Two female peahens, who were called Idi and Jingi , had been added to the menagerie. Norina had strained a ligament in her right foot and was temporarily bedridden upstairs. As mentioned, Lucky, the monkey, had been put in her charge. He was under the mosquito net. Baba would come to see him, hold and caress him, and the monkey would in turn kiss Baba's neck.
Lucky was anything but lucky for the women. He proved to be a great mischief-maker. He would break loose from his cage under Norina's net, throw things everywhere, causing noise when Baba wanted silence, and in general proved an incredible nuisance. Mansari had been ordered to translate the contents of Meher Baba Journal into Gujarati every month, and Lucky caused havoc grabbing her ink bottle, papers and pens and running off with them. This annoyed Mansari, but she was on silence and could not shout, "Catch him!" as she would have liked.
Elizabeth and Norina were supposed to be looking after Lucky, and everyone complained to them about him. On Thursday, 5 September, when Baba came, Mansari was so irritated, she complained to him about Lucky. Baba replied:
Mansari gets exasperated and excited in no time and cannot control her ire, because she is not so strong. And you all cannot help her, because you too are weak. I want you to help each other. I do not want you breaking my orders for a monkey. The more I ask you to be more obedient, the less you all obey. You obey less and help less because you are helpless! Unless and until you keep strict watch over yourselves, you cannot follow my orders. It is not possible! So try!
Someone asked Hafiz what spirituality meant and he answered in one ode: Unless you go against your lower self, you cannot unite with your higher Self.
Now what is the lower self? That which makes you think you are small, that which makes you feel that you are not satisfied, not happy, that which makes others see you as small.
So the meaning of going against the lower self is to transform this in quite the opposite direction. Be that which makes you look big and makes others see you as big. Remain pleased and contented, happy and satisfied. When you are displeased, unhappy or upset and moody, it is your lower self asserting itself.
People always put the blame for their dissatisfaction and suffering on others.