God Plays the Lila
“Don’t think that I or you have done this. God plays the lila in his own way. No role of mine, none of yours. It was to happen”
In my youth, I had taken a vow not to get married, from the day my aunt, who had raised me, died.
My family tried to get me married, but I was adamant. When I was between the ages of twenty-five and thirty, Maharaji-ji would tell me not to get married and told people that I was tubercular or had cancer and that I was dying.
In my thirtieth year, Maharaji-ji asked me, “Do you want to get married?”
“No,” I answered. Maharaji-ji then admired my shirt and asked to have it. He asked what sort of shirts I had before I started college, and I replied that I had only one old, torn shirt, but it served the purpose. Maharaji-ji then asked how many I had now, and I said twelve. When asked why I had so many, I replied that as a teacher in public school, I had to maintain a certain code of dress or I’d be fired. Maharaji-ji said, “No, no it is not this. Now you want to get married. You could have done with one shirt. If I ask you to marry, what will you do?” I told him, in that case, I’d have to marry - but the responsibility would be Maharaji-ji’s. For eight days Maharaji-ji continued to press for my marriage.
On the eighth morning, Maharaji-ji set off to catch the train. On the way to the station, he turned off the road to a young woman’s house and beckoned me to go in with him. There was kirtan going on and Maharaji-ji was sitting in the puja room. I was called in and so was the young woman. Maharaji-ji asked if I’d marry this girl, but I refused. Maharaji-ji said, “If I asked you to?” I replied that the responsibility would be Maharaji-ji’s.
First Maharaji-ji said, “I’ll not do it.” Then he said, “All right, all right. I’ll solemnize the marriage!” He put tilaks on our foreheads and said, “There, I’ve got you married! Do you accept it?”
Later Maharaji-ji said, “Don’t think that I or you have done this. God plays the lila in his own way. No role of mine, none of yours. It was to happen! My wife and I have been very happy for over twenty-five years.
