Baba kept Adi Jr., Chanji and Kalingad in Nasik to assist the Westerners, along with Rustom, Freiny and Ramjoo.1
At first, charge of the ashram was in Adi Sr.'s hands; afterward, Norina was to take charge of the conduct and accounts beginning 15 January. Above all, Baba wished this small diverse group of strong individualists and divergent personalities and nationalities to live together in harmony. He stressed this during his visit on 31 December:
I have left things in Norina's charge regarding food and general management. To have complete harmony among you all, four points should be kept in mind:
First: There should be complete cooperation between you all and Norina.
Second: In some matters, Norina should give way; in some, you should give way. You all have come here to learn spiritual Truth — leaving all. So, you should put up with small discomforts and inconveniences. By this, I do not mean that you should overlook your real needs and necessities. We are going to give the world the message of love and brotherhood through Garrett's magazine, and if in our home we have conflicts and disharmony over trivial matters, our message would be farcical and hypocritical.
Third: The thorns to which I previously referred will be in many forms. If you take them too seriously or give them too much importance, they will naturally cause unnecessary suffering. But if you take these thorns lightly and do not attach undue importance to them, even these thorns will be like flowers.
Fourth: If any of you here have the impression that Norina tries to run things her own way just because she is in charge, it is a grave, unjust misconception and should immediately be removed from your minds. I know whatever Norina does is only out of her deep love and feeling for me, to economize and save us as much as possible for my work. On the other hand, Norina seems to have the notion that some do not like it that she is in charge, although I know it is quite the contrary. They all like Norina to manage things as she does. These misunderstandings create unnecessary situations and disharmony and upset things; so the sooner you all clear them up, the better.
You should never forget that your aim is spiritual; otherwise, the retreat would be like a rest house or a hotel. If you have come for me, you should also suffer for me.
Footnotes
- 1.Three of Rustom and Freiny's children (Meheru, Naggu and Beheram) were also living in Nasik at the time; the two older boys (Mehlu and Falu) were away at boarding school.