“Ever-new Joy”, Yogananda wrote, “is God.” This definition is rooted in ancient Yoga. God is Sat-chit-ananda, the Scriptures say, or ever existing, ever conscious, ever new Joy.
In the Autobiography of a Yogi, Sri Yukteswar explains: “Ever-new Joy is God. He is inexhaustible; as you continue your meditations during the years, He will beguile you with an infinite ingenuity. Devotees like yourself who have found the way to God never dream of exchanging Him for any other happiness; He is seductive beyond thought of competition.”
In his Praecepta Lessons, Yogananda explains this definition more deeply: “God is ever-new Joy. What are we all seeking? Ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new Joy: God exists forever. God is conscious of His existence and God is ever-new Joy. Everyone is seeking happiness and wants to be conscious of that joy, and wants that joy to go on forever.
We are all trying to find this ever-new, ever-conscious, ever-existing joy, but is there anything in nature like it? It seems that it is buried somewhere in our soul. Why? Desire is a condition. For instance, if you have a pot of water and you disturb that water, you will not get a clear reflection. So, if the mind is ruffled by desire, we lose the happiness which is already within us.
Nothing but meditation yields this ever-increasing, ever-new, responding joy. Sooner or later you will realize that you will want a thing only until you get it, then you will look for something else. In finding this joy you will find that something else which you were seeking through the labyrinthine ways of false desires. You will never tire of this ever-new joy.
My Master said to me: ‘You will tire of everything but that joy. If you can realize that this God is with you every minute, then that sparkling, bubbling, refreshing spring of joy will be yours. With that oneness of joy in your soul, you are divine.’”
LYRICS:
Joy joy joy joy
Ever-new joy joy
WHEN TO USE THIS SONG:
Sing when trying to meditate on God and to feel Him as the cosmic endless Joy.
SING ALONG:
Here is Swami Kriyananda’s chanting of this Cosmic Chant, from the album I Am Thine.