He then directed Parvati (the guardian of the leper ashram at Meherabad) to cane Naja with a bamboo as further punishment. Behramji, too, was blamed and taken to task for his "indifference" to his duty.
Two tea stalls, made of bamboo and gunny sacks, were built to serve the increasing crowds coming to Meherabad every day. Sitaram Bua of Arangaon managed one of the stalls, which also sold coconuts, incense, camphor, and dry snacks of parched rice and chickpea grams. Rambhau Mali operated a flower stall for people wishing to purchase garlands.
One day Baba visited Sitaram's café to inaugurate it and asked the mandali to have tea. But there were so many people in Baba's party and so many already seated in the café that all the mandali could not be served. So Baba went to the other teashop, managed by another villager, where the rest of the mandali were given one cup each served in chipped cups and saucers. Despite the impoverished state of the humble stalls, Baba, in good humor, regally christened them the Raj Mahal and Taj Mahal hotels [cafés].
As mentioned earlier, when the new kitchen was opened at Meherabad, Baba lit one of the hearths to celebrate the occasion. But there was a deeper significance to this action than was apparent at the time. Pandoba was a Brahmin and for several days he had been asking for Baba's permission to eat with people of the other castes. Baba would always advise him to act in accordance with the tenets of his religion, which specified not mixing with others who were not Brahmins. On 12 December, Pandoba again asked for Baba's consent, which was given this time.
Baba informed him, "I myself have shouldered your responsibility."
Pandoba was the first among the Hindus to abandon the strict orthodoxy of religion and fully embrace the oneness Baba had been emphasizing.
On 14 December 1925, Baba commented on the recent announcement, given in the newspapers, by Dr. Annie Besant, the head of the Theosophical Society, of the coming of a "New World Teacher," similar to Christ, in the form of her young protégé, J. Krishnamurti.1
It is all humbug. The Theosophists, including Mrs. Besant and Krishnamurti, do not have even a whiff of the Truth. They say that the spirit of the World Teacher will manifest itself through the medium of this boy in the world, and that the chief "wire-puller" of this show is supposed to be somewhere in the Himalayas.
Footnotes
- 1.The Theosophical Society was founded in New York City in 1875 by Madame Blavatsky as a "universal brotherhood" dedicated to studying ancient and modern religions, as well as the "latent psychic powers" in humanity. After traveling extensively, in India, Tibet and Egypt, Blavatsky claimed direct guidance from ascended Indian and Tibetan adepts and Spiritual Masters who gave her the keys to her Theosophical teachings. She published many works synthesizing esoteric and Eastern teachings. The Theosophical Society is credited as the organization most responsible for popularizing Eastern thought among spiritual seekers in both Europe and America.