Although belated, this column is a New Year gift specially intended for you. Through this column we will regularly talk to you in a language of love and mostly in the style of a story with only one aim—to strew the path of your life with glittering gems of wisdom. These gems will make your life useful to others and will endear you to God.
Only a month ago, our worshipful Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj said in his New Year message that our future should be guided by the wisdom of the past. Do you understand what this means? Our past can be discovered in the form of the wealth of the precious thoughts, words and deeds possessed by ancestors, saints and sages. It is this wealth which surpasses all worldly wealth which should enrich your future. This (wealth) is like sweetmeat fried in the butter of social concern and soaked in the syrup of love for God and others.
Social concern means your anxiety for the welfare of others. This also means that the joys and sorrows of others should become your own joys and sorrows. Tears in the eyes of others should bring tears in your own eyes. Happiness, gleaming in others’ eyes, should increase your own joys. Closely related with this is the fact that you should be ever anxious to increase others’ joys and alleviate their sorrows as you have been anxious to do so in your own context.
Love is a feeling of close intimacy (with the object of love). Love for God means remembering Him, as much as possible, as one who is dearer than the dearest, who is your own life-line and who has been loving you ever since he created you. Love for others is best demonstrated by your readiness to serve them lovingly and share with them unhesitatingly what you think is your own.
Ponder these two mottoes—‘Not I, but God’, ‘Not I, but others’. These will greatly help you live the above- mentioned message of our worshipful Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj.
Our most worshipful and revered Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj was the wisdom of the past incarnate. He will be speaking to you through this column regularly. Drink the nectar of his wisdom and become children with a difference.
We really love you. You should reciprocate our love by contemplating and practising what we will be telling you and also by being in communication with us.
We repeat, don’t forget to be in communication with us.
With all love and Om,
Affectionately yours,
The Divine Life Society Headquarters
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