Another Year Gone By

The air is chilly but the festivities are in full swing as Christmas and the New Year are round the corner. Christmas décor is all over the malls, hotels, restaurants, schools etc.

Christmas stands for Christ+Mass. So Christmas literally means Mass (eating together) with Christ. On Christmas, people congregate with family and friends to share a meal. The mascot of Christmas - Santa Claus, is a fat, jovial, old man who brings gifts for all. Children are made to believe that Santa comes down the chimney with gifts on Christmas eve.

When children grow up, they realise that Santa is a mythical character. But they also realise that the mythical character brought much joy in their childhood, and that their parents, uncles and aunts have been benevolent all through. So they in turn decide to embody the spirit of Santa and pass on the joy to those who still believe that Santa is real, so that the spirit of Santa remains alive!

I often wonder why so much partying and dancing heralds in the New Year. There is no historical reason or festival attached to it. It is just a change of date! Would it not be better to herald in the new year with peace and calm and think about resolutions for the coming year?

The present time is constantly moving into the future. Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, “Past is past. Future is uncertain. The present is a gift. That is why it is called the ‘present’.” It is important that we unwrap the present given to us and offer gratitude to the Lord who gave the gift of the present to us and make the best use of it too.

We need to ask ourselves if we are making the best use of our time or are we wasting it. We need to allocate time for earning, working, sleeping, doing service to society and for Prayer and meditation for the journey of the soul.

While doing ‘Japa’ we hold the Japamala (rosary) and roll each bead from the right to the left with the thumb. The part of the rosary on the right is the future; on the left is the past and the bead in your clasp, the one you are rolling to move down, is the present. So as we roll the ‘present’ bead down, the ‘future’ bead comes into hand. But we need to let go of the present before we can roll the future in. After the beads are all over, the same beads come into rotation another time. When the Kalachakra (wheel of time) ends, another one starts. Time is never ending. God is Kalateetha (timeless).

Sadly we spend most of our time in the gratification of our desires. Time can be sanctified by a simple mantra. Each time we look at the watch, let’s remember to - WATCH our Words, Actions, Thoughts, Character and Heart. This shall help control desires.

A child prays to God to fulfil his desires. An adult prays to God to help him overcome/kill his desires. Everyone wants to be happy. It is a myth that happiness comes from fulfilment of desires. Happiness is an experience which comes as an effect of the extinction of desires. Perfect happiness happens when desires are none and there is a realisation of the Supreme being.

Life is an experience to train the individual for a higher, deeper and expanded state of existence, while experiencing the results of our thoughts and actions. The aim of  life is the attainment of the Divine.

Yet another year is going by. Let us reflect upon our journey thus far. Whether we are young or not so young, reflection gives an insight into what we have achieved thus far, where we are headed and where we want to go eventually. Are we doing enough for reaching our final destination?

This piece has been published in the HT on 22.12.2024 and can be viewed here https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/sunrays-another-year-gone-by-101734813718863.html

Looking forward to your feedback :)