It is the first state of fana, which Buddha had emphasized but which later on was misinterpreted as Buddha having said that there is no God! Reality is that God IS; but in that absolute, vacuum state — nirvan — only consciousness remains and, as soon as the I-Am-God state is experienced, baqa is realized; that is, abiding and living in God is experienced, which is the state of the Qutubs [Sadgurus, Perfect Masters].
Summing up, Baba described the Four Journeys:
There are four journeys for the soul toward the Oversoul [ Paramatma ]: the first journey ends in both the states of fana — the vacuum and the I-Am-God states. The second journey ends in baqa. The third journey ends in Qutubiyat, or Perfect Mastership. The fourth journey ends in dropping the Universal Body.
In the second state of fana I exists, but it is the I as in "I Am God" which is there. That is the goal.
The first journey ends in becoming God — I am God, Aham Brahmasmi, Anal Haq.
The second journey ends in living in God. It is actual abiding in God.
The third journey ends in leading the life of God.
And the fourth journey ends in dropping the body. In the fourth journey, after dropping the body the second state of fana is continuously, everlastingly experienced. Even after the body is dropped, the conscious, infinite individuality of "I-Am-God" is retained eternally.
Finding Meherjee dozing at the time, someone poked him and Baba pointed to him and stated, "You are the only lazy man here — trying to appreciate the vacuum state by dozing off!"
Hardly had the discourse ended when news was brought that the jeep in which Sastri, Dhanapathy, Ranga Rao and Mallik were returning, after dispatching the telegrams, had been involved in an accident on the road between Razole and Kottapeta. However, the recipients of the news were not kept in suspense for long; soon the jeep arrived. The accident had occurred when the jeep was heading toward Kottapeta. They had encountered a man riding a bicycle coming toward them on the wrong side of the road. In an attempt to avoid hitting him, the driver of the jeep turned sharply to one side. In doing so, he lost control of the steering wheel, resulting in the jeep going down into a nearby ditch. All of the occupants were thrown out of the jeep as it turned on its side.