ChaptersChapter 39Page 5,270

Chapter 39: No Drugs

1967Page 5,270 of 5,444
The painted signs stating that Meher Baba had stopped seeing or giving darshan to anyone had been brought from Meherazad and were fixed outside the walls of Guruprasad. Nariman and Jim Mistry were allowed to stay in Guruprasad on weekends, as was Goher's sister Katie. Bal Natu also stayed during his summer vacation. Almost no other visitors, either from Poona or elsewhere, were allowed admittance that year.
Keshav Nigam and Pukar were called for two days and they arrived on 16 April. Keshav's hands were shaking slightly, as he was suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Baba advised him to take treatment from the doctors, but said, "It won't be cured by any medical treatment. The trembling will go away by itself one day. Don't worry about it."
(Nevertheless, Baba sent Keshav to Dr. Ram Ginde in Bombay for treatment.)
Another exception for visitors was Bhau's family. Adi brought the Kalchuris to Poona on 18 April 1967, and they were permitted to stay at Guruprasad until the 21st.
One year, the Kalchuris had been called for only three days, but when they arrived, Mehera said, "Baba, three days will go so quickly. They won't feel that they have had any time with you."
Baba replied, "All right, they can stay for six days."
Rama was about to request a few more days, when Baba stopped her, stating, "Once I say six days, don't ask for more. You have to be in Ahmednagar then. That is why I am saying it. There is some reason behind it. Something very bad will happen to you if you are not there. It's not that I don't want you to stay here with me, I do; but it is for your own good that you leave after six days."
Rama answered, "Of course, Baba, whatever you wish."
Although the local Poona lovers were not called to Guruprasad, Baba did permit them to send food for him and the mandali. In turn, the families of Thade, Krishna Bundellu, Kamble, Soman, Madhusudan and Narain Whavale availed themselves of this opportunity for service.
On the morning of 25 April at Guruprasad, while the mandali were seated before Baba at 9:25 a.m., Baba was telling them about the Great Absorption at the time of the Mahapralaya. Suddenly, the whole building began to shake. The sharp tremor caused a moment of panic, but it turned out to be only a mild earthquake.
It was an intensely hot summer that year and, in Meherazad, among the trees that perished in April 1967 during a severe heat wave, were five of the six mango trees grown from mangos given to Baba by the chargeman of Madras. Baba had eaten the mangoes and sucked the seeds which had then been planted.
The water level in the well at Meherazad fell quite low, and several other trees also died from lack of water. The Pimpalgaon Lake (a man-made water reservoir) was totally dry, and Ahmednagar faced a critical shortage of drinking water. Padri had done his utmost to salvage whatever trees were possible.
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