Question: Does this New Year's Message apply to the world at large, or primarily to your disciples?

Sri Chinmoy: The message I gave applies to the world at large, but my disciples are affected more, whether divinely or undivinely, because they have more faith in me than the rest of the world has. Because you have faith in me, your progress can be rapid and boundless, whereas mankind’s progress will be slow. Last year, I said, was the year of success and progress. Look at our achievements: more than 100,000 paintings, 16,000 paintings in one day, 843 poems in one day. These are your achievements, too — all the result of our joint aspiration. But in some of the disciples, all the success and progress was made by the undivine forces in them. These disciples are also part and parcel of my inner life. Good and bad forces all the time assail us. The bad forces we have to transform into good ones, and the good ones into better ones. This year, also, either the divine forces will win most powerfully — and they should win, must win one hundred per cent — or the undivine forces will destroy our life of aspiration.

Unfortunately, we do not pay enough attention to the new year which takes place every second in our lives. The new year is not just twelve months or 365 days. It is something that begins at every second in our life of aspiration. The new year means new hope, new promise to God and to mankind. This applies to all of mankind, but my disciples will be more inspired to do their best. If they are not inspired, then the wrong forces will plague them more and they will fall victim to doubt and self-indulgence, which are nothing short of self-destruction.