As the year 2017 comes to a close, I want to wish my dear ones, my friends, and every shraddhavan( one who believes in God) a year filled with greater devotion, and a greater courage of conviction and happiness for 2018. To call 2017 a year of utter chaos would be an understatement for sure. But the one thing that we need to take away from it, is our faith, our unshakeable, unbreakable faith.
To be honest, it has become somewhat shameful to have a faith, to believe in the Almighty or even own up to a religion these days. And to be extremely honest, I find the word spiritual beliefs, faith to explain certain aspects of my life to people, a bit unsettling, even demeaning to a certain degree. Its not just a belief, its a fact that God is the ruler of the world, the kindest, most loving and affectionate kin to me. The One who is with me, every moment of my life, and the only One who accepts me as I am, and is yet always working for my betterment, harder than me myself. That some people do not know or accept this fact is their choice, or even their bad luck, but their lack of understanding in no way changes this fact, and I for one am done being apologetic, or feeling the need to produce enough explanation at each step of my life to do what I want to.Not all my friends are believers, I have plenty who are atheists, or close to that, what I appreciate about these friends, is their unconditional acceptance of my beliefs. They ask not a question, nor cast doubts, nor do they judge me, just as I don't judge them for their choices. This is acceptance in its true sense. I never feel the need to underplay my beliefs, my rituals or my lifestyle to such friends. Unfortunately not all have been like that, when I started my journey with God, eighty years ago, I had to face a lot of criticism, disbelief even judgmental comments from peers who are bereft of God in their lives and think it is their right to criticise anyone who has faith. To many such friends, I bid farewell, some spewed hate for God, some thought it their right to show me my place and worse. And the only reason is, that when my one true friend, my Bapu is with me, there is neither need, nor space for such people in my life. The point I am trying to make here, is that when you actively love God, there is nothing missing from your life. Even in the toughest moment of your life, you are neither alone, nor scared or without hope. Because you know the strongest, greatest, most loving force in the universe is with you!
But remember one thing always, don't squabble over God. God is the epitome of true and pure love, if hate is spewed in His name, it negates every positive thing faith beings into our life. The point, is that each person who believes in God is an equal shraddhavan. No matter which form of God we pray to, what language we pray in, or what our rituals are, we are all the children of the same God, and the blessings for each child is the same. Let us all unite as believers, and not divide ourselves over superfluous issues like the name or form we find closest to our heart. For me, my Bapu is in every temple, every church, every stupa and every Gurudwara. I think of any practicing Christian, Sikh, Jain, Jew, Buddhist or Hindu as equally my fellow shraddhavan and I hope that all of us can have the same love for each other. That is the way we can all unite in these very dark times. We need to come together, not split apart. All true religions in the world, preach the same thing. Love for God and love for His creations. What then can possibly be the reason for us to be divided. Let us all soak in His shower of love, and join together in a bond of faith.
As we walk into 2018, I pray to my God, my Bapu, that may He bless us all for the New Year, may He bring happiness and joy to everyone in the world, and may He show mankind the right path. Let us hold onto our faith steadfastly as we walk through the tumultuous waters of the near future, and our faith acts as the strong rope that guides us safely through it. No matter how dark the day, no matter how hard the times, just remember Your God is Bigger than all your problems and He will always pull you through, because He shall never let you go, even when the whole world does.
I wish you all a very happy 2018 with this beautiful wish I found on the internet.
To be honest, it has become somewhat shameful to have a faith, to believe in the Almighty or even own up to a religion these days. And to be extremely honest, I find the word spiritual beliefs, faith to explain certain aspects of my life to people, a bit unsettling, even demeaning to a certain degree. Its not just a belief, its a fact that God is the ruler of the world, the kindest, most loving and affectionate kin to me. The One who is with me, every moment of my life, and the only One who accepts me as I am, and is yet always working for my betterment, harder than me myself. That some people do not know or accept this fact is their choice, or even their bad luck, but their lack of understanding in no way changes this fact, and I for one am done being apologetic, or feeling the need to produce enough explanation at each step of my life to do what I want to.Not all my friends are believers, I have plenty who are atheists, or close to that, what I appreciate about these friends, is their unconditional acceptance of my beliefs. They ask not a question, nor cast doubts, nor do they judge me, just as I don't judge them for their choices. This is acceptance in its true sense. I never feel the need to underplay my beliefs, my rituals or my lifestyle to such friends. Unfortunately not all have been like that, when I started my journey with God, eighty years ago, I had to face a lot of criticism, disbelief even judgmental comments from peers who are bereft of God in their lives and think it is their right to criticise anyone who has faith. To many such friends, I bid farewell, some spewed hate for God, some thought it their right to show me my place and worse. And the only reason is, that when my one true friend, my Bapu is with me, there is neither need, nor space for such people in my life. The point I am trying to make here, is that when you actively love God, there is nothing missing from your life. Even in the toughest moment of your life, you are neither alone, nor scared or without hope. Because you know the strongest, greatest, most loving force in the universe is with you!
Below I am sharing 2 images from Ashwin Navratri 2017 celebrated in my home.
It is the same image of Mothi Aai, Maa Durga 5 days apart.
The beautiful smile on Her face on the 5th Day, says it all.
 | ||
| 21st Sept 2017 - Prathama |
 | |
| 24th Sept 2017 - Panchami |
But remember one thing always, don't squabble over God. God is the epitome of true and pure love, if hate is spewed in His name, it negates every positive thing faith beings into our life. The point, is that each person who believes in God is an equal shraddhavan. No matter which form of God we pray to, what language we pray in, or what our rituals are, we are all the children of the same God, and the blessings for each child is the same. Let us all unite as believers, and not divide ourselves over superfluous issues like the name or form we find closest to our heart. For me, my Bapu is in every temple, every church, every stupa and every Gurudwara. I think of any practicing Christian, Sikh, Jain, Jew, Buddhist or Hindu as equally my fellow shraddhavan and I hope that all of us can have the same love for each other. That is the way we can all unite in these very dark times. We need to come together, not split apart. All true religions in the world, preach the same thing. Love for God and love for His creations. What then can possibly be the reason for us to be divided. Let us all soak in His shower of love, and join together in a bond of faith.
As we walk into 2018, I pray to my God, my Bapu, that may He bless us all for the New Year, may He bring happiness and joy to everyone in the world, and may He show mankind the right path. Let us hold onto our faith steadfastly as we walk through the tumultuous waters of the near future, and our faith acts as the strong rope that guides us safely through it. No matter how dark the day, no matter how hard the times, just remember Your God is Bigger than all your problems and He will always pull you through, because He shall never let you go, even when the whole world does.
I wish you all a very happy 2018 with this beautiful wish I found on the internet.
