Chapter 36: Interested In Remaining Disinterested
1961Page 4,751 of 5,444
After hearing the report of the celebrations in Vijayawada, which included a grand parade of Baba's picture through the streets, music programs, feeding the poor, et cetera, Baba looked at Majety Ramamohan Rao, Chinta Sarvarao, and Manikyala Rao and asked, "Have you three gone crazy in my love? Don't you have to attend to your jobs and businesses?"
During these evening programs at Guruprasad, Madhusudan sang bhajans, and often the scheduled one-hour sessions stretched to two hours or more.
One singer from Poona named Shankar Rao Sholapure would sometimes sing ghazals. One afternoon he sang a ghazal in Urdu that Baba liked very much.
Summarizing its meaning, Baba explained: "The lover says: 'O Beloved, my moods and whims depend on your moods and whims. If you are pleased, I am pleased. If you are happy, I am happy.' "
Looking at his lovers gathered before him, Baba stated, "You take me to be your Beloved God. Now, if I ask you to vacate the hall immediately and return to your respective places, will you feel happy? Be honest in replying what you feel, not what you should feel."
Several were honest enough to answer, "No, Baba. To be frank, we would not feel happy to leave this hall."
Baba continued, "It is said: 'It is very difficult to love.' Why? Love is a gift rarely received, and only the recipient of such love can obey the Beloved quite willingly and in a natural way."
To those who had said they were not prepared to leave, Baba joked, "All right, remain seated. Your Beloved God will sit here, too, to please you!"
Continuing his explanation of the ghazal, Baba stated, "In these lines, the lover says: 'O Beloved, do not ask me anything about how I pass my life. It is steeped in restlessness. I burn in your love and every moment sets ablaze the fire of separation.' "
In the end, he remarked, "Only the one in whose heart the flame of love has been kindled as a gift of grace can experience what the state of 'burning within' is!"
The Poona bhajan group had organized a drama depicting the seven Avatars and their predominant message to mankind. The play was performed before Baba on Saturday, 27 May 1961. All the actors were the children of Center members, aged five to sixteen. In the final scene, Sohrab walked in as Baba, leaning on "Eruch's" (Rustom's) arm.