Chapter 36: Interested In Remaining Disinterested
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I belong to no religion. My religion is love. Every heart is my temple. Although it is in love that you have built this house of stone, I am only in it when your heart brings me here.
And inside the building should be carved:
Always remember that ceremonies cover me but pure worship reveals me.
Baba sent this message with Adi to be read out to all who attended the mela:
On this particular occasion I will be among you as one of my own lovers. All those who surrender themselves in love to me will see and adore and realize the Reality behind my form.
Thus, through the combined labor and untiring effort of dedicated lovers such as Babu Ramprasad, Hiralal, Mungalal, Dillipati, Siddh Gopal, Narsingdas and others, the temple called Meher Dham came into being. Narsingdas, in fact, literally sacrificed his life in Baba's cause while laboring so hard on this project, and he died before seeing its successful completion.
Adi returned to Ahmednagar and on 2 December 1961 gave a detailed account to Baba of the proceedings. A week after returning from Hamirpur, Adi and Jalbhai were sent to Andhra to perform the dedication of the spire atop the dome of Mehersthan, the new center under construction by Koduri Krishna Rao in Kovvur. There a life-size statue of Baba in bronze was to be installed.1
Meherdas returned to Meherazad around the 10th of December.
On the 15th, Baba had a Life Circular issued describing the function held in Nauranga. He also added that the strain of his seclusion had taken its toll on his health so severely that wherever he would be, "his strict seclusion would continue until he broke his silence."
Joseph and Kari Harb received permission from Baba to move to India, as they wished to live near him. Baba indicated to them that living in Meherazad or Ahmednagar would prove rather difficult, so they decided to settle in Poona, a more modern city. They had arrived in Poona on 25 September that year, but Baba did not call them because of his seclusion.
Finally, after three months, on Friday, 15 December 1961, Joseph and Kari Harb were allowed to come to Meherazad. They were accompanied by Meherjee, and saw Baba for an hour and then returned to Poona.
Footnotes
- 1.The statue was sent from Bombay at the end of May 1962.