As Eruch was watching TV, at about 2:30 A.M., the telephone rang. It was Harry Kenmore in New York. No one had informed him that he could have accompanied Baba to California, and he asked if he could fly out immediately.
Baba gestured to Eruch to tell Kenmore, "Don't come now. You will have many more opportunities to come to me."
On Saturday, 4 August 1956 at 9:30 A.M., Baba came to the conference room for interviews, conducted behind a curtained-off portion of the room. Most of those meeting Baba were San Francisco Sufis, but many others came — including Dr. Bhagat Singh Thind, 63, a Sikh spiritual teacher and author, who had had a strong influence on some of Baba's lovers (such as Joseph Harb) before they had come into Baba's contact.1 Baba later met with all, and Don read the message "God's Divine Business."
Another Indian, a learned Brahmin in his early 60s named Manmatha Nath Chatterjee, also met Baba that day. Chatterjee was a former professor of sociology at Antioch College in Ohio, and a dear friend of one of his former pupils, Agnes Baron.2 Agnes had been trying to convince "Chat" to meet Meher Baba for years, but he had scorned her attempts, saying, "You Westerners are so stupid! You run after all these big chaps, not knowing what the consequences will be. Until you are ready to have your life turned inside out — stay away from them!"
By sheer coincidence Chatterjee had phoned Agnes that day at 11:00 A.M., inviting her out to lunch. Agnes was furious and threatened, "If you don't come to meet Meher Baba, I will never speak to you again!" So, reluctantly he came to the hotel. It was time for lunch, but Agnes pleaded with Adi to let Chatterjee go in. They were seated outside Baba's room on a bench. Adi informed Baba, who came out, and taking Chatterjee's hand between his palms, Baba escorted him into the room. Agnes was told to wait outside.
Half an hour later, Chatterjee, who was always very straight, almost military in his bearing, came out almost doubled up. Agnes took him to her room. Chatterjee was nearly unconscious, muttering, "I had to come, I had to come!" He left after some time and later sent a copy of one of his books to Baba. Shortly afterwards, Agnes learned that he had become paralyzed on the left side and he died soon after. The doctors were unable to diagnose the cause for the paralysis, one of them opining that he had "a shock of some kind."
Footnotes
- 1.Bhagat S. Thind (1892–1967) had begun delivering lectures on Indian philosophy and metaphysics even before Yogananda came to America in 1925. His teaching included the philosophy of many religions, and in particular the Sikh Scriptures. During his lectures, discourses and classes to Christian audiences, he frequently quoted the Vedas, Guru Nanak, Kabir, and others. One biographer wrote: "He generously shared India's mystical, spiritual and philosophical treasures with his students but never converted or persuaded any of them to become Hindu or Sikh. He also made references to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, and Henry David Thoreau to which his American audience could easily relate. He initiated thousands of disciples into his expanded view of reality — the Inner Life, and the discovery of the power of the Holy Name."
- 2.M. N. Chatterjee was trained as an engineer, did graduate work in Germany and received his doctorate from Edinburgh University. He was a close personal friend of Mahatma Gandhi and was sent to the United States by Gandhi as his personal representative. Chatterjee taught at Antioch from the late 1920's till the mid-1950's, where another of his closest pupils was Corretta Scott King.