Festivals
and Events
New
Year
The dawn of the New Year on January 1st
is observed every year in Prasanthi Nilayam by thousands of
devotees. Multitudes throng Prasanthi Nilayam to spend the
New Year day in a sacred manner in the Divine presence. On
this day, Bhagawan reminds every individual that every day,
every moment, a new year is born and every moment needs to
be sanctified with noble thoughts, words and actions. He exhorts
everyone who comes to Prasanthi Nilayam to take home the love
and happiness experienced here and share it with everyone.
Excerpts from
Bhagawan’s Discourses:
Years come and go, so also pleasure and pain. Nothing confers
permanent bliss except the experience of the Atma (Self).
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 from outside.
- Divine Discourse: 1st January
2001
“The year becomes new, the day become
holy, when you sanctify it by spiritual practices (sadhana),
not otherwise. Sadhana can grow only in a field fertilized
by Love. Love (prema) is the sine qua non of devotion (bhakthi).
The love you now have toward material objects, name, fame,
wife, 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: 1st January
1967
“On this New Year Day, you should resolve
to 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 everyone
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, since they are the
cause for all sufferings in the world”.
- Divine Discourse: 1st January
1994
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