Daily Devotion -Apr 1, 2026 (English)- Train the Mind
This mind has been corrupted for countless lifetimes. Your attachment to the world has become deeply ingrained. Therefore, the mind will come under control gradually - but it must be done. It is meaningless to say, "I will do something else instead," because there is no other way.
Keep one thing firmly in mind: there are only two entities apart from you - Māyā and God. You have experienced the material world for infinite lifetimes and have found no happiness in it. Therefore, true happiness must exist only in God - this is certain.
So there is no cause for despair. Despair arises only when something is impossible. In the world, there are many reasons to feel hopeless - and justifiably so - because nothing here is certain. Even if you do everything correctly, the outcome may still be bad. But with God, this is never the case. Whatever effort you make in devotion, you will surely receive its result.
At every moment, you have the feeling of 'I'. Similarly, no matter what work you may be doing, constantly remember: "I am never alone. My Lord is with me and notes every one of my thoughts." If this becomes a habit through regular practice, all your problems will disappear. Think: "He is noting down everything. He will also grant the results. I want His grace. How else will I be freed from Māyā without His grace?" And this is a fact - that He is seated in your heart. Just realise this fact. You repeatedly contemplate your worldly relationships as being your own and come to accept them as yours, despite not knowing the truth. However, with God, it is certain - He is truly yours.
Even small children restrain their restlessness and sit seriously before their teacher. But once school ends, they return to their natural state, jumping and playing. The mind is just like that. If you continue to engage your mind again and again in thoughts of God and Guru, then They will gradually fill your mind.
This may sound like a difficult task, but with practice, everything becomes possible. Through practice, even acrobats can perform astonishing feats that seem impossible. Similarly, with practice and detachment - these alone are the two means - you can control the mind.
Abhyāsa-vairāgyābhyāṁ tannirodha:
"Through practice and detachment, the mind can be restrained."
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
