Baba then gave strange nicknames to some of the men: Boribunder (a Bombay locality); Bunder (monkey); Cylinder (of an engine); Dalindar (hopeless); Grinder ; Plunder ; Wonder; Sikandar (Alexander the Great); and others. He also gave himself a new nickname, Samandar , which means the ocean.1
On 17 November, Baba came down from the hill late, at quarter to one, and then remained in lower Meherabad near the Table Cabin and slept there that night also. Jalebis were distributed that day in honor of the recent birth of Arjun's son. At night, Baba overheard Pandoba remark that there was nothing important or worthwhile in the world, and Baba commented:
That is quite true. Worldly affairs have no importance. To a Realized One, the whole world is less important than a dream. Even an intellectual giant and great poet like Shakespeare had not the slightest idea of even the shadow of Real Existence and Bliss.
The original state of God is the sound sleep state. To attain Godhood means to enjoy this sound sleep while fully awake at the same time. Really, it cannot be described.
Hafiz rightly says, "This world is nothing into nothing."
Baba came into the Makan at 6:00 A.M. on 19 November, and finding a few of the men still asleep, he had them doused with cold water! More meetings were held, along with the usual games of cricket and atya-patya. Sayyed Saheb returned to Nasik, and Memo and Dowla Masi went back to Poona.
A week passed as the mandali made arrangements to leave Meherabad. On 24 November, Baba casually mentioned a new plan: "All the men and women mandali and the children can also accompany me if they are willing to stay with me under all circumstances. Regarding our return, nothing is definite. We will start for Lonavla tomorrow and after remaining there for some days go on to Bombay." All were happy and readily agreed to accompany him.
Every day since Baba's return to Meherabad in January 1925, he had received many letters from his followers throughout India and the general public, most of which had been preserved. But that day, Baba ordered this huge collection of correspondence to be destroyed. Despite some of the mandali's objections that it be preserved, the order was carried out and hundreds of letters were burned.
Baba praised Gopal Swamy that day, and instructed him to continue observing silence.
Footnotes
- 1.One of the mandali had been rechristened Nervous also.