Acharya Prashant addresses a question about concentration, acknowledging that many people want to concentrate but find they cannot, especially in moments when it is most needed. He states that while it would be easy to offer a simple remedy, as many are available in the market, he prefers to start from a different point. He asks the audience to consider what the mind, the entity that concentrates, can actually focus on. Concentration, he explains, is when the mind settles on an object and does not move from it. The mind will only concentrate on what it likes or what gives it pleasure. Acharya Prashant elaborates that there are two situations in which the mind achieves deep concentration: where it finds profound pleasure, and where it experiences deep pain. For instance, a severe toothache will cause one's entire consciousness to be centered on that tooth. Similarly, one would concentrate on a beautiful object or a frightening animal passing by. The mind is attracted only to pleasure or pain, and this deep attraction is what is called concentration. What one is attracted to depends on who one is. Using an analogy, he explains that a horse will concentrate on grass, while a lion will concentrate on meat; their concentration is determined by their nature. Therefore, one's concentration is a reflection of one's mind. He further illustrates that a person's focus is dictated by their inner state and conditioning. A hungry person will notice food stalls, and someone wanting to buy a car will see that model everywhere. A fly will be drawn to dirt, and a lustful person will focus on sensual imagery, even if it's a small part of a larger picture. The nature of one's tendencies (vritti) determines the object of one's concentration, leading to a state of deep absorption or 'samadhi'. Therefore, asking how to concentrate without changing oneself is an impossible demand. To change the object of concentration, one must change one's life; there are no shortcuts. Quoting Kabir Saheb, he says, "First, the mind was like a crow, committing self-harm. Now, the mind has become a swan, picking and eating pearls." The crow is drawn to filth, which is self-destructive, while the swan is attracted only to pearls, ignoring any surrounding filth. To achieve true concentration, one must become like the swan by purifying the mind's tendencies so it is no longer attracted to what is harmful. This requires honestly observing one's life—what one reads, watches, and the company one keeps—and cleansing it of all that is like garbage, embracing only what is valuable like a pearl. When life is changed in this way, concentration will follow naturally.