Jim Mistry wrote of the Bombay group: "They are still in the Meherpuri Mela daze, and there is no end to their amazement at the overwhelming love for Baba that they experienced there!"
This was Baba's leela. During his seclusion, he would keep his lovers away; yet they were not deprived of his darshan! The stricter his seclusion, the more his presence was felt at different places such as Meher Dham in Nauranga, Meherpuri in Hamirpur, Meherastana in Mahewa, Mehersthan in Kovvur, and Meher Dham and Meher Mafi in Dehra Dun.
At 2:00 P.M. On Wednesday, 25 November 1964, an Englishman who had been living in India for eleven years arrived in Meherazad, having been sent by R. Chakrapani of Talegaon. The Englishman had become a sanyasi, and had taken the name of Mahendra Nath .1 He was accompanied by another monk.
During their meeting, Baba asked him, "Where will you proceed from here?"
"Hardwar," he replied.
"And from Hardwar?"
"Benares."
"How long will you go on wandering like this?"
"I am not wandering but visiting places of pilgrimage."
Baba told him, "God is within and can be found only there. He should be searched for within, not outside! An outward journey to find Him has no value."
The man answered, "I am in the process of preparing to settle at a temple in Ghatkopar, where a small room is being built for me. After that is completed, my wanderings will stop."
Baba observed, "It is very difficult to stop wandering. Only when love for God is born does the wandering gradually come to a halt. The mind should turn to ashes in the fire of that love; and when it becomes charred, all your wanderings will cease."
Jalbhai came to Meherazad for a few hours on the 23rd and returned on the 27th with Beheram and Jehangu.
On 28 November 1964, Don Stevens arrived for a short visit with Baba. From Poona, he was driven to Meherazad accompanied by Meherjee.
Upon entering mandali hall at 2:00 P.M., Baba asked Don, " Mahapralaya , do you know what it is?"
Baba continued gesturing without waiting for a reply. "It is the breathing in and out of all creation by God."
Don always tried to be amusing for Baba, so on this occasion, he made an attempt: "Yes, Baba, I know just enough about it to get upset when I think what would happen to me if I were caught in it. This lifetime has not been easy, and I would be sad to have all that effort wiped out for nothing."
Footnotes
- 1.Mahendra is a Sanskrit name for the Hindu god Indra; Nath is a Sanskrit name for Krishna, meaning protector. It is common for yogis, rishis (sages), munis (silent recluses), sadhus and sanyasis (renunciants) to assume the name of a deity.