It is not known whether Watson (or the others) returned for a second meeting with Meher Baba, but in a letter to his mother after visiting the Links, Watson wrote:
This afternoon I met another of the strange collection of spiritual leaders described in Rom Landau's book God Is My Adventure . He is Shri Meher Baba ... whom Rom Landau is not very kind about. But I must say, though it was a brief interview, I rather took to him - sufficiently, at all events, to want to meet him again after December 18, when he has promised to answer any questions I may have for him. Between now and then he is going into strict seclusion, and indeed it was a considerable concession for me to meet him today.1
On 13 November 1939, Baba began an eleven-day fast. During this period, he instructed four of the women and three of the men to fast with him for one day each.
On the 15th, he commented, "If, during the eleven days of my fast, war does not start in real earnest, or if peace is not definitely considered, and if the present lull continues, then I will continue the fast indefinitely. Otherwise, I will stop fasting on the twelfth day."
Baba added, "The real war has started from November 11th."
On the 15th, he instructed the mandali to begin making bandages for those wounded in battle, as part of the war effort. Two days later, on 17 November Baba stopped fasting.
After Margaret's arrival, Baba proposed that she start a dance school in Bangalore, which would also provide an income to support Baba's work. Adi Sr. and Don were tasked with typing up a proposal for the school and scouting out possible locations. One was selected, and Baba took Margaret there to show her. But after that, the idea was dropped and was never raised again.
Don's birthday was celebrated with cakes at teatime on the 14th, and the Aiyangar family visited Baba on the 17th.
Baba made further remarks about the war on 19 November. "Hitler," he said, "is a brave man, a great patriot and has done wonderful service to his country. But as a human being, he is no good — cruel — hopeless! His treatment of the Jews is most heartless."
"Will there be war or peace?" he was asked.
"War," Baba replied. "If however they make peace, it won't be lasting. There will be internal wars, everywhere — civil wars, economic wars, et cetera — which will be worse than war on the battlefield! India will also have to suffer."
Footnotes
- 1.Letter to Francis Watson's mother, 12 November 1939, courtesy British Library.