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The glory and divine play (Līlā) of Lord Rāma is profoundly vivid, yet exceedingly difficult to understand, even for the wise. Often, people misunderstand God's play. This is especially true for those whose vision is narrowed by ignorance; they perceive God's actions as entirely different from what they are. We do not comprehend fully. Many questions arise: How can God permit wars? How can He allow suffering through earthquakes? What purpose could God have in a drought? How are we to understand God when fires rage, consuming humans, creatures, and vegetation? How do we reconcile a benevolent God with innocent children suffering from disease? They seem sinless, so how is this possible? We do not understand. Those who find fault with God in this manner certainly do not understand what God is—or what is not God. They do not comprehend what karma is. They do not understand destiny. And destiny is created by the individual. Within the life and body of that suffering child, karma from many past lives lies hidden. But we see only our selfish concerns and benefits; thus, we fail to understand God. If you truly understood God, all problems would be solved. You would see clearly. The issue is this: you see only the result, not the cause. We perceive only the present situation, not the past circumstances—the previous lives and actions. Consequently, we cannot see what the future holds. This is why it is so hard to understand the Līlās of God, or the Master's education and guidance. We often think the Master does not love us, that He has forgotten us. But that is your thinking, not His. It is not His reality. Therefore, to understand the glories of Bhagavān Rām, the king of the Raghu dynasty, the lord of its destiny, is not easy. Even Lord Śiva took his time to gaze upon Rāma. When He saw Him, His heart was filled with love and ānanda. That ocean of Rāma's glory made Śiva's eyes overflow with tears of joy as He looked upon Him with His full gaze. But the time was not right. Time was not there, so Śiva did not reveal Himself in the external world. He appeared, witnessed the Lord's glory—a glory that is indescribable (vichitra), beautiful, and miraculous—and saw Lord Viṣṇu in the form of a small child, running, laughing, crying, and playing. What God is doing is Līlā. No one understands. But Śiva realized, knowing it was not the right time to disturb Him now. Sometimes you wish to help, but that help can have the opposite effect. Sometimes knowledge brings unhappiness. Sometimes truth creates great problems. Therefore, digesting knowledge is not easy. As long as you did not know, you were relaxed. As soon as you came to know, you became sad. For example, imagine you are happily playing and eating. Your grandmother died yesterday, but you did not know. The moment the news reaches you, all your play and laughter end, and you are overcome by sadness you cannot digest. This is but one example. Thus, knowledge is not easy to digest. Truth is not easy to realize. It is very hard. You need strength and willpower; you must become strong. Consider the pillar of this hall; it is strong and can bear the weight. If it were made of cardboard instead of concrete, it would not help. Our condition is still so flexible and weak, like a piece of paper. We must become solid, gain the strength to resist all difficulties, and be ready to receive knowledge. Lord Śiva said to Himself, "Glory, victory to Thee, O Sat-Cid-Ānanda, O Lord Rāma. You are the great. You are the glorious." The destroyer of passion, Lord Śiva, departed from that place. Again and again, He repeated the joy in His heart. With His heart and eyes full of joy, He left with Satī. Sati-ṣoḍaśa-sambhu, Sati-ṣoḍaśa-sambhu ke dekhi hurayupa-ja sandehu-viśeṣi, śaṅkaru-jagad-paṇḍ-jagad-i-sā, surnara-munisabh-nāvat-si-sā. When Satī saw this condition of Śiva—the state He was in—a doubt arose in her heart. She asked herself, "The whole world adores Lord Śiva. He is the Lord of this world. All goddesses and holy saints bow down to Him. What has happened to Him now? Somehow, He seems a little unbalanced—not in a material way, but He is more full of joy, as if intoxicated. He is so happy and divine. Why did He pay praṇām to that prince, the child of that king? And while saying, 'Jai ho Satchidānanda Ganeśa,' why did He call that child 'Satchidānanda'—the Supreme One? Śiva made His obeisance to that child." When Śiva saw the glory of that child, He was drunken in love, intoxicated by it. His heart remained full of that feeling of happiness and joy. The waves of joy were so strong that, try as you might to stop them, they could not be stopped—like a great flood, they flow and flow. Satījī pondered: Who is the one who is omniscient? Brahman. Who is omnipresent, without māyā, untouched by illusion, unborn, immortal, without will, without desire, without differences? Even the Vedas find it very hard to describe Him. Is it possible that such a One adopts a body, manifests in a form just like a normal human? God, who is omniscient, omnipresent, in each and every atom, one without a second, unborn, immortal, everlasting, indescribable, singular like the sky—how is it possible He comes here in an embodiment? Viṣṇu jo surahit nar tanudhārī, sou sarvagya jathā Tripurārī. Khoja iso kī āgyā Ivanārī, gyāna dhām Śrīpati asurārī, for the sake of all bodies. Who takes this human body? Who is Viṣṇu? He, like Śiva, is everywhere. He is the treasure of wisdom. He is Lakṣmīpati, the treasure of prosperity. He is the enemy of the Rākṣasas and Pāṣaṇḍas—Bhagavān Viṣṇu. Can He become like this, like an ignorant person, full of innocence? Wandering here and there in the forest, searching for His wife, behaving just like a normal person? If He is everywhere, in everything, and the knower of everything, then why can't He be immediately where she is? Why is He wandering? Why is He sad? How to realize this? How to accept it? Many questions arise, especially in the Western world where one knows more about Jesus. A doubt persists: Is this Jesus the whole incarnation? How could He then let Himself suffer on the cross? How could He cry? How could it happen that He was screaming? Is He God? People do not understand this. And this is what He is playing, purposely. That is the test—to see how far people will understand Him. Those whom He wants to understand will understand Him even in this condition. Is that Viṣṇu who is wandering in the forest? God Śiva is Antaryāmī—the knower of the inner self, the Lord of your heart. He knows what is going on within you, in your mind. Sometimes He lets you go through the fire a little—for one life, two lives, three lives. For Him, it is but a little. But the merciful Lord Śiva... puni-brakṣāna hoi, Śiva-sarvagya-jāna-sabhukoi, Asa-sansaya-mana bhayaṁ apārā, Hoyaṁ hirdayam prabhoda-pracārā. "I cannot imagine that it could be Viṣṇu, and I do not dare to say that it could be Viṣṇu. But when the Lord of the world, Śiva, exhibits such feelings and devotion, then there must be something. Because Śiva's words never go empty. His words are truth. People who have problems with the nose should go to clean and sit near the door. But the words of Śiva are always truth, reality." Everyone knows Śiva is the knower of everything and is everywhere. This conviction was also in Satījī's heart, yet questions arose. Questions arise only when there is doubt. Otherwise, there is no "why?" You say "why?" when something is not clear, or you do not accept it, or do not want it. She tried in many ways, but still, clarity did not appear in her heart. Therefore, Bhagavān Śiva... Yad api pragat na kahau bhavānī, harayantar jāmi sab jānī, sunahi satī tava nāri subhāvū, sanśaya asana dharīye dharaka-urkāvū. Though Śiva did not tell all secrets to her—indeed, Satījī did not ask Śiva about her secret feelings—Lord Śiva is Antaryāmī. He understood what was going on in her mind and heart. Sometimes our stupid mind thinks others do not know, but that is precisely when others will know. A stupid person wants to make others stupid. Then the blind leads the blind. Even a normal person can see your condition on your face. So for Śiva, it was no problem. He knew what was disturbing Satījī. The merciful Lord Śiva spoke and said, "Satījī, listen. Your nature is a woman's nature, a female nature—very curious. Ladies, you are to say this, because the majority here are sitting. But they are always so curious. They want to know everything. And the problem is this: when they come to know, they cannot digest it. This is like a chain, continuing problems, then internally you are burning." (This could be a condition of a man, too, but I have to read only what is here. We are living in a world of emancipation, but I think the emancipation is going too far. The man forgets the woman.) Therefore, Lord Śiva said, "I know your nature. You are very curious. You want to know something. Dear one, you should never have doubts in your mind. Do not keep doubts. Doubt is a cancer disease. There is physical cancer, and there is mental cancer. Mental cancer is doubt. And when mental cancer appears, then appears the unbearable pain of jealousy, of hate, of complexes. Oh, you cannot imagine. Thanks to God, be happy that none of you knows what jealousy is. Be happy you do not know. And if you know, then tell me, please, how it is. Do you know? A little bit, perhaps, yes." Therefore, God Śiva said to Pārvatī, "Do not keep doubts in your mind." O dear Satījī, the Ṛṣi Agastya told me that beautiful glory, the tale of God, which I told him—the devotion about God, that Kathā. In that tale, I told Agastya Muni that He is my Iṣṭa Devatā, the Lord of my heart: Raghubīra, the hero of the dynasty, whom all sages, wise ones, and ṛṣis are serving. Muni-dhīra, yogī, siddha, saṅtata, vimalamana, jaibdhyāvahī, kaine ti, nigama, purāṇa, āgama, jāsu kīrtī gāvahī, soi Rāma, vyāpaka Brahma, bhuvana-nikāya-pati, māyādhani, avatarev apne bhagatahita, nijatantradita, Ragukulamani. The wise ones—the munis, the yogīs, the siddhas—constantly meditate upon Him. The Vedas and Purāṇas sing His glory. All holy scriptures sing His glory. That One, omnipresent in the entire universe, the Lord of the whole universe, the Lord of Māyā, everlasting, the Supreme, ever-free, of the nature of Mokṣa, the very Brahman—Bhagavān Śrī Rām. He incarnates here for the sake of His devotees (Bhaktas). In the present, He is like the jewel in the crown of the Raghu dynasty, incarnated here. Lord Śiva explained to her many times. He told her, "It is Viṣṇu. It is He." He is that One, but she could not understand. Simply, she could not understand. Can you understand? At least this much: simply, she could not accept it. And this is the problem. Many times you explain to your partner, but he simply does not understand, or you do not understand what he tells you. And there begins the conflict in the family. So, explain again and again. But still, if you have a problem, do not be unhappy. That can only happen in the best families. Even the goddess has this problem. Even Gods have that problem. That is why it is said: māyā mā thāgniham janim. The greatest cheater is māyā. Man is māyā for women, and woman is māyā for men. So men should never feel they are not in māyā. They are the biggest problem of māyā. They are also māyā. Although Lord Śiva tried to explain to her again and again, still His words this time did not take root in her heart. That's it. What to do? You do not know, and you do not accept the words of the Master. Now, what should God do with you? Then God Śiva said in His heart, "Well, Lord, if You decide it, if it is Your will that it should be like that, then I accept it. I shall explain something to her." God Śiva was smiling inwardly. "Lord, that's Your will, that's Your māyā—endless. You have not won enough from one. One after another, so many are playing. Not only one tennis ball, you know—one tennis ball, football, handball—many things at the same time. Not only one tennis ball, but also a football, a basketball, all together." Śivajī said to Satījī, "Well, if you do not trust my words, if you have no confidence, and you do not find truth in what I tell you, then do it yourself. Go and make a test, an examination. Lord, why don't you do it? Go and find out for yourself. Until you come back to me, I will sit here under this beautiful banyan tree, in its nice cool shadow. At least I will have my time to relax or meditate. So, go yourself and find out if He is really Viṣṇu or not. Go there and check if He really is Viṣṇu or just a normal human child." At the same time, Śiva knew. He gazed upon it. She may go and make some kind of test—Satī, daughter of Dakṣa. But it would not be good for her. It is not in her favor. I will be sorry for her. But she wants to do it; she wants to go and know. And what I am telling her, she does not believe. She says, "You tell me the same thing so many times." Now she is going, and she will have to pay the price, face the consequences. Though I explain to her, and she does not understand, and her doubts do not go away, it seems destiny will not like this. The Lord of destiny—even speaking about destiny—Śiva is the Lord of destiny. Nothing is impossible for Him. But He said, "Maybe it is her destiny. I shall not interfere in her destiny. Of course, I will keep my eyes [on her]. After some lives, again I will take care of her." (After some, not some days—I did not say this, yes? And here it also did not say after some lives. But it will come. It will take some lives.) Therefore, understand the Guru's words (Guruvākya). Clean your mind. Clean your heart. Give up your stupid thinking. Just surrender. Thus, Śivajī was thinking: It seems destiny has something different in mind. Now, Satījī would not be well. Unfortunately, it is not good for her. It is not her luck in it, though He explained to her. But there was Āvaraṇa, Mālā, Vikṣepa in her heart. Mālā is impurity, impure thinking; Vikṣepa is disturbances and doubts; and Āvaraṇa is ignorance. So when there is ignorance, doubts, and impure thoughts, that is when your distraction begins. Bhagavān Śiva says, "He repeats mantra: Śiva, Śiva... Rām, Rām... Rām. He is Viṣṇu; He is Rāma." And she does not accept this. Let her go. Lord Śiva says, "It will be like that, as God Rāma wishes. What God has created here, this is Māyā. What He has created now has to be like that." He did it. I have to accept it. What He has created here should be. Why should we unnecessarily expand more with our arguments? Argument does not solve problems; it expands them, makes them bigger. You have to take one step towards acceptance, see both sides. Otherwise, when there is an argument, then there are so many arguments. And sometimes, finally, the argument comes down to: What was first, the seed or the tree? The egg or the bird? What a stupid argument! It begins, and then there is no end. So the wise one said, "No discussions." Bhagavān Śiva, Lord Śiva says, no arguments. Like this, Lord Śiva was thinking to Himself. He sat down, and Śiva began to repeat His mantra. Asa kailage japana harināma. Like this, He said to His mind and began to make japa of the mantra, harināma—the name of God, Hari, Viṣṇu. Those who repeat the name of God are the liberated ones. Your mantra. And Satījī left proudly. "I will go and see what it is." Please, Dalsi, go ahead. So Satījī went to where the Lord was residing, where Rāma was incarnated, where He was. Thus, Satījī is now going to Rāmachandrajī.