Chapter 36: Interested In Remaining Disinterested
1962Page 4,799 of 5,444
Baba remarked, "See how he obeys me, even in death!"
Eruch, who would go to Bindra House every evening and return to Guruprasad in the morning, had already left. He, Meherjee and Sadashiv Patil were informed, and Eruch, in turn, told Sushila. Later, Eruch accompanied Sushila to Guruprasad so she could be near Vishnu.
Adi, Sarosh, Rustom Kaka, Silla Kaku and Manek were also in Guruprasad that day and were about to return to Ahmednagar when Vishnu died, so they stayed for a while.
Eruch and Adi took over an hour to console Sushila, who was greatly distraught. and Baba sat next to Vishnu until then.
He remarked, "The qawaali made me so happy today, that in my happiness I merged Vishnu within me!" He added, "Never before have I sat near the body of any of my mandali as I am doing today by Vishnu. He is indeed most fortunate!"
At one point Baba joked, "All these years Vishnu kept watch by me — now I am keeping watch over him!"
Baba decided that Vishnu's body should be cremated in Poona that night, and the ashes sent to Meherabad. Vishnu's body was carried away and placed in the DeSoto, as Baba stood and watched it until it was driven out of sight. It was taken to Vishnu's family home (where Sushila was living) and cremated sometime after midnight.1
O Vishnu, our profoundest salutations to you! Age has recorded how Vishnu came into Baba's contact as a teenage boy in 1918 and, from the days of Manzil-e-Meem in 1922, he was always with Baba. His almost 40 years of service, love and obedience to the God-Man were as close to perfect as perfect can be described. His mother, Kakubai, had died in Meherabad, and now Vishnu had laid aside his body at the Beloved's side. Vishnu was incomparable in forbearance, and Baba was always pleased with him. Even under the most trying circumstances, he would never utter a word of complaint, and he put up with every hardship. Baba remarked to the mandali that Vishnu had held on to his daaman until the very end.
Vishnu was called one of the "four pillars" of Meherabad, along with Adi, Pendu and Padri. Among the men, he was sorely missed.
Footnotes
- 1.Vishnu's ashes were given to Padri on 19 May 1962, with instructions that they be kept for burial at lower Meherabad until Baba returned from Poona.