What changes from 31st Dec to 1st Jan? On 31st Dec too sun rises from the east & sets in the west so happens on 1st Jan; the sky still continues to remain blue; the water of the rivers, the lakes & the oceans continues to flow as it did on the 31st; the color of the leaves, the aroma of the flowers is still the same; schools, colleges & workplaces will also remain unchanged; jobs & professions will also be the same. Scientifically also the earth will continue to rotate around its own old axis and will revolve around the same old orbital path.
So, scientifically speaking & logically speaking there is nothing new which happens on 1st. If nothing changes & everything remains the same then what do we celebrate on 1st Jan? But still we celebrate on 1st, still we enjoy. Our celebration isn’t hollow, it’s not artificial. In fact we impatiently await the arrival of 1st Jan as a groom impatiently awaits the arrival of the new bride.
So if there is nothing for us to rejoice on 1st Jan then why we desperately wait for it? What do we celebrate on this very day? The answer to this question is too simple. On 1st Jan neither we celebrate any success nor do we expect something extraordinary to happen in our life. Celebration is confined to the passing of a previous year and the arrival of the New Year.
We can’t do anything about the year which is gone & we cannot celebrate for a year which is still to unfold. We just have a hope that the New Year which begins on 1st Jan will usher us in an era of unflinching joy & happiness. No matter whether we belong to haves or haves not category we all eagerly await the dawn of New Year.
The word ‘New’ in New Year has great significance in our life. Since, we always experience a void in our life so we have a hope that the ‘New’ will be able to fill the void.
What is the void which we try to fill? Each & every individual – rich or poor, young or old, men or women, black or white, Hindus or Muslims, Christians or Jews, Indians or Americans, Pakistanis or Australians – wants a particular thing in their life & that priceless thing is ‘bliss’; yes every being knowingly or unknowingly is looking for bliss in their life.
To be blissful is our fundamental right, every one of us seek for bliss in our lives because as a soul we are sac-cid-anand i.e. eternal, blissful and full of knowledge. So, we impatiently wait for the ‘New’ in the New Year with a hope that the New will fill our void and help us to lead a blissful life.
However our quest for something new always boils down to 4 things: eating, mating, sleeping & defending. The Srimad Bhagavatam describes: punah punas carvita carvananam “Chewing the chewed”. Since, we have been indulging in these 4 activities since time immemorial, so we find nothing new in these activities. So, sooner than later we find that the bliss for which we were looking for is missing.
Although we try all possible means to lead a blissful life but still we always find there is something which is lacking in our endeavor. If it’s so then this New Year, why don’t we try something really ‘NEW’? As a seeker of bliss why don’t we turn towards the giver of bliss?
Lord is infinite & is eternally new (nitya navanavayamana), so when we love the Lord then it is always a new blissful experience for us. This is why great souls like Narada Muni, Prahlada, Haridas Thakur, Meerabai, Surdas, Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami and other great sages always meditated on the Lord & were transcendentally blissful. They never sought after for any external pleasure because internally they were totally satisfied.
So this New Year why don’t we take a resolution that we will endeavor to re-awaken our dormant love for the Lord. As Srila Prabhupada says, “The rich father does not like to see his son become a crazy fellow loitering in the street. But if his son does not come home, there is no loss for the father. And if the son comes back to the home of his rich father, it is in the son’s interest. “
So Krishna, our eternal father, is eagerly waiting for us, we just have to take a small step in that direction. A small endeavor from our side will ensure that we eternally enjoy a blissful life.
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