A few days later, Baba told some of his lovers, "I searched all over before I selected this soul to come to them."1
Virginia Rudd had issues with her feet and had found a pair of sandals that had helped her. She bought a pair for Baba which she thought might ease his leg pain. Baba told her to put one of the sandals on his right foot. She did, but Baba said it wasn't what he wears and told her to preserve it as it had been on his feet.
He added, "You are so blessed to have touched my foot."
On another occasion, when Harold and Virginia Rudd were in the Lagoon Cabin with a few others, Baba waited a while in silence until all were there and had gathered quietly.
He then pointed to Harold and said, "I love Virginia very much. Are you not jealous?"
Harold only smiled.
Again, Baba asked the same question. Harold smiled and said, "The more you love her the happier I am; the more she loves you, the happier I am."
Baba, however, persisted in this line of questioning. "Are you sure you aren't jealous?"
With that, Harold rushed up past people and threw himself down on the floor in front of Baba with arms outstretched and eyes closed. He shouted, "Take my life. Take it now — this instant! Take it!" Three times he repeated this, each time raising himself to speak and then lying back down.
Baba looked very solemn. The fourth time Harold raised himself to speak, he said simply: "Only, in exchange, fill Virginia's heart full of happiness."
Baba said very seriously, "I know everything. I know that Harold is not play-acting. People think that Harold is acting, but Baba knows better."
He called Virginia, made the couple embrace in his presence, and then soon after dismissed everyone.
Baba's schedule that day was a bit hectic and crowded. This was because Baba had expressly stated to Elizabeth upon his arrival in New York that he did not wish his whole time in Myrtle Beach to be taken up with interviews, but wished to be in seclusion part of his visit, and also to have leisure time to be with the various groups. Thus, the interviews originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday had been shifted to Wednesday and Thursday. Even so, some people missed their morning appointment. Baba then invited them to be present in the Barn that afternoon.
Baba left the Lagoon Cabin and had his lunch in the Guest House.
Afterwards he spoke with Ivy, Don Stevens and others, repeating what he had told Max Haefliger about Saint Francis: "Saint Francis of Assisi was the only one of the very few saints in the West to become a Perfect Master."
Don asked, "Baba, you have explained in the Discourses , God Speaks and elsewhere that an individual cannot attain God-realization without the aid of a living Perfect Master. Since there was no Perfect Master in the West at that time, how did Saint Francis achieve Realization?"
Footnotes
- 1.When the baby boy was born two months later, Baba sent this cable to Harold: "I share the happiness and suffering of my lovers. My love to you, Virginia and the baby."