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Blessed Immortal Atman!

May God Almighty shower HIS abundant Divine Grace upon you. May Beloved and Worshipful Guru Maharaj Swami Sivanandaji shower HIS choicest blessings upon you. May THEY bestow upon you long life, radiant health, all-round success in your life and crown your activities both secular as well as spiritual, with success and fulfillment. Engage yourself in right activities. Exert yourself in spiritual sadhana. Advance in Bhakti or devotion to God. Attain Jnana that liberates you from all sorrow and confers upon you supreme peace and bliss. Attain illumination and enlightenment in this very life. Become blessed for ever!

On the 22 nd of March, a New Year has dawned for the millions of the followers of the Hindu religion or the followers of “Sanatana Vaidika Dharma” who observe the Lunar Calendar or the “Chandramana Panchanga”. It is interesting to note that the Calendar calculation of the Hindus has nothing to do with the Western Calendar of our beloved Christian brothern who base their time calculation from the time of the birth of Christ and started and began their calculation from that year onwards. Hence, any date in their Christian era is invariably followed by the two letters i.e. A and D, meaning thereby Anno Domini (Latin language) to indicate “the year of (our) Lord. Year is equal to Anno and Domini and Lord. This is based upon the advent of the Child Jesus in the stable of Bethlehem. Similarly, the Hindu Religious Calendar does not also have any direct connection with the calendar observed and followed by our beloved Moslem brothern, namely the Hijr calculation of dates. Whether the Hindus follow the Lunar or the Solar calculation (i.e. the “Chandramana” or the “Souryamana” calculation) the Hindus of India follow either the Shalivahana Calendar or the Vikrimi.

At this point in time, during the advent of this New Year, where does INDIA stand? Politically, economically, financially, socially, emotionally and internationally, what is the situation in which India finds Herself today, at this moment? We must say that it is India’s great good fortune to answer this big and important question with a highly satisfactory and positive reply saying, “Fine situation indeed. May be, even very fine”.

If we were to make a practical assessment of our Nation’s present situation upon the above mentioned basis of social, political etc. considerations you will find India, that is Bharat, has striven successfully to maintain cordial relationship with all its immediate surrounding neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Burma (Myamnar), Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the united Arab Emirates and including even Pakistan, our immediate close neighbour. The Indian government’s tolerant, good-neighbourly and even friendly attitude towards the people as well as the government of Pakistan (most of whose citizens are our own blood relatives) is recognized internationally. The only one single souring factor of the Kashmir issue is artificially engineered and politically fermented and deliberately maintained due to selfish personal interest and political expediency by self-seeking persons as well as inimical international agencies that cannot tolerate the comparative all-round progress and development of India in the recent decade.

Economically, India is uninterruptedly moving forward in its commercial enterprises not only within India but in numerous places outside, due to the wise adoption of the Globalization policy. A considerable part of this economical and commercial expansion is into the third world countries. Secondly, in the financial area, our country is not reeling under any heavy burden of monitory indebtedness to either the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund. Our Matrubhumi, Worshipful and Beloved Bharata-Mata is trying to stand on Her own legs and meet the demands of our country’s rural poor without stretching out Her hands to receive aid from any foreign source. Next, emotionally, thanks to God, our country is not having any guilt complex or injustice neurosis of assailing and attacking and engaging in violent enmity and destruction (though quite un-provoked and hence unjustifiable and culpable) against any one of its neighbours in this Global Village of ours, where the advancement of super-science has decimated time and distance due to amazing means of trans-global communication such as international telephone connections, mobile cell-phone connections, Fax, E-mail etc.

In so far as our county’s social situation is concerned, I do not have to write anything about it because, you who are reading these lines are yourself part and parcel of our society. As such you must be having your hand on the social pulse of your country. There are innumerable social welfare forces as well as active movements for the upliftment of the underprivileged and the neglected sections of your national family. Lastly, upon the international scene India has become internationally recognized as a factor for Good, as a unifying force in a disruptive world and a clarion voice for PEACE not only due to our ancient ideals of individual and universal peace, but also due to the world acclaimed life and activities of the great soled Mahatma Gandhiji who lived, worked, strove in multifarious peace and finally died as a martyr in the cause of PEACE, nonviolence and unity of all mankind. Today, in this fourth month of the year 2004 India shines as a bright beacon light of Peace, Goodwill, Friendship and Unity in all the four directions. May God grant that people of all countries of the world walk in this Light and usher in a new era of friendship, brotherhood, love and unified activity for world welfare.

Now, I have to sound a call of warning. I have to sound a call for unified and concerted positive action. Because, this very above detailed fact of India’s progress and development is proving to be a near liability and misfortune to India. How, you may ask. This is due to the jealousy of certain anti-Indian forces that are trying to pull down India because of their inability to tolerate India’s good fortune, its progress and development. They are trying to encourage anti-unity movements and separatists tendencies like the demand for Bodoland by the Bodo tribals of Assam. Also, the demand for a separate Gorkhaland by the Gorkhas. The demand for a separate Nagaland is already an achieved factor. So too is the successful agitation of the Bihar tribals for their own Jharkhand.

My Beloved countrymen! There is a great and urgent need for counteracting these negative tendencies without taking recourse to violent means but, through sagacity, socio-political acumen and friendly and loving persuasion. The citizens of our nation from the Himalayas to Rameshwaram and Cape Comorin are children, are citizens of one great national family under our Matrubhumi, Mother India. Our Motherland looks to you for this great unifying movement. Right from very childhood and young age the children have to be encouraged to develop love for their country by their parents, all over India. Throughout the length and breath of our entire country this great unifying movement must be taken up and carried out with such fervor that gradually the entire population of India, each and every man, women and child will rise in response to your loving call and enthusiastically join this unifying movement with all their heart, mind and soul. There is great need to encourage the emergence of a New Generation that will regard patriotism as one of the foremost and highest of virtues and values. Because, the child of today is the citizen of tomorrow! India’s future is in their hands as much as it is in your hands today. Do this duty of yours. Through it serve your Motherland. This duty is a rare privilege to you. By doing this duty you will be serving our Motherland, our INDIA, that is Bharat. May God grant you all success and bless you throughout your life.

Before closing, I will set at rest a query as to why a monastic and a sannyasin should bother about these matters pertaining to the country? My answer to their unspoken query is twofold. Firstly, I am not a sannyasin. Because, in our shastras there is acceptance of a fifth state transcending the four orders of an individual’s life. This is known as the “Ati-Varnashrama”. Secondly, even if you regard me as a sannyasin, nevertheless I am also a son of India, a son of Bharat-Mata who is my Motherland.

Jai Hind! Vande Matram!

A Worshipper at the altar of the Great Mother,

(Swami Chidananda)