Self-Realization Fellowship Blog

“My Prayer for You in the New Year” by Sri Daya Mata

December 31, 2024

 

 

The following post is an excerpt from the talk “Spiritual Opportunity in the New Year” in Sri Daya Mata’s book Only Love: Living the Spiritual Life in a Changing World. Sri Daya Mata, one of Paramahansa Yogananda’s closest disciples, served as president of Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Society of India from 1955 until her passing in 2010.

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My prayer for each one of you in this new year is that you may fulfill your highest and noblest aims on the spiritual path.  

You who seek love divine, may you find it; you who seek understanding, look not for it in human relationships but from Him who is the Fountain of Understanding; you who seek strength, courage, or humility, may you go to the one great Teacher who can help you acquire these qualities, who can awaken the sleeping divinity within you, that you may behold yourselves as true children of God.  

In memory I hear our blessed Guruji’s urging at the new year: “Wake, sleep no more! Wake, sleep no more! Wake, sleep no more!” 

The way to peace, joy, happiness, and love divine is to keep your consciousness centered on and at rest in God. Concentrate upon one idea: God alone. “Thou art my Polestar; in Thee I live, move, breathe, and have my being. I seek naught else but to love Thee and to serve Thee.” Make this your constant prayer in the new year. 

Concentrate night and day on God, and become drunk with His love. He alone is real. In His love lies wisdom, humility, joy, compassion, understanding, and fulfillment. May each one of us seek that love more earnestly. 

Meditate more deeply and strive to serve God with greater willingness, with greater conscientiousness and concentration.  

It isn’t enough just to serve; consider it a great privilege, and serve with zeal, with joy, and with love in the heart.  

Singing songs of devotion to God, may we carry that joyous consciousness throughout all the days of the new year, that we may close the year as we have begun, thinking only of the One. 

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Ken Charles

Devotions to The Master of The Universe Our Creator is our breath.
We pray for this world that all would have and be drawn towards enlightenment.
PLUR. PEACE LOVE UNITY. RESPECT

Mary Riley

I have copied the prayer and pasted in my Notes in a new folder: Daily Prayer.
What a year it will be!
Thank you to all who brought this here.

Walt

The message from Ma is the same as the teachings of all the Great Ones including Christ, our paramgurus, and Master:
Seek God, Love God, Serve God. May we all follow their ever present guidance.

Neeraj Sharma

This excerpt from the writings of Daya Maa is a profound reminder that the only ought to point of concentration is God, the God alone. May God and Gurus bless us that we uninterruptedly keep our focus on God alone each and every single day of this new year. And this new year 2025 becomes thus successful. May God and Gurus bless us all.

David B.

By singing songs of love to God , we WILL carry that joyous consciousness throughout all the days of the New Year.
Thank you for being our perfect human image of our Divine Mother!

Terra

Ma's blessed love and wisdom, radiating to us, always! Thank you, thank you. Jai Ma, Jai Guru!

nivedita ROY

Thank you Maa...

Francesca nivedita ROY

Grazie per essere stata così vicina al nostro Guruji. Queste parole sono perle che scolpirò nel cuore e ne farò il canto quotidiano. Che siano la Via per tutti noi.

Irma. Boyle

Thank you so much…. Peace on.
Thank you to all of you. My wonderful SRF FAMILY MAY YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR MAY GOD SEND HIS BLESSING TO ALL OF YOU?

Nina

This piercing message! Thank you, Daya Mata, for always clarifying for us the only meaning of our lives!

Marianne SteenvoordenNina

I need constant reminders to stay focused on God and Guru. Life teaches so many lessons. No matter what it is, always going back to God and Guru. Where else can we find comfort?
Love, love, love, Divine.
Jai Guru

Draupadi Maharaj

Humble and grateful thank you for sharing/including me in this blessing. May these blessings return multifold.

Laura Lepley

May God and Guruji bless us all to live this year in moment to moment awareness of that supreme, loving Reality. Jai Ma. Jai Guru Dev.

Jackie

Jai Guru Jai Ma Than you
With Plain living & high thinking we attune with Spirit Divine in the Realization of the Self with Fellowship to all

Michael

Thank You! For Daya Mata’s beautiful expression of Divine Love for all of us! ❤️

Aparna

Thank you for this priceless gift of guidance and accompaniment on this sacred path of Truth. In grateful prayerful tearful ecstasy of this Great Love my heart cries out, What kind of Love is this oh my Soul?”

Giovanna

“Thou art my Polestar; in Thee I live, move, breathe, and have my being. I seek naught else but to love Thee and to serve Thee.”. Jai Ma! Jai Guru! Happy New Year to everyone

Linda

Blessings to all in the new year! Thank you for the prayer and well wishes in truly finding God. Wake, sleep no more...will be my focus this year as I study and learn more of the teachings! Aum, peace, Amen.

Kay

May we always remember that beautiful urging and live in God consciousness.
Kay

Joseph

Love Love Love Love—Every bit of love you send—recycles back to you!

Stanito

Jai Guru. Jai Guru. God Alone Is All We Need.

Happy New Year to all my brothers and sisters in the SRF family and beyond

Martin Madsen

Wonderful words of encouragement and upliftment for the year ahead! Thank you so much for sharing this and a Happy New Year to all the SRF monastics! Jai Guru!

Carol J.

Yes. Thank you, Ma. Help us to day and night want, desire, love, God Alone. Help us to so deeply concentrate that we realize we are One.

Sima

Oh Ma! You are ever free in spirit with all the divine Master’s. Keep us close to your loving heart. Pray for us and bless our efforts, so one day we too be near you and all the great ones

Anthea Summers

Thank you for this beautiful post. Thank you over and over and over for all you are doing to share Master’s love and teachings.

Arti Deshpande

Jai Guru! Thank you for posting Sri Daya mataji’s Prayer message. What a blessed way to step into the new year!! Wishing a very Blessed Happy New Year to my wonderful SRF family!

Robin Bissonette

Amen! Much gratitude for all who serve at SRF. God bless this spiritual family and the whole world in the New Year. Om. Peace. Shanti.

Roopa

Shri Dayamataji’s post has come timely for me and has further guided and focused me on the right path

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