The New Year's Message, 1971 —- 31 December 1970: Sri Chinmoy Centre, New York

1971 will be the year of divine, supreme, manifestation.

Those who have divine obedience will offer their divine obedience to the Supreme.

Those who have divine love will offer their divine love to the Supreme.

Those who have divine devotion will offer their divine devotion to the Supreme.

Those who have divine surrender will offer their divine surrender to the Supreme.

While offering obedience, love, devotion and surrender, the seeker will manifest these divine qualities on earth.

1971 is the year of divine manifestation.

Those who do not have any of these divine qualities — obedience, love, devotion and surrender — must feel that they are total failures in the spiritual life; absolute failures on the spiritual path. In the outer life they may succeed, the outer success they may achieve but, in God’s Eyes, they are zero, they are simply failures.

Those who have only obedience can feel that they are babies. Those who have love can feel that they are grown children. Those who have devotion can feel that they are now at the adolescent stage. And those who have surrender can feel that they are strong, stout, determined youth.

Now in surrender, we always say that unconditional surrender and constant surrender are needed. Unconditionally surrendered and constantly surrendered seekers are the seekers who can sit, who can stay on the top of the tree; and those who have just surrendered or surrendered for a day or two or for a few minutes, they are at the foot of the tree.

Others who have devotion, love and obedience, you can say they are running towards the tree and among them obedience — so called obedience — comes third. First devotion, second love, third obedience. But they are running. They will one day reach the tree, then they will stay at the foot of the tree and become surrendered and then gradually, if it is God’s Will, they will become unconditionally and constantly surrendered seekers, devotees.

This is the year of manifestation. For those who have faith in God-Realisation, this is the year for them to expedite their inner seeking. The year of manifestation is for those who want the Supreme for the Supreme; who want the Supreme for His Sake and not for their sake. Again I wish to say, this year of manifestation for our disciples, sincere disciples, will be the year of inner glory in God, in the Supreme’s highest and transcendental Pride. For the Supreme needs, as we need, many things. He needs totally, unreservedly, unconditionally and constantly surrendered disciples. It is they who will be the torch-bearers of the Supreme, the Supreme Truth. The Supreme is inwardly crying for these constantly, unconditionally surrendered disciples.

The Bhagavad-Gita — Chapter XII: The path of devotion

Arjuna is exceedingly happy and extremely fortunate that he has had the most rare Vision of the cosmic Form. How is it possible for him to be burdened with further philosophical and spiritual questions? The reason is that his vision of the cosmic Form does not imply that he has reached the Goal of goals. The vision has to be transformed into the living, constant Reality in Arjuna’s life and then he has to live in the Reality itself. The experience of the vision is good. The realisation of the vision is better. The embodiment of the vision is best. Better than even the best is the revelation of the vision. Finally it is the manifestation of the vision which is divinely and supremely unparalleled.

The path of meditation and the path of devotion are now being compared. Arjuna wishes to learn from Sri Krishna about the two paths, the path of meditation that leads to the Unmanifest and the path of devotion that leads to the personal God — which is the better of the two? Krishna’s answer is that each path, devotedly and faithfully followed, leads to the Goal. But the path of meditation is more difficult and more arduous. The physical body binds us to the material world. Hence it is difficult for us to meditate on the Unthinkable, Unimaginable and the Transcendental. But if we approach the Lord who assumes the human form and who plays His divine game in the field of His manifestation, our success will undoubtedly be easier, quicker and more convincing, to a degree which our physical minds would not believe possible.

A genuine seeker must dissolve all that he has — ignorance and knowledge — and all that he is — ego and aspiration — in God. Indeed it is most difficult but not impossible. Lo! He is given the golden opportunity to accept the easiest and the most effective path. In this unique path, he has just to offer the fruits of action to the Lord and he has to dedicate himself — body, mind, heart and soul — to the Lord.

The path of meditation and the path of devotion will lead ultimately to the same Goal. Now what makes the aspirant feel that the path of meditation is extremely difficult to follow? The answer is very simple. The aspirant cannot focus his mind’s attention on the Unmanifest Beyond; whereas if the aspirant is devoted to the Lord in His manifested creation and if he wants to see and worship his Beloved in each being, his path becomes undoubtedly easier. Love the form first; then from the form, go to the Formless beyond. The disciple at the beginning must approach the divinely physical aspect of the Guru and then he has to go beyond, far beyond the Guru’s physical form and physical substance in order to commune and stay in the Ineffable and the Ever-Receding Beyond.

The disciple wants the easiest path. Sri Krishna kindly consents. He says that the path of meditation is difficult, the path of selfless service is difficult and the path inspired by Love and Devotion is difficult. But still there is one more path which is extremely easy to follow. In this path, one has merely to renounce the fruit of action. If we cannot do our work as a dedicated service to God, we should not succumb to dark disappointment. Just work, work for ourselves, but we need only offer our fruits to the Lord. However we will do well if we do only that particular work which we feel from within to be right. Naturally we will do the work that is demanded of us by our soulful duty. If we do our soulful duty and offer the fruits to the Lord, in no time our Inner Pilot is won.

The Bhagavad-Gita — The God Song. Chapter XIII: The field and the knower of the field

Devotion is more than enough to realise the Lord Krishna, the Truth Eternal. However, in this chapter Sri Krishna wants to widen Arjuna’s knowledge, philosophically and intellectually. Those who harbour philosophical and intellectual questions with regard to the Truth will now truly be satisfied.

We try to avoid and ignore that which creates problems in our life. According to Krishna, this so-called wisdom of ours is nothing short of ignorance. True, we shall not create problems on our own. But if the problems do appear, then we have to face them and enter into them and finally conquer them dauntlessly and totally.

Arjuna has already been blessed by the Lord with the inner heights. Now the Lord wants to illumine him with the knowledge of the Cosmos wherein he has to play a conscious role.

Matter and spirit. Prakriti and Purusha. The Field and the Knower of the Field. The body is the field. The Soul is the Knower thereof. True wisdom lies in realising the Knower Supreme and the Cosmos, known and revealed.

There are twenty-four Tattvas, principles, that go to form the Field. The first group of great elements or bases are: Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. The field also houses the ego and the earth-bound mind, the intellect. The five organs of action: hands, feet, tongue and the two organs of elimination. And also the sense organs such as nose, mouth, eyes, ears, etc. The five spheres of the senses are: sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch.

Only one thing is to be known. To know that the Lord is within the Cosmos, without the Cosmos and also beyond it is to know everything.

Matter and spirit

Matter and Spirit are beginningless. Matter is the primordial substance, Matter is ever changing. Spirit is always static. Matter is the possessor of infinite qualities. Spirit sees and sanctions. Matter does, grows and becomes. Spirit is consciousness. Spirit is the Witness. Matter is the Creativity Infinite. Spirit is the Reality in man. Spirit is the Perceiver of Matter. He who has realised Spirit’s eternal Silence and Matter’s (Prakriti’s) cosmic dance may live in any walk of life, whether as a doctor or as a philosopher, a poet or a singer; he has achieved the perfection of supreme realisation. There are some who realise the Supreme Spirit in meditation; others by knowledge (the Sankhya philosophy). There are also others who realise the Supreme Spirit by the Yoga of Action and Selfless Service. Still there are others who are not aware of It, but who have heard of the Supreme Spirit from others and who have started worshipping it in devotion and cling firmly to the Truth. They also pass on beyond mortality and cross beyond the snares of death.

Spirit is in Matter. It tastes the qualities born of matter. It does experience the physical existence. The qualities acquired determine its rebirth. Spirit is the Supreme Himself. Although Master of the body, It experiences mortal life.

The way to God is to see the Eternal Life in the fleeting life, to know that Prakriti, not Purusha, is to action attached. All activities, says the Gita, divine and undivine, arise in Prakriti. Purusha is actionless. No action is possible in Purusha, for Purusha transcends both time and space. Yet without Prakriti, there can be no universe, no manifestation.

Spirit is self existent and all-pervading, whether within the body or without the body; always unaffected the Spirit remains.

To know that Purusha and Prakriti are one and inseparable is to know the Truth, the Truth of Unity and the Divinity in humanity which will eventually be manifested as the Divinity of humanity.

The Gita does not house arid, logical metaphysics. At the same time, its teachings have no need for any support from intellectual argument. Human reason cannot knock at the door of Transcendental Reality. Never. What is the Gita, if not the Transcendental Reality supremely and divinely embodied?

Each human being has to learn five supreme secrets from the Gita.

1). See the Truth.
2). Feel the Truth.
3). Be the Truth.
4). Reveal the Truth.
5). Manifest the Truth.

In this chapter we observe that the Gita is at once the significance of life and the divine interpretation of life. Unfortunately, this particular chapter has become the victim of dire contradiction in spite of the very fact that the Gita, from its journey’s start to its journey’s close sees not the face of contradiction. The Gita sees and reveals only the face of Truth’s unity in multiplicity. Scholars and commentators are at war with each other over their theories. Nor have the philosophers the inclination to shun this battle. Each is inspired to impose his lofty theories on the others. But a genuine seeker of the Supreme Truth is truly wise. He prays to the Lord Krishna to have the Gita as his personal experience. Sri Krishna smiles. The devotee cries out:

Lo, the devotee has won the race! The devotee needs a Guru, master. Sri Krishna is the Guru and Arjuna is the disciple. An eminent Indian scholar, Hari Prasad Shastri writes: Finally the Gita tells us that the Guru of all gurus, the real Guru is God.

The yogi with his sixty disciples

1. My name is Adora. Please tell me what Heaven is and what Earth is.

Yogi: Heaven is the inner bird of the soul. Earth is the outer lion of the body.

2. My name is Xavier. Heaven and Earth — do they need each other?

Yogi: Yes, they do. For its realisation, Earth meditates on Heaven. For its manifestation, Heaven depends on Earth.

3. My name is Angela. You seem to feel that both Heaven and Earth are great. Why?

Yogi: Earth is great. Heaven is great. Earth is great for its depths. Heaven is great for its heights.

4. My name is Woodrow. What does God say when one enters into the spiritual life?

Yogi: God tells that man in silence that He will give him the Life of His Universal Oneness.

5. My name is Anita. Is anything in the world really close to us?

Yogi: God’s forgiving and illumining Heart is really close to us.

6. My name is Timothy. What I need is the Light of self-perfection.

Yogi: Then what you do not need is the night of self-deception.

7. My name is Arlene. I am sorry to tell you that my wild ignorance is the cause of my earthly death.

Yogi: I am happy to tell you that the manifestation of your aspiration is the sole purpose of your heavenly breath.

8. My name is Salvador. Except for you, nothing has any meaning for me.

Yogi: It is only when you are with me in your highest aspiration that anything has any meaning for me.

9. My name is Brenda. In order to be correct, I choose divinity.

Yogi: But in order to be perfect, you must seek divinity.

10. My name is Sigmund. I do not know what my body, my vital, my mind and my soul need.

Yogi: Your body needs the Flower. Your vital needs the Colour. Your mind needs the Fragrance. Your heart needs the Essence. Your soul needs the Presence.

11. My name is Clara. When Falsehood stands in front of me, I cannot endure him for long.

Yogi: That’s fine. Don’t worry. Just go and stand in front of Truth. Before long, Falsehood will ruthlessly hate you and leave you for good.

12. My name is Rudolph. I feel that deep within me, I have just an atom of divine love. Can I expect anything from God?

Yogi: You can, without the least possible hesitation, expect from God the very breath of His Universal Life.

13. My name is Donna. You have stolen my heart.

Yogi: You are right. But why do you forget that you stole first my concern and God’s Compassion?

14. My name is Russell. What does God think of those who do not aspire?

Yogi: Only this much I can tell you, that God bears no grudge against them.

15. My name is Doris. From now on, I shall practise obedience.

Yogi: From now on, the Supreme in me will practise Pride in you.

16. My name is Ruben. I wish to be your devoted dog.

Yogi: To please yourself, certainly you can be so. But if you want to please me, then I want you to be God’s roaring lion.

17. My name is Freda. When will God accept me?

Yogi: God will not only accept you immediately, but will proudly cherish you as His very own when you accept everything in the world with Love divine.

18. My name is Powell. Is there any real justice in the world?

Yogi: Justice there is, if you can see God in everything and everybody. Justice there is none and there can be none, if you love only yourself.

19. My name is Glorianna. Does God have a substitute?

Yogi: Yes, God’s substitute is His heart of Love. His equal is His soul of delight and His superior is His own unconditional concern for mankind.

20. My name is Percival. Since I have not realised God, I feel that 1 am a form without the soul.

Yogi: Since I have realised God, I feel that without God, my existence is more insignificant than a grain of sand.

21. My name is Jasmine. It seems to me that when the inner love smiles, the higher truth appears.

Yogi: And sooner than at once, human reason disappears.

22. My name is Nero. I am consumed with the desire to smell the perfume of my inner musk. But unfortunately I do not know where my deer is.

Yogi: Your dear deer cannot bear the odour of your self-deception and self-annihilation. Therefore I have kept your deer safe inside God’s heart. When you are totally free from self-deception and self-annihilation, I shall give you back your deer so that you can smell the perfume of your inner musk devotedly and unreservedly.

23. My name is Lola. At times, when I come to you, I feel that my heart is empty of love and at other times I feel that it is full of love. Why?

Yogi: When you come to me with sighs like naked swords, your heart is bound to be empty of love. But when you come to me with a burning eagerness and flaming aspiration, your heart is bound to be full of love.

24. My name is Moses. I know nothing. Why? I also feel nothing. Why?

Yogi: As long as you want me to understand you in your own human way, you will know nothing about me and you will feel nothing about me. But when you want to know me and please me in my own divine and realised way, you will know everything about me, you will feel everything about me and you will receive everything from me.

25. My name is Madra. Who is more important, the divine lover or the divine beloved?

Yogi: According to the divine observer, the divine lover and the divine beloved are equally important. But the divine lover thinks that the divine beloved is more important and the divine beloved feels that the divine lover is more important.

26. My name is Monroe. It is your compassion which has made me divine.

Yogi: Your gratitude places me in the sunshine of divinity.

27. My name is Sally. I have two more names: insincerity and ingratitude. I offer them to you.

Yogi: I have two more names: Inspiration and Aspiration. God has one more name: Compassion. I offer my names and God’s name to you.

28. My name is Adam. I need joy.

Yogi: Then try to inherit my Experience.

29. My name is Ethel. I need fulfilment.

Yogi: Then try to inherit my Will-Power.

30. My name is Max. I need perfection.

Yogi: Then try to love and serve my inner Pilot.

31. My name is Beth. In my opinion, what I have is intelligence and what you have is intuition.

Yogi: In my opinion, what you have is sincere attention and what I have is inner intention.

32. My name is Benjamin. I come to you so often and talk and talk. Is this not an imposition?

Yogi: No, it is not. What actually happens is that your soul always accepts my heart’s invitation.

33. My name is Yvonne. Does God ever cut jokes?

Yogi: God cuts jokes twice: He cuts jokes about our self-imposed ignorance, He cuts jokes about the possibility of His self-chosen total manifestation on earth.

34. My name is Emmanuel. I know that we judge God. Does God also judge us?

Yogi: Yes, He does. He judges us only when our inner aspiration devotedly demands His judgment-light for our realisation and perfection.

35. My name is Olga. I wish to open God's palace. We keep our keys on a key-ring; where does God keep His keys?

Yogi: God has no key-ring like we have. Since He has no fear of any kind of robbery, He leaves His keys on the street right after He has left His palace. Furthermore, He not only wants us to open His palace, but He also wants us to open His heart’s door freely and constantly.

36. My name is Ted. Is it correct to say that frustration ceases and then realisation begins, or does realisation begin and then frustration cease? Please let me know.

Yogi: When Compassion begins to descend from above, simultaneously frustration ceases and realisation dawns — all at the same hour!

37. My name is Deborah. I am eager to learn, but I don't want to be taught. Why?

Yogi: I am eager to teach, but I don’t want to be caught. That is why.

38. My name is Gabriel. Words no more shall come from me. From now on, only actions. My actions shall speak for me.

Yogi: If your actions speak for you, then rest assured that my highest realisation shall whisper to you.

39. My name is Winnifred. I wish to be unconditional and perfect.

Yogi: To be unconditional, you have to be supremely courageous in your inner life and to be perfect, you have to be supremely generous in your outer life.

40. My name is Wilfred. I want to conquer my fear, jealousy and doubt.

Yogi: In order to conquer your fear, stay near me in your consciousness. Always. In order to conquer your jealousy, give me all your mental fantasies. In order to conquer your doubts, shout at your stupid mind as vehemently as possible. Also, there is an easier and more effective way. When doubt wants to assail you, just throw it into my boat. I shall sail it to the shores of total and perfect annihilation.

41. My name is Allison. Sometimes I feel that you don't understand me.

Yogi: It is not true. I understand you perfectly well. It is you who do not understand me at all, when your filthy desires compel your snow-white aspiration to starve.

42. My name is Gregory. I am curious to know if you have made any serious mistake in your life.

Yogi: yes. I have made a serious mistake in thinking that God-manifestation on earth is an easy and simple task.

43. My name is Molly. Shall I think and then speak, or speak and then think?

Yogi: When you are in front of me, speak first and then think, to see if you have said the right thing. When you are physically away from me, think of me soulfully first and then speak to me silently.

44. My name is Shelley. I am spiritually hungry.

Yogi: That is wonderful. Unfortunately, your hunger is in the mind. But you must know that the feast is in the heart.

45. My name is Pauline. Is it true that aspiration is always needed in the inner life?

Yogi: Yes. To cover the sea, water is needed. To fill the heart, love is needed. To cover the mind, truth is needed. To fulfil the soul, aspiration-flames are needed.

46. My name is Mario. Can aspiration offer outer information?

Yogi: Outer information, no. It is not necessary, either. Inner information, yes. This inner information is called the soul’s glorious preparation. The outer school does not know what aspiration is. The inner school does not know what information is. Information is possessed and cherished by the mind. Aspiration is offered by God and utilised by man.

47. My name is Nanette. How can I be humble?

Yogi: Feel that you are not indispensable either on earth or in heaven. Also try to realise that humility is something that man cleverly shows and God fully is. Finally, the very pursuit of your inner glory will make you humble.

48. My name is Nicholas. Today I am feeling real love for you.

Yogi: Wonderful. Today’s love is your tearful prayer. Tomorrow’s love is your prayerful soul. The day after tomorrow’s love is your soulful realisation.

49. My name is Beatrice. I wish to know what will actually happen when I see the truth.

Yogi: When you see the truth, you will know the path. When you feel the truth, you will belong to the path. When you realise the truth, you will become the path.

50. My name is Pearson. Why do I always complain? Why do I always try to explain?

Yogi: You complain because you are not in love with aspiration. You explain because you are not in love with realisation. Aspiration is far above complaint. Realisation is far above explanation.

51. My name is Frances. Please tell me what do the animal, the human and the divine in me want?

Yogi: The animal in you wants you to feel that God means destruction. The human in you wants you to feel that God is temptation. The divine in you wants you to feel that God means surrendering light and fulfilled height.

52. My name is Alex. It seems to me that I am nearing my realisation.

Yogi: Yes, you are nearing the realisation of your teeming stupidity and not the realisation of your blooming divinity.

53. My name is Alexandra. I am sure that my realisation is a far cry.

Yogi: No hurry. Don’t worry. I shall wait for you.

54. My name is Frederick. I don't need realisation. I need only you.

Yogi: You fool. How can I betray God? At the very beginning, I promised you and God, that I would take you to Him. God needs you. And you need God and God alone. I am only the bridge.

55. My name is Erika. What is the difference between a liberated soul and a realised soul?

Yogi: A liberated soul usually does not care for God-manifestation on earth. He feels that once he is liberated, his role in the cosmic drama is ended. A realised soul cries for God-manifestation. He feels that once he is realised, his role in the cosmic drama has properly begun. A liberated soul is freed from the meshes of ignorance and at the same time is extremely careful of wild ignorance. A realised soul has discovered his own inner divinity which is flooded with God's all-seeing vision and all-fulfilling reality. A liberated soul usually uses God according to his own capacity. A realised soul uses God only when asked by God Himself. The human and the unreal in us cease in liberation. The divine and the real in us begin in realisation.

56. My name is Herbert. Which is more important of the two, God's Grace or God's Justice?

Yogi: To him who wants to love God, God’s Grace is more important. To him who wants God to love him, God’s Justice is more important.

57. My name is Grace. Who loves you most?

Yogi: I love myself much. My unconditionally surrendered disciples (if I ever have any in this lifetime) will love me more. God loves me most.

58. My name is Kenneth. I want you never to run out of advice.

Yogi: What kind of injustice are you hurling at me? Do you want me always to draw the breath of my life in your brooding vice! Believe me, I have already run out of advice. What now I am giving you and others is not advice, but my self-imposed futile concern.

59. My name is Lorraine. Although we are your disciples, your spiritual children, it seems to me that you listen to us more than we listen to you.

Yogi: Perhaps you do not know the real reason. You know, long, long ago, long before my full realisation, there was a time when God listened to me more than I listened to him, so now God is paying me back through my disciples. On achieving my highest realisation, I have really become a good boy. I always listen to Him in my life of aspiration, realisation, revelation and manifestation.

60. My name is Thomas. Forgive me, doubt and I are inseparable. I am sure I shall ask God for proof even when He stands right in front of me.

Yogi: That is why poor God is moving heaven and earth in search of His identification card. It seems to me that He has misplaced it. No, I am wrong. Excuse me. I am now positive that God has compassionately thrown His identification card deep inside your ignorance-sea. Unfortunately, the dragon-doubt in your ignorance-sea has devoured it completely. Poor God. Since you are responsible for God losing His identification card, it will be nice, kind and generous of you not to embarrass God by asking Him for it. Next time when God comes and stands in front of you, immediately tell Him, at least for my sake, that you have revoked your charge and that you have accepted Him as your Lord Supreme, as your very own.