Dear Readers,
We wish you a very happy and productive new year 2015. Below is the new year message by Swami Sivananda:
“Everybody wants peace, but peace does not come easily. Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Peace is freedom from disturbance, riot or violence. It is harmony, silence, calmness. It is the way of love and truth.
Peace should be built on right understanding between nations, mutual goodwill, striving after a common welfare and a higher good. A proper understanding of the essential unity of religions will remove all the superficial differences and conflicts which create restlessness, discord and quarrels. This will contribute to universal love, world harmony and the brotherhood of mankind.
The heart must change. Greed and selfishness must perish. In a state of peace and love, people evolve, grow in their distinctive culture and develop a perfect civilization. In peace and calmness, spiritual evolution is also facilitated.
This world can be saved only by those who have already saved themselves. If everyone tries to work out their own salvation, there will be nobody to create problems. If everyone strives heart and soul to do spiritual sadhana, there will be very little inclination and time to create quarrels. Automatically there will be peace on earth.
Make your own individual appeal to God and ask Him to send light to help humanity in the establishment of peace and happiness. May this New Year bring peace, prosperity and happiness all over the world.”
The below verse from Vedanta Panchadasi (by Swami Vidyaranya) highlights the unchanging aspect in all these changing phenomena. Days, weeks, months, years, centuries and aeons come and go. They are ever changing. But the Samvit (Awareness) does not rise nor set. It is ever present.
मासाब्दयुगकल्पेषु गतागतेष्वनेकधा ।
नोदेति नास्तमेत्येका संविदेषा स्वय़ंप्रभा ।। (1.7)
Through the many months, years, ages and world cycles, past and future,
Awareness/Consciousness is the same; it neither rises nor sets (unlike the sun); it is self-revealing. (English meaning by Swami Swahananda of Ramakrishna Muth)
Once again we wish you a very happy and contemplative new year.
Yours, In Service,
Aparna & Hari.
Saranaagathi 