The new house (now known as Baba House ) was more spacious and had a "wishing well" in the center of the back courtyard.1 For about a year, however, Bobo rented out the house. A room at the back, which had a separate entrance, was kept for Merwan's use. Although Merwan Seth would often sleep at night at different places, every afternoon he continued the terrible rite of banging his forehead on the stone floor in this room. Eventually this pounding stained the stone with blood, no matter how he tried to conceal it from his mother.2
During this period, Merwan's aunt Dowla Masi and uncle Faredoon Masa owned a small restaurant in Poona. Every morning between nine and ten o'clock Merwan would go there to have fresh cream with sugar. A good portion was always kept aside for their favorite nephew. The prasad of sweets and fruits that was distributed after the morning arti at the temple room was prepared by Dowla Masi at her home with the help of cousin Naja and Jamshed's wife Khorshed (whose love for Merwan transformed into spiritual devotion). Faredoon Masa would bring the prasad to the temple each morning in a large basket on his head. Cousin Aspandiar would not attend the morning prayers since he would be left in charge of the restaurant in Faredoon Masa's absence. Thus, all of Merwan's close relatives served him in one way or another. And they, too, began referring to him as Merwanji rather than Merog.
On Thursday and Sunday mornings, Merwan Seth would arrive at the toddyshop by 4:00 A.M. He would rouse every person connected with him in Kasba Peth to accompany him in the prayers held in the temple. He would also bring his relatives and acquaintances, encouraging them to attend these sessions. By this time, Dowla Masi, Faredoon Masa and Merwan's cousins Aspandiar and Naja had surrendered to his guidance completely and their lives were at his command. His entire family had a special feeling of love for Merog. One incident which sealed their love for him occurred when Dowla Masi and Aspandiar went to Sakori to have Upasni Maharaj's darshan. There the Master revealed to them: "Your Merwan is no ordinary man! He is as great as Prophet Zoroaster!"
After the Thursday and Sunday ceremonies at Kasba Peth, prasad of sweets and fruits was liberally distributed to all who came. Many children would come to the small one-room temple just for the prasad. Gradually the number of devotees increased, and among those who were to establish a lifelong connection were: Bala S. Pimple (Tambat), Vithal Ganu Bhokre, Kondiram, Chiman Chowdhary, Marya and Dwarku. Thus, from the humble surroundings of this middle-class area, the inception of the first mandali began.
During the day, Merwan continued to work strenuously in the toddyshop (for he was still coming down to normal gross consciousness), and afterwards he would sit beside Babajan under her neem tree until midnight. He would then go home to rest, but rise again by three o'clock to go to the temple and concentrate for two hours on the photograph of Upasni Maharaj that adorned the room. At five o'clock in the morning, arti to Upasni Maharaj would be sung, usually by Gustadji, and prayers would be recited.
Merwan Seth often treated some of the worst ruffians or derelicts with affection.
Footnotes
- 1.The house was newly built and had not yet been occupied when Sheriarji purchased it.
- 2.After Merwan Seth left home, his room was kept unused and unoccupied. Sheriarji often burned incense there, as is done in temples and other holy places. The stone on the floor of Merwan's room at Baba House is preserved as a memorial to the terrible suffering he underwent during the years of his coming down for the sake of his divine mission.