Baba's night watchman had to sit outside his room at Grafton and go in when Baba clapped.1
One evening Bhau went to Baba's room for nightwatch, and as always Baba warned him: "Don't make any noise; don't make any movement; and keep awake!"
Baba would repeat these same three instructions daily. After this, Baba asked Bhau to go out and take his seat. Before leaving the room, Baba's door was to be closed, then Bhau sat outside on the chair.
Usually, every 20 or 30 minutes, Baba would invariably clap; but that night he did not clap for two hours. Bhau's legs grew stiff from sitting rigidly in one position and the mosquitoes were biting — but Bhau did not move at all. After two hours, Bhau heard Baba snoring loudly. Thinking that it was now his chance, he began lifting his leg very slowly, without making the slightest noise. But the instant he started to raise his leg, Baba clapped.
Bhau went in, and Baba asked, "Why did you move?"
Footnotes
- 1.Only after Meher Baba's second automobile accident in 1956 was the night watchman required to sit in the room itself.