Chapter 36: Interested In Remaining Disinterested
1962Page 4,805 of 5,444
1 July 1962 was the final Sunday before Baba left Poona to return to Meherazad, so the "card-players" had been called at 4:00 P.M. Meanwhile, the principal of the Cooperative College in Poona expressed his desire to meet Baba that day. Since it was the man's birthday, Baba consented. The principal, accompanied by his wife, brought a fine garland and a box of sweets. Baba mentioned the upcoming East-West darshan, and the man willingly agreed to keep the college hostel at the disposal of Baba lovers for the first week of November. After their ten-minute meeting, the couple left.
By this time, 30 of Baba's close men had arrived. A game of La Risque was played. It was not easy to know just who was on which side, and often some members of the winning side would inadvertently rub their noses before Baba. Baba enjoyed the game. That morning, he remarked,
"Don't think that I play cards for nothing. It is all in connection with my work."
At about 5:15 P.M., the card game was stopped, and Baba gave this explanation about fana , baqa and the Sadguru or Qutub's state. He began by quoting this line of Shams-e-Tabriz: "It needs cycles after cycles for just one advanced soul to realize God."
And at present, what do you find in India? The word Sadguru, which really means a man who has become God and who lives the life of God, is used very loosely. In towns and cities, you invariably find persons who are referred to as Sadgurus. Is it so cheap an experience, so common a state? The state of man becoming one with God and simultaneously One with all in creation!
The term saint, sant in vernacular, is generally used for persons whose dress and conduct differ from a common man and who lead a life of prayer and devotion. The word sat means real or, in common usage, good. Therefore, a man of good conduct and with a lifestyle different from the normal man is treated as a saint, particularly by the villagers. The fun [irony] is even those, who are honored with such titles, rarely realize the meaning that these words signify.