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Part 1: Midnight’s Child and the Present Step Sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ, sarve santu nirāmayāḥ, sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu, mā kaścid duḥkha bhāgbhavet, oṁ śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ. Good evening, all dear brothers and sisters coming from different parts of the world. After a long time, we are gathering here for this New Year’s Eve. Well, it has its meaning. It has its meaning, and it has its story or history. It is something where the past and present are joining. What is coming in the future is still like a child in the womb of the mother. How will it be born? How will it be? And we know we have a one-year-old child, and we know how beautiful it was. So, there are many things to be understood. And it will come. There will be very good speakers now, and I will also speak something there again. So this night is called Silvester Night. And so it will be a midnight child born. It is called the Midnight Child. Someone wrote a book about India, and it is called Midnight’s Children. It took the time that at exactly midnight, there was the agreement on the constitution that India is free from the Commonwealth, from the British regime, and became the republic. So, I think it was on the 15th of August—midnight child. So, that is it tonight. The midnight child will be born. I will announce to you that it is born. It happens. So, we are waiting for that. So, our dear Swami Dr. Śāntī Jī—many of you know her, and those who don’t will know now—she is going to say something. So we welcome our dear Śāntī Jī. Either here, or a little there. Don’t go, okay, thank you. That’s good. Good, good. Don’t fall down. Praṇām Swāmījī, dear brothers and sisters here in the room and around the world. First of all, I wish you a happy new year. We came just from a fireplace, which you may have experienced, and Swamiji told us, Viśvagurujī told us to put all our, let’s say, negative things, our not-good emotions, our judgments, our suffering, into this fire. This is a very effective method, and Swāmījī described this also in a meditation in the book Hidden Powers of the Humans. So you don’t need a real fire; you can imagine this fire, and you sit beside the fire, and you put whatever is difficult for you—all your sorrows—whatever you put in the fire, and the fire will immediately transform it. Before, Swamiji asked me to speak something about Alakhpurījī, and it was not the time to speak, but I was thinking, "What should I tell you about?" And this, what I will tell you now, has something to do with time. And also, I want to tell you that these days, today and tomorrow, are very holy days—not holy days, but holy in the sense of saint, holy. And we are so happy that Viśvagurujī is with us in the present, and also over the technique. In my life, I had several spiritual experiences. My very first experience was on the 1st of January, a very long time ago, maybe 40 years ago, and this was in a Catholic church. Completely surprising, without any preparation, I received a voice message inside of me, a kind of prediction for my future life. I will not tell you what it was, but since that time it was very strong, and this time I know that really these days are very special days. And as Swamījī said in the last satsaṅg, he said that actually time is not the time. In nature, everything is changing every second. There is no stop in nature. Also, in the body, there is no stop. Everything is changing in every moment. And each—although the second is not the second, because in the moment you say it is the second, it is already gone. So there is nothing. There is just, behind all this, the Ātmā, the universal self, which is everlasting. And I come back now to the Himalaya. It is maybe eight years ago we found the cave of Śrī Alakhpurījī, and I was staying for several days there and had a meditation program there. Actually, I was not very happy with my sādhanā. I was sitting for hours and hours, but it was not like I was thinking it should be. And one afternoon, it was at the time of sunset. In this time, you must know that the gufā, the cave of Alakhpurījī, was open. Yes, it was not closed. So you could see the sunset, and the rays of the sun were coming inside. And then, when I was there meditating, suddenly, with half-closed eyes, I saw a white silhouette. I could not see the face because the sun was behind, the rays of the sun. And this soul asked me, "What is my purpose? Why am I here?" And there was much light behind him and through him, and I was completely surprised. I said, "Well, I try to find the realization." Then he said very shortly—okay, he didn’t say okay, I’m sorry. He said, "Go tomorrow to Alkapurī. Go tomorrow." Go to the mountain Alkapuri. The cave of Alakhpurījī is at the feet of the high mountain Alkapurī, and it is about, I think, 4,500—no, 5,000 meters, approximately. And it is very difficult with glaciers and rocks. So, actually, he told me, "You go there tomorrow," and then he disappeared. Okay, so, of course, the next day, I went up. But, you know, this is a very solitary area, so there is nobody there. And you have to go quite steep. The first part in the rocks was not so difficult. I was always thinking, what should I learn here? What will be? What will be? But he told me to go up, so I tried to go up. And then on the right side, it was very steep and also rocky, but with grass. Yet it is very difficult to walk. So I tried my best to go up. I was maybe one kilometer going up, but then it was so difficult that I stopped. In this moment, I was looking back, and when I saw how steep this is, I became dizzy. At the same time, the deep attracted me. I don’t know if you have this experience, that when you look, it is really attracting, even though you know it is dangerous. So I said to myself, "Don’t look down anymore." Then I looked up, but I didn’t see the top. I did not know where the way would go. Also, this was not good. But still, I heard the word: go up. So I followed, but I didn’t look down, and I didn’t look up. What I did, I looked only at my feet. I was just going step by step, one foot after the other, just looking at my feet, and this gave me security. Because I had control over my feet, and I saw the ground. So, like this, I could follow my path. But after a while, I decided this is now all too difficult. I went slowly back. Only sometime later—I think not on the same day—sometime later, I understood what Alakhpurījī wanted to tell me. See, when you look back into your past, into your past lives, into whatever it is in the past, it will attract you. You will fall down. You will be hurt. It is very dangerous. When you look up, you don’t see anything. You don’t have any control over what will be in the future. So don’t look too much into the future. This is also an illusion, which is not in the present. But he told me, the only thing you have to be careful about is to live in the present moment. Fulfill your present moment with all your soul, with your intellect, with your thinking, with everything. So this was for me a very big lesson, and I’m very thankful that I got this lesson from Alakhpurījī, because to live in the present moment is your own moment where you can really do something. So if you want to make your karma better, you have to do it in the present and leave the past, let it go, let it flow away. The water in the Gaṅgā goes to the ocean and does not look to the sky, where the clouds are going and coming, and you cannot touch them. So to live in the present is a gift. I thank you very much, and I wish you many beautiful gifts and wonderful moments in the next year, Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān and Purījī. So, we are stuck here, but we will manage. So, continuity. In the whole universe, there is constantly movement, and so, as Śāntījī said, just be aware of the presence. If you look down, you will become dizzy. If you try to go up, you will not find the destination. So take care of your steps, step by step. Day by day. That’s it. Thank you. If somebody else would like to speak, why not? Just open your heart and come. Why not? Open your heart. Thank you. Praṇām Viśvagurujī, thank you Śāntījī for your beautiful words. It was very beautiful to cooperate and collaborate with Shantiji on our short children’s program. Thank you for that too. I was very interested by the words concerning time. And of course, my main topic is the children, so the midnight child. The only hope is to take it as something from the past that is creating the present. So, in the name of all of us, I would like to say thank you for the old year. It is said that only those moments count in your life—the moments of spiritual thoughts, the moments when you help somebody, and when somebody is so close to God, as we are. So let’s take all our spiritual experiences into the present, because there is no greater riches than this. I will quote Viśvagurujī’s words: that the parents are responsible for the newborn child. As the child is like clay in the hands of the parents, in the hands of the potter who is creating a new pot, it is up to the potter what the pot will look like. So we are, in a way, all the parents of this newborn child, which is coming now. So let’s take care of him with great love. And let’s bring up the child, not only for ourselves, but for all the world. And in Viśvagurujī’s presence, I am sure that we can manage to create a world full of peace. And I ask for his blessing for this. Anybody from Sannyāsīs? Kumbhavārī? No, it’s past, present, and future. Past, present, and future. Dear friends, sisters and brothers, there are very rare moments in this life, very few seconds, minutes. And when we look at our whole life, as far as we can go back to our birth, or nearly to our birth, Swāmījī says, "Tomorrow we don’t know, we don’t see, there is no tomorrow." Till now, what we experienced—which difficulties we had, how many disappointments. And how is it now? It is like a film; it goes quickly. The mind is the quickest speed, even quicker than light. And there are very many more moments only in the presence of Gurū Dev. And what is important is the presence of the Guru-Deva. All bhajans describe this. There is no pilgrim place in the whole universe where we can find this satisfaction, this peace, and this happiness. Even if we are sometimes angry, sad, or disappointed—even with Guru Dev—he knows how and what, and when and where. We know that when we come here and have Gurū Dev’s darśan, then we don’t come—how to say—we don’t go empty-handed or empty-hearted. Something always happens, sometimes pleasant and sometimes unpleasant. But it’s not always what we want, but what is needed. And many, many of us don’t understand and give up. Even they jump out of the boat. And when we see this and when we observe this, we are sorry about it, because we know there is nothing else. So, just let’s be together. Thank you. Thank you, Omapurī Jī. Let’s be together. Okay. As long as possible, yes, please. There are so many good speakers sitting. Maybe our dear Gaṅgāpurī. Yes. Yes. I have to go fishing always. Part 2: A New Year’s Teaching on Presence, Devotion, and the Path Within Praṇām Swāmījī, dear brothers and sisters from all over the world. It is said in the scriptures that there are 8.4 million different kinds of living forms. To attain a human life, you must pass through all these 8.4 million forms. So it is an immense blessing that we have a human form and that we have met Gurudeva in this life. We have lived many lives before without Gurudeva, experiencing existence in countless ways, with many different partners and relationships. But now, in this moment, it is truly our great opportunity to progress on the spiritual path. It is also said that to have the darśan of Gurudeva is extremely rare; even the devas long for his darśan. Therefore, we should be deeply aware that this is our golden chance to advance spiritually. In this spirit, I wish you a very happy new year, and I urge you to remain conscious of your spiritual path, to be aware of it. Thank you. Take care of the present moment. Your future will be shaped by the quality of that presence. We have a destination, a goal, an aim we wish to reach, but the future path remains unknown to us. We have already crossed the past. We stand here now and aspire to move forward. Mahāprabhujī said, “Guruvaraṁe Chalo Sauṅgale Gunchayamime.” How to achieve? Where to go? The inner meaning is: O Gurudeva, I am setting out for your country; I wish to journey with you to your world. Renounce all other worldly attachments, and let me follow this path of detachment. So you understand the essence of this bhajan, which says, “I want to go there—who does not?” I too wish to go. What does Gurudeva teach? He instructs us: take care, be aware. And he tells us: “Manva, dhīre dhīre chaal, gagan gagan.” This was the bhajan for the New Year: O my mind, walk slowly, slowly. Do not hurry. Think deeply. Use your viveka, your intelligence. Consider three times before you act—not just once. Test with your heart whether you are dealing with humility and kindness, and also consult your intellect. This is the message for the new year. “Śāstra koṣ gagana ke upara, vahāṁ para hai Raghurāya.” Thousands and thousands of millions of skies, of space—beyond the realms of scripture and the sky, there dwells Raghurāya, Bhagavān Rāma, the Lord. This entire bhajan speaks of all our senses, all our elements: the five karmendriyas, the five jñānendriyas, the śvet karmendriya, śvet jñānendriya, vṛtti, and so forth. All come together. Everything that is in the body is from nature; the body is from this earth and returns to its nature. But what resides within us is not of this earth; it is from that highest reality. Our destination is there. Yet “Mohinī rāg sunāy, rastā degī bhuḷāy,”—the enchanting melody is sung, and it makes us forget the way. Mohinī means attractive, a fascination so powerful that we become hypnotized. A beautiful song can completely addict you. That alluring music will divert your path in other directions. “Manva, dhīre dhīre chaal, gaganagar chaḍhnā re bhāī.” The streets are narrow and dark; the path is very slippery. If you fall, you will plunge into a very deep pit, as Dr. Shanti described. When she looked back, her thighs trembled. Who wouldn’t feel that? Climbing upward is demanding; descending easily leads to destruction. The simplest way to fall is destruction, and everything collapses. To rise to a higher level, we must work hard, but falling down is effortless and devastating. Those who can descend mindfully start from the earth, rising high while not losing contact with the solid ground. Keep your feet firmly on the earth; do not try to be a butterfly, do not imitate the butterfly. Entering the new year, we carry expectations, but sometimes expectations lead to disappointment. How successful a year we create is our own decision. Therefore Mahāprabhujī advised carefully: “Slowly, slowly—the path is very slippery, rocky, full of thorns and bushes, with mighty rivers to cross and wild waters to ford.” Do you know what the wild water represents? Youth—from the teenage years up to thirty or forty—is a wild water. Then the wild horse… that is how the poetry or song describes it. The experienced holy sense, or some artists, write in a language that is completely opposite to ordinary understanding; only they can write and grasp it. If we truly understand that language, we are jīvanmukta. But that language is beyond ordinary comprehension. A disciple of Mahāprabhujī, Swāmījī Śivānandajī, shared a beautiful bhajan: O my friend, our thinking, our attention, our vision—how to reach that state? Śabda, the word. One word can be as sweet as nectar; one word can open the heart and make you the best friend. One word can cement a lifelong friendship, or it can turn a dear friend into an enemy. One word can be like the deadliest poison, one word can start a war. Śabda, the word. What kind of words will you speak that will guide you? Simply talking about “I love you,” “God is love”—everything is beautiful love, love, surrender to love. This is like water bubbles, or like fruits that contain no oil in their seeds. That is only the surface. In the heart, it is different. So one word is immensely important. It is said, “Rām se baḍā Rām kā nām.” The name of Lord Rāma is greater than Lord Rāma himself. The name surpasses even Rāma, that body. One word—God, or one word—devil. That is enough. Those who appreciate my words understand me. They are my caste, meaning my friends. Understand me? The rest I don’t like—too much gossiping. And that gossiping is not the speech of purity. This is a bhajan from Śivānandjī. With words we can give, with words we can take, with words we can liberate, and with these words we can realize, come to Brahman. In yoga or Hindu philosophy, we acknowledge the past, but we do not cry over it, nor do we work on it. If you work on the past, you are moving backward. Do something for the future, even though you cannot know the future. For the future, work in the present. This is how we approach the new year. Which New Year do we celebrate? The one we mark is based on Christianity. But Jewish people have their own New Year, Buddhists have another, Hindus have another, and Islam has yet another. Different countries, different cultures—so every day is a new day. Every morning when you wake up, a new year has begun. Think, “I am a human being.” What does it mean for me to be human? What qualities make me human? I must live through the whole day. Today is today; tomorrow we have never seen, because when we reach it, it is no longer tomorrow—it is today. Presence is always presence. So let us think forward. Mahāprabhujī stated in his golden preaching: past is past, present is here. The future is not here. Your future will resemble your present. Therefore, pay full attention as you walk your path. “Manva, dhīre dhīre chaal.” Develop your awareness, your caitanya. Awareness is more important than intellect; it oversees the intellect. From intellect comes cream—the essence of viveka. All this is written in the philosophy of Vedānta and extensively in the Bhagavad Gītā. The feelings and nature of a human being require knowledge and teaching. Knowledge perfects us. Yet in this modern world, with its technology and new age, we steer the human brain in another direction, developing more and more materialism. Spirituality suffers, but it is not lost. Mother Earth will never lose her seeds. Similarly, truth, Ātmā and Paramātmā—this is, and it will prevail. So the new year arrives, and we are very happy. We must take care, and by performing good karmas this year, we can overcome the past karmas of the preceding year. They will automatically dissolve. Let us see how we will face the new year. That’s it. Holī Gurujī said, “Wake up.” “Prabhu, so jāg, so jāg… moha jāl kī phāṅsī meṁ kyuṁ?” O brothers, wake up, wake up! You are sleeping in the slumber of ignorance. Do not sleep unconsciously. Otherwise, you will die like a spider weaving a web; one day it gets stuck in its own creation and cannot escape. This worldly attachment—we are knitting a nest of attachment. There are many kinds of attachment: for money, for a house, for countless things. But Holī Gurujī said: Mahāprabhujī has awakened the sleeping swans. It is a beautiful bhajan. So, my dear ones, what we carry in our life is vital for blessing. Everyone has a heart capable of giving blessings. It does not matter whether you are young or old, elder or younger, junior or senior; within everyone dwells a blessing. Blessings take many different forms. Therefore, in the name of our Alakhpurījī, Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā, Alakhpurījī, Devpurījī, Mahāprabhujī, Gurujī—I bless you. What kind of blessing? I wish you a very happy, very healthy, harmonious, peaceful, and prosperous New Year. And when you express the same words, “I wish you a happy New Year,” it is already a blessing. May your blessings guide and accompany you until the next new year. Whether you can preserve this blessing or not, I have given it to you. Now, taking care of it is your responsibility. So, happy birthday and happy new year. Now, all dear brothers and sisters around the world, some have already worshipped and congratulated the New Year, and in about one and a half hours, others in America, South America, and different time zones will do so. This moment marks the international date change, and we accept it. All the best! We will have an interval, after which we will pray. During prayer, we will end this year and enter the new one. So we pray for forgiveness for whatever we may have done wrong in this year, and we step into the new year while praying. There is a lovely bhajan for this. Our dear Bhakti Devī will sing. Come to the harmonium, and whoever plays the ḍholaks and other instruments, join in. This bhajan you all know: “Oh Lord, I gave my life in your hands. If it will be successful or not, it is your decision.” At 10 o’clock, 11, whichever time is convenient. We can open and close the window as needed. In the new year, we must breathe fresh air, not the stale exhaustion of last year. Om Bhole Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān, Kī Jai, Viśvaguru, Mahāmaṇḍaleśvar, Paramahaṁsṛī Svāmī Maheśvarānandajī, Guru, Devak, Kī Jai. Thank you. Now you have half an hour to go into the fresh air and visit some rooms. Exactly in half an hour, that means it is now 11:08, so around 11:30 or 11:35, we will begin the prayer. All brothers and sisters around the world, I wish you all the best and a happy new year. See you in the webcast next year. Purījī, Purījī...