Question: You said that when the New Millennium comes, the newness that can help us may take a form that we may not be able to recognise.

Sri Chinmoy: Our heart will recognise it if we have purity. Purity is the judge. If one is pure, extremely pure, that person will recognise it. Purity is the x-ray machine — physical purity, vital purity, mental purity, psychic purity. Nothing can stand against purity. Some people think that purity is something silly, feminine. Some people feel that we become pure just by changing clothes. But our mind is also like a dirty, filthy dress. We have to throw it away and put on something new. Then we become pure. Purity starts always in the consciousness.

The New Millennium is coming. For me and for my disciples it has already started. This New Millennium embodies hope and promise. You have to use your adamantine will-power and at every second choose either light or night. But night can come in a very charming, fascinating form. You have to know whether it is real light or night that is tempting you. People who are really innocent will get an extra supply of divine concern and divine power. But there are many who only pretend to be innocent. Somebody may be a rogue, but he will pretend to be innocent.

The New Millennium requires utmost seriousness. Whether we take God seriously or not, God is going to take us seriously. We may think that God is like our grandfather. No. From now on He is not going to act like a grandfather. He is going to be like a strict magistrate. He will use His Justice-Light. Compassion-Power He has used, Tolerance He has used, Concern He has used. But there is another aspect of God that we have not seen.

On the one hand, Lord Shiva is full of Compassion. If you give him only one leaf, that one leaf is enough to please him. To other cosmic gods you have to bring lots of beautiful and fragrant flowers. Lord Shiva’s name is Ashutosh. ‘Ashu’ means ‘speed’. So Ashutosh is one who is quickly satisfied. Other gods can take twenty years to be pleased. But in twenty seconds you can please Lord Shiva. Again, when he is angry, when he starts his thunder, which is his destruction-dance, he destroys everything. It may take only ten seconds to please Lord Shiva, but if the same Lord Shiva is displeased for one second, he can destroy us. Then to rebuild our spiritual life-energy may take twenty years.

This is Lord Shiva. On the one hand, he is kinder than the kindest. No cosmic god can come near him in terms of compassion and gifts. He can tolerate us indefinitely. If he is pleased with us, in the twinkling of an eye he can give us the vast ocean. But if he is annoyed, then there is no mercy. That is the aspect of God which we will see in the New Millennium.