Mani speculated that this sudden exchange of clothing was somehow symbolic of Baba's remarks that world conditions would change greatly after December 1962. Many of the ladies who had wanted to look especially beautiful for Baba and had their hair done were now dripping wet!
Outside the microphone shorted out, and Baba gestured, "Even though there is no microphone, think of me."
At 4:45 P.M. the Westerners mounted the dais to meet Baba.
He remarked, "This rain is most significant. This is a unique gathering of the East and West."
Maya was playing its part and the Ancient One his; and his wet children played their part by going to him in turn, one by one. It was a wonderful scene. Though completely "bathed," none left the pandal. Age noted, "People go to places of pilgrimage to take a bath in the holy Ganges River, but here our Beloved, the Yugavatar [Avatar of the Age] is washing away our sins and cleansing us within and without!"
The individual meetings with Baba continued, and after some time the clouds dispersed and the sun made its appearance once again. Thus in rain or sunshine, the Father contacted his dear children until 5:00 P.M. People had started crowding the dais to meet Baba, and thirteen-year-old Charles Haynes and his brother, John, were helpful in keeping them in order. A marvelous atmosphere prevailed and the lovers enjoyed it to the utmost.
At 5:15 P.M. a group of seven women led by Madhusudan, each dressed in one of Baba's seven colors, formed into a semicircle before Baba on the stage and performed his arti. Four of them held lighted camphor on trays. Uttering Puranic mantras, first they did Baba's puja and then began singing the Hindi arti that Madhusudan had composed. The audience joined in the singing. Bunty Bernstein, one of Margaret Craske's ballet dancers, was summoned on the stage by Baba to perform with them.1
With that, the first day's program ended. Many thronged to the dais to gaze at Baba to their heart's content. Acclamations rent the air and enthusiastic hearts, taking Baba with them, left to come again the next day.
That night heavy rain showers again poured down. So the next morning eight or ten truckloads of dry earth were brought into the pandal and spread over the paths, which had become muddied. The civil engineer of the Poona Municipality, Burjor Bode, was extremely helpful in this endeavor. By the afternoon the situation was fixed, and the pandal was rendered usable.
Footnotes
- 1.The seven women were: Niruben Panchal, Kusum Mohkam Singh, Gunatai Gadekar, Bunty Bernstein (who wore a dress), a Bengali woman, a Parsi woman, and a woman from Andhra.