A great doctor can be recognised only at the time of a serious illness. In a perfect world where there is no illness, a talented surgeon with great skills, will be just another ordinary mortal, unrecognised for what he is. The same applies to everyone else; there may be many with exceptional talents, but they are unrecognised because there is no situation to demand their specialties. God, too, can be recognised and appreciated only in the right context. Ram (God) can use his supreme knowledge and skills to eradicate the ever evasive demon, Ravan (our inner demon), who is the root of all evil.
To understand this task of God, let us imagine a scenario of a mother whose children are drowning. In such a situation, the mother’s urgency is to save the children and to take them out of danger. God sees the present world situation with that urgency. What is the situation? Souls are drowning in delusion. The situation is complicated because, in delusion, one doesn’t know that one is drowning. So, one is neither seeing the danger nor asking for help.
Under the spell of delusion, they may ask for many other things, like a big hat and other desires that are totally irrelevant, like their idea of success. When all are under the spell, God is the only one who has a grasp of the situation and the method to save them from drowning; that is what makes him God. The Mother wants them to be out of delusion, with the urgency that it deserves.
Under normal circumstances, the aim of a mother is not to get her children to worship her, let alone in a situation of crisis. Her satisfaction is in knowing that the children are doing the right thing; that they are out of danger, benefiting themselves and others. Once out of the spell, the Mother knows that they will discover themselves and discover the waking reality. Only when they are out of delusion, can they truly understand the seriousness of the danger and the value of the Mother’s help. In this ongoing game between the soul and Ravan, if we recognise the murkiness of Ravan, we will immensely appreciate Ram and the knowledge from Ram.
In this context, what is the value of all the worship, music, rituals, and architecture of cathedrals and temples? At best, an innocent waste, at worst, a clever ploy of Ravan to distract us from Ram’s help. When Ram incarnates to help the souls, Ravan creates his own Ram to distract the souls from the real Ram i.e. a statue of Ram or some fashionable concepts about Ram. If they were to go to the real Ram, they would get help and be out of the delusion. Achieving freedom from the vices, from Ravan, and from delusion, is in itself proof that one is connected to the real Ram. God is pleased with that one. Ravan has no qualms about them singing and dancing in the name of God, or writing books on God, as long as they do not aim to free themselves.
Does God love me? Does He accept me? Does He forgive me? Does God exist? Such questions are the indulgences that we can afford when under the spell. One who is aware enough to know that he is himself drowning, will catch the rescue ring and help himself get out.