Baba continued:
We are coming back to becoming the dust at the feet of a Perfect Master. What does Hafiz mean? Dust has no thought of its own; it has no will of its own. It can be trampled upon, applied to the forehead or suspended in the air. There is no truer and better example of complete obedience than "of becoming like dust."
If any of you do not understand, don't worry about it. Just look at me and think of me. That will do. Words have no real value. It is good if you understand. But if you don't, why worry about it?
Baba concluded with the question: "What do we mean by obedience?"
He asked Eruch to read out the discourse on the four types of obedience which he had given the past week, as well as in Poona and Bombay. At the end of it, Raosaheb recited the lines of another Persian poet, which Baba translated:
After spending years and years of intense longing for God, One, out of thousands of Mardan-e-Khuda [men of God], realizes Him. Out of millions of those who live, not so much for themselves, But only for God, only one realizes God!
Baba concluded: "This gives us some idea of the great difficulties on the path of Self-Realization. Mardan means the male population. It means "the real male" or "real man" and he is of God. Only one out of such millions can realize God after years and years of intense longing for Him."
It was now 11:40 A.M. and the Andhra bhajan group sang songs and Baba's arti in Telugu. As Baba wished, Godavri Mai left with the kanyas. Baba remarked she would be returning to Meherabad on his birthday, and he asked the assembly to salute her by shouting her Jai as she left.
Several Christian lovers from Keshavaram Village in Andhra had come that day. Baba called the Christians onto the dais and embraced them.
The Andhra lovers then sought Baba's permission to wash his feet on his birthday. Because of the crowded schedule that day, Baba advised them to select twelve men and twelve women to perform the ceremony on behalf of everyone present.
He said, "Later, after the pada-puja [worshiping of his feet] on the 25th, all of you can approach me and have darshan.