Bhau's wife, Rama, had been told to send chakoli (a fried rice-flour snack) for Baba, and on the 24th, she was told to send fried eggplant, and to continue to do so once a week for Baba. Chhagan prepared and sent food for all on the 25th and did so the following week as well. Adi was called to Meherazad on the 26th, and Don and Mansari went the following day.
Kaikobad returned from the hospital on 29 December 1967. The doctors had been unable to reinsert the steel pin, and Kaikobad had to remain bedridden or be lifted into a wheelchair. Although Kaikobad was back at Meherazad, Baba did not work with him again and continued working alone.
As the momentum of his work gathered force, Baba was becoming extremely tired and weak, but he would sometimes conceal this from the mandali. When Francis would hold his arm to help him sit on the lift-chair, Baba would jerk him toward him. This would happen every day, as if Baba was trying to show how strong he still was — when in actuality his Universal work was crushing his physical body to pieces!
In early January 1968, Baba's blood samples were taken again and sent to the hospital in Poona. There were improvements in the blood sugar and cholesterol levels, but the urea was still high. Dr. Grant suggested stopping all protein and sticking to a vegetarian diet, and to have Baba's prostate gland checked.
Rama, Sheela and Mehernath were called to Meherazad on Sunday, 7 January 1968. Sheela was called for lunch the following Sunday, and her brother Mehernath the Sunday after that. Each child was ordered to come with Waman every other Sunday and to tell Baba amusing stories.
Meherjee came to Meherazad for the day on 14 January.
On the 17th, Baba dictated this invocation: "Divine Father, help your Beloved Son to carry out all your work this year, for July of this year will mark the last year of his silence."1
On 20 January, Baba dictated this circular for his lovers throughout the world, to be mailed by Adi:
Avatar Meher Baba wishes all his lovers to know that his seclusion which was to continue until the 25th of February 1968, will continue until the 25th of March 1968, when he will complete his seclusion. Baba wants his lovers to know that by this date the phase of his Universal work in seclusion will end, and that there will be no further seclusions.
Footnotes
- 1.Initially, Baba instructed that this invocation be released as his message that year for the 43 rd anniversary of his silence in July, but subsequently it was not given out and no other message was circulated.