At this time, there was a grave danger of thieves and dacoits on the way from Mohammerah to Isfahan; by traveling along this route, they were told, they were literally putting their lives in jeopardy.
After Reza Shah had ascended the Persian throne, military patrols were placed at fixed locations along the main highways which lessened the threat of highway robberies. In addition, since Baba's first visit to Persia in
1924, religious feelings were not as hostile as they once were and to some extent, brotherly feelings prevailed between the Muslims and Zoroastrians, which made travel less dangerous for Baba and the men, some of whom were of Zoroastrian descent. However, heavy motor traffic had only recently started in Persia and the roads were so horrendous that it was practically impossible to drive a long distance in one day. Another problem was that there were no road signs of towns posted along the way, which made knowing the exact route very confusing. But their worst difficulty while traveling in Persia was obtaining vegetarian food, as it was simply not available. At times, the group would have only dry bread to eat. To find a suitable means of conveyance through the desert regions was also a problem, but somehow Raosaheb managed to make all the transportation arrangements.
Since arriving in Persia, Baba's health had broken down. His mouth was swollen with sores, he had a cold and suffered from headaches and stomach pains. On 30 September, Baba remarked,
"When my inner spiritual work is intense, it affects and strains my physical body. But I have no care for this bodily burden."
That day, after many months, Baba shaved off his beard and so did Chanji.
The police commissioner of Mohammerah and other officials wanted to meet Meher Baba, and when this was brought to Baba's attention, he scolded the men sternly,
"I have told you a thousand times not to disclose my identity to outsiders. I don't like it. I do not wish to see anyone here. I might give darshan of my own accord elsewhere, but not here. Not one of you listens to me, and this creates all these unnecessary harassments."
It was later discovered that the dervish who had arranged for their house had informed others about Meher Baba. When they first met him, the dervish did not know at the time who Baba really was, but he found out when Baba visited Ardeshir Irani's house in Mohammerah.1 But Baba was adamant and did not grant darshan to anyone in Mohammerah.
Footnotes
- 1.Ardeshir Irani first met Baba at Manzil-e-Meem and later lived at Meherabad, where he was appointed "Director of Agriculture." He had returned to Persia a few months before, in June.