Baba instructed the mandali to first feed them and then question the man about his condition. He had been driven almost to madness by his unfortunate situation. Baba and the men were on their way to Bareilly, and Baba instructed that the family be taken along in the train. This was done, and once they arrived there, Baba instructed that the wife be admitted to a hospital. Money was given to the man to feed his family. As Bareilly was a large city, the man said he would be able to find employment soon. Once again, Baba's timely help had saved a family who had almost given up all hope and were on the point of dying of starvation.
After Baba's mast tour was completed, he returned to Dehra Dun on 22 March. However, he indicated that he was feeling unwell. Two days later, Baba sent all the maid servants back to Meherabad and instructed the women to manage for themselves. Along with the servants, he also sent Kharmen Masi, Arnavaz and Nargis back to Bombay, accompanied by Kaka.
Conditions throughout the world had worsened in January and February of 1942. The bloodshed was spreading rapidly throughout the Far East, and the possibility of India being bombed became a very real threat. Japan had swept through Indo-China and Thailand and captured Singapore; Japan held a large part of Asia and dominated the Western Pacific.
Baba had given out several messages during the war, which were printed and circulated among his lovers and the public.1 In February 1942, he dictated four new messages: Violence and Non-Violence, The Spiritual Significance of the Present War, Action and Inaction and The Need for Creative Leadership in India .
Baba also gave explanations and precise instructions to his lovers, devotees and the general public on what they should do in case India was invaded by Japan. Baba especially wished these four messages to be delivered to the leaders of India.
He chose Chanji and Jal Kerawalla for this task and sent them to Delhi on 23 March, with these words: "You have to do this work, even if you die doing it!"
The political situation in India was becoming critical. Japan was approaching India's borders. At the same time, Mahatma Gandhi and others were clamoring for independence after more than a century of British rule. To come to some settlement, Churchill dispatched Stafford Cripps to Delhi to meet with India's leaders.
Footnotes
- 1.These messages were printed in Meher Baba Journal. See Appendix B for some of these discourses.