There was a burst of laughter, and Baba smilingly asked again, "Are you afraid of death?"
"What if I am?" he replied. "When I have a wife and children to look after ..."
"To die is not easy," Baba spelled out to him. "Thousands and thousands die daily, but it is not dying ! Dying should be such that it is complete death; then it becomes Life Eternal."
"If I offer my neck in your cause, would you keep me alive eternally?"
"When you are worried about your wife and children, how can you offer your neck?"
"I am ready, now, Baba."
"Quite ready?"
"I offer you my neck — slash it! I don't care now if you keep me alive or not."
"Now, you have become very brave," Baba chuckled.
Baba then asked Anna 104 to recite some shlokas from the Gita, which he did. Baba explained their meaning in English and his remarks were translated into Hindi by Ghani. When Deshmukh was asked to render them into Marathi, he looked confused and kept staring at Baba. He was befuddled and seemed unaware of what was happening around him!
When told again to give out the Marathi version, Deshmukh looked as if he had just been awakened from sleep. He could not do the translation, since he had not listened properly nor could he remember what was said.
Baba remarked about Deshmukh: "Here is a man who has both head and heart which is a very rare combination in any disciple. He writes my articles [discourses] in the [ Meher Baba ] Journal from the points I dictate, and writes them well, as you all know. But now in my presence he is so lost in love that he looks like a mast!"
Focusing on the main subject, Baba observed:
Dr. Ghani and Dr. Deshmukh have both grasped and assimilated the points in the Divine Theme chart so well that there is nothing left for me to explain. However, I will make it so clear and easy that you will feel that you have got God in your grip. You will feel as if He is in your hands by intellectual conviction. So all must come fully prepared to listen to a three-hour explanation tomorrow.
Every one of you must be here on August 1st for one month. Don't miss the August opportunity or you will miss an "august" opportunity.