Donkin first heard of Meher Baba when he happened to purchase a recent copy of The Occult Review in which Baba was mentioned.1 He contacted Harry Strutton and learned of an office dedicated to Baba at Charing Cross, where he met Will Backett and others.
Hearing of Baba's presence in London, Donkin came to see him.
Baba expressed his great happiness at meeting this particular young man and remarked to him, "A follower of mine in India is studying medicine. I have asked him to be a doctor. His name is Nilkanth and he will come to stay with me after his studies are completed. A large hospital will then be opened on the ashram premises, but I will need another doctor who knows surgery."
Donkin said, "I am studying medicine at St. Bartholomew's. Should I specialize in surgery?"
"That would be good," Baba answered. "Study it, if you wish."
Donkin replied, "I find surgery interesting and will definitely study it."
Baba appreciated Donkin's intent. As Donkin left the room, he received a sudden shock as he placed his hand upon the door handle. In that instant, he later said, he knew that Meher Baba was God. Donkin recalled, "I didn't see his face I didn't see anything except the blinding light that was there in the room. And I was so dazed, I don't know what happened. I was led out and went on the street. Only after sometime did I begin to register things around me."
For a week after meeting the Master, this young man continually had divine experiences. He was so full of joy that he saw Baba everywhere.
This joy is deep, so deep that it can only be experienced, not described. But the experience brought William Donkin to Meher Baba's feet, for he was destined to become a permanent member of the mandali six years later.
Among those who had interviews with Baba on Sunday, 15 October 1933 was a couple who asked Baba about present world conditions.
Baba commented, "There is every likelihood of war. Otherwise, if it is averted, there will be greater chaos in the world. So, in other words, chaotic conditions are inevitable. It has to happen to reach the stage of everlasting peace. The spark that will set it off will occur within a year; it will be in full swing in a year and a half, and last for two years. I have to play a leading part in that drama."
To Elsie Henry Domville, who was providing financial support for the film Baba wished to make, Baba spoke about creation: "Creation, as you see it, has come out of me, from the minutest speck to the vastest expanse.
Footnotes
- 1.The Occult Review, November 1933.