The Secret of Joy* *The Dharma of Joy* *In the Lake of Joy, Waves of Joy*

When a New Year begins, we make many resolutions—sometimes for health, sometimes for work, sometimes for financial discipline.

This time, let’s make a very different kind of resolution.

Let’s resolve to send out unbroken waves of joy from the inner lake of joy; and through those waves, make the lives around us a little more abundant, a little warmer, a little more humane.

Because when the year changes, the real question is not

“What new things will I get this year?”

The real question is:

“What new will begin to flow from within me this year?”

On this first day of 2026, warm New Year wishes to all of you.

On the first morning of the New Year, let us give ourselves just one gift:

to create an inner space where nothing special needs to happen outside for us to be joyful.

Most of the time, we treat joy as a result to be obtained from the outside:

“If I get this, I’ll be happy;

if I achieve that, I’ll be happy.”

But joy is not an object to be acquired;

joy is an inner state.

When joy becomes our natural disposition,

the knot of expectation–comparison–struggle begins to loosen;

and in every dimension of life-

in our perception, our expression, our actions,

a very different quality begins to appear.

At such a time, the “selfish calculations” behind our actions reduce.

We begin to respond to the world with more clarity, more love, more honesty.

That is why, in this piece, we will explore the secret of joy—and from that secret, we will unfold the dharma of joy.

Because when we remember that we ourselves are a lake of joy,

we no longer have to “work hard” to create waves;

we only need to gently clear the fog that covers the surface.

Then joy does not need to be “obtained”;

it starts to be shared.

And the day joy truly starts to be shared,

that is the day the New Year really begins.

*When Joy Becomes Your Nature, the World Changes*

The real enquiry about joy begins right here.

We often treat joy as a result:

“If this happens, I’ll be happy;

if that succeeds, I’ll be happy;

if people appreciate me, I’ll be happy.”

Which means, living a “joyful life” turns into a series of continuous bargains with circumstances.

But life does not accept bargains.

Life happens as it happens—

sometimes in our favour,

sometimes against us,

most often somewhere in the middle.

So a joy that rests only on outer conditions can never last.

It comes… and it goes.

And eventually, we get tired.

The real turning point comes when we see clearly:

There is a state in which

I do not have to do anything special to be joyful.

When a person becomes naturally joyful,

they do not have to keep running behind joy all the time.

If things work out—fine.

If they don’t work out—still fine.

If something is achieved—good.

If not—still, the inner ground is not broken.

Hearing this, some people worry,

“Does that mean I should become indifferent?”

No.

Indifference is the breaking of relationship.

What happens here is the opposite-

the relationship becomes cleaner.

Because the inner restlessness reduces.

When joy becomes our nature,

the foundation of our actions changes.

There is a subtle tension inside us:

“This must happen”,

“I must get this”,

“People must agree with me, appreciate me…”

When joy becomes natural,

this pressure begins to soften.

The bundle of inner bargains becomes lighter.

Then action does not arise out of hurry, fear, comparison, or competition.

Action has space—

space inside the mind,

space for clarity,

space for gentleness.

And whenever such space appears,

the quality of action rises.

*The Dharma of Joy: Joy Means “To Share”*

From here, the meaning of joy slowly shifts

from “What do I get?”

to

“What do I give?”

This is why Sadguru Shri Wamanrao Pai says:

“Why is a human being born?

To share joy.”

Once we hear this,

the entire direction of joy changes.

Joy is no longer just “the light falling in my courtyard.”

Joy becomes the brightness that spreads

wherever I go.

That is why Sadguru further says:

“Share joy, then enjoy joy—

first give, then receive.”

Joy is not a thing;

joy is a flow.

When the flow is blocked,

there is internal congestion—

complaint, irritation, bitterness, suspicion, anger.

When flow is restored,

there is prasād—

lightness, warmth, affection, and peace.

*The Lake of Joy: Recognition and Remembrance*

But a very honest question arises here:

“To share joy, I must have it in the first place, right?

I myself don’t feel joyful—what joy will I share?”

Here, Sant Tukaram Maharaj holds up a mirror

and gives us the identity of joy:

*Ānandāche dōhī* *ānanda taranga*

*Ānandachī aṅgā* *ānandāce*

“In the lake of joy, waves of joy.

The very body is made of joy.”

Joy is not something we drag in from outside.

You yourself are a lake of joy.

The lake contains water,

so waves can rise.

The waves do not come from outside;

they rise from within.

“Ānandachī aṅgā ānandāce”—

your presence, your gaze, your words, your responses—

all of these can speak the language of joy.

Then why do we still feel dry at times

even though we are the lake?

Because the lake itself is not dry—

it is covered with layers.

Layers of expectation.

Layers of comparison.

Layers of old wounds.

Layers of the feeling, “I am not enough.”

And the constant cloud of thoughts

racing in the head.

The water is still there;

we just forget.

So the first practice of joy is not “to get more”.

It is to gently thin out the fog inside

so that the water beneath becomes visible again.

*Gratitude: The Master Key of Joy*

To dissolve this fog,

we do not need big declarations.

Two or three very small shifts are enough.

*The first shift is gratitude.*

Gratitude does not mean

telling yourself a lie that “everything is perfect”.

Gratitude means:

truly recognizing the value of what is.

The value of breath.

The value of time.

The value of people who stand by you.

The value of today being in your hands.

Most of the time,

the root of our suffering is not really outside;

it springs from one repeated inner feeling:

“I don’t have enough.”

Not enough respect,

not enough time,

not enough money,

not enough love,

not enough success…

This sense of lack keeps the mind running all the time.

From running comes hurry,

from hurry comes irritability,

and from irritability comes strain on relationships.

Gratitude breaks this chain

because it shifts attention

from “what is missing”

to “what is present”.

And wherever attention goes,

experience expands—that is simply

the natural design of the mind.

That is why gratitude is the master key of joy.

As gratitude grows,

joy becomes natural.

And when joy appears,

we spontaneously start “sharing”—

• a smile,

• a warm word,

• a little help,

• listening with full presence,

• a dignified response even in a difficult moment.

None of this is dramatic.

But this is our everyday “gift of joy”

that stirs our inner lake.

When the lake is stirred,

waves rise—inside us and inside the other.

Thus joy and gratitude feed each other:

Gratitude gives birth to joy,

and joy gives expansion to gratitude.

*Comparison: A Factory That Manufactures Cloudiness*

There is another big obstacle

in the expression of joy—comparison.

Our mind is constantly comparing.

Comparison is a factory

that specializes in proving us “less”.

Today it will show one thing as lacking,

tomorrow something else,

the day after, something new again.

When comparison slows down,

the mind becomes free.

And when the mind is free,

joy gently rises—

because it was always there.

So the real gift of the New Year

is not that we will change the outer world overnight;

the real gift is that

we slowly clear the fog in our own mind.

Three Small Turning Points – Practical Shifts

The question, of course, is:

“How do I bring this into daily life?”

With three very small

but precise steps.

*1) First Step*– A Morning Smile of Gratitude

Right after waking up,

for just 10 seconds—

not for anyone else,

only for the sheer experience of being alive—

let there be a soft smile.

And in the heart, just this:

“Today I am alive,

and my loved ones are with me.

For this gift, I offer silent gratitude

to the Divine.”

*2) Second Step* – One Gentle Question During the Day

At least once in the day, ask yourself:

“Did I make anyone’s breath

a little lighter today?”

Meaning:

• Did I truly listen to someone?

• Did I hold back an unnecessary harsh word?

• Did I offer support to someone?

• Did I bring a small smile

to someone’s face?

The act does not need to be big.

*3) Third Step*– A Night of Quiet Thankfulness

Before sleeping,

hold one moment of gratitude for the day:

“All those, because of whom

my day became easier or happier,

I silently thank them.”

If possible,

let two or three names pass through your mind—

that is more than enough.

These three tiny habits

do not change the dates on your calender,

but they do change your inner state.

And when your inner state changes,

the year changes by itself.

*Conclusion: The Real Gift of the New Year*

The outer world will never

be 100% to our liking.

But as we slowly clear

the fog from our own mind,

the inner congestion eases.

Then we don’t have to struggle

to “get” joy;

joy begins to express itself

from within us.

So, for the New Year,

let’s give ourselves one simple gift:

Let’s reduce our insistence

on getting joy…

and gently cultivate the habit

of sharing joy.

Because ultimately,

the meaning of our birth is this—

we are born to share joy.

And the truth is this—

you are a lake of joy.

The waves will rise—

just allow the fog on the surface

to thin out, slowly.

On the occasion of New Year greetings,

this small contemplation—

*Jayant Joshi*