When Arjun began keeping nightwatch at the hut, Baba told him: "Always remain awake and never be afraid of anything." One night Arjun heard the rustling of leaves and was startled. Peering into the darkness he saw two gigantic figures dressed in white robes who suddenly started becoming larger and more ominous, reaching almost 20 feet in height! Arjun was a well-known local wrestler and regarded as one of the strongest men in Poona. But as soon as he saw these two figures, he became petrified and could not utter a sound. At that very moment, Baba emerged from the hut irritated and asked, "What's the matter with you?" Arjun pointed into the darkness, but there was nothing visible. Baba scolded him, "Didn't I tell you not to be afraid when I am here?"
Then he explained, "Those were ghosts who came to me seeking rebirth.
Such spirits of the dead have committed suicide and are unable to take another birth for several centuries. Every night such ghosts come to me; so never be afraid. They won't harm you."
But Arjun's health began steadily deteriorating after this incident. His eyes became yellowish and his face pale, and it lasted until he dropped his body four years later.1
During this period, Baily's brother Homi, who had been Merwan's enemy since they were schoolboys, came to the hut to confront him. It was Homi who had been sent by Baba to rescue his brother from suicide and Baba had accepted Baily as a disciple. Homi found this inexplicable, considering his brother's profligate ways. Homi discovered that Merwan's appearance had profoundly changed since he had last seen him when he was working at the toddyshop. Now, while gazing at him, Homi's heart ached with love. After some time, Baba embraced him warmly and later they reminisced about old times. From that day on, Homi, too, became devoted to the Master.
Gulmai again received a letter from Baba saying that she should come to Poona. She went with Rustom, telling her husband and in-laws that they were going to visit Adi. Baba had instructed her to arrange Rustom's marriage, so the pretext of looking for a young lady for Rustom to marry provided an additional excuse. In Poona, accompanied by Naja Behramji Irani, Gulmai visited the homes of eligible Zoroastrian girls and in the evening reported to Baba.2
Footnotes
- 1.Baba himself related this incident slightly differently in May 1963: "After I left Sakori, I used to stay in a small hut [jhopdi] in Poona very near to where Fergusson College is now located. During the day, people came to be with me and went away at dusk. I made my friend Arjun [Supekar] the night watchman. Arjun was a strong, tough fellow. I ordered him to sit outside the hut and not to enter it under any circumstances. One night while on duty, Arjun saw a huge, terrifying form. Overcome with fright, he panicked and rushed into my hut. He thus disobeyed my order. Arjun began to lose weight from that day onward, wasting away until he finally passed away."
- 2.Naja B. Irani was Sarosh's wife Viloo's maternal aunt.