Mehera, Mani and Gaimai all had the experience of being bothered by a ghost at Prospect Lodge in Lonavla. When Mehera was sleeping, her arm was pulled; Mani's entire body was shaken.
Baba assured them, "Don't worry about it; I will take care of it."
Thereafter, the ghost did not disturb anyone. Baba had freed the spirit so it could take another birth. They later found out that some years before, a laundryman had committed suicide in the well of the compound. Because of this, his spirit was hovering over the place. Baba's mercy put an end to his miserable state, and he was freed.
Baba explained to the women:
"Don't be afraid of ghosts. They don't do any [real] harm. The atmosphere is full of impressions. Sometimes, when you think you feel the presence of a spirit, it is not the actual spirit but the impressions in the place that you feel. That is why I told you all not to go near the well where the dhobi committed suicide. All those impressions of his are lingering there, but I have now freed his spirit, so it is all right now."
Adi Sr. brought his nieces Meheru, Naggu and Tehmi to Lonavla on 13 December to spend their Christmas holidays with Baba. Baba permitted Meheru to remain with him from then on, and she became a permanent member of the women mandali. The goal of her young life had been fulfilled!1
Since his childhood, Savak Damania of Akbar Press, 30, had been in Baba's contact and was engaged to marry Eruch's sister, Meheru. Savak had a friend named Homi Pavri, who wanted to meet Meher Baba. Savak wrote to Baba at Lonavla, and Baba permitted them to come.
They arrived in Lonavla, but Baba sent Vishnu to stop Homi near the gate and allow only Savak to come inside. Homi had brought garlands and sweets for Baba, and Baba told him through Vishnu that he should see him from a distance and then leave. Homi accepted this, saw Baba from that distance, handed Vishnu the garlands and sweets, and started to leave. Savak turned to Baba and asked, "May I see him off at the train station?"
"Is he your child?" Baba snapped. "Can he not go alone? You have come to see me and are to stay here for four days — at a time when I am not seeing anyone! — but if you want to go, go!"
Footnotes
- 1.Meheru's mother Freiny had moved back to Nasik on December 1942, where she remained with her mother Daulatmai.