03/01/2026
*Gurudevs New Year's Message of 2026*
*YOU ARE HERE TO GIVE BACK*
This year which has passed has brought many gifts to you, many lessons to you. Everything is evolutionary. That’s how we should see it.
You had moments which you didn’t want to happen, but they happened. And somewhere, all those happenings have brought you some strength, some wisdom, some depth. You must acknowledge this. Instead of resisting or sweeping something under the carpet, recognize it and move on.
You Are Not the Happenings
All the outside happenings are not you. You are separate from that.
How do you know that? When you step back and see all the happenings—all the good things that happened, bad things that happened, things you liked happened, you didn’t like happened—well, that is how the world is. And now you step back and see from all this you have become stronger, richer, wiser.
What do foolish people? They get embroiled in it. They keep regretting the past, and that regret will bring more anxiousness for the future. They suffer the whole time.
What do spiritual seekers do? They say, “Oh, all this is what happened. Okay.” Not regretting anything that has happened, nor being anxious about what may happen in the future.
If we can learn to see things with this vision, then we have won. Then nobody can take the smile away from you. No situation can put you down. That is the whole purpose of the spiritual path. That is the whole idea behind why you do meditation and all these practices. It’s to be able to see the reality from a different plane altogether.
Enter 2026 as a Giver
With the coming of 2026, make sure you are putting all the positive thoughts out there. Of course, there are many things that will happen in the world. For example, where construction happens, first there is digging. Only then the building comes up. If there is a dilapidated old building, first the bulldozer comes to tear it down, and then the new building comes up. So that happens every year.
Every day, know that you are lucky. That’s good enough to keep your spirit high. Say, “I’m so lucky.” Number one.
Second: I’m here to do some good work. I’ve come to this world as a giver, not a taker.
A giver is independent. A taker is not. So knowing “I have come here to give,” then your needs will be taken care of. Nature will take care of what you need. In fact, you will get more than what you need.
So let’s have this thought: I have come here to give back something in this world
Everybody has some moments of ups and downs in life. Never mind if one such moment happens. Never mind. But just have this resolution in your mind: I’m here to do some good. I’m here to give something back.
And don’t get frustrated. “Oh, I’m here to do something good, but I’m not able to do.” That’s not going to help either. Because our mind is so tricky that in any situation it can create misery. We are so expert in it. In the best of the situation, we create misery of our own. Our mind creates its own misery, its own shell, and it sits in it and keeps reeling and reeling about it.
When nothing matters, then you are happy.
That does not mean you don’t take responsibility.
Practice Plus Wisdom
Just practices are not enough. Wisdom is also essential along with the practice. Wisdom is listening to this knowledge. Either you go the route of science or through spirituality, you converge at the same point: that everything is nothing. This is all nothing. And then you become happy. When nothing matters, then you are happy.
That does not mean you don’t take responsibility. You take responsibility, and at the same time keep yourself from falling into a rut. Yeah, that is the Art of living.
Step back and see. Be a witness to all that’s happening.
We do this after, not while we’re working. That would be disastrous. After you finish every job, all the work, or before you start some work, take a few minutes of absolute quietness. Be silent. Be a witness. But then when you are acting, you must be 100% in that.
There Is Hope.
Art of Living is entering into its 45th year in 2026. Forty-five years back, people had a lot of reservations and cynicism about meditation. But today that’s not there. Now people know how important it is to meditate.
And so many kids are blossoming with intuitive abilities. So there is hope for society. Because when people read the news all the time about so many wars and all that stuff, people feel down.
They should hear how a new hope is coming to the world. There is another dimension to look into—a higher dimension where life is eternal and blissful, and everything else is drama. And you can enjoy the drama, whether as an actor, a director, or an onlooker.
There is another dimension to look into—a higher dimension where life is eternal and blissful, and everything else is drama.
So once again, everyone, take this resolution. Just confirm this within you: that you are lucky, and you are here to do something good. Think about what you want to give.
Step back and see. Be a witness. And know that you have come here to give back to the world.
Life is here, and there is no scarcity of miracles in life. They keep happening. They will happen more. Give that hope to everyone.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar