That same day, Gadekar's ashes were buried at lower Meherabad. Baba himself lowered the box of ashes into the grave and covered it with earth. He scattered flowers on top, as did the mandali present, and garlanded the grave.
Turning to Gunatai, who had come with the ashes from Poona, Baba remarked, "Gadekar is free; he will not take birth again [for a long time]. He is very fortunate that I, with my own hands, have placed the box containing the last remains of one of my dear ones in the grave. He will only come back with me after 700 years, when I return as the next Avatar."
Age appreciated Gadekar's devotion: "Truly, Gadekar did much to spread Baba's cause. He was the link which brought many, many souls into the Avatar's contact. This was the reason that for many years Baba had worn the sandals sewn for him by Gadekar's father, Kanhoba Rao, which are preserved in the museum at Meherabad."
From Meherabad, Baba was driven to Meherazad. After meeting with Aloba and discussing matters with Kaka, he returned to Poona the same day. The trip in the intense summer heat proved extremely exhausting for Baba and affected his health.
The following day, 7 April, in Poona, Baba executed a revised Last Will and Testament, turning over the copyrights of his writings after Adi Sr.'s death to the Trust.1 His Tomb had already been transferred to the Trust under the Trust Deed.
On the 7th, Baba dictated a lengthy but interesting explanation on the working of the Avatar and Qutubs, elaborating on some of the points he had made before:
The Avatar draws upon himself Universal suffering, but he is sustained in this stupendous task and burden by his infinite bliss and his infinite sense of humor. The Avatar is the center of the universe, the axis or "pivot" around which the entire universe revolves. He is comparable to the central pin of the grinding stones. He is automatically in equal contact with every one and every thing, and is thus confronted with a responsibility and duty toward everyone and everything.
Each moment in time the Avatar is able to fulfill, singly and collectively, the various and innumerable aspects of this universal duty, because his actions are in no way restrained by time and space, and in no way restricted by the "here and now" of sense-perception.
Footnotes
- 1.See Appendix J for a copy of Baba's will (updated in 1967).