A Humble New Year Message for 2017

My beloved embodiments of pure love

         We talk again after a full year. A year of happiness and sorrows as usual! As someone told me, “The year was nothing special”. Well, making every moment special and worthwhile is within us. It is the way we are that makes our life special or ordinary. We often keep too many expectations on ourselves and from life. We weigh ourselves down. We punish ourselves. And when finally health gives way, we lament at our losses. A balanced life needs discipline. A satisfied life needs balance of mind. A complete life needs selflessness as the basic operating platform. This is within us.

Do not live this life as a favour to anybody. You are doing nothing else on earth except experiencing something. It could be good or bad. It could be expected or unexpected. But, all beings on earth are just experiencing and, in a way, expressing oneself so that it flavours one’s own experience. Our expressions add flavours to the life around us. We are doing nothing to anybody anyway. There is nobody apart from us. All are our own expressions. All situations are our own creations. Sit down at a quiet place. Silence your mind by concentrating on your inhalation and exhalation. When mind is thus silenced, ask yourself what you are and what you think you are. As yourself what you are up to and how much control over life you have. Spend some time with yourself like this every day. Measure your understanding with your own inner silence. Start accepting yourselves with all your weaknesses and strengths. There is not one person in this world that does not have any weaknesses. Accept them. Accept your weaknesses more than your strengths. When you finally accept your weaknesses, they will start becoming weaker and you will start becoming stronger. When you suppress them, liked caged tigers, they will wait to be unleashed to pounce on its prey which is you. Who are you, what are you, why are you – are the most relevant questions that can lead you to liberation. Be liberated from your own mind through constant awareness and contemplation.

Ask yourself why you need a guru. What do you lack? Ask yourself why you are listening or following Mohanji? Mohanji is an ordinary man just like you. What is so special in him? Remove all your superimpositions on this man called Mohanji and decide if you should be with Mohanji. Do not be with any Guru because of infatuation, fear of any kind, illusions, thinking that they are someone else from the past or something else, enlightened, better than yourself, filled with powers and strength and without weaknesses, miracles or misconceptions, expectations, karmic conquests or clearance, or even a shoulder to cry on. If you look at a Guru as anything else apart from a reflection of yourself or as a mirror in which you can see your own reflection, I am afraid you are in the wrong track. Remove yourself from all such bindings. Be free from within. I would not want anyone to follow me out of fear, compulsion, herd instinct, illusion, misconception, or thinking I am someone else’s incarnation. Take your time. Think well. Should you be with Mohanji from 2017 onward or not? Take firm decision. If you can accept me with all my imperfections, just like I have accepted you with all your imperfections, we can travel this life together. If not, we can part with love in our hearts for each other. Do not be afraid to leave Mohanji and be free, if you feel any binding here. Your freedom is most important as is your free will. Nobody can live peacefully together if their imperfections are also accepted along with their perfections. Every person who ever walked on earth had been imperfect in the eyes of the society, one way or the other; especially if he has made a name for himself. Society likes to highlight imperfections of people and discard their goodness. “The good that men does are often interred with their bones. The bad survives them” – Shakespeare. So, be brave to leave if you do not like than suffer a forced companionship. Again, also look within what makes you bitter. All things outside are only triggers for what is already within. Be Aware.

I would like to use this space to make myself very clear. I cannot promise you a bed of roses. I cannot promise any comfort zones. I cannot promise you healing or cures. I cannot predict your future or for that matter mine. Do not think that I have supernatural powers or direct access to God Almighty better than you. I am just as you are. Nothing special. If you love me without expectations, you are welcome to be with me. If you are here to test or taste, or here with bundles of expectations, I am afraid you will be disappointed very soon. Do not blame me then. I have warned you. I have all the strengths, weaknesses that you have. I am more ordinary than the ordinary.

This is a fresh year. A good time to start anything fresh and new! So, if you would like to leave me, leave me now. If you decide to stay after taking time and thinking well, take one resolution; stay with me till the end of life. Otherwise, I may not be able to give you whatever I have and you will be disappointed because of the same. Do not change your mind too often. Change it now for good, if you have to, so that it does not inconvenience anybody.

Just like you incarnated on earth for a set of experiences, I have done the same. What I am today is part of that plan. I can never say that I consciously chose this way of life or even this name or costume. If some people like my expressions, it is because my expressions suit their agenda on earth. In that context, I have no feeling, let alone bad feeling towards those who have chosen to leave me. When they were with me, they shared me, my time and whatever I am and I shared their space, time and whatever they have been. Only gratitude wells in my heart for all the experiences time has given me through various situations and people.

I use this space and your attention to thank you for every experience, company and comfort that you have provided me in the years past. I am grateful. Truly Grateful. If you will continue to be with me, I shall remain grateful. That is all I can say. I cannot promise you anything else apart from my love from the bottom of my heart. How you receive it is up to you and I presume would be as per your capacity.

2016 was a turbulent year for me. Some people, whom I loved deeply, parted from me. I understand and respect their reasons and choices. As a human being, it does hurt when those who you love leave you. Then again, life is all about meetings and partings. So, we wish them well and move on with our life. Some people who were close to my heart left the world as well. Baba Ganeshananda Giri and Vasudevan Swami have been my pillars and support. I cannot even begin to fathom how much value and power they added to my existence.

Avadhoota Nadananda, a powerhouse, pillar of strength, a father, mother, friend, brother, Guru, God and everything else, gracefully received me under his umbrella, protected me from the storms of life, gave me all he has in terms of his spiritual bank balance and allowed me to walk free. There are no words to express my feelings for him. A true master, as innocent as a small child, a spiritual titan, a remarkable guru and a humble human, he has touched hundreds of lives. He connected me with the Guru Mandala when he made me to offer a dakshina to the great master from Guru Mandala, opposite the Shiva temple at Shirdi in June 2016. Guru Mandala officially adopted me in 2016. Guru Mandala also conferred the title of Brahmarishi on me, through Avadhoota Nadananda. 2016 was an overwhelming year for me. I am truly grateful. Once again, I can only prostrate at the feet of the great masters of Guru Mandala `who adopted me, an ordinary man, despite all my flaws and weaknesses. I can only be grateful to the supreme Mahatapa Babaji who Himself asked Avadhoota Nandananda to look after me. Gratefulness moves my heart.

Once again, thanks to each and every one of you who walked with me through time, without expectations and conditions. Thank you for your love and care. Thank you for your companionship. Thank you for your company during our pilgrimages. We are again going to Kailash in 2017 July and Macchu Pichu in October. We shall meet in Croatia, Serbia or London for our retreats. We shall meet at Sedona Yoga Festival, USA in March. We shall meet somewhere. We shall definitely stay in touch. To those who are disappointed at my not answering via Facebook, let me confirm to you, I have listened to your heart always. If you really want to reach me, come via info@mohanji.org and I shall revert back.

I would like to thank the teams of Gurulight, Speaking Tree, Awakening Times and various news papers and media that covered our programs at various locations. Speaking Tree’s guest editorial was a great honour and I appreciate the love and respect showered on me by the Times of India team. Thanks to Ahimsa Vegan and Madhuban restaurants for supporting our programs with good food.

I would also like to thank the trustees and teams of Sreepaada Sree Vallabha Sansthan, Baba Ganeshananda Giri’s Dattatreya Shiva Sai Trust, Ashraya trust Kurnool, Manav Seva Samithi and other groups and trusts who honoured us, respected us and associated with us in the years past. Sincere thanks to Skanda Vale and Yoga Ville team for their true love and companionship. Special thanks to Himalayan School team, Mohanji Youth Club team, Mai-Tri Healing team, Consciousness Kriya team, Conscious Walking team, Kailas team, Retreat team, so on and so forth. Heartfelt thanks to Mohanji Foundation India, USA, South Africa, Macedonia, Serbia, ACT Foundations, Ammucare, as well as ambassadors, activities or centres in USA, Canada, UK, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia, Croatia, Romania, Russia, Germany, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and all their team members. All of you have really helped our mission to gain a good momentum despite all odds. Thank You.

My sincere thanks to the M management team who made the processes and made me more available in the world. Thank you for envisaging, orchestrating, streamlining and optimising my time and availability to the world. Thanks to all the volunteers who supported and helped to reach my expressions far and wide into the deep corners of this world. Your presence and support really made my life easier. Thanks to Mamu for efficiently managing my office and optimising it efficiently.

Special thanks to Amma for the translation of Power of Purity into Telugu, Dr. P. K. Namboothiri for Malayalam translation. Thanks to Sunil, Sujatha, Sunitha and Shirdi Sai temple Palakkad for the book Sai Mahima, translation of my writings on Sai Baba into Malayalam translated by Dr.P.K.Namboothiri. Thanks to Taiji for Sahasranaama and Ashtothari. Thanks to Jyothi Bahl for the rendition.

I wish you a great and fulfilling year. May happiness fill you at every moment and may your life be simple and purposeful.

In Gratitude

Yours

Mohanji