ChaptersChapter 18Page 2,661

Chapter 18: Final Mast Work: Prelude To Thunder

1948Page 2,661 of 5,444
Adi drove Baba to Pimpalgaon, where Baba went straight to Gyara's cabin, arriving there at 1 A.M. (Adi, Eruch and Baidul slept at Meherazad, in Don's room.)
This was not the end of the story of the mast's bouquet. Eruch stuck the twigs in a flowerpot, and in a few days the leaves dried up. After two weeks, Baba called Eruch to Pimpalgaon with the seven dried sprigs. The leaves were crushed into a powder which Baba ate every day, a pinch at a time. The dried stems were tied into a bundle and kept with the other odd assortment of presents given to Baba by masts. These seven mulberry sprigs were somehow related to Baba's inner work with Ali Asghar — but how remains a mystery and cannot be explained. All of the odds and ends, pieces of stone, bits of broken glass, shredded cloth and old clothes worn to rags offered to Baba by the masts were related to his inner work with each one, and that is why he took so much care to have them preserved and stored in trunks.
At 10:00 A.M on Tuesday, 13 July 1948, Baba met with Adi Sr., Sarosh, Eruch, Pendu and Ramjoo at the Ice Factory. They discussed recent government orders about grain rationing, which were to go in effect, and how rationing might affect the Meherabad community.
From around the 18th until the 21st of July 1948, the final three days of Ramadan , the Mohammedan month of fasting, Baba also fasted and remained on only water. Nilu and Don came on the 21st to check his blood pressure.
On 15 July 1948, Jean Adriel and Delia DeLeon had arrived in Bombay. As instructed by Baba, they stayed in Bombay with Meherjee for the first few days and arrived at Meherabad on the 19th. On 22 July, after eleven years of separation, they had a chance to see their Beloved Master again. Baba arrived at nine that morning with Mehera, Mani and the other women. Baba entered the east room, and at the doorway, Kharmen Masi ceremoniously cracked a coconut at his feet. Mehera and Mani followed him inside, and after a few minutes Jean and Delia were called.
As Delia recalled:
After such a long separation of eleven years it was absolute bliss when Baba, beaming, opened his arms and we crept in to see him. He hugged us and it was coming home again.
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