That day, Bhasker brought Baba idli and sambhar (South Indian curry), cooked by his wife or mother.
Nariman, Arnavaz and Katie arrived at Meherazad from Bombay on the 25 th , and Jim Mistry came two days later on the 27 th . Bal Natu came to Meherazad also, and stayed for a week.
Baba enjoyed jesting with Jim and jokingly commented, "Your Rhodi [Roda] has become a mastani! What will you do now?"
Jim said, "I am proud that she has so much love for you!"
"Couldn't she have found someone better to marry?"
"It is her great good luck that she found me! I never come in the way of her work for you!"
When asked, Jim narrated an example of his wife's "mastani-like" behavior. He said once all the taxi drivers in Bombay were on strike. It was well publicized and everyone knew of it. Roda had to go to the Baba Center that day and went to the taxi stand as usual. She waited for four hours in the hot sun and no taxi came, though normally one stopped every five minutes. In her absorption of going to the Center she forgot about the strike. Someone saw her and reminded her of it, and she walked back home.
Baba joked, "She will forget me, too, one day!"
In response, Jim joked, "If she forgets me in your remembrance, I will be happy."
Baba replied, "Then write her a letter today saying that I am happy with her mastani-like state," and Jim did.
On Sunday, 27 October 1968, Sailor Mama, one of the earliest of Baba's mandali, died in Poona from complications of diabetes, at the age of 78. Sailor was one of Baba's boyhood friends and had accompanied Baba to see Sai Baba at Shirdi and Upasni Maharaj at Sakori in December 1915. Sailor and his family lived in Nasik and Meherabad until the New Life began in 1949.1
On 28 October, Chhagan was called to Meherazad and given instructions about preparing food for Mehera's birthday celebration, and for Dara and Amrit's wedding in December. On the 29th, Koduri Prasad, the son of the late Koduri Krishna Rao of Kovvur in Andhra, came with his family to Meherazad to meet Baba. Koduri Krishna Rao's demise had left his wife disconsolate.
Baba comforted her, "How fortunate Koduri Rao was! He created Mehersthan for me and his image will ever live on its doorstep. Those coming to Mehersthan for my darshan will first see Koduri Krishna Rao. He has become immortal."
Baba's words were sweet consolation to the family, and they left happy after half an hour.
Footnotes
- 1.Although Sailor was among those whose remains Baba had permitted to be interred at lower Meherabad, his grave is not there.