But his special nature and personality remain the same, even after Realization, and when expressed due to some mood, they are of the greatest benefit to others.
This is the meaning of Hafiz's couplet:
At one time I craved to see various things;
But since I saw you, I no longer desire to see anything else!
This means that the nature to see is still there. Before, Hafiz craved to see a variety of different subjects; after the divine sight, he longed only to see God. It means: The desire of seeing remains the same but undergoes a change after becoming egoless.
Suppose a man is in the habit of getting angry and beating other people. His nature will remain the same even if he turns into a saint, but the change is beyond imagination. Behind his anger there is now no self-interest. It is simply an impulse with divinity behind it. It comes from the divine flow, and anyone who comes in contact with it is greatly benefited.
After this explanation, Baba relaxed by playing cards with Munshiji for about an hour. During the game, he suddenly became very displeased with the Hindu mandali and began abusing them. He scolded Sadashiv and Arjun in particular, because they had not finished the vegetable dish which was served at lunch by Chowdhary (the cook) as directed by Baba. In his ill-tempered mood, Baba uttered these words to Arjun, "Your family will perish by plague!" Arjun was trembling in shock.
The next day, 7 October 1922, true to the Master's words, a telegram was received from Poona that Arjun's nephew had died from the plague. Two years earlier, while playing gilli-danda in the Bhamburda locality of Poona, Baba had foretold that an epidemic of the plague would break out. Most of the Kasba Peth mandali were present when Baba prophesied, "The plague will begin from Bhamburda and, spreading towards Kasba Peth, will gradually engulf the entire city."1
Arjun sadly admitted that Baba had privately hinted of this calamity to him a few days before. But that knowledge did little to relieve his present anguish. Some time ago his wife had died, and now his nephew was dead. Arjun had not expressed much sorrow at his wife's demise and, according to the Master's instructions, did not inquire whether he should return home for her funeral. But his nephew's death affected him very much, and he beseeched Baba to allow him to return to Poona for two days.
Footnotes
- 1.The Bhamburda area of Poona is now called Shivajinagar.