TV Channel

How can I keep my concentration, my mind, focused on you? Sometimes it is good, but only for a short time. Concentration is not such an easy thing, and with one answer it will not be too easy to understand. It is a years- and years-long practice. Keep on practicing. One day, you will be in perfection without concentration. The main thing is that you don’t stop practicing. Śayamit, niyamit—everyday disciplined, controlled practice. So, this is the short answer to your question. Guruji used to give one example. About a tailor who is making a dress. The tailor is listening to the radio, talking to his friends who are sitting beside him, also looking and observing the cars that are passing by. But he doesn’t stop his machine. The machine continues working, and very soon it can prepare one beautiful shirt for you. Similarly, it is the machine—the mind, inner feelings, inner longing—that should not stop. Keep on practicing your mantra and remain seated for that period of time. You will be successful. Therefore, if you think that you can concentrate on one point for a long, long time, that’s not easy and not possible now. Because as long as the mind is active, there will be thoughts. And the mind will be active as long as your senses are active. And as long as the senses are active, that long you are also alive. When the senses stop, then you will be one-pointed. That is when you are dis-embodied. Or you achieve the samādhi where Patañjali speaks about Citta Vṛtti Nirodha. That is not the subject for everyone who is here. Maybe someone among us, only maybe one. Who is still not born? That’s it. Therefore, forget it. We missed the chance. So, it is only one thing: what we can do. Surrender. Halwā. Pradatti Halu. The surrender is, "Ab sāp diyā is jīvan kā sab bhār tumhāre hāthomẽ." Oh, it is too much ghee inside. You will kill your master. I am not any more young to digest ghee, all ghee. Too much ghee inside. You want to kill your master. I cannot eat it. And it’s not through. It needs at least, I don’t know how many quantities it is, but it needs a long time to become a little thicker, faster. And therefore, only one thing, Gurudev. Only this is what we can do: that we feel surrendered, we feel the refuge at Gurudeva. That’s only the center for this Jīvātmā to get perfect rest. You have to be sure. Otherwise it will not be possible. We have to realize, as Mīrā Bāī said, "Mīrā Dāsī Janam Janam Kī Hari Tumāre Pās." Lord, Mīrā is your servant from many, many lives. Your devotee, many lives I was with you. When will you come now? Why in this life am I not with you? But it is, she had to wait long, long. And sometimes one doesn’t have enough. Kabīr Dās said, "When I was born, the world was happy, laughing, and I was crying." You know, when a child is born, he is crying. When a child doesn’t cry, they make him cry, so it will be a good voice. I didn’t cry, so I’d have no good voice. "Aisi karni kar chalo, ham hase jag roi." But do something, such a karma, that you will be happy, happily going, but the world will cry for you. So now, count on your fingers how many friends you have who can give life for you, and how many enemies you have that you can’t count on the fingers because there are too many. Prem Hi Jīvan He—love is life. If in life you have no love, it’s not life. Love of the friends, love of nature, love of other creatures. Life is love, and love is God, and God is love, because what is within us, what is living, is God, and that only can be. We can be happy and feel when the love is there. How many friends do you have? So, make more and more friends. In order to make friends, you have to become a friend. Mahāprabhujī said, "If you are five meters far away from me, then I am also five meters far away from you." So distance depends on you. If you think you don’t like others, others don’t like you, these are your phobias. Therefore, create more and more friends. Then there will be no wars. There will be no fighting. So many of us are sitting here from different nations. And none of us have weapons with us. We are all friends. And we are all happy together. So, world peace, happiness, or friendship depends on us individually. It’s in your hands. And therefore, now, at the end of this year—according to Christianity, this year is ending—so remember all your friends. Do not forget to remember them and wish them a prosperous and happy new year. By the end of next year, you should have double the friends. In Hindi, we call it dosti, friendship. Dosti means, "do" means two, and "sati" means the truthful. One is going on the path of the truth and takes others also on the path of the truth. So, we are all on the path of spirituality, the truth. And we shall walk with love, understanding, and harmony. Mistakes happen to everyone. Don’t think that you don’t make mistakes. There will be one day when the person will stop making mistakes. And that day will be the death. As long as your friends are living, they make mistakes. And forgiveness is always there. One who stops forgiving is at the time of death. A man who stops forgiving in an hour of death will tell you, "Sorry, goodbye." Therefore, I can tell you, the richness in life is the friends. But not as the cheaters, and not as the backbiters. But first, you have to make a step towards that. So, we don’t know what will happen in this life. But as long as we are in this body, we do our best. Do good things, positive things, meditate and pray, repeat the name of God. So I pray to Mahāprabhujī to bless us, as always he is blessing us. And accept the token of our devotion, our love, that His Divine Light always guides us, that always His Saguṇa form He is in our visions. And His nirguṇa form is always guiding us. Wish you a blessed and merry Christmas. Very much. Harmony, peace, happiness, and contentment in your family and society. And wish you a very, very happy, successful, and blessed new year. I wish you a very, very blessed, successful, and blessed new year. And looking forward to seeing you again. Here or there, definitely somewhere. Take care and God bless you. Dīp Dhanan Bhagavān Kī Jai, Devīśvara Mahādeva Kī Jai, Mādhav Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Sanātana Dharma Kī Jai, Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvarānanda, Śrī Śrī Svāmī Maheśvarānanda, Guru Deva Kī Jai.