in need is a rare privilege granted to us by the Lord. Charity is one of the noblest of qualities. It is the gate that leads one into the kingdom of God. If we feel that all others are our own, then serving them comes naturally to us, just as we serve the members of our own family, thus charity expands the heart and leads us to the realization of God, which is the goal of this human birth.
On 1 January 2002, Pujya Swamiji said, "In his handwritten letter to me dated 12 February 1960, the Master wrote:
All must adapt, adjust, accommodate; cooperate. Collaborate and co-ordinate. Co-operation means fifty-fifty—giving out and taking advice.
In the same letter he gave this assurance in two different places:
God will look after the divine work.
Lord will look after everything.
The above encouraging messages of our Divine Master will be our strength and protection during the New Year and in the years to come.
On 1 January 2005, Pujya Swamiji outlined 10 New Year Resolutions. One of them is as follows: "Communication is the most important rule for all those engaged in the Society's service activities. Discord, arguments and self-justifications arise due to a lack of effective communication. In this respect, the rules given in Guru Bhakti Yoga have to be strictly followed. Please remember that there is no leniency in this respect.
