Summarizing what he stated about food, Baba concluded:
It comes to this: Milk is the best food; it sustains the body and purifies the mind. And the more the mind becomes pure, the more it can be controlled. Desires become less, which is necessary for spiritual aspirants, as there is no progress on the Path without the mind being under control. So long as desires and longings persist, the mind cannot be controlled. From that standpoint, therefore, milk is the best food.
Gandhi replied, "My experience is similar. To keep good health, milk is necessary."
Changing the topic, Baba stated:
Now I wish to clarify the subject of khadi. As you say, everything has two sides — one material and the other spiritual. There are two main things about the material aspect: one is that it should be cheap, and the other is that it should conform to one's nationality. I always dress in clean, simple clothing. For several years, I wore a coat made from a rough woolen blanket [kamli]. It was full of patches, and I only changed coats after seven years because my mandali insisted. Therefore, my dress is plain, cheap and clean, and it conforms to my nationality as I am a Persian subject.
The British authorities raised an objection before my last journey to Persia over my not writing my signature, and the Persian Consul was of the opinion that I, a Persian subject, should have a Persian passport. The current law in Persia under Reza Shah is that every citizen should wear a certain style coat and pants and a Pahlavi cap as a symbol of national dress, which means I should also dress like this. But I reside in India and people naturally wish that I appear like an Indian. Between this Persian and Indian headache, I have selected a style of dress to my liking which I wear. But in fact, both types of attire are the same to me.
For those of my mandali who prefer khadi, I permit them to use it. My devotees K. J. Dastur, editor of The Meher Message , Nusserwan Satha of Ahmednagar, Chinchorkar, R. B. Hiray, Akolkar and others asked me about wearing khadi, and I gladly consented.1
Footnotes
- 1.R. B. Hiray was the managing trustee of the Ahmednagar National High School and also the head of Mohan Printers.