People always want good friends but they never consider whether or not they are a good friend to others.  First you have to become good friend, and that is not easy. If you are a good friend, then you will get good friends. God will send you good friends. When you pick good friends be very careful, some of them are not good. You drop them. Try new ones. Once you find a few good friends, stick to them.

True friends are very few. You will be lucky if you have only one friend. When we say one friend, we mean a true friend is like a saint. Most people treat friendship like a business. They are friends because they need something. A true friend is one who gives truthful advice. Although you may not like it, you know that he is telling you the truth and respect him for it. Usually friends pamper each other and when they disagree, they will say the other is no longer a friend because he does not agree.

So we will learn a lot about friendship because the Lord says that He is a true friend and true friendship can never be traded. He respects differences of opinion between his friends. He tries to distinguish between the truth and the untruth. It is very important that we recognize that friendship is a very valuable thing in our life, and it is very hard to come by. Usually all we get is social company for our physical, intellectual or mental pleasures. That is not real friendship. True friendship is like the one between Krishna and Arjuna.

If you find good friends, stick to them, and don't go after too many friends. If you have few good friends, two or three, it's better than thirty friends you can't depend on. You cannot handle too many friends anyway. Be very choosy in having good friends. Don't run around because your energy is limited and you will get tired.

Friends should be dependable and trustworthy. Such friends are not easy to find. You will be lucky even if you have one good friend. The Gita will teach you what the qualifications are for good friends.

-- Swami Radhanandaji