Whether it's New Year's Day or any ordinary day, resolve that we will not try to change anyone, but instead accept them as they are. Accept everyone as they are. Who are we to try to change anyone? God has created everyone uniquely. It's very easy to try to change someone or find fault in them. The difficult thing is to accept someone. Accept each person with their weaknesses.

People often ask how to celebrate the New Year. My answer is that each person should decide for themselves how they want to celebrate the New Year. There should be celebrations on New Year's Day, but they should be pure and virtuous. I say, live fully and drink deeply. The scriptures are called nectar; satsang (spiritual gathering) is nectar. Drink of it.

And when I talk about satsang, I don't just mean listening to and reciting the glories of Rama, but also of anyone in whom you have faith. You can welcome the New Year by reciting the Sundarkand on the evening of December 31st, or by performing a Hanuman Chalisa yagna or satsang at midnight. And I have already explained what satsang is.

This time, welcome the New Year with truth, love, and compassion. In short, speak the truth as much as possible, and even the truth should be spoken kindly. Bitter words should not be spoken in the name of truth. Be wary of ego, read and contemplate religious scriptures, and remain silent as much as possible. Silence in which the memory of the Supreme Being remains.

On New Year's Day, if possible, reflect on this: What is the root cause of our happiness and sorrow, our benefit and harm, our good and bad fortune, our health and illness? Where are its roots? The Ramcharitmanas confirms some fundamental principles. There are four causes for all our happiness and sorrow. We are all surrounded by time, karma, nature, and qualities. Sometimes we are happy or unhappy because of time, sometimes because of our karma. We experience happiness and sorrow sometimes because of our qualities and sometimes because of our nature. We are always at the mercy of time. Time is not in our control, but the actions that bring us happiness and sorrow are within our control. Let us awaken our discernment through spiritual discourse and dialogue, so that we understand which actions to perform and which to avoid.

Each person celebrates the new year in their own way. Whatever the method, it should be guided by wisdom. Whatever we do, it should be for the benefit of both humanity and the individual. To protect humanity and ourselves, let us take refuge in truth, love, and compassion. On the occasion of the new year, let us cleanse our hearts of all the impurities accumulated over the past year and receive a fresh start, a new energy, and a renewed spirit.

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