Pendu did it, and forgiving him, Baba explained, "Dattu is not the root of the quarrel; it is the wrath of everyone! If there is no anger, there is no quarrel. You have dedicated your whole life to me and have been serving me for years with all your heart. But up to now you have failed to dedicate your anger to me. If you do it, you will be unequaled!"
Nana Kher, 28, of Nagpur had been interested in spirituality from childhood, particularly the stories of Ram and Krishna. He heard of Baba in 1941 from Deshmukh (then his professor of philosophy) and from that time on had been yearning for darshan. But when Baba's darshan program was held in Nagpur in 1944, Nana was working in Poona and had no knowledge of it.
In Poona, he met Eruch, who told him of his (Eruch's) forthcoming marriage and added, "If you attend it, you will have Meher Baba's darshan." So Nana came to Ahmednagar to attend the function. The first time he met Baba was on 27 May, the evening before the wedding, when Baba paid a visit to Akbar Press.
Baba called Nana into his room. Eruch, Jal Kerawalla and Jalbhai were present.
Baba asked him, "What do you want?"
"Spiritual freedom," Nana replied.
Baba looked highly pleased and asked, "Would you follow my orders?"
"I am fully prepared to do as you say."
Baba instructed, "Fast every Sunday during the day, and at 7:00 P.M. have a full meal after feeding a beggar with your own hands. Repeat my name for fifteen minutes daily in a closed room, and lead a simple, pure life." Nana was grateful for Baba's orders and Baba asked him, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"
Nana reluctantly said, "My parents want me to marry. Should I?"
"What is the hurry?" Baba asked. "Wait for two years and then I will tell you what to do."
Nana was permitted to accompany Baba in his car back to Meherabad. As soon as Mohammed Mast saw Baba, he embraced him heartily and would not let him go. Baba made some excuse to extricate himself and gathered the mandali in the old Mess Quarters building, where Adi Sr. played the harmonium and sang a few ghazals.
On Monday, 28 May 1945, the weddings of Eruch, 29, to his cousin Khorshed Damania, 29, and of Eruch's sister, Meheru, 24, to Khorshed's brother, Savak Damania, 33, took place at Akbar Press. It was not so much a marriage as a gathering of celebration for Baba's lovers from Bombay, Poona and Ahmednagar.
Baba and the Meherabad mandali went to Akbar Press to attend the weddings, and the ceremony turned into a darshan! Both marriages were done according to Baba's wish, but Eruch's was really extraordinary. To obey Baba, and at the same time to please his father, Eruch had married — but as events unfolded, it became clear that he was not to lead a married life.
After the wedding, Manek Mehta introduced Baba to the gathering, proclaiming him as "the Avatar of the Age." Babu Gavai, the singer from Poona, performed, and Baba allowed darshan to all. And in a separate room, he gave private interviews to a few persons, including the two newly married couples. A seeker from Karachi named Minocher K. Spencer met Baba at this time. Spencer had brought a message from Swami Ramdas of Kerala, but before he could deliver it, Baba revealed his omniscience by stating why the man had come and what was in the message.1
Sorabji Siganporia from Bombay had come to the wedding with his family. He had met Baba before, but when Baba had asked for his son Noshir, who was mentally troubled, to be kept with him, Sorabji had become disconsolate and had left without having any faith in Baba.
Sorabji was sitting in Akbar Press when Baba called him and offered him paan, telling him to eat it. Although even this time the light of faith had not yet dawned in him fully, Sorabji did as he was told and ate the leaf. While chewing it, he suddenly was overcome by some inner realization, and exclaimed, "I accept you! I accept you!" Heads turned and all eyes stared at him in surprise.
From them on, Sorabji had full faith in Meher Baba.
Footnotes
- 1.M. K. Spencer wrote extensively on mysticism and spirituality, and later formed a group of spiritualists in Kerala. Swami Papa Ramdas was one of seven advanced souls whom Baba referred to as his "beloved children."