The madman’s joy knows no bounds. The madman’s Guru has taught him one thing. As soon as he thinks of it, he forgets everything; sorrow and suffering, disease and grief, honour and dishonor. That thought remains in his mind as long as he utters the name of Rama. As soon as he forgets to utter the name of Rama, he no longer remembers his Guru’s words.

Having fallen in great suffering he had said to his Gurudeva, ‘Thakur, tell me such a word as will remove all the sorrow from my mind, when I remember it.’

Shree Gurudeva had said, ‘Always repeat the name of Rama and maintain a firm belief that whatever God does, he does it for our good. Disease, grief, sorrow and such other things will not be able to overwhelm you.’ The Madman has been thinking of this statement ever since and has been repeating the name of Rama. He is unable to hold his belief in the statement whenever his repetition of ‘Rama Rama’ becomes weak. He began applying this teaching to every situation.

He began to think, ‘An incurable disease is not cured by medicine and even the physician admits defeat; what good does God do in this matter?’ He remembered a man who started uttering the name of Rama only after he had been attacked with a serious disease. Then God surely does well by bringing diseases. A disease also is good because man learns to utter the name of Rama on becoming ill. He forgets to wail for the dreamlike world. The disease of uttering the name of Rama is also good. Man becomes devoted to God in disease and grief. Now I have got it ‘Whatever God does is for the good’. Rama, Rama, Sitaram.

Well, there are men who are poor, have nothing to eat, who may get food but once in a day and have no provisions for the next; what good does God do for them? The madman began to think. When a man is poor he has no ego and can understand the misery of the poor. People hate the poor so he cannot approach other people. Whomsoever he approaches thinks that he has come to ask for something. Everybody avoids the presence of a poor man. A poor man has no place to live, other than in isolation. Living in isolation he senses the presence of his inner self. Then he talks with Him, becomes acquainted with Him and lives day and night joyfully with Him. The sadhus love the poor very much. The sadhus step into the house of a poor man to gratify him. They bring him nearer to God. He receives God’s grace. God is the wealth of the destitute. God remains away from a man so long as he has something to call his own. As soon as the attachment to possessions is dropped, God comes and embraces him. This is the eternal way of God. The madman knows of a man, who, despite being poor, experienced great joy and by a miracle came to receive many things which he now uses for the service of his God. It is poverty that leads man towards God. Now I have realised it, ‘Whatever God does is for the good of man.’

The madman began to examine all events howsoever little or great. He found every happening to be consistent with the statement ‘Whatever God does is for the good’. In disease and grief, sorrow and pain, he saw that whatever God did was for the good. Even when he is not able to clearly identify the element of ‘good’ in a situation, he continues to believe that whatever God does is for the good.

He knew a woman. She had become a widow in her youth and had taken shelter in her father ’s house. For her, the world was a source of great suffering and continuous uproar. So he could not understand what good God did for the woman. After some time the madman heard that the woman was reciting the name of her Guru and later he saw that the she had attained samadhi. He understood. He danced and said, ‘Whatever God does is for the good.’

Rama, Rama, Sitaram.

When he saw a licentious drunkard, he could not immediately relate it to the teaching. He could not understand what good had God done. After some time the drunkard lost his relish for wine and began to hate the company of woman. He became a great devotee of Hari and started spending his days in speaking of God. He was glad to become a servant of God. The crazy man’s joy knew no bounds. He danced and said, ‘Whatever God does is for the good.’

The madman sees a creditor saying very bitter things to a debtor. The debtor is shedding tears and silently calling out to God. There is no means of repaying his debt. What good did God do here? Being unable to decide anything the madman spoke out loudly, ‘Whatever God does is for the good.’ The debtor says, ‘You are right. My master trusted me very much but I stole much money from him. This is the expiation of my sin. Whatever God does is for the good.’ Glory to God!

One day the madman thought, ‘A poor man reaches out to God if he is fortunate; otherwise he steals and commits fraud. What good does God do here?’ Being unable to decide, the madman closed his eyes and meditated on the feet of God. He saw these words appear in his heart, ‘They are destroying the fruit of their work by stealing and committing fraud.’ The madman said aloud, ‘Whatever God does is for the good.’

While reciting ‘Rama Rama’, the madman was thinking, ‘Dacoits hit men on the head with a lathi, steal everything, bring about ruin, burn people to death, perpetrate inhuman torture, what good does God do here?’ Being perplexed the madman focused inwards and saw that the dacoit is sitting in a solitary garden of Tulsi and is reciting the name of Hari. His whole body is marked with the name of Rama, he wears a garland of Tulsi round his neck and he is telling the beads of a Tulsi rosary.

‘Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare Hare’

His torso is getting soaked with tears. The madman said, ‘Well done sir, are you destroying the fruit of your deeds? Well done! Well done! Glory to Him! What God does is for the good.’

One day the madman saw that the son and daughter-in- law of an old man were beating him and driving him out of the house. The old man was crying aloud. The madman thought that perhaps this situation did not reconcile with the teaching. But he was not the man to retreat. He went to the old man saying, ‘What God does is for the good.’ The old man wiped his tears and said with joy, ‘Truly what God does is for the good. I behaved in this way with my parents. I am expiating for my sin. O God, what you do is for the good.’

On a certain day the madman thought, ‘Well, so many people are suffering from new ailments and ugly diseases like Kala-azar, beriberi, phthisis, indigestion, acidity, cholera, pox and plague. What good does God do in this?’ After all, he is a madman. As he closed his eyes and sat down to utter the name of Rama, he saw the Howrah Station, crowded with people as if it was a great holy place. The tea-shop was heavily crowded. A youth drank tea from a contaminated cup and got infected. He went to the village and spread the disease in his country. The disease killed not only this youth but also the villagers. The madman thought, ‘This disease is the result of not observing purity in life. Organisms carrying dreaded diseases are all around and are being ingested. Atonement matches the sin.’ The madman decided, ‘Good is being done by God, through the destruction of evil created by undisciplined and impure living.’ Jai Sitaram.

This scene too disappeared from madman’s sight. He now saw before him, a shop in which different curries of fish, eggs and meat were on display. He did not even know the names of all the items. Dogs, crows, beggars and greedy people had cast such glances at them that all the curries had got burnt. People who ate such spoilt food were falling prey to diseases such as indigestion, acidity and colic pain. The madman thought that diseases were indeed good for these gluttons. They were expiating for their sin.

The madman again saw a new scene. A Brahmin, toothless and reduced to mere skin and bone, was crying in hunger. He had no way of eating anything. He could not digest what he ate and suffered from acute pain. Although the madman was unable to decide what good God did in this case, he said, ‘What God does is for the good.’ The Brahmin said, ‘True, He does no injustice. I am a Brahmin. I used to get up only after having my bed-tea, that too without washing my mouth. I never prayed. I had ever only eaten. So today, I have no digestive power and I am about to die of indigestion and acidity. Day and night I chewed betel leaves with tobacco like a goat. I exhibited my liberal attitude by accepting betel leaves prepared by anybody. As a result I have lost all my teeth. My head reels and I cannot remember anything, I speak rudely even when someone speaks sweet words.’ The youth cried and said, ‘You had rather commit suicide by taking poison than chew betel and tobacco and drink tea like me.’ The madman no longer had any doubts. He said rejoicing, ‘What God does is for the good.’

The madman thought, ‘Well, even those who strictly follow the rules of conduct are also attacked with disease.’ At once that question was settled. Evil deeds are the cause of disease. They might not have been committed in this life but how can their consequences be annulled? Deeds done in previous lives come in the form of diseases and affect even devoted persons. It agrees with the teaching, ‘What God does is for the good.’

Madman’s mind is gradually becoming confused. He is unable to identify any more evil. On reciting the name of Rama, any evil he discovers and gets agitated about, turns out to be good-intentioned. The madman was floating in the sea of joy.

One day, the madman was going down a road, when he saw an old woman coming up, crying, ‘O my darling son, where have you gone? I have no one else to call own who will look after me? Who will give me food? I have lost everything for you. I have been reduced to begging for you.’ The madman realized that the only son of the old woman had died. Alas! What would happen to the old woman? Well, what good did God do in this case? But the madman did not give up saying. He went to the old woman and said ‘What God does is for the good.’ Hearing this strange thing at the time of her great sorrow the old woman stared at the face of the madman. The madman sat there and began to meditate on the feet of God. Slowly a man and a woman appeared in the space of his heart. The man said, ‘Repay the debt in full with interest otherwise, the consequences will not be good. A great harm will befall you.’ The woman said, ‘How can I repay? I have nothing. I live by begging. In this situation how can I pay you back?’ The man said, ‘I do not know how you will pay me. If you do not repay my money you will not be saved. I will exact the money with interest, anyhow. I will make you suffer as you are making me suffer.’ The woman said, ‘How will you exact if I have nothing?’ The man said, ‘In My next birth I will be your son. You will bring me up by spending everything you have and with your own blood. Then after exacting my money, I shall die. As I am now crying in grief for my money you too will have to cry in grief for me in your old age.’ The madman’s trance came to an end. ‘Rama, Rama, he has exacted his money’ he said, ‘What God does is for the good.’ He stood up. The old woman was still staring at the face of the madman. Seeing the madman’s face she had understood although his body was there, he was somewhere else. The old woman caught hold of his feet and said, ‘Father! Why do you speak of repayment of loan in full?’ The madman said, ‘Leave my feet. Leave my feet. I am a madman. I dreamt that you were the debtor and your son was the creditor. He had come to exact his money.’ Saying this, the madman recounted his dream. The old woman said, ‘It is exactly that. He is not my son, he is indeed my creditor. What shall I do now? Where shall I stand? I have none to call my own.’ The madman looked up at the sky and said, ‘You are there with your love for all those who have been cast aside and have no one to call their own. O Lord, those who are homeless and without shelter also live in your house. O mother, say ‘Rama Rama’. He is yours. The whole world is his abode. Call out to him. See the two eyes, how beautiful are they!’ The old woman began to say ‘Rama Rama’. The madman ran saying, ‘Rama Rama’. Only joy! Only good! What God does is for the good.’

One day the madman went to the burning ghat and saw that a funeral pyre was burning furiously. Now and then there were cracking sounds. Those who were burning the dead body were hitting the pyre from time to time with a bamboo. A beautiful young woman was lying there, distraught with grief and crying. The madman understood that this woman’s husband was dead. The madman’s tongue uttered, as it had been accustomed to do, ‘What God does is for the good’. To know what good God had intended, the madman closed his eyes, started saying, ‘Rama Rama’ and entered his inner space. He saw that a young man was standing with a pale face and a young woman was scolding him loudly, ‘My misery knows no bounds as I have fallen in the hands of a poor man like you. I have nothing! Not even a piece of good clothing, a bottle of essence, a cake of soap or an ornament. Not the smallest desire of mine has been fulfilled. Who doesn’t get food! Even jackals and dogs get to eat.’ The young man said in a distressed voice, ‘Look, whatever I earn I offer at your lotus-like feet. Because of you, my mother, father, brothers and sisters could not be happy. Because of you my world is on fire. Everything is gone. There is no one else now. Please be calm and let us live a pure life in God’s grace.’ The young woman became more furious and said, ‘Shame! Shame on such a husband! Why did you marry? You could have lived with your parents. You speak of God, as if you are his great favourite. Let your God give me what I want, and then I will decide what sort of God he is. Die! Die! It would be better to remain a widow for seven lives than have such a husband.’ The young man said, ‘Let it be so. It will be so. You will remain a widow for seven lives. As soon as you will become an adult, you will be a widow.’

The madman’s trance came to an end. Where was the young man and where was the young woman? The pyre began to burn more furiously. The madman said, ‘What God does is for the good’ and began to dance. The madman had forgotten all evil and he saw goodness in everything. All is good. Honour is good, dishonour is good, happiness is good, sorrow is good, a widow is good, a married woman is good, a son is good, a daughter is good, there is only good and nothing else. God who is ‘all good’ has created this universe only to do good. Glory to God who is auspicious! Hail! What God does is for the good.