Whenever a tall Easterner or Westerner, such as Fred
Marks, would come to him, Baba would make them get down on their knees to
embrace him, which gave rise to a good deal of merriment in the pandal.
Gadekar and Edke (both former teachers in the Meher
Ashram in 1926–27) began weeping when they came to Baba. Baba comforted
them.
Hitaka was keeping silence by Baba's instructions. When he came to Baba for his embrace, he handed him a note, asking if he could
continue his silence until Baba broke his. Baba permitted it.1
After everyone had been embraced, at 9:30 A.M., Sidhu
helped Baba wash his hands, and removed the garlands around his neck. Kaikobad
was called and recited a prayer from the Zend Avesta. Just as he finished, Matra
Dutta Shastri shouted, "Avatar Meher Baba ki jai!" Baba warned all not
to shout anything until he himself asked them to do so when the prayers were
over. He, however, pardoned Matra. He also issued strict orders that no camera
should click during the prayers.
Due to this interruption, Baba again wished to wash his
hands. There was no water left, so Sidhu was about to go for more when Baba
stopped him. Instead, he signaled Padri to collect water from a pool of rain
water which had formed in the pandal itself. From the small pool of dirty water,
Padri took some in his palm and poured it over Baba's hands. Kaikobad was
told to repeat the prayer, which he did. At its completion, Baba bowed down to
him and, as instructed, Kaikobad uttered, "Ya Ahuramazda."
Aloba then offered namaz, and when Baba bowed to him he
uttered "Allah hu Akbar." As a Hindu prayer, Nilu and Vishnu recited
several shlokas in Sanskrit, composed by Upasni Maharaj. Baba bowed to them as
they said, "Om Parabrahma Paramatma!" Next, Don recited the Christian
prayer in English, and at its completion when Baba touched his feet Don said,
"God Almighty!" Daulat Singh offered a Sikh prayer and afterwards took
God's name as "Sat Shri Akal."
Baba then addressed the crowd: "If you are tired
from standing so long, I will allow you a recess of half an hour, then the other
prayers will be recited. But I want to tell you that I never get tired. In my
work, I never tire. So, if you are weary, I will give a break; but, if you all
wish, I will proceed with my work."
Footnotes
- 1.After leaving Meherabad, Hitaka visited Nepal and Dehra Dun, where Kishan Singh was instructed to talk with him more about Baba. Adi Sr. wrote: "Baba desires that when Hitaka pays a visit to Dehra Dun... tell him to stick fast to all of what Baba had told him at Meherabad and... on his return from India [at the end of April], he should [break his silence and] tell his brothers and sisters in Japan about Baba and his message of love for them." Hitaka became known in Japan as a peace activist, a supporter of global government, and a university professor who translated the works of Bertrand Russell, the Dalai Lama, and others into Japanese.