New Year Messages from the Discourses of Bhagavan Baba

[Guest guest]

Om Sai Ram

 

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

Source: http://www.eaisai.com/baba/docs/ny.html

 

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