In plain words
It is being celebrated all over the world, but today in Bethlehem, today, the Xmas festival was not celebrated. What is the reason for this? It is the very evil quality called selfishness that is in man. God is in everyone. He belongs to all. Simply, He is of individual form and of collective form. Everyone has the right. To think of such oneness is itself the meaning of the word Divinity. Today we must grow unity within the country.
Unity itself is man's chief goal. When this very unity is there, these differences sink away. Only when the differences have sunk away does Ānanda dawn. Ānanda itself is the goal of our life. So all of you too, giving no room to personal differences, or regional differences, or difference of country, must grow the feeling that we are all children of God. Worship whatever form you will, but recognise the truth that all is one. To grow such a principle of Prema is itself the inner meaning of a holy day like this. The day Jesus was born is not merely for eating, drinking, playing and singing; not for this alone. The chief duty. We must put into practice the things Jesus showed forth as the ideal. That is the right mark of a true Birthday. To celebrate the festival of His birth and to bury His ideals: this is not the right mark of devotees. Whoever it is we have placed our faith in, we must try to practise the ideal life of the one we believe in. Without practising the word that was spoken, to say "Bhakti, Bhakti": what Bhakti is this? It is merely sham Bhakti. Such a thing cannot be called Bhakti. One can call it nothing but a selfish evil quality. Even if you do not do everything, you must put at least one or two things into practice. To call oneself "I am a devotee of Rāma, I am a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, I am a devotee of Sai, I am a devotee of Jesus" is easy indeed; but more than saying it, we must practise it and try to arrive at real practice. He alone is the true devotee. Without practice, merely by uttering it with the tongue, this Ānanda is not gained.
Beat the anthill, and will the snake die? Punish your own body, and will the enjoyment of sense objects subside? Just give up hunger and thirst, and will one become a knower of the Ātma? Not knowing who one is, how can knowledge of the Principle come about?
So they said. We must try to recognise the truth of "who am I". We do keep asking "who are you, who are you" all the time, but man forgets to ask himself "who am I".