Eruch had sent a message to Padri and Chhagan to stay in Meherazad for seven days to help with the nightwatch, and Padri arrived that evening on his motorcycle. After Padri left Meherabad, Mohammed Mast asked Sidhu where Padri had gone. Sidhu told him that Padri had been called to Meherazad to assist the mandali, as Baba was not well. Hearing this, Mohammed Mast, who would mostly mutter unintelligibly, said clearly, "Padri will come back tomorrow."
Sidhu said, "No, Baba has called him for seven days."
Mohammed Mast then said, "Tomorrow, Dada [Baba] is coming here and is going to join Gustadji [who had died]."1
When Padri arrived at Meherazad, he went to Baba's room. Baba was disturbed by the noise of Padri's motorcycle, but directed Padri to have dinner, and that he would be given day duty.
"Come when I call you," Baba gestured.
For the first time in months, Baba slept soundly that evening for two hours, from seven to nine o'clock. He was actually snoring. As Bhau sat in the chair opposite Baba's bed, his mind raced with thoughts. "It was more like visions," Bhau later related. "I saw that we were taking Baba's body to Meherabad, that thousands of people were coming there, weeping. Press reporters would come and ask me questions. I saw the Trust Compound and myself working there, and many working under me."
After Baba woke up, he began having spasms.
Around 9:15 P.M., with a tender and joyful expression, Baba gestured to Bhau, "Remember this, I am not this body!"
Aloba took over night duty at 10:00 P.M., and Baba told Bhau to go and rest; but Bhau was called again about an hour later.
This time, Baba actually spoke two words to Bhau: " Yad rakh [Remember this]!" and then gestured, "I am not this body!"
Baba had gestured the same statement many times over the years, but this time it had a tremendous impact on Bhau. For the first time, Bhau actually realized and felt these words to be true.
Bhau recalled: "Although Baba's voice was feeble, the sound was audible and clear, and its intensity and impact very, very forceful.2 It conveyed so great an impression, that my mind itself neither registered nor questioned the fact that Baba was speaking."
"Yes, Baba is not the body," I said.
"Don't be anxious," Baba gestured." Don't worry about me. Go to sleep."
Bhau returned to his room, and two hours later, Baba sent for him again and repeated, "Don't worry about me. Go to sleep."
Pendu also kept watch that night. At one point, Baba wished to convey something, but because of the pain it was difficult to move his hands as usual. Each time he moved his fingers to communicate, he experienced a painful spasm. Pendu had trouble following what his signs meant and pleaded with him to stop. Baba managed to convey in rhyming Gujarati:
Tan varas nu kam paani ma gayu. Baap maro samajse kay? Baap na Baap nae bhi samajvoo parsay! (Three years of work has gone down the drain. Will my father listen to me? Even Father's father will have
to listen!)3
Dr. Ginde in Bombay was again phoned by Adi at 9:30 P.M. and told to come as soon as possible (without jeopardizing any of his surgical patients). He said he would come on Friday the 31st. He was told that he should stop in Poona and consult with Dr. Grant about Baba's present condition before coming to Meherazad.
Footnotes
- 1.Mohammed Mast always called Meher Baba "Dada."
- 2.Bhau later clarified that the physical utterance of these two words Yad rakh by Baba "was not the breaking of Baba's silence. He did not speak the Word-of-Words. It was simply a sign that Baba could still speak. People might think that because Baba observed silence for 44 years his vocal cords were not working and he was unable to speak. By speaking these two words to me, Baba was demonstrating that he could speak. "The breaking of his silence will be to manifest universally. That will be his real speaking, speaking in each heart during his Universal manifestation, which will create awareness towards divinity in the world."
- 3.Later, Meherwan Jessawala opined that these lines conveyed both aspects of Meher Baba's state: the absolute helplessness of God as Man, and the infinite authority of God as Man (Baba).