Naturally, when Merwan tried to convey these spiritual truths to his Parsi and Irani friends, relatives and neighbors, they were taken aback and disturbed by these esoteric conceptions of the founder of their religion. The local Zoroastrian priests were particularly disturbed by Merwan's declarations.
Although Merwan was beginning to regain a slight semblance of his normal human consciousness, he was able to recognize only his immediate surroundings. The power of the Song within motivated him. By the Divine Will, he moved through life like an automaton, though to strangers he appeared and acted reasonably normal.
Finding Merwan more like his old self, Memo pressed him again to find a job. Merwan did not like the idea; however, against his wishes and because of her pressure, he accepted a clerical position with a well-established brick contractor in Poona. One day Merwan was seated beside the driver in his employer's automobile. The driver accidentally struck an old woman crossing the street. The contractor, who was seated in the back, told the driver to proceed and not to stop. Since a number of persons recognized the car, the contractor was soon arrested and summoned to court the next day. Merwan was also summoned.
Waiting in the courtroom, the contractor told Merwan, "When it is your turn to testify, deny the incident and claim we were driving elsewhere at the time."
Merwan replied, "I cannot do that. It would be a lie." When he took the stand, he told the truth.
The contractor was worried, but the judge ruled that it had not been solely the driver's fault but fined the contractor a sum of Rs.200 for not reporting the accident. After a few days, Merwan was told by the owner to prepare false invoices, which he refused to do. He became upset at the man's dishonesty, tore up the papers and informed his employer, "I cannot work for you anymore!" Thus ended his short employment with the brick contractor, and his mother could not object.
For a time, Merwan began teaching English to a young Zoroastrian priest named Mobed Saheb at the Khorshed Wadi fire-temple. They would sit together from two to four o'clock in the afternoon and often engage in discussions about religious matters. At first Merwan refused to accept any payment, but the priest insisted. Within a few months, the priest was able to read and write basic English.
After some time, wishing only the best for him, Memo pressed Merwan again to find another job, and he was accepted as a schoolteacher at Nargol village in Gujarat. He was hired to teach two subjects, English and Persian, to secondary (high) school students. His salary was Rs.200 per month and he would send half of it home to his mother. But this teaching job lasted for only a few months.
Baily described Merwan's time there as follows:
For whatever short period he was there, Merwan taught his students with great love and care, and won the hearts of all. No one could match his method of teaching, keeping the students engrossed and engaged, and he was highly praised by all for his dedication to the job. During and after school hours, [as was customary] he would always be addressed by the students as "Sir." His cleverness, joyous nature and ever-smiling happy countenance captured the minds and hearts of everyone. He was not only a favorite of the students but of the other teachers and staff as well. He would also take an active part in all games and sports, and would never miss an opportunity to talk on spiritual matters. He would offer advice, gather people in a corner and talk about God in a friendly amiable manner. Similarly, he would recite his poems or Urdu couplets and regale the students.
While leaving Nargol, a large crowd of students came to the railway station and offered him garlands and bouquets [in farewell]. Even after he ceased to be their teacher, for a very long time the students continued to remain in touch with him through letters and requested him again and again to return.1
Footnotes
- 1.It was during this period of Merwan's teaching job at Nargol Village that he originated the Divine Theme chart which was explained and published 27 years later at a gathering in Meherabad in 1943. Refer to God Speaks (Dodd Mead, 1955), pp. 241–243, for a full description of the chart.