ALL ELSE IS UNREAL

THE truth is that God alone is real and all else is
unreal. Men, universe, house, children—all these
are like the magic of the magician. The magician
strikes his wand and says: "Come delusion! Come
confusion!" Then he says to the audience, "Open
the lid of the pot; see the birds fly into the sky."
But the magician alone is real and his magic unreal.
The unreal exists for a second and then vanishes.
Siva was seated in Kailas. His companion Nandi
was near Him. Suddenly a terrific noise arose.
"Revered sir," asked Nandi "what does that mean?"
Siva said: "Havana is born. That is the meaning!" A
few moments later another terrific noise
was heard. "Now what is this noise?" Nandi
asked. Siva said with a smile, "Ravana is dead."
Birth and death are like magic. You see the magic
for a second and then it disappears. God alone is
real and all else unreal. Water alone is real; its
bubbles appear and disappear. They disappear into
the very water from which they rise.