At this point, Eruch reminded Baba that the lovers had to take tea, so Baba permitted them to leave the hall. In fifteen minutes, all reassembled. For the benefit of his Ahmednagar lovers, Baba explained about "the Path and its hardships," as he had done on 9 December. Before he began, Baba teased Professor Abdul Karim, by scolding him. When Eruch called his name, the startled professor stood up in a distant corner of the hall.
Baba asked him, "You are neither in fana nor in baqa. So, where are you?"
Baba explained in short about these two states — fana and baqa.
Referring to Professor Karim, he chided him for not seeing him for so long and asked, "Where were you during the East-West Gathering in Poona in November? All my lovers from all over the world came to meet me. I couldn't find you anywhere!"
The professor failed to give a satisfactory reply.
Bhikubhai had been instructed to bring the well-known bhajan singer of Poona, Gajanan Watve, to sing. Knowing Baba enjoyed ghazals the most, Watve had specially learned some. At one point, explaining about divine love, Baba observed:
Divine love is the gift of God to man. It can be compared with the grace of the Sadguru which enables man to realize God in a flash. The true lover of God [Mard-e-Khuda] is he whose whole life has become like dust. The agony of love is so dear to him that, although it burns him to ashes, he will not part with it for anything! Though it may make him an outcast from society, a stranger to sleep, hunger and comfort, he prizes this blissful torture above all things in creation. Only God can implant this divine love in the human heart.
The lover continually burns within himself in the fire of divine love. But the wonder is, that despite leading such a life of consummation, the real lover keeps it hidden within himself as an invaluable treasure. He does not want to give it up. His burning within is blissful, although in its fire he ultimately becomes the very dust!