Tell me, Lord, all the difference between God and the individual soul, and instruct me that I may be devoted to your feet and freed from all sorrow, infatuation and delusion.’

‘Briefly, dear brother,’ said Rama, ‘will I explain it all; listen with your mind and intellect and reason fully absorbed. The sense of "I" and "mine", "you" and "yours" is illusion which holds sway over all individual souls.

The senses and whatever is perceived by them and that which lies within the reach of the mind, all this, brother, know to be Maya. Of illusion there are two kinds – knowledge and ignorance; now hear the difference between the two.

The one(ignorance) is evil and utterly calamitous, under whose spell the soul has fallen into the pit of worldly existence; the other (knowledge), by virtue of which the world is created and which holds sway over the three gunas, is directly by the Lord and has no power of its own.

Having assumed a beautiful form, she approached the Lord and with many a smile thus addressed him: ‘There is no man like you, nor a woman like me. It is with great deliberation that God has planned this match.

Though I have searched through the three spheres, I have found no suitable match for me in all the world. And for this reason I have till now remained a maiden; but now that I have seen you my mind is somewhat eased.’

The Lord glanced at Sita and said in reply, ‘My younger brother is a bachelor.’ Then she went to Lakshmana, who, knowing that she was their enemy’s sister, looked at the Lord and spoke in gentle tones: