Yet again the mast requested of Baba, "Come back at two this afternoon."
This had now been occurring for three days and Baba had completed his work with the mast. Baidul was ordered to tell him: "The Saheb [Baba] now must leave Baroda. Please allow him to go." But the mast stubbornly insisted that he come back. Thus again, at 2:00 P.M. on the 25th, Baba went back to Chambu Shah's abode for the seventh time. After this meeting, before the mast could invite him back again, Baba directed Eruch to go to his room and tell him: "The Saheb's work here is through and he must leave now, as he has other work to attend to."
The mast replied, "Give my greetings to Saheb; tell him the work is finished and ask him to give my regards to the ladies [women mandali]." Baba was standing on the verandah listening to the conversation.
Chambu Shah handed Eruch the bandi jacket, lungi, coat and several packs of cigarettes and matches that had been given to him by Baba. Unwinding a dirty turban from his head, he gave that to Eruch also. "Give the turban, matches and cigarettes to Saheb," he directed Eruch, "and return the coat, jacket and lungi to whom they belong."
Chambu Shah ended with these cryptic words: "Vilayat is finished. Hindustan [India] is finished. The whole world is finished!"
According to his wish, the bandi jacket and lungi were returned to the shopkeeper from whom they had been purchased, and he refunded half the amount. The rest of the things Baba kept with him as an invaluable treasure and reminder of Chambu Shah's unceasing hospitality.1
In Baroda , on Sunday, 26 October 1947, Baba had fourteen very poor people brought to him in the morning, and each was given a one-rupee coin. In the evening of the same day, sixteen more poor persons were brought, and after contacting them Baba gave each of them one rupee as his prasad.
On 28 October, Baba left Baroda for Ahmedabad, where he worked with four masts: Siddiq Badshah , Bundle Shah and Majnun Shah in Ahmedabad, and an old mast named Arab Shah who was found sitting on the pavement near the Parsi dharamshala in Ahmedabad.2 Baba later described this mast as one of the most interesting he had ever seen. Well, not actually "seen" by Baba for the mast was sitting under a gunny sack — as if hiding.
Footnotes
- 1.As mentioned Meher Baba was very careful in preserving those things given to him by any mast. Everything presented to him was stored in separate trunks now preserved at Upper Meherabad.
- 2.Two of the four masts in Ahmedabad had been contacted before.