Before that, you have to work tactfully, so that you yourselves do not confirm shariat. The headquarters of shariat is Hyderabad and, as you know, I am staying there at present.
Continuing his report to Baba, Daulat Singh pointed out, "In the beginning I met with serious opposition from my relatives and friends. People took me to be mad for accepting a Parsi as my guru. But patiently and tactfully I let them know of Baba and, by Baba's grace, I achieved much success among all communities, including the Europeans."
Manek Mehta then gave an account of his work saying, "I have spared no pains to inform the Parsi community about Baba and his work. I have been giving on an average a lecture a day, and since the last meeting in June I have delivered six lectures of an international character. Of the two lakh Parsis in Bombay, I have been able to convince 6,000 of them of the value of Baba's work. I have to work against opposition, as some people create different sorts of obstacles in my work."
Baba commented: "Manek is fortunate in working against opposition, because the work done in the face of opposition is lasting."
"Certain people are circulating false rumors about me," Manek maintained.
Baba asked the mandali, "Have you heard anything against Manek?"
They replied that they had heard nothing of the sort.
"What is your complaint?" Baba asked him.
"The number of women to men in the Parsi community is approximately three to one; hence my work is done mostly among women. Some mischief-mongers have spread unfounded stories about me in this regard."
Baba spelled out in reply:
It is not necessary for a true worker of mine to avoid work among women simply because the worker has at times passionate thoughts — provided that he does not put them into action and continues to deal with them purely. If such thoughts come, the worker gets the opportunity of opposing them; and the result of it is great and lasting. Sexual thoughts help in proving the nonexistence of sex. But if these thoughts are put into action, the result is disastrous. So do not avoid seeing women merely because by doing so, you create doubts among the public and give rise to unfounded stories. Continue your work among women, keeping the mind 100 percent strong and your dealings equally pure.
Babadas has told me that on one occasion it so happened he was actually propositioned!